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Miter Saw Dust Control

lawfarm

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Jul 12, 2008
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NorCal
Starting a project that requires use of a miter saw indoors. Looking for feedback on the best means of dust control. I’ve seen foldable hoods that go around the back/sides of the saw—do they work? Best to use with a shop vac, or just to let dump into a box? Or just hook a shop vac to the dust port on the saw? Thoughts?
 
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mobetta

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Feb 10, 2010
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370
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twin cities, mn
depends on the saws built in dust collection capacity.
I use a chopshop saw hood with my new 7.25" Cordless saw, as it wont trigger the vacuums to power up.
While this does an acceptable job for my jobsites, I think that adding a vac to this setup would help keep the finest dust out of the air.
 

James-W

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Feb 3, 2013
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Southeastern Wisconsin
I have a DeWalt 12 inch sliding miter saw and a Delta 10 inch miter saw. On either saw I use my shop vac and it gets MOST of the sawdust, but not all of it. I don't normally use the saws in the house, just in the garage or outside. If I am outside I don't bother with the shop vac, even when cutting on my drive way. I Just sweep up the sawdust afterwards and dispose of it. I don't know of anything that would **** up 100 percent of the sawdust, you will most likely get at least a little sawdust floating around inside the house.
 

dave_dj1

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Feb 3, 2018
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Jackson, NY
Build a little cardboard enclosure off the back with a shop vac on a wireless remote outlet. It will get most of it. Leave the dust bag on too. What are you cutting? The reason I ask is that I have a cordless Ryobi and it hardly revs up enough to create much dust. It's great for small trim. I bought for a job where I had a mile of picture rail to put up. Just a thought.
 

EOC_Jason

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Jun 25, 2012
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Bentonville, AR
If you use a vac, get the high efficiency filter bags or whatever (both shop-vac & ridgid have them). They will trap even sheetrock dust.
 

ford33

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Feb 26, 2011
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2,118
Location
Chicago, IL. USA
My 12 inch non-sliding Dewalt miter DW715 saw with a large craftsman stop vac collects about 75% of the saw dust. I still need to sweep or vacuum the floor and the surrounding area after I am done cutting.

I connect electical power for the saw using a iSocket autoswitch. Link at bottom.

I think a hood of some type would be helpful. If working inside a client's home, you should consider enclosing the work space around the saw from floor to ceiling with zip wall.

Also an air filter unit placed on a work stand would help catch the fine dust particles that seem to float in the air after any job.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ELWUWG/?tag=atomicindus08-20
 

kbs2244

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Nov 11, 2006
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14,065
When I did hardwood floors in my upstairs I devoted the last bedroom to be done as a "saw room"
The chop saw dust exhaust was a swimming pool hose going out the widow.
A 20 inch window fan pointing out and closing the door before sawing kept the sawdust out of the house.
 

Falcon67

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Jun 11, 2009
Messages
18,371
Location
Merkel, TX
Starting a project that requires use of a miter saw indoors. Looking for feedback on the best means of dust control. I’ve seen foldable hoods that go around the back/sides of the saw—do they work? Best to use with a shop vac, or just to let dump into a box? Or just hook a shop vac to the dust port on the saw? Thoughts?

Shop Vac - the socks are nice for a once in a while cut. But nothing more than that. The hood would work if you have the room. If nothing else, get a cheap portable vac and mount it near the saw. That's what I did for my blast cabinet. It's a $20 vac from Target so if it gets eaten up, so what. And the blast media picked up from the vent can get dumped right back in the cab.
 

James-W

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Feb 3, 2013
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Southeastern Wisconsin
Do your cutting outside.
That idea is great in theory and I do it when I can, but it isn't always practical. I mean, in the Summer when it is nice outside I do put the miter saw on the driveway if I am working on a project. But when it is below zero or snowing, it's not likely I am going to be doing any cutting outdoors.
 
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James-W

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Feb 3, 2013
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Southeastern Wisconsin
Seems to me there was a sawdust collector at one time that basically was a vacuum that blew the sawdust into a container of water. Once the sawdust is wet it won't fly around the shop. When you were done with your sawing for the day all you needed to do was dump the container with the water and all the sawdust went with it. I never saw one working so I have no idea how well they worked, but if they are still available that might be something to look into.
 
Last edited:

Hohn

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Aug 25, 2016
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Location
Diesel Central, Indiana
That idea is great in theory and I do it when I can, but it isn't always practical. I mean, in the Summer when it is nice outside I do put the miter saw on the driveway if I am working on a project. But when it is below zero or snowing, it's not likely I am going to be doing any cutting outdoors.


It doesn't have to be outdoors, it just has to be somewhere that dust is 1) less consequential, or 2) easy to clean.

If there's a remodel project with baresubfloor, use that space. Or a tile/hardwood area with distance from any horizonal surfaces above the floor.
 

Zick

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Joined
May 13, 2009
Messages
418
Location
WI
My 12 inch non-sliding Dewalt miter DW715 saw with a large craftsman stop vac collects about 75% of the saw dust. I still need to sweep or vacuum the floor and the surrounding area after I am done cutting.

I connect electical power for the saw using a iSocket autoswitch. Link at bottom.

I think a hood of some type would be helpful. If working inside a client's home, you should consider enclosing the work space around the saw from floor to ceiling with zip wall.

Also an air filter unit placed on a work stand would help catch the fine dust particles that seem to float in the air after any job.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ELWUWG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Thank you, just bought iSocket switch. Didn't even know something like this existed. :beer:
 

6768rogues

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Nov 28, 2007
Messages
4,524
Location
Western NY
Inside I connect a shop vac to the dust port on the saw.
Outside I let the dust fly, then get out the leaf blower when I am done to clean up the saw and blow the sawdust away.
 

Eric29

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Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
499
Location
Western NY
On both my table saw and my 12” miter saw, I use a dust deputy in front of a shop vac. It keeps the filter from plugging up because it catches most of the sawdust before it gets to the shop vac. It works well and keeps the garage free of dust. I see very little airborne dust. Some heavier wood chips fall on the floor from the miter saw.
 

dave_dj1

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Feb 3, 2018
Messages
222
Location
Jackson, NY
I'll re state about the cordless chop saw. It hardly makes any dust. We just did a hardwood (Oak) floor in a round house and we just dragged the little chop saw and cordless saber saw around with us, I also have a cordless Makita vac handy :) Food for thought if you like cordless tools, or tools in general. I just bought almost all the Ryobi cordless stuff and their vac is pretty powerful. I just used it yesterday to vac up mouse poo in the camper I just took out of storage.
 

Jackfre

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Dec 26, 2010
Messages
4,411
Location
N CA
My Hitachi slider does pretty well if I attach the vac hose to the dust bag connection. I use a Dust Deputy on it as well. For real dust reduction though I use my Festool circular saw and vac combo with the 24" guide rail and. With a good table (I do not have Festools work table) it is not as fast as the chop saw, but dust collection is very good and the product is too. With a bit of time on the table set-up I can move right along.
 
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