Capturing Miter Saw Dust
Ideas and suggestions for dust control at the chop saw. September 23, 2013
Question
Does anybody know of a good way to capture sawdust from a chop saw? I would like to have something that focuses the dust so it can be more easily picked up with a shop vac or dust collector.
Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor K:
Hook your shop vac to the exhaust of the saw... If needed, get a transition piece.
From contributor I:
A hose alone will not do it. You will need a hood or enclosure to get the rest.
From contributor K:
I am assuming this is for a job site, not at the shop. At the shop, hood enclosure works.
From contributor M:
Richelieu sells a complete hood or tent which captures almost all of the debris and funnels it into a 5 gallon pail.
From contributor E:
I think Fastcap sells a hood setup. If you use a shop vac, there is a plug in unit that both the vac and saw plug into. When you turn the saw on, the vac comes on.
From contributor G:
I have a Dewalt slider and I bought a Downdrafter from a fellow who wasn't satisfied with it. I hooked it up to my dust collector with a 5" hose instead of the 4" as the original owner did and I'd say that now it captures 95% of the dust. It's easy to use although I have to tie it to the saw with some bungee cords.
From contributor G:
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Festool Kapex and a Festool dust extractor? Is that combination not as good as they say it is?
From contributor J:
We have the Festool setup and love it. It is the best available without going to a large, unsightly hood system. I would estimate it catches 75% of the dust.
From contributor E:
I've been a cabinetmaker since 1970. I finally decided to clean up my mitre box area (that didn't take too long - 1970-2013!). I got a Ridgid 5hp shop vac and one of those automatic switches. I hooked it up with transitions to the dust port on my DeWalt 12'' slider. It picked up about 20% of the dust (what a crappy design by DeWalt).
What I came up with is a half circle back stop made with bending panel and some plywood with a 4'' collector port in the back center with a small diameter hose going to the hood collector of the saw. Possibly a few smaller diameter holes in the back stop spread out would be better.
I had the Fastcap hood for installations to keep the site clean, until we were in NYC working on a penthouse (working outside on the roof). A brisk wind came up and carried the hood about 20 ft into the air and it got destroyed when it hit the ground.
