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Thread: Under table Blade dust shroud for 1970 Unisaw

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Camas, Wa
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    Under table Blade dust shroud for 1970 Unisaw

    I have been wanting to make a dust shroud for under my Uni for some time. I attempted to mock one up a couple of years ago out of wood because I didn’t have a welder. It didn’t work because the space under the saw is very tight. I got a welder shortly after that but I got busy with other things.

    About a year ago I purchased an Excalibur over arm guard so I could get a little more serious about dust collection on the saw. I was a little disappointed about the dust collection. I decided I wanted to attempt to make an under the table blade shroud even more. Well, last week was the week I started the project. I finished it up this weekend.

    The shroud is made out of 16 gage steel. The connection for the 2.5” hose is a piece of muffler pipe.(go figure) I searched for places for 2.5” pipe and nobody carried it. When I looked it up online muffler pipe kept coming up. I called a muffler shop here in town and he gave me a piece out of his scrap bin. I took a bunch of measurements and drew it all out but I had to redesign it many times on the fly. You can probably se a few places where I made mistakes and hade to patch some things. I’m not the greatest welder but I have fun. It’s a good thing somebody invented Bondo.

    The whole process was a huge PITA and I am glad it is over. It's no beauty spot but it will be under the table and nobody will seeI was afraid that I would spend all of this time and it wouldn’t work very well. I must say that initial test have produced very good results. I am very happy with the results and I think it will be staying under the table. I probably catch 95% of everything that used to end up on the table. What is left is very fine stuff which the Excalibur shouldn’t have any problems picking up.

    I thought I would post this because I know many people have old Unisaws and might be interested in the implementation. It can be done!!!!











  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
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    Sorrento, Louisiana
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    157
    Looks good. I thought about trying something like this for my Grizzly but haven't got around to even looking to see if it is possible. Thanks for the idea.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
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    Now that's ingenuity!

    Great post.
    -Jeff
    Thank goodness for SMC and wood dough.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    Phoenix, AZ
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    Fantastic!
    The lack of dust shrouds and boots is the #1 problem we have for dust collection. It all starts with being able to collect the dust at the source, it you don't have a decent shroud/boot, it doesn't matter whether you have 300 CFM or 1000 CFM.

    Looks like a good design--sure wish I had your skills, or that somebody had made one of these for the PM66!

    I'll bet if you used a 4" pipe it would get 99% of everything. Do you have any plans for that, maybe a pdf drawing that folks could print out and try? I read a lot of dust collection threads, and this is a pretty rare event, someone taking the time to make a good dust shroud for a popular tool.
    Well done!
    Thread on "How do I pickup/move XXX Saw?" http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=597898

    Compilation of "Which Band Saw to buy?" threads http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...028#post692028

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Location
    Camas, Wa
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave MacArthur View Post
    Fantastic!
    I'll bet if you used a 4" pipe it would get 99% of everything.
    There is no way you can get a 4" pipe to fit up in there. I was wondering if I was going to get the 2.5" to work. It looks like there is a ton of room in the cabinet until you try to shove something in there and start to tilt the blade.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    In the foothills of the Sandia Mountains
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    Thumbs up

    Excellent fabrication!
    I have a 10 year old Uni that I love....except for the under blade dust collection.
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  7. #7
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    Mar 2003
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    San Francisco, CA
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    Welding isn't part of my skill set. If you want to start making those things for money, I'll be the first in line.

  8. #8
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    Apr 2007
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    Phoenix, AZ
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    cramped space indeed. I tried taping a prototype together with cardboard and fitting it up in my PM66 a few years ago, but every time I tilted the blade something would get smashed, it kept looking like some sort of side plates sliding against each other would be required. I gave it up pretty quickly.
    Thread on "How do I pickup/move XXX Saw?" http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=597898

    Compilation of "Which Band Saw to buy?" threads http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...028#post692028

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    LA & SC neither one is Cali
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    9,447
    You may have to take this with a grain of salt from someone that is NOT a metal worker but that is freakin awesome. It looks like you ordered it from a parts catalog! Very nice PITA or not.

  10. #10
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    Cary - put me down for one for a left-tilt uni, please. What's the estimated leadtime?
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Camas, Wa
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kent A Bathurst View Post
    Cary - put me down for one for a left-tilt uni, please. What's the estimated leadtime?
    If there is enough interest and I do decide to sell a few of these, it would be for right tilt only. I don't know for sure and don't have access toa LT to check, but I think it is different enough that this one won't work by swapping the dust chute side.

  12. #12
    I've been reading this thread, and it's worth a post just to congratulate a job very well done

  13. #13

    You've built it, the line is starting to form at your door

    Cary,

    The Eagle has landed !

    We all knew we wanted to go there but weren't sure how.

    Will there be a way to acquire tracings or plans (1:1 scale)?

    Ready to send small bills, non-consecutive numbers in a plain brown envelope.

    John

  14. #14
    I'm really sorry to see this project dead in the water. It's such an obviously useful upgrade to a vintage saw that I'm kinda surprised that some of the incredibly talented wood/metal workers around these parts haven't gotten after it and worked out the kinks.

    Anyhow, it is something on my to do list, although not real near the top... but it's on my mind at the moment. I guess I'd like to keep this thread alive as a place to collect ideas links and notes.

    Anybody seen it done successfully?
    Last edited by bridger berdel; 06-18-2011 at 11:51 PM.

  15. Red face a possible tweak.

    To keep sawdust from leaking out over the top of the shroud when the blade is less than all of the way up(most of the time, right?) how about a smaller shroud that fits inside the main one, but is mounted to and hangs down from the table insert?

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