Lance Norris
02-14-2008, 12:59 AM
I have been having problems with the dust collection in my cabinet saw. Its a Delta cabinet saw with a 4" port. I ran 4" spiral to the port and because my ducting is less than optimum, I always have had quite a bit of dust in the cabinet, dust spewing out of the top of the cut, and quite a bit of build-up on the fan cover on the end of the motor. I was really worried about the motor, because it wouldnt take much cutting and the fan cover would be packed with sawdust. The cooling fan was sucking it into the grill on the fan cover. I know many people have increased the CFMs by going to 5" or 6" pipe and modifying the cabinet with a larger port. Because of the way my shop is setup, I dont have the room to run anything larger than 4" pipe. I also have lots of 4" spiral and fittings left over from changing the arrangement of my shop several times.
Then I figured out a cheap and simple fix that has had dramatic results. I added a second 4" line into the saw. I dont mean that I split one line into 2, I ran a second seperate line between the DC and the saw.
I have a metal motor cover, so I added the second line to the bottom of the door. I used a closet flange from the Borg that cost $3. I had the spiral and all the fittings, all I had to do was cut a 4" hole in the motor door and mount the flange.
I have a powerful cannister DC, so it is up to the task, and the results have been impressive. I guess it only makes sense because I believe I have doubled the CFMs to my saw. I dont have any sawdust left in the saw, no sawdust in the fan cover, and very little sawdust coming from the cut. The only downside I can see to this is now I have to open and close 2 blast gates. I can live with that.
Then I figured out a cheap and simple fix that has had dramatic results. I added a second 4" line into the saw. I dont mean that I split one line into 2, I ran a second seperate line between the DC and the saw.
I have a metal motor cover, so I added the second line to the bottom of the door. I used a closet flange from the Borg that cost $3. I had the spiral and all the fittings, all I had to do was cut a 4" hole in the motor door and mount the flange.
I have a powerful cannister DC, so it is up to the task, and the results have been impressive. I guess it only makes sense because I believe I have doubled the CFMs to my saw. I dont have any sawdust left in the saw, no sawdust in the fan cover, and very little sawdust coming from the cut. The only downside I can see to this is now I have to open and close 2 blast gates. I can live with that.