# How Did You Design the Dust Collection for Your Miter Saw Station?



## NohoGerry (Dec 6, 2021)

Guys,

The next project in my new shop to get it organized is to build a miter saw station. My design will include base cabinets for storage drawers and a dust collection system that will hook into my future Oneida Super Cell (will be getting it this summer).

I know that miter saws are notorious for being a challenge to set up dust collection, but i've seen various designs that incorporate large hoods over and behind the saw that lead to a dust vent below the table with a 4 inch outlet (that's how I plan to connect it to the Super Cell system).

Is that how you built your dust collector fixture for the miter saw?

Do you have a different design?

My Hitachi 10" SCMS also has a 2 inch port behind the blade-should I consider an additional hose to the hood? Or just let the hood take care of all the dust?

Thanks in advance for the help-if you can supply pictures of your setup it would be much appreciated.
Gerry


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## Vandon (Jan 21, 2020)

Wheels. I use wheels. My garage is my shop. Every tool I have is on wheels. I wheel my miter saw outside and shoot the sawdust into the bushes.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Same here. Although I have a good dust collection system, I don't use the miter saw much, so I just roll it outside. Even in winter.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

I got rid of that tool, problem solved. Dirty and a space hog, sorry I am no help on this subject.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

After 4 designs (and failures) I gave up. There's no miter saw in my shop anymore, it sits in storage waiting for home improvement projects.


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## Brawler (Nov 12, 2018)

I found that about 98% of what I use for the mitersaw for is to make boards to length (small cuts). The DC port on my Hatachi 12" gets about half of the dust, that is good enough for me. I just pull the hose off the DC port and vacuum the remainder when finished.


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## gbarnas (Sep 25, 2021)

I'm still fitting the DC piping and miter saw in the new shop, but my miter saw sits between two cabinets. There's a Masonite panel between the cabinets that's waxed and grounded so any dust falls to the saw shelf.

I place a blast gate above the station, then a 4/4/2 WYE to connect a hose to the dust port on the saw. The 4" continues down to the base, where it passed through the base. Under the miter saw base is a small channel made from x2s. A piece of Masonite covers this channel, and I have a 2 slots cut across the base into the channel. The dust port collects a fair amount (Also have the Hitachi 12" saw), the rest sprays onto the back panel and falls to the base, where its sucked through the slots. I keep a whisk broom to brush off the saw and base while the DC is running to clean up the little bit that's left.

Waxing and grounding the back panel minimizes what dust sticks to the panel, and a tap with my fist knocks anything that does stick off and down to the collection slot.


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## Knockonit (Nov 5, 2017)

i attempted several methods, none were absolutely the ''cats ,meow'' so i gave up, and now that i've given it some thought, i may get relegated to the exterior patio, and keep covered till used, not like i use it every day. 
once i get the sliding table saw up and running, well actually placed so i can make it work in my too small built shop, dang it knew i shouldnt have let her convince me to chop off 10 ft of it, lol
oh well.
happy days are here again, retirement around the corner.
Rj in az


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

At the furniture company we had a 4" come down and the dust went begging the miter saw. Worked okay and at he end of the day I just pushed it all over to the 4" pipe.


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## Jimarco (May 15, 2015)

I've tried a few different ways trying to catch saw dust from a miter saw… you can't catch it all. This link is what I use now and works ok for straight and mitered cuts but will not work for compound miters. it's quick and inexpensive. 
This link is one that looks to work well and worth the time and effort


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

I put a plenum under the saw and taped up around all but a front gap for airflow. Hose to a Y with a hose on the OEM port. Works sort of OK. ( Ridgid)


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## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

I think the major problem with dust collection on a miter saw has to do with the incompatibility of a traditional dust collector and the miter saw itself. A large impeller dust collector is designed to move a high volume of air but at a low pressure. That means it'll pick up fine dust well, but chips and course dust is harder for it to move. To pick up those larger, heavier pieces, shop tools that produce that type of debris tend to have confined cabinets and directional air flow. Think of a cabinet style table saw. There's limited air inlet (usually the throat on the table) and the cabinet is sealed up to discourage unwanted airflow. The idea is that the chip production occurs between (and in line with) the air inlet and the dust port. This maximizes the airflow in the area the chips are produced for the best extraction,

Miter saws don't (can't) do that since, by nature, they're an unconfined tool. So, in order to overcome this shortfall, one either needs to collect and direct the chips into a very focused area for the low pressure to be able to collect it, or the vacuum pressure needs to be highly increased.

Since building my high pressure DC system (Oneida Supercell) my dust collection woes at the miter saw have been greatly reduced…even with no modifications to the saw itself.

Without that high pressure, I think the only real way to get better collection from a miter saw is with dramatic funneling of the debris into the mouth of the DC pipe/hose. Unfortunately, the width of the funnel to collect all those chips creates an awful wide inlet for even a large impeller DC to move enough air to collect the fine dust as well.

I don't want to say it's impossible to do, but I think 'good' dust collection on a miter saw, using a traditional dust collector, is just really hard to accomplish.


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## WoodenDreams (Aug 23, 2018)

For dust collection, I somewhat copied this for dust collection.










The dust ended up blowing out the front between the vinyl curtain. So I added a 1 1/2" hose at the miter saw dust port and fed through a 2" hole on the side and attached the hose to the side of the work station. Then I hooked up a shop-vac to that hose when using the miter saw. This eliminated about 70% of the dust. When I added a 2 1/2" under the front of the vinyl curtain to the dust collector. It eliminated 95% of the saw dust when I used both the 1 1/2" and 2 1/2" collection points at the same time. Now I don't get any saw dust on the floor or blown at me










I should have made it wider, like in the first picture. You can see the 1 1/2" white tube comes out to attach shop-vac. And where the 2 1/2" hose tube goes in.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

The was version 1. I've since modified the doors to go down lower. 1HP wall mount blower exhausted out side. Works well, not as good for miter cuts and wide boards.


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## JIMMIEM (Feb 5, 2016)




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## JIMMIEM (Feb 5, 2016)




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## mbchrapko (Mar 10, 2017)

First, I chose a simple compound miter saw to minimize the size of the enclosure. I built a mobile stand with flip up wings as I didn't want to dedicate an entire wall to a miter station. The 5 sided hopper reduces turbulence and chips bouncing back but the real key to success is the 6" duct and 3hp collector. The front face flat shield was intended for 90 deg cuts only but rarely gets used, it's not really needed.


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## t3steve (Sep 14, 2018)

+1 the 6 inch duct is the secret.


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## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

But that means you've got to have a dust collector that will support 6" ducting and provide the necessary airflow for that…


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

> After 4 designs (and failures) I gave up. There s no miter saw in my shop anymore, it sits in storage waiting for home improvement projects.
> 
> - Fred Hargis


Still have the RAS Fred?

I too have given up except attaching a shop vac directly to the saw I just clean up after. Most of mine is close enough to the overhead door I just use a leaf blower to get it gone. Rolling miter saws rule. It is a mess if you've landed yours on an interior wall, on a counter top. Leaf blower blows all the shop out with the sawdust. An amazing Cluster… The golden rule about miter saw dust clean up, the guy who comes along saying he traps *ALL* the dust is mistaken. 

Mike's pics above show the optimal place for a rolling miter saw bench to be located. At that point almost NONE of the flying dust from the leaf blower makes it back inside. Note I never said all, all is a trigger word. lol


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Yep, still have it (my 5th Dewalt). My shop will never be without an RAS again. Did that for a while, didn't like it.


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## mbchrapko (Mar 10, 2017)

I'm not going to say my setup gets all the dust, but what it doesn't get I cannot see.
Here is a photo taken after 15 cuts on a 2×4. 








Here is the flame direction on a bic lighter in front of the saw with the collector running. 









The 6" duct opening in the hopper was reduced to 5" for todays cutting.
Normally, the connection would be to a 6" duct without any flex hose









I can't wait to see the comments!


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

i barely use mine,i mostly do all my cross cuts on a RAS which i have excellent dust collection.i only use the miter saw for angle cuts.i have a hood of sorts but it barely collects anything.i just dont even worry about it for the amount i use it.good luck and from the feed back it's not an easy tool to collect dust.


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## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

I wish I had room for an RAS. The high pressure of the Supercell does a great job collecting my miter saw, but that's pretty unique.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> I wish I had room for an RAS. The high pressure of the Supercell does a great job collecting my miter saw, but that's pretty unique.
> 
> - RyanGi


if i had to choose the RAS wins hands down.i use mine everytime im in the shop,the miter saw once in awhile.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Mike, how does it work with the blade swung to 45º?


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## mbchrapko (Mar 10, 2017)

At 45 deg it is not quite as good, but still within acceptable. What's happening is some chips are bouncing off the vertical arm.
I thought of fabricating separate shields - one for each side for angled cuts but there's not enough there to worry about. As long as the dust is gone, it's good enough for me. Again, there is a distinct improvement in suction with the 6" duct without flex, unfortunately my shop is in its "summer" mode and it would take a bit of effort to demo that scenario. Here is a photo of some angled cuts and you can see the chips on the bench top.


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## GT350 (Dec 22, 2012)

I just got this rubber sheeting at Home Depot and used double stick tape to hold it on. It collects virtually all of the fine sawdust and at least 95% of the larger dust… problem solved. I am using a Festool CT36 dust extractor and the rubber sheeting is used under showers, I think it cost me about $3.00.


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