Unisaw restoration dust collection

[Jerome Hanby]

I'm rebuilding/refurbishing/reconditioning an old (looks like 194x) Unisaw. Was watching the video blog they have going at Popular Woodworking on the subject. The guy cuts the case and adds a dust collection port to the back (also adds ramps inside). Makes a nice arrangement for dust collection, but I'm having problems making myself decide to cut the case, seems sacrilegious. I've been thinking of adding a port in place of the dust door (which I don't have anyway), the most obvious drawback being that it sticks out on the front.

Would having the dust collection port on the front (with an elbow) get in the way or cause constriction problems?

Should I just cut the case and be done with it?

Should I build some type of platform for the saw to sit on and extract dust there (guessing I'd remove the original saw floor)?

Any thoughts appreciated!

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I have a 198x Unisaw with a dust port on the right side and an internal ramp that was factory installed. Its performance is poor. As many have complained before me, the cabinet fills up with chips even though I have really good air flow. Also, this situation is not unique to Unisaws.

The new breed of cabinet saws are now incorporating a shroud around the lower half of the blade. When augmented by an overarm hood, its about as good as one may expect.

If you do install a port either in the side or doorway opening, I recommend that you still have some type of access to the cabinet to clean it out. Accessing the dust via the throat plate is cumbersome. Also, if you drop the arbor nut, you will appreciate having an access door.

-Jeff :)

[David DeCristoforo]

I cut my port in the base, as low to the floor as possible. Works fine if all of the covers are in place (including the motor cover!)

[Peter Gerhardt]

I couldn't bring myself to cutting the cabinet so I relaced the cover with a piece of plywood and ran PVC piping into it. Works as well as any other method I've experienced.

Peter

[Jerome Hanby]

I couldn't bring myself to cutting the cabinet so I relaced the cover with a piece of plywood and ran PVC piping into it. Works as well as any other method I've experienced.

Peter

The cover you replaced was the dust door? Did you make a right angle turn immediately to get the PVC out of the way?

[Jerome Hanby]

I bought a fiberglass reproduction goose-egg motor cover, so I should be able to keep the suction pretty stout...


I cut my port in the base, as low to the floor as possible. Works fine if all of the covers are in place (including the motor cover!)

[Scott Schwake]

There's quite a bit of discussion about this topic over at OWWM, probably worth your time.

[Peter Gerhardt]

Yes It was the front dust door. I cut a 4" hole in the plywood, used about a 4" strait piece of pipe and a 90 degree angle attached to that. The short piece went through the hole and the elbow went right up against the plywood. I'd take a pic for you but I no longer have that saw hooked up.

I never found myself tripping over it.

Peter

[Matt Meiser]

I *gasp* cut the cabinet on mine. While I love the look of a restored tool, its a tool, not a show car.

I put the hole on the right side of the cabinet, towards the back, just above the floor. The cabinet still does hold a lot of dust. I also get dust coming out of the dust door. I noticed in the video series you mentioned that there is a dust deflector that mounts off the trunions that I'm missing so I need to get one of those fabricated and see if it helps.

[Jerome Hanby]

I noticed in the video series you mentioned that there is a dust deflector that mounts off the trunions that I'm missing so I need to get one of those fabricated and see if it helps.

I've seen that is several rebuild pictorials. Haven't torn mine down to that point yet (or more accurately, have been too lazy to look:D).

[Jerome Hanby]

I've seen that is several rebuild pictorials. Haven't torn mine down to that point yet (or more accurately, have been too lazy to look:D).

Oops, I misinterpreted that post, I was thinking about that shroud close to the blade. I'm definitely going piece together one of those ramps. I guess if I replace teh dust door with a collection port, I'll tack (maybe with some RE magnets) a ledger to the back wall of the case to support the ramp.

[Jon Endres]

I have quite a few old machines, including a 60's Unisaw. It was hacked into by a high school shop to retrofit a dust port. I'm going to fix it and replace the dust port with something that looks more original to the tool, but is effective. My personal belief is that, while it's an old tool, it is just a tool. A clean, careful retrofit of a dust port and internal baffles or trays does nothing to detract from the "value" of the machine. I really don't care if the saw is in original condition as long as it works the way it's supposed to and looks decent. I wouldn't mess with, say, a 1939 Unisaw if it was all original, or a vintage Stanley plane - it depends on the condition and value. If it's in mint condition and has no other modifications, I'd leave it be and keep the shop vac handy. If not - have at it. You think that maybe if the 1940's Delta design team had some inkling of home shop dust collection, they'd have designed it into their machines.

[Joshua Layne]

I'm ?lucky? in that my 1948 uni (waiting patiently for a restore) also had a dust collection port hacked into the back. I don't yet have a motor cover (please ARN gods, please! :P) and haven't actually hooked it up to my DC, but the worst I will be doing to it is maybe changing where the screw holes are...

I think a sheet metal baffle on the floor would really help with DC - basically just sloped to the middle and the back (or wherever your port is) and sealed to the sides with some caulking - the dust door doesn't go all the way to the floor of the unit.

[Matt Meiser]

Josh, a guy over on OWWM.org makes fiberglass repo's of the gooseggs fairly reasonably. I've got one and am quite happy with it.

[Jerome Hanby]

Josh, a guy over on OWWM.org makes fiberglass repo's of the gooseggs fairly reasonably. I've got one and am quite happy with it.

Ditto...Although in my case it means I like the way it looks sitting on top of my saw with the table removed:D.

Thanks for all the input. I think I'm going to be sensible and cut a port for dust collection. Gong to wait on that part until I see how that running PW video blog turns out. Hopefully they'll show-off their dust collection!

Anyone buy one of those plastic dust door reproductions?

[Alan Schaffter]

Ditto...Although in my case it means I like the way it looks sitting on top of my saw with the table removed:D.

Thanks for all the input. I think I'm going to be sensible and cut a port for dust collection. Gong to wait on that part until I see how that running PW video blog turns out. Hopefully they'll show-off their dust collection!

Anyone buy one of those plastic dust door reproductions?

My recommendations:

1) Make or buy a goose-egg or other motor cover- a MUST-have for dust collection.

2) Cut a hole in the cabinet and install a 6" port in the back near the bottom (even if your shop/DC is currently equipped with 4" pipe and flex- if not now you WILL upgrade to 6" ducting someday.)

3) Install a floor in the cabinet (ply or sheet metal) that slopes from just below the height hand wheel on the front, to just below the port - make it as high at the front as you can without obscuring the goose-egg or interfering with the motor or any of the trunion or other moving parts. Use cardboard and carefully make a tightly fitting template for the floor before using it to cut ply or sheet metal. Temporarily install the cardboard template with tape and verify nothing will bind against it. If you decide to use sheet metal you can curve it or bend in into a channel shape so it slopes from the sides as well as from the front to back. Dust will flow easier from all sides to the port at the back that way.

4) If you make the floor from ply, attach it with small screws through the cabinet into the edges of the ply. If the floor will be sheet metal, when you cut it with tip snips leave small tabs that can be bent down into "mounting tabs" which ca be attached to the cabinet sides with sheet metal screws or small bolts and nuts.

5) After you install the floor, use silicone to seal its perimeter where it meets the cabinet sides.

6) DO NOT seal or otherwise block the openings between the under side of the CI table and the top of the cabinet - you need a source of take-up air.

7) If you want, you can make a sliding or bristle cover for height hand wheel banana slot.

added:

If you do that you can build a storage drawer behind the little door on the front.

[Dave Cav]

I have a '49 Unisaw I restored this past summer. It was pretty rusty when I started. The cabinet had a fair amount of light pitting, and the top was very stained with some minor localized pitting. I stripped and sandblasted the cabinet and cleaned up the top and once it was repainted and assembled it looked pretty good, but is will never be a show piece; it's a daily user. I did go ahead and cut a dust port in the right side of the rear. I used a big hole saw and cut a neat hole, then attached a black plastic bezel/hose connector. It looks pretty good assuming you even go around the back and look at it. I also installed a fiberglass goose egg. I put #10 machine screws in from the inside, put a nut on the outside, then put the goose egg over the "studs" and put a nut on the outside, so there is about a 1/16" gap all around, which will help keep the motor cooler and maybe cleaner. (It was also a lot easier than trying to crawl inside and put nuts on the inside of the machine screws while holding them with a screwdriver.) As others have said, the stock dust collection, even with a dust port, isn't great. I think the greatest utility of a dust collector connection is for cleaning out the cabinet. Periodically open the front dust door and use a stick to push any accumulated dust into the d/c port. Lots easier than a vacuum cleaner.

[Alan Schwabacher]

Fine Woodworking #205 (May/June 2009) had an article by Richard Babbitt on improving airflow for dust collection in your saw. It did cover cabinet saws, though most of the discussion was on others. A key idea is that you want to control where the air gets in as well as out, to make sure it cools the motor and carries the dust out.

[John Morrison60]

Jerome

I say cut the port.

I also restored one of those terrific '40s Unisaws.
I made a decision early that I was making it into my
lifetime saw, not trying to save an antique.
To that end, I cut a dust port in the right rear .
Oneida has a nice heavy duty port with a flange.
It looks like it came from the Delta factory.
I also put a Biesemeyer fench on the saw with a digital readout.

What a sweet saw.

Good luck
John

[Joshua Layne]

Alright, I realized that even if I found a CI goose-egg, I would have trouble parting with 2+ benjamins over it and have put an inquiry in for a fiberglass repro. (sorry to thread-jack, I'm done....)

On the dust port, the advice for a 6" port seems sound and I may decide to enlarge the hole I have.

Josh

[james bell]

I put some sheet metal duct taped in with a hole in the bottom then out the back bottom - hard to get it around the mobile base unit i had but worked fairly well.

i then got an oneida portable, so closed up the base hole and cut a hole in the box i built surrounding the motor on the right hand side and it works half-a$$ed. After reading recent reviews in a wood working magazine (can't remember which one), they seem to have the same problem even with most of the newer models, so maybe we are just hoping for too much.

I have thought about raising my sheet metal up some to see if that helps. with the portable, i try and use 6" ductwork whenever possible, so would rather not go in through the front (that said, why does the MM16 have the dust port in front??? I used two 90" to wrap it behind the bandsaw to keep the dust collector out of the way).

Great blog, hoping to read more ideas.

That said, maybe I will try and revive the bottom back hole to see if it helps - will report back when i do.