Table Saw Dust Collection

[Chet]

Submitted on the old forum by Coop

I have a Jet JPS-10TS contractor-style table saw and a hybrid, if you will, HF dust collector with a two stage system with the Wynn filter mounted on a mobile base. Having nothing to compare it to other than a Craftsman shop vac, it works fairly well, except on the ts. I attach the dc to each machine as needed with a 10’ or so, 4” flex hose. The problem is, I occasionally have to clean out the ts cabinet of sawdust. Where on the drum sander, bs and jointer, the dc picks up all of the dust and chips. Is the ts issue to be expected and if not, does the problem lie with the ts or the dc? Someday,  I will connect the dc to the ts, both completely empty and see what the ratio of dust left, to the dust collected is. 

Follow up posts

1) Believe it or not, even with my system, I need to occasionally clean out the collection bit on my saw.

If your collection system is keeping the dust from flying all over the shop when using the saw, I'd say your system is doing its job.

I should clarify a couple things on my saw..

1. The new saw is very different and is actually designed to collect in the bin. There's a blade cup (I suppose that's what it's called) that sits directly below the blade that has a hose where my DC hooks up to it. The bin collects everything that escapes the cup.
2. The old saw without the fancy new system still needed to be cleaned out about twice a year.. Maybe 3 times depending on use.

2) The only time I see chips or dust outside my saw is on the top when I take less than a rip cut, ie, a blades width or less. With as many openings as I have on the saw, it’s easy to believe that it’s the saw and not the dc. The reason for asking is that I’m thinking seriously of mounting the dc remotely and hard piping like others. I guess, if the HF system doesn’t perform, then I’ll need to upgrade. Thanks Kev for the response.

3) Coop, I would seal up the openings using foil tape, the kind used for HVAC. You probably can't seal everything, but worth a shot.

4) My saw is designed similar to Kev's and I too get residuals in the cabinet itself. I think this trends to be the case on most saws and I would guess that using a dado stack will cause more then the regular blade. My shop is all hard piped to each tool and my dust collector is just a 1 3/4 hp.

5) The four corners at the bottom, I did just that. But there is the slot in the front that allows for the tilt and a vent in the side, I guess for ventilation, plus the mass in the cabinet itself. Really my question/thinking is the dc as to whether it’s worth the hassle of moving and hard piping. Just didn’t want to put good money after bad. But, the ts seems to be a common problem so I may have a go at it. Thanks all. 

6) So anyway last year I replaced my old Delta contractors saw 10" which had a square cone underneath the blade and twisty gear mechanicals that I attached a 4inch pipe to that then went to my vacum unit. anything that fell through from the saw was picked up and whisked away. It wasn't perfect, but large thin slices that fell through were easily removed.

I up graded to a flash sliding bench top panel saw that was worth 6 times what the delta cost me and the saw dust pick up is seriously XXXX. Theres this thin box thingy that encloses the blade under the table, the dust extraction is attached to a eclipse shaped 4inch pipe on the right side that runs down to an inside duct. The vac on the outside is attched to the other side of this duct.

Works fine till you get a think bit of scrap fall down inside that blade housing that cover the extraction port. Doesn't matter how much suck is on the end of that pipe nothing goes anywhere.

Also a lot of dust ends up on the floor under the machine that doesn't go into the pick up. If it had the same sort of pick up as the delta it would be awesome, but it doesn't and I'm for ever having to clean out the pile of dust inside on the floor. So I leave the side panel off for easy access. Panel on or Panel off doesn't alter how much dust is sucked into the extraction pipe. 

What did alter how much dust was sucked up through my vac unit was when i vented the unit straight out through the wall instead of into a bag. The saw dust now just hits the ground outside and when it piles up too much I load it into a wheel barrow and dump it in the garden. Or if its treated into a fire or over the fence into the neighbors.

I have run hard pipe from the main vac unit to the various areas where the gear is then i run a flexible pipe which i can then move from unit to unit. Back at the vac I just need to open and close a couple of gates to get the flow to go where i want it. 

The dust extraction unit is a 2hp 230vac I have a smaller wheelie unit that I is dedicated to the panel saw. 

Despite my hate of dust I pick up probably about 90% of it, the rest ends up on the floor, the walls, the ceiling and everything else stacked around the place. 

On the drum sander i have a 2 stage wet dry power vac that's designed to suck through a 2 inch pipe. Which is what comes out the top of the bench top drum sander. This works better than hoking the main unit into it via reduction fittings. For the hand tools I have a small cheap tool vac unit that plugs into the power tools outlet. And at the back of the shed I have a big two foot 3 speed industrial pedestal fan which i turn on when I remember and it blows a lot of the floating saw dust out the door.