Dust Collection on a PM66

[crokett]

I am going to start cleaning the PM66 next week so it is ready for assembly at the same time I am. It has a dust collection port on the back. The original door on the front is missing. There is a piece of ply there but I will replace it with something nicer. The motor cover is also missing. It looks similar to the one in this pic:

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/PM66.shtml

My saw is older and green. I want to build a new motor cover for it. Is there any reason the cover needs to be vented? All the pics I could find I don't see any vents.

[LarryG]

The motor cover on my PM2000 doesn't have any vents. It doesn't have the door in front.

I would think you would want both to seal reasonably well and be unvented, so that most of the make-up air will enter at the throat plate and help carry the dust to the DC port. (The PM2000 has a shroud around the bottom half of the blade, with a hose that runs from the shroud to the port; I don't know whether the PM66 is the same.)

[master53yoda]

The motor type would control the ventilation requirement. If the motor is a TEFC totally enclosed fan cooled. there are no openings in these motors that you can see the windings through. They have cooling vanes on the outside of the motor with a fan on the back of the motor, these motors do not need any additional ventilation because the dissipate the heat through the vanes.

The other kind of motor is an open motor. these motors have open housings and you can see the windings. theses motors would need ventilation and must be out of the dust stream.

the saw would have had a TEFC motor from the factory, if it still does it won't need any ventilation.

hope this helps

[crokett]

Thanks guys. As far as I know it is the factory motor but will check.

Larry, the next time you are out in your shop would you mind measuring the dimensions on the motor cover? I want to get the clearances right for bevels, etc.

[LarryG]

David, I'd be happy to do that if only my "shop" was not currently packed into a mini-warehouse bay at a complex just down the road from my house. You might send a PM to drumpriest; he's the other member here that I know to own a PM2000.

BTW as regards my own new shop building, the contractor called me just this morning with the final numbers. If all goes well, we should break ground within the next few weeks.

[crokett]

Thanks Larry. I sent him a PM. I don't know if the PM66 originally had a shroud around the blade. This one doesn't but I will see what I can come up with. I am hoping just having the motor covered will keep things cleaner under there.