I hooked a vacum cleaner hose to my 12" Dewalt slider long enough to angle the saw. Put into the dc duct hood about 2' unattached so it may slide in and out. My duct hood is small but works good i leave the dc running for a little while after making my cuts. It won't catch all the sawdust but i have no problem with the fine floating dust now.

 

I don't have the most conventional ideas, but maybe using tarp or plastic see-through sheeting and magnets to attach to saw or other areas. This would be after you've set the saw to your angle or needs. Position the sheeting so the saw is not hindered, but also so that the back end/perimeter is "enclosed".

 

I built a box frame out of scrap 3/4 ply surrounding my miter saw on the sides, back & top and inserted some 3/16 clear plexiglass so it would have enought light inside. In the botton back area of the box bottom I have an outlet that hooks up to my dust collection that pulls most of the dust out. I hooked up a hose ( 3 ft. of swimming pool cleaner hose from Lowes) from the discharge of the saw and stuck the other end into the inlet going to my dust collector. Works like a charm and is virtually dust free.

 

I've never seen a dc attached to any machine that captures 100%, including machines that have huge overkill collectors (as in 15 hp grain fan that you don't want to get any body part near the intakes).

So, I think Greg is on the right path with a concentrated high velocity suction at the bottom rear of the saw where the majority of the dust is kicked out at high velocity, and a larger duct that draws the scattered air born particles.

I, too, am looking to build a dust collector for a big DeWalt compound slider. I've noticed that the rubber boot pointed at the bottom of the blade does a great job of collecting high velocity stuff from the kerf. Greg's picture shows Festool does a similar thing. I personally am not inclined to construct a barn of a dust hood, but I do think there needs to be air movement away from operator. One could put a fan behind the operator to blow past the operator towards the dust hood, but that air movement towards the dust hood causes a swirl of dust in front of the operator in the lee created by his presence. A dust collector hood or air cleaner above the saw might solve that problem drawing the air upwards instead of backwards. Or a downdraft grid behind the saw would work better.
Anyway, those are some of my thoughts.
Dan

 

My setup is very similar to Greg's and I also use swimming pool hose feeding into the DC pipe.

It works pretty well at containing the dust in the "hood", but it isn't perfect. I need to vacuum it out every few days.

 

Well you could make a plexiglass hood with brushes on the side
so you slide the wood in, like on commercial cut-off saws used
in factories. Then you put in a sand-blasting cabinet style holes
with gloves so the dust stays contained.

Realistically the tool is just unfriendly to dust collection and is
best used outside. I know they are fun to use and versatile
but the cost of that is the uncontained mess they make.
The radial arm saw is much friendlier to dust collection.

 

Bert I have the same miter saw as you and I have a small hose hooked up to the dust port that had the bag on it,
and then behind the saw I have a big gulp hood that I think I got from Woodcraft or Rockler.

The big gulp is quite large and and that is hooked up to a 4 inch hose to the DC, as is the smaller hose via a reducing coupler. Between the two of them I do not get any dust blown back into my face and it captures a good deal of the dust coming off the saw.

I do have a little bit of side spray to vacuum up, but its the best solution I have come up with so far, but I think a box enclosure as others have suggested may work better.

 

Cato, my setup is almost identical to yours and yet i have dust coming back into my face. I now wonder if the port in back of the blade is blocked. I blew air through it an the air goes trough.
Hummmm! Strange.
May be I post pictures tonight

 

Here's my "temporary" solution…

problem is…. it works so well, I'm not motivated to improve it.

 

Hey Bert, I would think the blade guard and the rotation of the blade should propel dust to the rear.

You may have a blockage in the small dustport if you are getting blowback.

 

Cato, I agree

 

Here's my 2¢ Bert.

and another look…

it's made from a FRP panel.

 

My current collection project is part of a bench rebuild project to provide proper room for the saw itself. I am going along the same lines as devann with the radiused cavity, but I am going flat top and bottom, possibly an angled bottom leaning away from the saw itself so everything will have a better chance of sliding down as it were… I have been trying to figure out how to connect the OEM port and Greg The Box Sculptor has an interesting idea for his.. Might just steal that idea and drop the hose right into the 4" port…

From an SCMS I do NOT expect 100% dust collection, but I do expect 90% +... That's going to take some work…

Some SCMSs are better designed for dust collection. Typically the only vaguely decent one is the Festool Kapex, which is out of my price range. Nice pipe dream though…

 

Here is my installation:

 

Bert, I would say it is time for you to invest in health protection. Check this out - it sure has worked for my brother who works in a grain elevator (huge volumes of dust).

Trend Airshield

 

I have had some experience with dust collection over the years, most of it years back. I believe the blade has more effect Then we think. If the vac connection is located in line with the blade it would be possible to create a vortex in the small port opening. If that is the case with a particular blade then somehow collecting at the side of the guard may work better. A simple test would be to try a different blade for test purposes. Installing a piece of clear hose temporary may tell the tale. You should be able to see the change between blades as much dust as those saws produce. My experience came from RAS saws side by side in the same shop using different purposes blades.

 

I already thought about the trend air shield, 3M also makes one.

 

Bert, this works well for me although I have to say reining in mitersaw dust is tough.

 

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR INPUT

 

When I was cleaning out the garage, I found this collar that was used to keep my dog from getting to her stitches. I just taped it to some ducting and then tie-wrapped it to my saw where the dust port exits. It works surprisingly well!

 

I've tried a few things… this hood from Rousseau works the best so far though even it's not 100%. It is connected to 4 inch dust collector line at the bottom.

 

Here's a shroud specifically made for a miter saw,I had never seen any products like this before:
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-tool-other/peterborough/miter-saw-portable-dust-collector/1046541239

 

I just saw DKV's post(#18) with the same yellow collector,oh well,I still think it's a great idea,well worth the asking price of $55.

 

Greg, I've been looking at that Rousseau hood, but have never heard form anybody that has one. Would it be easy to collapse by angling the saw to the left or right, then pulling the back/bottom UP and FORWARD as you push the saw up against the wall? Sorry for such a specific question, but that would be my storage configuration. And, while I'm peppering you with questions, what is this hood's weakness? (I'm sure the answer is "it doesn't get 100% of the dust", but I guess I mean how does it not?) I'll shut up now before I start making even less sense, if that's possible. Thanks.