Bandsaw dust extraction that actually works - 85% efficient!

[TRITON]

Oh dear oh dear.

I'm wondering now if im going to be charged, cos I removed entirely the upper guides on my bandsaw, and all for an extra 40mm depth of cut.

I hope I've not offended the forum by such wanton bodging.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I read EtV's idea of surrounding the blade with interest. Definitely a good idea, but I had a substantial piece of steel right up against the blade (<5mm away) which rendered that idea unviable. Today I took another look. I thought that that piece of steel supported the lower guide assembly, but it doesn't, it just supports the blade guard, which I have already removed, so it is now redundant. Off it has come. And I've altered the business end a bit, as well.
Ooh, you're going to like this...

 

[Spectric]

Hi sometimes modifying guards or making temporary changes is the safest way to do a job so long as you are fully aware and take the extra precautions. An example is the Bosch mitre saw with a stupid solenoid on a button to release the guard as you bring the blade down. I always manually release the blade using the lever because otherwise it is not a smooth action, the guard snags and then it suddenly frees and you plunge to fast. In some cases with profiled timber the guard just gets stuck as the little wheels on it snag, so you have to fix the guard fully open before making the cut and because you know this you don't put hands anywhere near until blade stops and you release the guard.

 

[Lons]

Did you pick up the bit that fell off the end of the table at around 7 mins Steve?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Did you pick up the bit that fell off the end of the table at around 7 mins Steve?

LOL! Yes I did

 

[Doug B]

I’m wondering if your extraction upgrade might be worth doing on the Startrite bandit Steve

 

[Popey]

I read EtV's idea of surrounding the blade with interest. Definitely a good idea, but I had a substantial piece of steel right up against the blade (<5mm away) which rendered that idea unviable. Today I took another look. I thought that that piece of steel supported the lower guide assembly, but it doesn't, it just supports the blade guard, which I have already removed, so it is now redundant. Off it has come. And I've altered the business end a bit, as well.
Ooh, you're going to like this...

Steve,
thank you for posting such an excellent video. I'll be subscribing to your youtube channel!
Of course there will be a run on 32mm plastic pipe now that the idea is in the wild so to speak!
Cheers

Mark

 

[Robbo3]

Thanks Steve. Looks like I might need to change mine as well.

 

[Orraloon]

Steve,
Did you check how much uncollected dust gets in the cabinet. My saw has the 100mm port in the lower corner even further from the action. If I cut without using the dust extractor (2 hp low pressure) the lower cabinet soon fills up and the blade also carries the sawdust right around to shower from above. With suction the inside stays clean but there is some dust left on the table and a small pile by the lower guides. Been intending to install a branch to collect under the table as well as the main port. Actually been intending for years so about time I got the thing done.
Regards
John

 

[DBT85]

John, if the HVLP is restricted it won't do as much as it could as I'm sure you know. Most bandsaws while not sealed, don't offer much airflow into the cabinets which means not much airflow gets out carrying dust with it.

They'd arguably do better with a few chuffing great holes in the door!

 

[Steve Maskery]

Steve,
Did you check how much uncollected dust gets in the cabinet. My saw has the 100mm port in the lower corner even further from the action. If I cut without using the dust extractor (2 hp low pressure) the lower cabinet soon fills up and the blade also carries the sawdust right around to shower from above. With suction the inside stays clean but there is some dust left on the table and a small pile by the lower guides. Been intending to install a branch to collect under the table as well as the main port. Actually been intending for years so about time I got the thing done.
Regards
John

No I didn't, but it would be a good thing to do.

 

[Robbo3]

Thanks Steve. Changed mine to similar & after making a few cuts, no sawdust to be seen inside. Much better extraction than from the bottom of the saw.
Don't know why I didn't think of this method. It's so simple.
Will have to try some stringy ash, as in my previous photo, to see how it copes.

 

[Steve Maskery]

No picture, it never happened...

 

[Robbo3]

After cutting a small length of 4" post (its maxiimum depth of cut) into quarters, several other small cross cuts & even some perspex, oh & blanking off the bottom port, this was the result. Flippin' marvellous.
The only bugbear is that I have to remove the elbow to open the door but as my shopvac fits directly to the elbow without any additional pipe work it only takes two seconds.

 

[Noggsy]

Viewed with interest and then shamelessly stolen. Thanks Steve, that is an excellent solution.

The new Laguna bandsaw has 2 x 100mm ports, but my HVLP collector is not really powerful enough to suck the dust away from the blade. Unlike my (your) new system.

I’ve modified it slightly and used slightly recessed rare Earth magnets so that I didn’t have to put holes in my lovely new bandsaw doors.

Oh, I used black pipe as well, to better match the saw. I’m about to set up a remote socket for the dust extractor (Trend T30) to save messing about when I’m using the bandsaw.

Thanks again Steve. Great idea and makes a big difference.