Hi Wallace
I need to make a new dust extraction cover for my saw as well.
My current one is like Frankenstein's monster, but it does a good job of getting the dust.
If you look at this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkZD42a2gtM
This is Altendorf, who have got a pretty good idea of what they are doing. Looking at the slide that they use to raise and lower it, makes me feel that with my oaf like engineering skills I would probably not be able to achieve the same smooth movement. What are the components in there? Is there a very specific angle that it rides on to work?
My current cover which as I said works very efficiently, does not move as I push material through, but I made it so that I could move it up and down manually and lock it, and as such I use it as low as I can get away with. However it is hooked up to a 5hp 3 bag extractor and I currently have a 120mm ish pipe going to this above saw unit.
As far as your situation goes, I would have thought that putting a totally independent hood on that arm instead of the proper wadkin one. You can then put the wadkin hood on the mantelpiece in the lounge seeing as it is so pretty. That arm is a good starting point for you, and I would have thought looking at altendorf, and the other big table saw manufacturers and stealing their well researched designs will get you there.
Keep this updated, so I can see what I should do. Only joking, if I come up with anything I will put it on here, I need to do something quite soon.
Hope this babble has some use
Cheers
Nathan