Dust Collection Question

[deck99]

I am just wrapping up the table top on my new router table. I am now going to start the cabinet the top will sit on. My new fence has a 2 1/2 inch dust collection on it. On my other tables I have built, I never built a box around my router. I see a lot of tables have a 4" dust port under the router box. Is this really necessary? Or should I say is it a big help?

Deck

[AxlMyk]

I connect a 4" hose to my cabinet, and have a 2 1/4" hole in the back that I plug the fence hose into. Does a pretty good job of getting the dust.

[curiousgeorge]

Hello Deck,
If you are going to enclose the router box you will have to consider the problem of overheating. Adding dust collection to the box not only collects a ton of dust it aids in circulation of air on the motor.

[deck99]

Good point George. I never thought about that.

I am just thinking about leaving the front and the back open, where the router hangs down.

[AxlMyk]

Enclosing at least the back will aid in making the base stronger.

[bobj3]

Hi Deck

Just my 2 cents

It's a 50/50 thing for me...

The good the bad and the ugly ..it's true it will suck out the dust from inside of the cabinet but I know that heat kills any motor..

The dust pickup on the fence will pickup most of the chips/dust and if you are not using the fence the chips are going over the edge of the router table the norm not going down a 1 1/4" hole in the table top..

The OP plate has a hole in it to help suck the chips down but it's very small at best and is not very big at that, most of the time so the chips still go over the edge and on the floor, just the nature of the beast...

As far as closing up the back side of the cabinet, it's not needed if the cabinet is made right from the get go...it will just block you from use the router table from the back side...some time you may want to use the table for the bigger/wider items and if you flip the fence around you will have a bigger table top the norm..


Most tools don't enclose the motor in a dusty cabinet they know it needs clean air to run cool and it should not suck up dust from the machine but on the other hand the ones that do use a enclose motor and the router is not, that's to say it will suck in air/dust and blow it over and inside of the motor...it's true the bearing are sealed but not the winding/Arm. inside the router..and a 4" hose vac.system may defeat the engineer of the router by doing so..pulling the saw dust backwards into the motor...

So you can see why I'm at a 50/50 thing on vac.systems on the router cabinet.

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Originally Posted by deck99

I am just wrapping up the table top on my new router table. I am now going to start the cabinet the top will sit on. My new fence has a 2 1/2 inch dust collection on it. On my other tables I have built, I never built a box around my router. I see a lot of tables have a 4" dust port under the router box. Is this really necessary? Or should I say is it a big help?

Deck

[Mike]

The main reason for an enclosed cabinet is noise reduction. Some enjoy it for the appearance. Adding a collection hose under the table top requires a fair amount of "Make up air" to allow for free flow. The RT-1000 and the NYW updated router table use multiple holes in the door for this purpose. If noise is a concern then enclosed really helps. Other than that an open cabinet means not opening and closing the door for adjustments. Anything you do that reduces free dust is a good thing.

[Lee Brubaker]

I don't have a dust collector hence, use a shop vac & tubing system to collect cuttings from my various machines. With limited dust collecting ability with this system I have found that collection as close to the source as possible does offset a good part of the lack of larger air volumes with high air velocity instead.
I have a vac connection at the fence as well as at a air chamber mounted on the router itself between the motor and base. I have been using this system for probably 8 years at least & does a pretty good job.

Lee




You will notice that the vacuum port is in direct line of the bit cuttings discharge.