Have you added extra dust collection ports to your bandsaw?

[John TenEyck]

i have a Laguna 14SUV with two 4" ports connected to a 5HP Oneida cyclone. Clearly should be sufficient. Yet, there always is a pile of sawdust in the bottom door. The top never seems to get any sawdust. So, using the stock design with huge dust collection gets most but certainly not all the sawdust in the bottom cabinet.

I'm always vacuuming up the table though.

It doesn't matter how big your DC is if you don't have air flow, and to have air flow you have to have some openings for air to come into the saw. Try leaving the lower door open a little to see if that improves things. If it does then you can figure out how to add some permanent openings.

John

[Chris Parks]

It doesn't matter how big your DC is if you don't have air flow, and to have air flow you have to have some openings for air to come into the saw. Try leaving the lower door open a little to see if that improves things. If it does then you can figure out how to add some permanent openings.

John

There ought to be sticky concerning this as it seems to be asked a lot so obviously the message is not widely known. It is surprising that most people think that air leaks are detrimental when the opposite is true and they help. When it is explained you either get looks of disbelief or a look that says the light bulb just got turned on. The air inlet has to be at least 1.5 times the extraction port BTW. The point about the effectiveness of the dust extractor is frequently overlooked, there is no way a 1hp DE is going to do the same job as a 5hp one will.

[Steve Peterson]

I have an 18" saw with a single 4" port in the lower cabinet. The door has an 1/8" gap all around to allow good air flow. The bottom of the cabinet still collects a layer of dust that needs to be swept up occasionally.

I added a second 4" port under the table and built a wooden enclosure to direct most the suction towards the blade. I helps a little bit. The original port probably does most of the work.

Steve

[Jim Finn]

I have a Grizzly GO555 that has only one 4" exhaust port at the lower wheel. I added a 4" port just under the table. The 2 HP Dust collector with a 6" duct split into two 4" at this saw does not do the job. Too much sawdust still ejected above the table. I have given up and just use the 4" inlet that the saw came with and sweep up after I use this saw for re-sawing.

[Kevin McCluney]

I added a 4" port to the door over the lower wheel on my 14" Delta to augment the 2 1/2" port on the side by the lower guides. However, adding a zero-clearance, angled deflector out of wood just below the lower guides, similar to what's found on newer saws, to shunt the dust to the side port made a much bigger difference than the added 4" port. I ran the saw with the DC on the 4" port and a shop vacuum on the side port and the dust collection was pretty good, but not great. Last week I bought an 18" Rikon that has two 4" ports - one on the rear in the lower corner and one on the side by the lower guides. This saw has the deflector, plus a brush on the lower wheel. I've run some oak and poplar through the new saw just to test it out and the dust collection is far better than my modified Delta. Very little dust collects in the lower housing and almost none rides the blade around to shower down from above the cut.

[John K Jordan]

...Last week I bought an 18" Rikon that has two 4" ports - one on the rear in the lower corner and one on the side by the lower guides. ...Very little dust collects in the lower housing and almost none rides the blade around to shower down from above the cut.

Kevin, My experience as well. If you find you still get some dust spraying out from the lower guides towards the floor such as I did, if you didn't see it already maybe take a look at the message I posted earlier in this thread with the title 18" Rikon collection.

JKJ

[Chris Parks]

Most bandsaws need multiple pick ups, the cabinet, over the table and under the table being generally used. To use that many means you want a very capable dust extractor.

[James Gunning]

Added an under table pick-up to my Jet 18'. A manifold made from MDF, an HVAC fitting and some PVC pipe. Manifold outlet is 6", it fits over the stock 4" port in the lower wheel housing. Better airflow and pickup than just the 4" port by itself and it keeps the area under the table clean.

[Michael Roberts]

Yes, I had a metal worker friend cut a hole in each door of my MM24 for a 5" hose. They work so well, I don't even hook up the factory ~4" port anymore! I opted for placing them in the doors rather than on the backside of the machine so the flange could mount from the inside. The prospect of pulling wheels didn't appeal to me at all.

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[glenn bradley]

I don't even use the bottom port anymore.

A simple box to enclose the general area under the table. Magnet keep it put.

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A closer throat near the top port.

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A sheet magnet over the bottom port.

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