Dust Collection for My Unisaw

[Scott Austin]

I have an early Unisaw that I use frequently for My Finish Carpentry/Built ins business. I needed a better way to collect dust, without cutting into the sheet metal.

Here's how I did it.John Phone 155.jpgJohn Phone 156.jpgJohn Phone 226.jpgJohn Phone 227.jpgJohn Phone 228.jpg
The boot that comes off the blade guard/collector is off my wife spare tire carrier (2004 trailblazer ), it somehow fit perfectly.

[David Eisenhauer]

I'm lost. I have an older Unisaw that is less than optimal for dust collection and am interested. Questions:

Photo 1: What is the wood and white gizmo? Where does it go? What does it do?
Photo 2: Am I missing anything other than a photo of a Unisaw?
Photo 3: You connected a dust "tube" from below the bottom of the blade guard/collector to send the dust down to where the suction is? How did you connect the "tube" to the bottom of the blade guard?
Photo 4: What is on the base of the dust "tube? Something from your wife's car? What does it do?
Photo 5: How does the exterior dust collection hose gain access to the interior base saw cabinet to collect the saw dust without cutting the sheet metal?

[Tom M King]

Here's a picture of mine. Works great. Moving more air helps any dust collection. This is our portable saw, and portable dust collector is a 3hp four bagger. Closing the bottom with Masonite, and all extraneous holes with blue masking tape helps. The only real issue is reapplying tape when the blade is tilted, but that's no big deal. We can rip sheets of MDF with this setup, and get no loose dust.

[Scott Austin]

The wood gizmo is my new base to exit the sawdust without cutting into sheet metal, the boot off my wifes spare tire carrier fit both the blade guard & the 2' pvc. that goes to a vacuum attachment that is caulked to rectangular opening in new base.

[David Eisenhauer]

OK, makes sense. Now I see said the blind man. I need to look at adding the "tube" to mine so I can direct the dust to my collection hole. I have a 4" hole cut in my sheet metal down low, backside of the saw. I also need to collect the dust at the blade.

[Brian W Smith]

Very nice.

[Mike Goetzke]

Nice design. I did pretty much the same but I like my saw a little higher so I mad a somewhat compact mobile base (borrowed the design from someone at OWM). I used coraplast for the dust pan. It keeps the dust WAY down compared to no DC hookup but I get some accumulation in the cabinet too. I also have a SharkGuard. (Tried to go with a table-saw-less shop but after I found this old Uni I couldn't resist.)





Mike

[michael roughan]

Mike,

I have a Uni a few years younger than yours (Rockwell) and like your concept of both raising the saw and getting the dust out the bottom. Did you need to secure the base to the saw or does the weight keep it in place? Also do you have a way of stabilizing the base when you run the saw?

[glenn bradley]

The wood gizmo is my new base to exit the sawdust without cutting into sheet metal, the boot off my wifes spare tire carrier fit both the blade guard & the 2' pvc. that goes to a vacuum attachment that is caulked to rectangular opening in new base.

So we find that a picture is not always worth a thousand words . Slick mod Scott. A great method that keeps your saw body original. If one were not inclined to go with the shroud, the collection at the bottom would certainly be a giant step up from not having dust collection and again, would keep the body original if that were desired.

[Mike Goetzke]

Mike,

I have a Uni a few years younger than yours (Rockwell) and like your concept of both raising the saw and getting the dust out the bottom. Did you need to secure the base to the saw or does the weight keep it in place? Also do you have a way of stabilizing the base when you run the saw?

I used some wood screws to hold the saw to the mobile base. On my rough concrete garage floor with one set of fixed casters the saw is very stable (I used a similar design on another Uni for years w/o any issues).

Mike

[Scott Austin]

I did the same as Mike & used wood screw to mount the new base to the saw. The base is in a Delta mobile base.

[michael roughan]

Good to know, thanks.