Shop-sawdust control

I use my compound-miter saw all the time, so I generate lots of sawdust. By taking advantage of a bench located against an outside wall of my shop, I built the rig shown in the drawings to keep sawdust under control.

I started with a 2x4 frame to which I attached sheet-aluminum sides, a back, and a lid. The sides and back are folded from a single sheet and are screwed to the sides of the 2x4 frame. The saw fits into this box, where it is surrounded by an EPDM shroud affixed to the 2x4s. The EPDM, typically used as roofing, keeps the dust in the box, and it flexes enough to let the saw easily swing from side to side for miter cuts.

Inside the box, just behind the saw’s exhaust port, a 4-in. duct leads to a small dust collector mounted beneath the workbench. The collector vents through the wall to a dust-collection bag surrounded by a lattice enclosure that is protected by its own small roof.

Even without the dust collector, this setup goes a long way toward keeping dust from drifting around the shop. When the collector is on, it eliminates virtually all of the sawdust.

Scott E. Dupre, Westerly, RI