# Dust collection - box vs Keen



## mlbburg (Jan 19, 2013)

I'm just wrapping up the router table build that I've been wanting to do for many years. It's time to decide on dust collection so I thought I'd get some opinions.

I had originally intended to build a box from 1/2 Baltic birch and mount it under the table to enclose the router and Jessem lift. I was going to mount a 2-1/2 inch connector on the box to connect to the hose from my fence and a 4 inch connector to connect to my dust collector. I was going to put a 4 inch blast gate in the side of the box to control air flow for dados. Finally, I was going to put a hinged door on the front of the box so I can adjust the speed of my router. I have an external on/off switch so I wont need to get to the router very often.

I've recently learned of the existence of the Keen dust collection product. I've seen a few comments from people who seem to like them, but I'd like to see a discussion of the pros/cons of a box versus the pros/cons of the Keen product.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

I have not had any experience with the Keen dust system but what you are talking about to control dust works for me very very well.


----------



## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

If you build a box, which I personally will never do, you must have as much air flow going in as you do going out or it won't work. My dust collection is at the bit and it works very well.


----------



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> If you build a box, which I personally will never do, you must have as much air flow going in as you do going out or it won't work. My dust collection is at the bit and it works very well.


Charles what is your reason for not boxing your router table in? My panels is attached with velcro so I can take it off if needed. To change router speeds I pull the router out the top with the plate. I change bit depth through the top.


----------



## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I've used routers monted inside boxes and they got noticeably hotter. It also made the bit changes and adjustments harder although the lift solves most of that. I use a plunge with above table adjustment so I don't need a lift. I also don't lock my plate down so it makes major adjustments really easy when I lift it out. The plate also makes a pretty good offset base. I rarely cut grooves on the table so almost all my operations are at the edge of the board and the dust collection on my fence works great for that.


----------



## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Its all about air flow. Moving a lot of air moves a lot of sawdust. The stronger and faster the air flows, the more dust it will redirect into your DC system. Any restriction, particularly a sharp change in direction, will affect air flow so consider using Y connectors rather than a T. Too small a blower for the system is another factor that can limit air flow. Some people have cut holes in the table insert to increase air flow and help remove dust that gets trapped under the workpiece. 

I think it was Mike who showed a picture of a shop made dust collection hood that was maybe a foot wide and about 2 inches high. It was nearly triangular with the dust collection near the back and sat just behind the bit, without a fence--I think it would be good when not using a fence, such as using a rail coping jig. Maybe he will repost it. If I were building that collector, I'd look at drilling a couple of positioning pin holes to quick set the hood in place.

I haven't seen much on the Keen setup, but collection as near the bit as possible looks like a good idea. I think you could easily set the Keen system up even in an enclosed box. I look forward to someone posting about their experience with the Keen. So far, no dust collector gets it all, so I'd probably still set up a box to capture what falls through. A front and door for setup would work and being wide open would help with cooling.


----------



## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

I took the easy way out and bought the Dust Bucket collection box from Rockler. It has a (magnetic) door on the front for access and a rotating vent for adjusting the amount of air drawn into the box - the instructions stated that it must be opened slightly when routing stopped dadoes to allow sliding movement of the part being routed. I haven't used it much other that making drawer parts, but notice a fair amount of sawdust shooting out of the leading edge of a dado as I feed the part across the table. I just bought an upcut spiral bit, will see if this helps to pull the sawdust into the cutter hole a little better - or maybe I should try closing up the vent somewhat as I'm not cutting a closed dado.


----------



## mlbburg (Jan 19, 2013)

Hey guys, thanks for the input.

I understand about airflow so I had planned to put a blast gate in the side of the box to allow me to adjust as necessary. I see that the dust bucket comes with an airflow control so that confirmed my theory. 

My biggest question at this point is whether to connect the 2-1/2 inch hose from my fence through the box or to connect it to a 90 (or Y) connector outside the box. I feel like mounting it to the box gives me more flow around the router motor to aid in cooling. The potential downside I see is that if I'm pulling the chips through the box, do I risk having the router suck them into the motor? Has anyone had issues with getting dust/chips in their motors?


----------



## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

The 2-1/2" hose from the fence is connected to the 4" outlet from the box with a T. Even with the vent partly open, there is very little sawdust in the box when I open the door for adjustments. So far, I haven't noticed any build-up of sawdust in the router, but I'll take note the next time I pull the router for cleaning.


----------



## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

mlbburg said:


> Hey guys, thanks for the input.
> 
> I understand about airflow so I had planned to put a blast gate in the side of the box to allow me to adjust as necessary. I see that the dust bucket comes with an airflow control so that confirmed my theory.
> 
> My biggest question at this point is whether to connect the 2-1/2 inch hose from my fence through the box or to connect it to a 90 (or Y) connector outside the box. I feel like mounting it to the box gives me more flow around the router motor to aid in cooling. The potential downside I see is that if I'm pulling the chips through the box, do I risk having the router suck them into the motor? Has anyone had issues with getting dust/chips in their motors?


I have the same box. I connect the 2.5 hose to the 4 inch using a T connector. To save space behind the box, I put a Rockler rotating 90 degree connecter into the back of the box, the added the T connector to that. You might need to add a bracket of some sort to the table to support all that weight, but it is nice to have the port come out the side instead of the back, particularly if you use a single flex hose and move it from tool to tool. Here's the right angle quick connector Dust Right® Quick Connect 4" Elbow - Rockler Woodworking Tools. If you want to avoid the air flow loss from a right angle connector, try this 4 inch Y connector with the 2.5 connector joining it at an angle 4" to 2-1/2" "Y" Dust Fitting - Rockler Woodworking Tools. Total for the two connectors is about $22.


----------



## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Air flow through a router is towards the bit. Although it seems to me that you would have one working against the other the members who are using boxes say it hasn't been a problem.


----------



## rm8168 (Feb 13, 2015)

I use the Keen Router Table Dust Collector on my router table and it functions very well grabbing nearly all the dust. The minor design issues I have with the system are,
1) The "T" connector is never good in a dust collection system so use a "Y" connector
2) The support strap which holds the hose and connector to the rubber cup surrounding the bit is a bit flimsy and on occasion the connector fell off. So I had to beef it up.

Of the systems I have used this system is the least restrictive/ bulky, and the most effective in collecting the dust.

The system I have this attached to is:
1) KREG Precision Benchtop Portable Router Table Kreg PRS2100
2) Kreg 420 Precision Router Table Lift Model PRS3000
3) Porter-Cable 3-1/4 HP Router Motor Only Model 75182

Best of luck !


----------



## dhellyar (Oct 6, 2010)

So Matt I have the Keen set up on my router table with some modifications. This set up comes with 1 1/2 inch T connections which I felt weren't sufficient for maximum air flow so I changed them out for 2.5 " Y fittings. I went with the Keen set up since it aids in proper air flow through the router and efficient dust capture. it captures pretty much 100% of the dust and shavings in most all cuts, combined with the hose in the router table fence. The router in use generates a lot of heat so having it enclosed in a box isn't the most effective way to dissipate heat, especially a metal box. Maybe if it were aluminum with cooling fins, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it. The Keen set up aids in proper air flow through the router while eliminating the possibility of dust and shavings falling into or going through your motor housing. If you do go with and enclosed box set up then the most efficient way to set it up would be to connect a hose directly to the motor housing air intake( 3 or 4 inch hose ) so that it draws air directly from outside the enclosed box so it's not competing with the suction of the dust collection hose. Setting it up this way would seem to aid in proper air flow and efficient dust collection at the same time protecting your motor from possible damage. My router is in a mostly closed cabinet with vents for proper intake and exhaust of air flow created and needed by the router for cooling which will probably aid in motor longevity. The only minor disadvantage I have in using the Keen set up is that you have to remove the hose from the shroud before raising the router body to change bits from above the table.


----------



## wkearney99 (Oct 12, 2016)

I have the Keen setup under my Kreg table. I'm using a Festool CT26 dust collector and have a set of their hoses intended for their CMS router. The large hose leads to the fence on top and the smaller one directly into the silicone collar mounted underneath my Jessem Rout-r-Lift. Really does a fine job, with the exception of anything that might get cast out toward the leading edge of a piece. The trade-off being widening the gap between the fence halves and losing a bit of suction. Not enough of an issue to be a problem though.


----------



## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

I built my current router table a couple years ago, and a big part of its design was dust collection. I used a design similar to what Norm showed when he built his router table, which is similar to the box method. My table is hooked up to a Harbor Freight 2HP DC, with the 4" hose going directly into the back of the cabinet, and a 2.5" hose Y off to the fence. In the front of the cabinet, is a door that gets to the area where the router is, and it has 3 holes drilled into it, and they equal the area of the 4" opening in the back. 

Some of my observations. 

1. I don't notice any appreciable heat difference when compared to my old router table, which everything was out in the open. 2 things help with this, the size of the box is fairly large, and I always run the DC when running the router. The airflow does help keep it cool.

2. While I always run the DC, I do sometimes forget to open the blast gate for the router table. It always surprises me how much of the table gets covered with dust/chips/shavings when this happens. This shows how effective the dust collection is

3. When I include the fence for dust collection, nearly all waste material is collected, while if I only use the box, most of it gets collected.

4. The type of operation really does affect the effectiveness of dust collection.


----------

