Integrated Dust collection for contractor saw with router in wing?

[James W Glenn]

I have a Rockwell Model 10 contractor saw that has a router mount on one cast iron wing. I would like to build a box around the saw motor and router body that will contain and channel the interior dust to a single 6" port. I will also need to have a wye of some sort for a hose for an over the saw pick up or a router fence. I have a copy of a Fine Woodworking article "Dust proof any tablesaw" by Richard Babbitt FWW JUNE 2009, that goes over enclosing the saw motor and directing air flow effectively. I was wondering if anyone had tried anything like this? I am trying to keep the overall footprint of the saw as small and mobile as possible, so I will only have a fixed outfeed table on the back of the saw large enough to cover the motor enclosure. The router will need to go on the left hand side of the saw to keep the tilt adjuster accessible as I am not extending the right side at all. Thanks, JW Glenn

[James Gunning]

The only thing I have built that resembles what you are proposing is a hopper that I built into the bottom of a Ryobi BT 3000 saw. The hopper is under the saw body and on this saw, the motor is above the hopper and not enclosed. The BT 3000 has a very effective blade shroud that captures most of the dust and chips, the hopper was designed to catch the rest. I fitted a 4" blast gate to the rear of the hopper to enable occasional cleanout. Later on it became apparent that I needed more airflow to enable much better dust collection. I built a manifold that connected the blade shroud and the blast gate with a 6" hose. The blast gate is in the Masonite panel hidden behind the manifold. Now, the DC pulls air full time from the blade shroud and from underneath the body of the saw. In the photo the manifold is the maroon painted item. On the upper right corner of the manifold, you can just see the edge of the blade shroud peeking out. The white panels are sheets of magnet that seal off the slot that allows the blade to swing to a 45 degree cut. I sealed other places in the saw with sheets of magnet as well as stuffing foam and other material into openings.

Try to not pull contaminated air across your motors. They will get enough over time without feeding them more. It's possible to seal up a machine so that not enough air is flowing to enable the dust collection to work at its maximum flow. One of the reasons I used the magnetic sheets is they are infinitely adjustable. I tested the saw and moved the panels to a place where I was sure there was enough air flowing into the saw. My ZCTP actually whistles a bit when the DC is running.

If you enjoy tinkering, it should be fairly easy to build something quite effective from material like Masonite, plywood, and sheet metal. I looked at the FWW article, good ideas there as well. My apologies that I don't have better photos. My saw is currently buried in the garage surrounded by a lot of my wifes' stuff that is going to a garage sale, finally!

Edit: finally found photos of a Rockwell 10. With the rear mounted motor, all you have to do is seal the saw body as much as practical and vent it to your hose/duct. For the router, build an enclosure that pulls clean air across the motor to a pickup joined to the DC. Using the magnetic sheets to seal the area around the drive belt would allow some repositioning when needed. Both the saw and router enclosures need as much air coming in as flowing out for the best dust pickup. They don't need or want to be airtight.

Hookup-on-table-saw.jpg