Table Saw Sled Dust Collection -- Success!

[Lisa Starr]

I've had my large sled for some time, but hate the poor dust collection. While I love being able to cut cabinet panels with the sled, it is too big and heavy much of the time. So...I am getting ready to build a 2nd, smaller sled with dust collection. As an experiment, I made the hood for the big sled to see if I could get reasonable collection. It works far, far better than I expected.
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Now, on to designing a replaceable insert system.

[Frank Pratt]

That looks good. I wonder if an LED light strip inside the hood might help with seeing the cut?

[Lisa Starr]

Good Idea, Fred. I'm off to research those.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Inspiring, Lisa. That can be a nasty operation.

Where did you source the brush material?

[Lisa Starr]

The brush material is from McMaster-Carr. Mine is 4" tall and I didn't buy any of the holders for it. I just cut a dado to fit the crimped area and epoxied them in, The P/N for the ones I used is 74405T9. I'm designing the new sled to use a 3" tall version.

[glenn bradley]

Very cool Lisa. Nice setup and well executed.

[Michael W. Clark]

Awesome! I think I have the exact same TS too!

[Rick Potter]

Well done Lisa, I need to order some of that brush for my shop.

I wonder if I could improve dust collection on my woodmaster drum sander with it.

[Jim Becker]

Holy hefty sled, BatGirl!!!

And that is, indeed, a great solution!

[Lisa Starr]

Holy hefty sled, BatGirl!!!

And that is, indeed, a great solution!


Jim - Yep. That is exactly why I making a second, smaller sled. I love the 26" max crosscut this sled provides for cabinet panels and it is long enough right of the blade to set a stop for 36". There is nothing better for cabinets, but hefting it on and off my saw is a workout.

[Bob Riefer]

Thanks for sharing, that looks really nice and gives me some great ideas for my next sled build.

[Thomas Wilson]

Like the design and safety features of your sled. The brushes on sides of the guard are probably the best thing yet to capture the dust on the top side of the blade. I see lots of uses. I also need to consult with you on shop organization and neatness.

I have noticed that most of the dust that escapes from my table saw under table collection occurs when the blade cuts through the back of the work piece. You have an orange guard on your sled for safety and guiding dust below the table. Does any dust escape at that point? I was thinking of adding a sacrificial board to the face of my miter gauge with a small box attached to the back with a 2 1/2” hole in the top for a vacuum hose. I am trying to catch the last bit of dust that escapes the dust collector.

Thanks for showing off your guard design.

[Lisa Starr]

The guard design isn't mine. It is a file from a 3D printing site that someone else (better than I) designed and posted for others to use.

This is one of the changes I'm making on the new sled. I'm planning on using the same style guard again, but this time it will sit further onto the sled so that there is no opening under it. One additional safety feature I always use with my sled is that I have to spacers that fit in my outfeed table miter slots. The runners on the sled hit the spacers before the blade would come thru the guard.

[Bruce King]

Nice job!
I know what you mean about a heavy sled, I recently put mine on the curb for pickup and built a lighter one. 1/2 inch base material is all that is needed. I also use a stop in the outfeed to prevent pushing too far.

[Thomas Wilson]

... I'm planning on using the same style guard again, but this time it will sit further onto the sled so that there is no opening under it. One additional safety feature I always use with my sled is that I have to spacers that fit in my outfeed table miter slots. The runners on the sled hit the spacers before the blade would come thru the guard.
Where will the air inlet be? Your guard will bring chips to zero velocity by trapping them inside the guard but you will need a couple of hundred fpm to suck them up to the vacuum connection. Probably just a few strategically placed holes in the side panel of the guard would do it.

Thanks again.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Thomas, I think the side "panels" of the guard are nylon bristles forming a brush. I imagine plenty of air can be drawn through the curtain.

I was wondering if the dust suction draws the bristles inward toward the blade. Wouldn't want that. I notice the bristles are 0.014", about the size of an extra-light B string on a guitar. I see McMaster also offers 0.020" and 0.030" bristles, which they say get stiffer as the diameter increases.

Lisa, now that you've used it, would you opt for thicker bristles?

[John TenEyck]

The brush material is from McMaster-Carr. Mine is 4" tall and I didn't buy any of the holders for it. I just cut a dado to fit the crimped area and epoxied them in, The P/N for the ones I used is 74405T9. I'm designing the new sled to use a 3" tall version.


Thanks very much for posting this. I've been looking for brush material like that for my router sled. Perfect.

John

[Lisa Starr]

No, the bristles are plenty stiff and don't draw inward at all. I did make them just gently sit on the sled base, so there is a little resistance naturally. I actually ordered slightly lighter ones for the new sled build to see if I could get better closure around the stock being cut. Once I've completed that sled, I'll advise the outcome.

[Jebediah Eckert]

That’s a pretty cool design, never saw that before. As somebody mentioned earlier, I bet those cheap battery powered LED strips would be great. 3D printed blade guard?

[Alan Lightstone]

Nice job, Lisa. I never thought of adding this to my crosscut sled. I love the idea.

I recently added cheaper fabric based brushes to my Sawstop dust collection arm. I haven't found a great way of attaching them yet (contact cement, and "Sticky Ass Tape"), and they have fallen off a few times. I like the look of the McMaster-Carr ones with the channel you cited much better. I'll likely replace mine with those, so thanks for the tip.

[Tom Bender]

A couple of ideas to make the sled lighter and easier to put on and off the saw;

Base material can be 3/16" underlayment (also increases depth of cut)

Fences can be 3/4" Basswood or similar

Cut handholds into the fences

Round over edges on the fences for easier on the hands handling