Dust collection culprits.

[dbhost]

Looking for the STL file for router base plate dust port. I HAD one bookmarked but the author pulled it. Should have downloaded the STL previously but thought I had time...

Lowell I bought my BT3100 already with a belly pan dust port and a Shark Guard, which was upgraded to the more recent model while Lee was still with us. So far from stock dust pickup...

I have 5" duct in my shop, I split to 4" below the table and run to a 4 x 2.5" splitter to get the lower ports, I have a 4" above as it is shared and reduce to a 2.5" at the Shark Guard.

The only time dust collection is poor is when I am using the ZCTP, I think Jim Frye has the right idea...

[cwsmith]

Like most everyone has mentioned, my Ridgid Miter saw is the worst. On the few occasions where I felt it necessary to actually have the miter saw in the room where I was working, I used a plastic drop cloth both on the floor and draped behind, in order to contain the dust as much as possible. In the shop, I prefer my RAS which I made a dust pick-up for; and with that, I can make several cuttings and only have a slight amount of debri on the table surface.

In my shed/shop I have have a tube system connected to my drill press, RAS, and router table; and there, they work quite well with minimal dust left on their tables after a few hours. I'm pretty miticulous about keeping things cleaned as I'm working.

The BT3100 is worse than those three tools mentioned abover, as I don't have a pick-up on top of the saw. I do have the bottom blocked off and use the shop vac directly at the provided port. The little band saw is also prone to significant dust. Fortunately, the shop vac takes care of most of it, during the cut and afterwards.

Two of my hand-held routers I have dust ports for and the vacuum hook-up works fairly well. The sanders are a challenge of course. but even there I use them inside only rarely in the winter. Most other seasons, I find it eay to set up a folding table or two out in the yard.

CWS

[capncarl]

I’m going to double down on what Twistsol said. My Festool equipment has far better dust collection than any simular tool of another manufacturer. I keep my shop air conditioned/heated 24/7 and absolutely can not let any tools randomly spew dust everywhere. Dust control became a serious health issue with me years ago, and I refuse to do like some say and wear a respirator just to enter the shop. When it gets to that point I’ll sell or give every woodworking tool away and find a new hobby. I elected to spend the extra cash and purchase replacement tools that have better dust control.
I recently purchased a new Festool Kapex to replace my Hitachi CSMS. The purchase was solely for dust control reasons. I sat the Kapex in the same lexan box dust control cabinet where the Hitachi sat. With the cabinet which was vacuumed directly by the ClearVue 1800 cyclone, about 50 percent of the dust was captured. The Festool Kapex with the cyclone, probably 95% of its dust is captured!
I also operate 2 Festool 125 5” sanders quite a bit with both connected to a Festool CT48 dust extractor which captures nearly every bit of their fine flour dust.
The SawStop table saw that I replaced the Powermatic 64 with spits out about 10 percent of the dust that the Powermatic did.
The Festool Domino connected to the Festool CT 48 captures 99 percent of its dust.
It sounds like I’m preaching Festool but I’m not, It’s just if they can make their tools capture more of the dust why can’t the rest of the woodworking tool manufacturers do as well? I say they don’t try because they know woodworkers are going to buy the cheapest tool available so dust collection is just an afterthought for them.
capncarl

[Jim Frye]

If I were to name the best tool in my shop for dust collection, it would be the old DeWalt biscuit joiner. Connected to the ShopVac with the 1 1/2" hose, it gets all of the cuttings.

[dbhost]

capncarl From a different perspective, and I get where you are coming from, my Metabo (Hitachi) when I DO remember to hook it up, has really good dust collection compared of course to the B&D, and the Chicago Electric slider. Overall it is fair, my biggest problem is where the port is and the fact it rams the hose into my existing dust hood so I tend to leave it off. I need to fix that. Not sure how Festool can actually fix dust collection on a sliding miter saw, but I have always known people love them for that. I know the Hitachi / Metabo saws are above average with dust collection, but above average for a miter saw, in this case a slider, is just a scale of less awful.

[capncarl]

I was impressed with the difference in dust catching between the Festool Kapex ( I believe it is the latest 120 volt unit available) and my older 10” Hitachi compound slider. I had fabricated a lexan box for the Hitachi with a 6” duct straight from the ClearVue 1800 CFM to directly behind the saw body. The Hitach also had a small vacuum hose connection on the blade cover which I connected to a Craftsman shop vacuum. With the ClearVue and Craftsman both working the saw still sprayed out quite a bit of sawdust, lots more than I would have guessed considering how much vacuum was being thrown at it!
When I replaced the Hitachi with the Kapex I simply sat it in the lexan box and hacked out the required lexan top enough for the new saw to piviot right and left and hooked up the Festool Ct mini 15 dust extractor ( the smallest vacuum cleaner rated for the Kapex). After using it for over 2 months I haven’t had to clean up any sawdust from the floor in front of the saw and very little dust on the saw. If the Kapex had a 2.5” hose connection rather than the tiny 1.5” connection I believe that hooking the old Craftsman shop vacuum to it might have captured 99% of the dust!
capncarl