Router table dust collection

[Lee Brubaker]

I do not have a bonafide dust collector & have to rely on a shop vac. I used a single collection point at the fence until I got tired of major cleanup after a period of machining. I reasoned that I would have to have additional pickup of cuttings under the table & as close to the bit as possible. I fashioned a pickup out of acrylic & welded the components together with solvent for this purpose. As I change bits from the top side of the table this accessory does not interfere in operations. It certainly improved cuttings evacuation with pickup now at the bit as well as at the fence. The device is of course custom to my router but the idea should be easy to adapt to other makes should someone decide to make one.

Lee

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[Paul Chapman]

That looks really good, Lee. Routers pose quite a few problems in regard to dust collection, so any ideas are always welcome.

Thanks for sharing yours :wink:

Paul

 

[Scrit]

Hi

Looks very similar to the dust hoods for the deWalt DW625 and larger Bosch routers. A simpler approach might have been to clip a cheap builder's bucket over the router with a spigot at the bottom to connect to the shop vac.

Sorry, but that's the cheapskate in me coming to the surface again.

Scrit

 

[Lee Brubaker]

Scrit:

The problem with a dust bucket & port covering the router is that the suction from the DC or Vac overcomes the router cooling fan with the result that cuttings & dust can enter the router. After a year of use, my approach has left the interior of the router clean.Not familiar with the DeWalt device but at the time I was looking for a commercial fixture, all of them attached to the router base utilizing the attachments for template guides which was unacceptable to me.

Lee

 

[wrightclan]

Scrit:

The problem with a dust bucket & port covering the router is that the suction from the DC or Vac overcomes the router cooling fan with the result that cuttings & dust can enter the router. After a year of use, my approach has left the interior of the router clean.Not familiar with the DeWalt device but at the time I was looking for a commercial fixture, all of them attached to the router base utilizing the attachments for template guides which was unacceptable to me.

Lee

Lee,

I remember reading sometime ago that dust being drawn into (i.e. through) the router is not a problem. I think it was a response to a reader's question, and a number of manufacturers were posed the question. The answer that they all gave was that due to sealed bearings, this is not a problem--implying that bearings are the only possible concern, and that it shouldn't be a concern if your router has sealed bearings.

Nice design anyway, it wouldn't work with my router, but it's given me an idea for an even simpler design for my router. I can buy one, but it's so simple to make for my router.

For now I'm very happy with the extraction from my fence. Granted, it still throws a lot on the floor, moreso with certain types of cut than others. But my biggest concern while routing is not to breathe dust from above, and to have a clean top, so I can continue routing accurately. My fence and extractor do that well, and I have to sweep the floor anyway, so a pile under my router table doesn't add that much work--my table is an extension of my tablesaw, so it falls directly on the floor.

Brad

 

[Lee Brubaker]

Hi Brad:

Yes, there has been debate concerning dust in the router & whether or not sealed bearings are affected. In my case, the bearings in my router failed after 10 mos. In addition the plunge posts gummed up. One of the heavy cuttings producer is cutting grooves which the fence extractor is unable to collect.
I simply use a up cut spiral bit which pulls the cuttings down into the acrylic chamber & is then extracted. The port to the acrylic chamber is directly in line with the direction that the router bit throws the cuttings. The chamber volume is only about 6 cubic inches so the shop vac which depends upon low volume-high velocity easily evacuates the chamber.

Lee