unisaw dust collection

[Joseph Tarantino]

one of the last things to do before using the unisaw i recently resurrected is to find an effective way to manage it's dust collection at the source. my delta 50-850 is up to the collection task, but the ~'72 vintage saw, with it's large square opening (yes, i know i have to close this up) and missing dust deflector, seems to present some challenges regarding collecting the sawdust at the source. there is a magnetic starter switch box within the saw cabinet at the rear of the cabinet just above the cabinet's lower detachable base. i'd like to not have to punch any more holes in the cabinet, a la the shanesy restoration video series. i'd be particularly interested in blade shrouds as that seems to be a really effective way of collecting the dust before it spreads into the cabinet. what have owners/users done to corral the sawdust within the saw cabinet so it finds it's way into the hose going to the DC?

[Cary Falk]

Joseph,
I replied on the other forum but you can follow my failure here.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?142688-Under-table-Blade-dust-shroud-for-1970-Unisaw&highlight=unisaw+dust
Cary

[Matt Meiser]

A few suggestions:

1) if you don't have a motor cover buy or fabricate something. Nothing else is going to help without doing that.
2) If you have a louvered dust door, cover the louvers on the back side. It has been my experience that they do nothing to help but let a small pile of sawdust escape
3) If you don't have a floor in the cabinet add one. I just cut a piece of sheetmetal to the same size as the cabinet and sandwiched it between the cabinet and plinth.
4) Personally I'm not afraid of cutting a port, so I added one on the right side back corner, under the motor cover. I added a 4" opening, wish I'd done a 6".
5) This might be the most important, get yourself a guard with good dust collection. I'm REAL happy with the Shark Guard.

[David Kuzdrall]

I have the same thought on my G1023z table saw (uni-clone); great saw, laughable dust collection.

I am curious to see how many folks have done a retrofit on the under the table blade shroud...I would love to have one but hate giving up shop time to build one...seems like a good niche market out there for some of the popular, older saws.

Good luck with your post.

[Jeff Duncan]

I've found the ideal setup, assuming enough power at the dust collector, is a 5" port at the bottom back of the cabinet and a 3" over the blade. If your collector has enough power you don't have to worry about covering the louvers....you need make up air to come from somewhere. It comes down to the size of your collector though. You'll never get all the dust, but this setup gets as much as your going to on a Unisaw...at least IMO;)

good luck,
JeffD

[Joseph Tarantino]

I've found the ideal setup, assuming enough power at the dust collector, is a 5" port at the bottom back of the cabinet and a 3" over the blade. If your collector has enough power you don't have to worry about covering the louvers....you need make up air to come from somewhere. It comes down to the size of your collector though. You'll never get all the dust, but this setup gets as much as your going to on a Unisaw...at least IMO;)

good luck,
JeffD

is this the configuration you employ? if yes, can you post a few pics of how you've addressed the issue and the specifications of your DC?

[Alan Schaffter]

I have 6" to the cabinet and 3" over the blade. I works extremely well . . . . .when I use the over-blade shroud. But for one reason or another that is only 50% of the time!

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1403/medium/PB050010.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1403/medium/PB050007.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1403/medium/PB050012.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1403/medium/PB050013.JPG

[Joseph Tarantino]

alan, i've seen your overhead collection before. what do you have at the cabinet? here is a pic of my saw. my current thought for the cabinet dust collection is to block the louvers on the front door. create a ramp from somewhere below the bevel handwheel tilting downward towards the side opposite the bevel handwheel with the ramp resting just above the seam where the cabionet meets the detachable base of the saw. this will hopefully coax dust towards the area under the large motor opening. a hole and fitting drilled as shown in this pic (the large white spot) might work and the ramp shouldn't interfere with the motor as it is bevelled as they will both tilt in the same direction. i understand that i need to cover the motor opening. your thoughts on my idea would be most welcome.

[Alan Schaffter]

alan, i've seen your overhead collection before. what do you have at the cabinet? here is a pic of my saw. my current thought for the cabinet dust collection is to block the louvers on the front door. create a ramp from somewhere below the bevel handwheel tilting downward towards the side opposite the bevel handwheel with the ramp resting just above the seam where the cabionet meets the detachable base of the saw. this will hopefully coax dust towards the area under the large motor opening. a hole and fitting drilled as shown in this pic (the large white spot) might work and the ramp shouldn't interfere with the motor as it is bevelled as they will both tilt in the same direction. i understand that i need to cover the motor opening. your thoughts on my idea would be most welcome.

Mine is a newer Unisaw with the rectangular dust port just below the motor door. I made an angled adapter from MDF so 6" round flex connects at the back. A floor that slopes (the steeper the better) to the DC port and is sealed around the perimeter of the cabinet is essential, as is closing off cabinet louvers or any source of make-up air that can bypass the blade area on its way to the port. You need a source of take-up air so do not block off the banana gaps at the tilt and and elevation handwheels or gaps between the cabinet and the CI top.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5060060.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5060064.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5260045.JPG

[Joseph Tarantino]

thanks for the pics. but how is the "floor that slopes (the steeper the better) to the DC port" configured? any chance for a look inside the cabinet? i would think that the sloped floor you mention would slope from the operator's left to operator's right and from as high on the left side of the saw as possible down to the angled adapter on the operator's right side of the saw. have i got that right?

[Alan Schaffter]

thanks for the pics. but how is the "floor that slopes (the steeper the better) to the DC port" configured? any chance for a look inside the cabinet? i would think that the sloped floor you mention would slope from the operator's left to operator's right and from as high on the left side of the saw as possible down to the angled adapter on the operator's right side of the saw. have i got that right?

Yup. :) I don't think I could get the camera in there so the pic would show you anything.

[Eric DeSilva]

Here's what I did: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?137928-Oddball-Unisaw-DC-solution&highlight=Unisaw+DC

I also have a sharkguard with a 4" port on the topside.

[Gary Radice]

I did a version of what others have suggested. I made a sloped pan out of MDF directed to a hole in the plinth. My saw came with hole already in the plinth, covered with a plate. I enlarged it a bit to match the cross sectional area of a 5" duct, so it was a minimal modification. The first pic shows the pan directed the back. I subsequently rotated the plinth around to the side. The second pic shows it as it is now, with an MDF box over the motor cut out. I also have a SharkGuard with a 4" port above, connected to a 5hp Clearvue cyclone.

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[Joseph Tarantino]

thanks, gary. that's the same saw i have (even has the power cord hole in the same place), only the hole in the plinth (i assume that's what you are calling what i refer to as the detachable base) on my saw is at the rear of the saw. unfortunately for me, the square hole is partially covered by a support member of the mobile base, and i'm reluctant to raise the saw within the base for fear of it tipping as it is moved about. although looking at yours, it seems that there is something between the mobile base and the saw. am i right? also, i don't see how those internal baffles in the first pic direct the sawdust towards the collection hose. any chance for a couple more pics to possibly clarify that?

[Gary Radice]

Yes, you are right. To get the hole in the plinth to clear the base, I had to raise the saw an inch on two layers of 1/2 inch MDF. The plinth is still retained within the lip of the mobile base by about 3/16, and it isn't tippy at all.
The plinth is square and so is the sheet metal stand, so reorienting the hole to the side is simple, but of course you have to set the saw on it's side to do it.

For the pan, I made two side wings that slope toward a trough in the center. The trough then slopes toward the hole in the plinth. It wasn't too hard to get it to fit, but I had the saw apart for refurbishing so I had easy access from all angles.

By the way, the MDF box over the motor is held on with magnets. Simple and clean.