Unisaw dust collection

[Dan Chouinard]

I have an early 80"s unisaw that does not have a dust port or motor cover. What would be the best way of modifying this saw so it can be hooked up to my brand new - still in box - onieda cyclone? The cyclone has been waiting patiently for its turn and i may finally have time for a hook-up.
What is the best way to capture chips/dust from thickness planer without dust port?

[Jamie Buxton]

I have a Unisaw from the same era. To put dust collection on it, I made a plywood motor cover, put a floor inside, and cut a duct hole in the side.

The plywood motor cover is five sides of a box, with a flange around the open side. Machine screws come through the side of the saw, with the head inside, and a nut outside to capture the screw. The screws come through the flange. The hidden face of the flange is counterbored to clear the nuts. I used wingnuts on the visible end of the machine screws.

I cut the duct hole in the side of the base with a jigsaw equipped with a hacksaw blade, and used sheet metal screws to fasten a starter collar on. I use 6" diameter snaplock to plumb the shop, with 6" vinyl flex hose at each machine. The vinyl flex has a metal end on it to mate to the starter collar. It is just friction-fit, so I can easily plug and unplug the saw from the dust collection. All my big machines are on wheels so I can reconfigure the shop for different operations.

The plywood floor inside the base just dropped on top of the bottom piece of the base, so it is perhaps 3" off the shop floor, and just below the duct port. It isn't essential, but it is helpful. Even with a high-cfm cyclone, some sawdust does accumulate in the bottom of the saw, so the floor makes it easy to occasionally shove the pile into the duct.

[Dan Chouinard]

Thank you Jamie for the reply.

When I had a friends 1 1/2 hp bag style collector on loan in my shop i installed a plywood cover also just as you described. I did not know if it was the proper thing to do or not but it seemed reasonable. I was also able to jigsaw a hole in the saw cabinet for hose connection. The hole was cut as close to the floor as the jigsaw would allow. I will install a plywood floor as you describe. Would sealing other holes in the saw cabinet help or hurt collection? Is it possible to mount a device of some sort on a Unisaw to help prevent kickback? I did recently install a zero clearance insert from woodcraft that has proved to be worthy. With the Delta slide attachment and a plywood blade, splinter free plywood crosscuts are possible. Love the slide. Just need to get this cyclone turning.

[Jim O'Dell]

Dan, you don't want to seal the cabinet. Dust collection is made by flowing air. Shut off one end inside the saw's cabinet, and you've got a big, expensive, though slightly inefficient, blast gate!! I'd cut a hole in your home made motor cover and let some air flow in there across the motor for cooling. The rest can come from holes and slots inherently found in the cabinet.
You can get splitters to use that pop into drilled holes on your ZCI. There is an add on riving knife of sorts. Do a search on the letters B O R K riving knife. IIRC the inventor has one that fits the Unisaw. It needs a little more adjustment than a true riving knife for blade height, but looks to be a pretty nifty add on if a new saw with riving knife is not in the cards. Be sure to build or buy an over head pick up for the top of the saw and plumb into the cyclone system. This will make a big difference in how much dust you end up with in the shop and not in the cyclone. Jim.

[Jamie Buxton]

Here's a thread about the splitter I use on my Unisaw: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?19664-Slick-splitter-design&highlight=splitter