Bandsaw dust extraction - Advice please

[Sawdust]

Hi and a very Happy New Year to you all.

I have a very old, fairly big (24inch wheels) bandsaw which I was given by a friend who couldn't use it in his commercial workshop any more because it contravenes one or two of the latest regs. OK, it's completely unguarded!

I plan to enclose the blade by building a box around it out of 3/4 ply on both sides with a door on the front etc.

I want to box the area below the table in completely to make a container to catch the sawdust and attach a dust extractor port to it. Can anyone tell me the best place to put the port?

The possibilities I've seen so far are either put the port just under the table, as close as possible to the cut or at the bottom of the machine, close to the floor.

Has anyone done this or had any experience (good or bad) of bandsaw dust extraction.

Many thanks for any help
Mike

 

[Unlucky Alf]

Congratulations on managing to get hold of one of the best freebies I've ever heard of, lucky sod.

In his book "Woodshop Dust Control" Sandor Nagyszalanczy suggests that the best way to control dust from a bandsaw is to adopt both of the methods you have mentioned. A port as near to the throat of the saw as possible and a secondary port at the base of the cabinet. He also suggests drilling a series of small holes in the throat plate to assist in removing dust which might otherwise escape the suction from the upper port.

I'd definitely recommend getting hold of a copy of his book, Axminster have it on sale at the moment for £10.25 reduced from £16.95. I'm a bit miffed now having recently paid full price for it :evil:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/recno/17/product-Woodshop-Dust-Control-20135.htm

I'm sure that someone else will have some other suggestions for you as well.

Cheers,

Simon

 

[AndyBoyd]

I have a dust port below the blade and one at the lower part of the bottom wheel cabinet. Both are connected to the same vac via a Y piece. Also I have a piece of stiff but flexible plastic with a slot cut in it, through which the blade runs (below the table) this deflects most of the dust that would otherwise fall into the lower wheel housing and allows the dust collection port below the blade to be much much more efficient.
I got this from FWW I think.

I mount the dust collector below the table with rare earth magnets, so I can easily remove it to open the lower cabinet to change blades etc. The rubber strip is also fixed to this device, which makes it easy to change when it's worn out.

 

[Sawdust]

Congratulations on managing to get hold of one of the best freebies I've ever heard of, lucky sod.

Thanks Simon, it is a nice toy; huge cast iron frame, I think it probably weighs about 1/4 ton. I will order the book you recommended today.

I have a dust port below the blade and one at the lower part of the bottom wheel cabinet

Thanks Andy, you and Simon have both suggested a port in both places and this seems like the way to go.

Mike