Need some input on getting my dust under control

Robert what the dust deputy does is give your filter less work to do. The filter at the end of the line is what determines what escapes back into the atmosphere. A device like the Dust Deputy will help drop more of the dust out of the air stream before it gets there. There are some choices with some models as to how fine that filtration is. If you've read Pentz' work then you know that that is .3 micron if you want to be safe. If you filter as fine as .3 micron then something like a Dust Deputy is a necessity because the finer the filter media, the faster it plugs up.

You can do a pretty good job of collecting dust from a router with a fence mounted vac hose. Jig saws produce mostly coarse dust and also don't throw it like a miter saw will. Sanders produce fine dust but all of them these days have a connection for a small vac hose and that should capture most or all of what they produce. I took my bandsaw and cut a hole in the bottom wheel cover and attached a 4" port for my DC system. It catches what appears to be nothing. I believe that for a dust pickup to be effective on a bandsaw it needs to be just under the table and catch it before it gets a chance to spread out past the point where the DC is capable of pulling it in.

That leaves the worst offender which is a miter saw. For it you need to install a shroud behind it and since you have two vacs I would be inclined to use both, particularly if it's possible to hook one directly to the saw since some do have a port for connecting to a DC. The shroud could be cloth or plastic attached to a skeleton frame or you could make one out of thin ply and tapering down to the size of the hose. That should catch the majority of what it is producing since the blade is tossing all the debris in that direction.

A table saw is a special case and they are as bad as chop saws for creating dust. Many have dust collection in the cabinets under the table but just as much dust is created by the blade above the table and you need a pickup above the table to catch it. I've been mulling that problem over for several years trying to figure out how to make something that will be effective without being in the way for things like making tenons or cutting thin strips. I haven't come up with a solution for that one yet.

For your use, your big shop vac, a dust deputy on a bucket and 2.5 inch tubing is a workable solution, and not very expensive. Here is a pix of that setup, but I'd mount it on a cart. I also attached a picture of the WEN hanging filter, which is identical to the power and filters used in the far more expensive JET. Cost should be less than $140 or so for all the parts. Make sure you use Y shaped connecters, right angle connectors reduce the air flow.

I have settled in on the Harbor Freight DC unit, which you often find on sale for less than $180. But you will need to add a chip collector, 4 inch hose, connectors . It comes with a mediocre cloth collection bag, but it is OK if you roll it outside .

But again, I doubt you need more that what's in the pictures.

Thanks to all for the added information and comments. The miter saw I currently use (Hitachi) does have a 2.25" dust port/bag so I could easily hook it up to some form of a vac. I thought about using some kind of a dust hood with it too. Yes, it generates a ton of dust and I used it several times today.

I missed a couple tools on my original "list"; I have a track saw and a drill press, easy to miss things when you are thinking, "what's in the shop". The track saw has a dust port.

The plan for now is to follow the recommendations and do some kind of a dust deputy setup on a mobile cart with the hanging air filter soon to be added. While I was doing my research; the attached picture caught my eye for a dust collection option without using floor space so I am adding the photo to my response.

Forgot to post the over blade DC device. Mine cost about $130 or so, but is still not mounted. It is important that it has an easy way to push it out of the way.