Originally Posted by
Brian Holcombe
Jim, how do you mean? Do you feel the holes are needed to support the volume pulled by your dust collector?
Dust collection is 100% about air flow. In an "ideal" situation, the area that comprises where that air flow comes at the tool will be equal to or slightly greater than the supported area of the diameter of the connection to the tool. In the case of the MM16, that's a 100mm port (~4"). So yes, the holes help provide some of the volume of air flow necessary to "fill the duct".
"Where" that air flow comes from is also important. The dust and chips created on a bandsaw happen where the blade is engaged with the material and they exit downward. The holes in the table insert (in cuts where the material isn't totally covering them) help influence air flow to capture the chips and dust as the blade exits the material and generates better collection on a machine that's actually relatively difficult to collect from.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...