Why does nobody talk about how bad miter saw dust collection really is?

I was working on a set of crown molding last Tuesday for a kitchen in Austin, and I swear I spent more time cleaning up sawdust than actually cutting. My 12 inch Dewalt miter saw has a dust port, but it barely catches half of what flies off. The customer came in and said "you sure are making a mess in here" and I just laughed it off. But really, why do tool companies still sell these things with such terrible dust bags? My shop vac setup helps a little but the connection never fits right. Has anyone figured out a cheap way to seal up the gaps on the back of the saw?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai_ramirez385d ago

Wait, you taped a plastic bag to the back of your saw?

paige_bell815d ago

Oh man, I used to roll my eyes at people who complained about miter saw dust collection. I figured they just weren't using their vac right or had a cheap saw. But then I took on a job trimming out a sunroom with those fake beams that have that hollow core. After about ten cuts I had a layer of fine dust covering every single surface in the room, including the dang ceiling fan blades. I ended up taping a plastic bag over the back of the saw and cutting a hole for the hose, and even that only helped a little. It really opened my eyes to how poorly designed most of these ports are. The gap at the rear of the blade well is the real culprit, letting stuff fly out before the vacuum can grab it.

anthony_jackson315d ago

Bought one of those aftermarket dust shrouds that covers the back of the blade housing and it helped a ton. Still not perfect but way better than the bag setup. Also started using a cheap paintbrush to sweep out the inside of the saw between cuts because the dust just builds up in there no matter what. Those fake beams are the worst though, they generate like twice the dust of real wood.