Bandsaw dust extraction

[Boz62]

This is an "ideas post". Although it is very specific to a particular bandsaw, it may give someone ideas to apply to their own.

I have a Scheppach Basato 3 vario, made in 2004. I'm sure the 100mm dust port on the rear works well if you have an HVLP extractor, but when I started this I was using only a rather poorly Electolux . All the dust ended up around the guides and in the bandsaw cabinet, very little going into the vacuum. So, inspired by DC's custom dust collection I set to with plastic pipe fittings, cardboard and duct tape .

There is limited access around the blade in the Basato. I ended up getting best results with a pipe from the front, above the guides. Best access to the blade was with a 40mm 90 degree solvent glue fitting, with it's top sliced off to clear the underside of the table. A flat top was then taped in place. I decided to ignore dust extraction with the table at 45 degree, since I only do this for a minority of the time - I can just sweep up for this case :shock:.

Lots of trial and error later, I've found that top fitting/top plate lengths are quite critical to effectively "shred off" the dust from the blade before it hits the guides. Too far or too close to the blade and the dust goes everywhere. Get it right and the dust is pulled into the pipe and very little hits the guides or goes into the cabinet.

Here is the final glued up version hanging on the front of the cabinet, using a toilet flush pipe for the main down pipe It unhooks simply after loosening the clamp nut at the bottom so doesn't significantly get in the way of door access


Looking under the table, here is the 90 degree fitting hooked over the top of the door (using the head of a self tapping screw as a hook)


And looking down through the table centre, here is how the top fitting fits close to the blade. I tried with side baffles to keep the airflow closer to the blade but surprisingly this only made things worse


To keep the bottom end of the pipe stable, I fitted a bracket. A wood block displaces this lower to clear the speed handle on the bandsaw. A slot on the bracket is clamped by a wooden knob with an M6 T-nut in it's rear to a M6 bolt fitted into the door. My vacuum's pipe is a nice slide fitting in the end


Here are two views of the top end, off of the bandsaw. These show the screw used as a hook, and the wide slot that is need to wrap around each side of the blade guard in the bandsaw


Now I have the small Camvac this is even more effective, and I rarely need to vacuum inside the cabinet. I have blanked off the 100mm port on the rear.

I hope this is of use to someone.

Boz

 

[OPJ]

I'm sure the 100mm dust port on the rear works well if you have an HVLP extractor...

Don't be so sure! :wink: HPLV 'workshop vacuums' are best for bandsaws and machines creating fine dust. Using a HVLP 'chip collector' in the 100mm port doesn't prevent the guides from getting all clogged up and all the fine stuff generally escapes back in to your working atmosphere anyway.

I think you've done very well here, Boz. I attempted something fairly similar last year, approaching from the side of my machine. But, if you can set it up in front then, I agree, this is the best method on a saw of this size.

It looks as if this makes it more difficult to change a blade?

I tried adding a deflector above my guides a few months ago but, when I tried to tilt the table, it just got in the way. I may just have to revisit my design when I get around to purchasing my next extractor! :wink: There's got to be away to improve the extraction without affecting the table tilt... :-k

 

[Boz62]

Thanks Olly. Blade access is unchanged, as the pipe assembly just lifts off the front 8).

The main thing seems to be to get the dust out of the way before the guides. Once it gets there, it scatters all over the place. Sadly this makes access to get a pipe in more troublesome. I tried to get it to work with the table tilted as well, but it was too much of a compromise. So much of the pipe "head" was cut away, I lost a lot of performance with the table flat. So I decided to just make this for use in flat cutting. Other bandsaws with different guide bracketry or different tilt arrangements may be simpler to fit a custom pipe.

Of course, the first big job I had to do once I'd made this, was cutting the bevel on all the French cleats for the workshop walls, so I was back to dust all over the place

Boz

 

[OPJ]

Could you not at least use the 100mm port when bevel-cutting...? :roll: :wink: You'd only need a disc cut to fit inside the 100mm port with a hole drilled in the centre for your 32mm (?) hose.

 

[woodbloke]

Boz - does the Camvac work then in this situation? - Rob

 

[Boz62]

Olly, I'd already tried the hose in a hole method on the 100mm port and it was a total waste of time . Hence the incentive to get a better method. I might make a second one specifically for bevel cutting one day, but for now I'll just remember to blast out the cabinet regularly when I do .

Yes Rob, the Camvac is superb with this. The trick is getting the end of the pipe up close to the blade with a smaller diameter. This gives enough air velocity to get the dust from around the blade before it hits the guides.

Boz