Will Zero Clearance insert help with DC

[Bobby Newsom]

Just got my Grizzly G1023rlwx table saw set up this week and I've begun putting some stock through it - mostly walnut for a cutting board I'm making. So far I'm pleased with it. I have a 4" hose at the DC port, and it's connected to my shop vac. The biggest problem so far is dust spraying back on me from the blade.

I'm still using the factory insert. Will a zero clearance insert help with DC?

[Martin Wasner]

nope.

A zero clearance plate is so there's more support for the material, and less tear out, or chipping in materials like melamine.

[George Bokros]

IMHO, unless you have over the blade dust collection you will likely have poorer dust collection since none of the dust will be sucked downward.

[Matt Day]

It actually makes dust spray back worse if you don't have over the table dust collection.

[Nick Decker]

You may also be suffering from adapting your 2-1/2" shop vac hose to a 4" dust port. May not be moving enough air.

[Lee Schierer]

Make sure you have an air inlet into the base of your saw that is the same size as the air outlet. If you don't have air going into the saw base, you won't be sucking any air and chips out.

[Ole Anderson]

Even with a giant dust collector hooked up at the bottom collection point, unless you have dust collection on top of the blade, you are going to continue having the problem.

[Steve Cowart]

Even with a giant dust collector hooked up at the bottom collection point, unless you have dust collection on top of the blade, you are going to continue having the problem.

What he said.

I actually got fed up with the constant spray of sawdust in my face and did a lot of research into over the blade dust collection. The SawStop dust guard/collector seemed to get get consistently top reviews. I had a riving knife made to allow me to use it on my Powermatic PM1000. I use a hose from my shop-vac that drops from the ceiling so I never have to worry about it getting in the way of larger sheet goods. I use the same hose for dust collection on my router fence, while the big 4" to my actual dust collector stays underneath the table where the bulk of the dust is collected. I can EASILY raise the cover if I want to actually see the blade when making a cut, but I find I never really need to.

It is night and day better, fantastic dust collection and VERY easy to use.

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[Robert Engel]

Even if you go with topside collection, wear a respirator or dust mask.
Have good shop ventilation +/- filtration.

Be aware that some species of wood like walnut and cedar can be especially irritating to the lungs.

[Ben Rivel]

Yea the SawStop one is awesome. Love it on my 3HP PCS. I have seen a number of people around the net retrofit it onto a non-SawStop saw. Seems like a great option.

[Steve Wurster]

I'll add a +1 to the use of the SawStop guard. I have that rigged up on my Ridgid TS and it's amazing how much dust it collects. It doesn't work that well when you're crosscutting if your miter fence lifts the guard too high. Same if you're doing cuts where you're only removing a small amount. But otherwise it works really well.

[Matt Day]

Nice setup Steve! I'll have to look into that.

[Erik Christensen]

I have a SharkGuard on mine - it works great - just have to be patient when ordering as they get busy and it can take a while

IMHO a shop vac is not going to pull the CFM to really capture all the dust from a TS - better than nothing but not in the same league as a real DC (even a mobile one)

[Steve Wurster]

I have a SharkGuard on mine - it works great - just have to be patient when ordering as they get busy and it can take a while

IMHO a shop vac is not going to pull the CFM to really capture all the dust from a TS - better than nothing but not in the same league as a real DC (even a mobile one)

The wait on the SharkGuard is why I went with the SawStop model instead. Plus the SawStop model can work with a shop-vac, although I have mine hooked up to a DC.

[George Werner]

Man, seeing these pics has me thinking about ditching my Grizzly overarm guard and going with a Shark Guard. I like how close you can get the fence to the blade with the Shark.

[Bill Dufour]

If you do make a zero clearance insert drill a hole at least one inch diameter somewhere away from the blade. this makes it much easier to lift it out with a finger. It also makes it easy to hang from a nail.
No that hole will not suck the wood down with the dust collector and make it harder to push.
Bil lD.

[Steve Cowart]

The pic is actually a SawStop Guard. It actually got better reviews than the Shark Guard. It was Lee from Shark Guard that made my custom riving knife that allowed me to use the SawStop Guard on my Powermatic. The big thing with the SS is that it pulls vacuum from the Front of the blade rather than on top. This REALLY seems to be the best way to capture most everything. You can also raise and lower it while the blade is turning. The drop down arms on the side ride on the riving knife so they can't get into the blade. Very nicely thought out and engineered.

It does allow me to REALLY close with the fence.

If I am just trimming the edge of something and it doesn't extend past the blade to help block the dust, I just put a piece of scrap with a similar thickness right next to the blade opposite the piece I am cutting and it works great.

[Marc Burt]

I recently bought a Grizzly 1023 (though not with the router attachment) and I have to say the dust collection is simply atrocious. Terrible. Impossible to overstate how poor it is. Above the table collection is definitely necessary, and unfortunately still on my to do list. I wear a respirator now. Even with good piped dust collection and an air filter this saw has put more dust on everything in my shop in the 8 months I've owned it than my old delta contractor saw did in 5 years.

[Keith Weber]

I think your question has been answered, but as an aside, you need to get rid of those stock metal inserts. Making them is fairly easy, and you will benefit in both cut quality (less chance of chip out), and safety (small pieces can fall into the large opening and create all kinds of havoc.

[Bobby Newsom]

Thanks for all the responses. This gives me some ideas. I'm already onto the need for a respirator and snug goggles. That is a must - this saw simply sprays dust all over the user.

Im gonna take a closer look at the SS and SharkGuard systems. They both look pretty good. Thanks again.

[Steve Shepherd]

I think your question has been answered, but as an aside, you need to get rid of those stock metal inserts. Making them is fairly easy, and you will benefit in both cut quality (less chance of chip out), and safety (small pieces can fall into the large opening and create all kinds of havoc.

Actually, a few holes either side of the kerf should give you improved downdraft and hopefully less back spray...For air and dust to leave, air has to be able to enter the saw cabinet. A solid ZC insert reduces airflow, increasing blowback.

[Bill Bukovec]

For me, the zero clearance insert keeps sawdust fron spraying me in the face. I am using a dust collector with a 4" hose.

[Wade Lippman]

Actually, a few holes either side of the kerf should give you improved downdraft and hopefully less back spray...For air and dust to leave, air has to be able to enter the saw cabinet. A solid ZC insert reduces airflow, increasing blowback.

I had that same thought. Then someone pointed out that your wood will cover the holes; making them useless. You have no airflow except what can come through the kerf; which is pretty much zero.

[Dave Bunge]

What he said.

I actually got fed up with the constant spray of sawdust in my face and did a lot of research into over the blade dust collection. The SawStop dust guard/collector seemed to get get consistently top reviews. I had a riving knife made to allow me to use it on my Powermatic PM1000. I use a hose from my shop-vac that drops from the ceiling so I never have to worry about it getting in the way of larger sheet goods. I use the same hose for dust collection on my router fence, while the big 4" to my actual dust collector stays underneath the table where the bulk of the dust is collected. I can EASILY raise the cover if I want to actually see the blade when making a cut, but I find I never really need to.

It is night and day better, fantastic dust collection and VERY easy to use.

356760356761356762

Not to derail this thread, but Steve, where did you get the router table extension that you have attached to your saw?

[glenn bradley]

A couple observations / opinions . . . Before you go throwing money at it you probably want to be sure the effort is targeting the actual offender. I found a shop vac inadequate for even my contractor saw which had been modified for better dust collection. It would collect what got close to it but, it could not move the volume of air required to get any velocity in something like a tablesaw cabinet. My 2HP cyclone does a fair job on my current 3HP cabinet format saw with a 4" port. I plan to open this up to 6" as soon as time allows.

It is a Saw Stop and the overarm collector does pretty well. I had a large overarm boom on a previous cab saw with a 3" hose and it worked very well. The problem was that many of the operations I do making solid wood furniture made the overarm awkward or unusable. The Saw Stop narrow design can be used for more cuts than something like the Excalibur but, I still use it primarily for those rare sheetgoods cuts that it works best for.

I've used ZCI's since the contractor saw days and found a wider opening at the rear gave the DC enough extra flow to keep the return spray under better control.

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The real enemy for me are cuts that are not captured. That is; trimming edges where the blade is exposed on one side as you make the cut. Even with the overarm there was not enough velocity to capture the bulk of the spoil rocketing off the blade at 100 MPH. The best collection I have gotten is with a large DC moving big, gulping volumes of air from below and a shop vac providing high suction at the top.

The decision of what to do is based on how often you can actually use the rig you end up with. I run all safety equipment possible for the operation being performed. A riving knife has certainly upped this ratio from my "splitter" days but, I digress . . .

Even though I am very safety conscious I probably only use the overarm about 10% of the time. The rest of the time the operations make using it awkward (read less safe) or impossible. It does hang on the wall right by the saw and can be put on and taken back off in just a few moments so my minimal use has nothing to do with difficulty, delays or laziness. an overarm just doesn't play well in general with a sled or a tenoning jig for example.

[Steve Cowart]

The real enemy for me are cuts that are not captured. That is; trimming edges where the blade is exposed on one side as you make the cut. Even with the overarm there was not enough velocity to capture the bulk of the spoil rocketing off the blade at 100 MPH. The best collection I have gotten is with a large DC moving big, gulping volumes of air from below and a shop vac providing high suction at the top.

This is always a big issue. I have actually made a habit of grabbing a piece of scrap that is the same thickness as what I am cutting and putting it on the left side of the blade, this blocks the open side of the cut and captures the dust just like a normal cut. It really bugs me to have that dust shooting out in these types of cuts. As for the overarm setup, I found it in way to often, so that's why I drop from the ceiling with the shop vac hose. It also makes it easy to move it over to my router fence when its used.

Dave, That is a "Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax Cast Iron Router Table Extension" that I ordered from Amazon. I also have an Incra router lift in it. It's awesome.

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