Over the blade dust collection

[Brian Behrens]

I have a Grizzly G0691. My DC is a Clearvue 1800 cyclone. With the wide factory insert dust collection is great! I finally installed my zero clearance insert and built a cross cut sled. With the sled, my dust collection is terrible. I have dust flying off the top of the blade. I have begun to research a solution. I am very serious about my dust collection and want to get this right.

So far I have researched the Shark Guard and the Excalibur. Right or wrong I've never used a blade guard, so this will be a big adjustment for me. I would prefer something that more or less "hovers" over the blade, rather than attaching via the riving knife, so I can use it for dados and with my sled. Is there something else out there I should be looking at? I have a 6" drop going into the saw cabinet, so I am assuming I will need to change that to (2) 4" drops, one to the cabinet, and one to the over the table guard? Thanks for any input.

Edit: I called Clearvue and they advised to keep my 6" port on the cabinet and just add the 4" for above the table, using blast gates on each to find the sweet spot between the two

[Jacob Mac]

I have the exact same setup as you, but I use this

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Univ...le-Saws/T10113

[Brian Behrens]

Thanks Jacob. Are you happy with that unit?

[Marshall Harrison]

Watching this closely as I am looking also. I thought about the one from SawStop but since my saw isn't a SS I'm not sure if it will work with my saw.

[Nick Decker]

Marshall,

I've been following your dust collection posts in the other thread and, believe me, you'll need a lot of suction to run both cabinet and above-table dust collection. I know this because my 1 hp unit barely keeps up with my cabinet alone. I'm running out of floor space for a larger unit, so I'm thinking my broom needs to be upgraded.

[Roy Petersen]

Using a 2HP HF collector, I have a 4" port underneath my saw and another 4" drop from the ceiling (both go to a 5" main line). The ceiling drop is a hinged dowel (so it can be moved out of the way if it's not needed) with the 4" hose attached with ball bungies. The last foot or so of the hose is allowed to dangle just above the blade, so it will move out of the way during sled cuts, but close enough that it will attract the dust spinning off the blade. Very little gets past.

Though I'm sure that overarm gadget works way better, $300+ is a bit much for me.

[Doug Garson]

Have you considered something like this using your shop vac? Combined with your dust collector connection on the cabinet. 20180423_084006.jpg
Found this idea online, can't remember where but it works surprisingly well for little or no cost (just some scrap plywood and a little time.)

[Jacob Mac]

Thanks Jacob. Are you happy with that unit?

With a clearvue 1800, I can't imagine a scenario where you couldn't run the unit effectively. The question I would ask is are you really committed to working with an overhead guard, and do you have the space.
But the unit itself works well.

[Brian Behrens]

Have you considered something like this using your shop vac? Combined with your dust collector connection on the cabinet. 20180423_084006.jpg
Found this idea online, can't remember where but it works surprisingly well for little or no cost (just some scrap plywood and a little time.)

I'd really like to use the 5 hp DC I already have running, rather than add a shop vac into the mix. I think that design looks ineffective if I'm cutting a 24" panel, since the hose will be far from the blade at the beginning of the cut. I think I've ruled out the shark guard. I need to be able to use it on my sled, since that is the biggest offender.

[Marshall Harrison]

Marshall,

I've been following your dust collection posts in the other thread and, believe me, you'll need a lot of suction to run both cabinet and above-table dust collection. I know this because my 1 hp unit barely keeps up with my cabinet alone. I'm running out of floor space for a larger unit, so I'm thinking my broom needs to be upgraded.

Nick,

I've come to that conclusion too. If I add an overarm collector then it would probably be hooked to a shop vac. Might not work the best but every little bit helps.

I simply don't have the room in my garage for a huge dust collection system. My longer range plans are to move to the mountains of north Georgia or western North Carolina sometime in the next 5 years. So I'm hoping for a better shop facility when I make that move. My goal is to put bits and pieces of my future shop together now and build on that once I make the move. I'm trying to make purchases that won't limit me in the longer run or be a throw away expense.

Some of my smaller purchases have been somewhat disposable but I'm trying to keep my major purchases part of my overall master plan. Though I'll admit not all parts of the "master plan" are worked out yet.

[Brian Behrens]

With a clearvue 1800, I can't imagine a scenario where you couldn't run the unit effectively. The question I would ask is are you really committed to working with an overhead guard, and do you have the space.
But the unit itself works well.

I can't keep using the sled with the dust it puts out, so I will have to adjust to the guard. Space is not an issue.

[Nick Decker]

Agreed, Brian, about turning on both a DC and a shop vac just to cut a board. It's annoying.

[Alan Schwabacher]

... If I add an overarm collector then it would probably be hooked to a shop vac...

If you want to use a shopvac for the blade guard dust collection, a design like that of the Sawstop is beneficial. It takes advantage of the airflow caused by the blade, and captures the dust from the front of the blade where that air brings it -- very effectively using either shopvac or DC. For shopvac use, you want a fairly small cross section with rapidly-moving air, which means the air intake must be placed quite precisely. This is easier with the guard mounted on the riving knife or splitter, but possible with a drop-down mount. It needs to be positioned more carefully than would a bigger inlet designed only for a DC that moves more air.

A DIY design that appears to work as well as the Sawstop can be seen on youtube if you search for "Justin Depew overarm dust collection for my tablesaw".

[Brian Behrens]

With a clearvue 1800, I can't imagine a scenario where you couldn't run the unit effectively. The question I would ask is are you really committed to working with an overhead guard, and do you have the space.
But the unit itself works well.

Jacob, how easy is it to adjust the height on the grizzly. For instance, I will probably need to raise it a few inches whenever I put the sled on to clear the rear fence of the sled, and give me the full range of motion

[Jim Becker]

Back when I had my cabinet saw, I had the Excalibur overarm guard and really liked it. I actually plan on creating something similar for my slider at some point because the current guard/collector attaches to the riving knife and I don't prefer that arrangement.