We recently had a reader, Michael Wygmans, submit their build of the Dust-free Bandsaw article from American Woodworker. This article first appeared in 2004 as a solution to the anemic dust collection on 14″ Delta bandsaws. Michael mentioned that he designed his adapter to be 1 7/8″ wide rather than 1 5/8″ described in the article.

If you build something from Popular Woodworking or American Woodworker Magazine, let me know, we’ll share it with our blog readers!

– David Lyell

Dust-Free Bandsaw

I replaced my bandsaw’s wimpy 1-1/2″ dust collection port with a shop-made shroud that makes bandsawing virtually dust-free. The secret: My shroud’s intake port is much larger (see photo and exploded view, below). Another great feature is that the big hose mounts on the back, so it’s out of the way.

I built this shroud by improving a similar design I’d seen in an old woodworking magazine. My shroud is mounted on a steel plate that I cut to size with my angle grinder (1/4″ thick plywood would also work for the mounting plate). I attached this plate to the saw’s casting, using the same tapped holes that held the original port.

The shroud’s angled top allows the table to tilt. I sawed the back plywood face to match the profile of the saw. I left the front face as wide as possible. It actually extends inside the door and is cut to fit around the wheel.

I cut a 4″ diameter hole in the back face and installed the sheet metal duct. Then I attached the faces together with a length of 22-gauge galvanized sheet metal. The lip at the bottom helps keep sawdust in the shroud.

Once the shroud was mounted, I marked and cut the saw’s lower door, so it would close. I was reluctant to alter my saw by cutting the door, but I’m glad I did. This shroud makes bandsawing much cleaner and enjoyable.

– David Olsen