# Dust Collection Balance



## LAvery (Nov 19, 2014)

Hello, I'm trying to get equal quality dust collection under the router table vs at the fence. Here is my setup (all new): a Bench Dog Promax router table, a Bench Dog Pro Fence, a Triton TRA001 router, and an old Craftsman "shop-vac". 

I come out of the shop-vac to a Y-adaptor with 2.25 inch line to fence and 1.5 inch hose to Triton router dust port. The problem: apparently the large line going to the fence is "starving" the smaller line. The "path of least resistance" is to the fence. When bit is partially buried in the fence DC is great; lots of suction. Pull the fence away from the bit to mill a dado and there's dust going EVERYWHERE. Very little is being pulled down. For reference this little test was with a 1/2" straight bit set at 1/4" high. 

My solution for now is to just use fence collection when the bit is buried and connect the router direct to the shop-vac for operations well beyond the fence. With the router connected directly it works great; the shop vac is doing its thing and the Triton does a very good job of pulling the dust down.

Maybe my best answer as to build a box around the router with a 2.25 collection port, directional baffles and some ports in the front to assist with circulation. I was hoping to not have to go this far quite yet but maybe I will need to.

Does anyone have any suggestions short of the box? Your input would be very much appreciated.


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## oldyam (Aug 2, 2015)

How about reducing the intake diameter at the fence to the same size as the same size as at the router to balance the vacuum and improve pickup at the fence and the router with a slightly more directional suction force.

This should be reasonably easy to try out and prove


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

I'm no expert but if it were me I'd definitely build a dust collector box over the router with a 4" hose going to the box and a 2" to the fence . And your not going to like this but I'd oust the shop vac for a real dust collector .
Some claim success with a shop vac though . In my case I'm disappointed that I didn't go with a bigger dust collector than I have. Something that would dim the neighbourhood during startup and crash drones if they got to close


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

At the very least I think if you had a larger hose going to the router it may help . That one looks very restrictive


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## Ratbob (Apr 6, 2015)

Larry, I solved the problem with dados by drilling a 2" hole on the out-feed side of my table and mounting a plastic 2 1/4" dust port under the table. Now waste shoots out of the dado, over the hole and down to the vac.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

RainMan1 said:


> I'm no expert but if it were me I'd definitely build a dust collector box over the router with a 4" hose going to the box and a 2" to the fence . And your not going to like this but I'd oust the shop vac for a real dust collector .
> Some claim success with a shop vac though . In my case I'm disappointed that I didn't go with a bigger dust collector than I have. Something that would dim the neighbourhood during startup and crash drones if they got to close


I have the Rockler Dust Bucket (must have bought it on sale as can't believe I'd pay what they're asking). Router Table Dust Collection Kit | Rockler Woodworking and Hardware It has a 4" hose to the box and 2-1/2" hose from the fence T'd into the hose connector and it does a good job hooked to my Delta DC - Rockler recommends the DC instead of a vac. I don't cut dadoes on the table too much so don't remember if that's a problem.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Ratbob said:


> Larry, I solved the problem with dados by drilling a 2" hole on the out-feed side of my table and mounting a plastic 2 1/4" dust port under the table. Now waste shoots out of the dado, over the hole and down to the vac.


To be clear, you don't have a collector box under your table? If that works, I wonder if a hole in the top over the box and a replaceable plug would do the same thing.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Is it possible that there's not enough airflow right in the dado, to carry the chips away in the router mounted collector? Remember, the chips need a lot of air to move them.


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## Ratbob (Apr 6, 2015)

tomp913 said:


> To be clear, you don't have a collector box under your table? If that works, I wonder if a hole in the top over the box and a replaceable plug would do the same thing.


No collector box Tom, my TRA is flapping in the breeze. I don't get much waste that falls down past the bit and into the router housing. I find that when I'm cutting a dado on the table most of the dust just goes shooting off the edge so I just drilled a hole in the path and hooked up a shop-vac.

Your idea might work well. I think that mine would work a little better if I had positioned the hole a little closer to the bit, but I'm plenty happy with the way it works now.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Jeff,

Thanks'. I'll keep an eye out the next time I cut a dado and decide if I need to make any modifications - although pointing a vac nozzle in the general area may work for occasional use.


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

I have several router tables to play with. The one most efficient at cleaning up during a cut straddles a trash bin. Any chips that go down end up in the trash bin. Any chips that stay atop the table we sweep toward an access hole the opens up into the bin. What is left we sweep off the floor.


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## LAvery (Nov 19, 2014)

I'll give that a try. Thank you.


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## LAvery (Nov 19, 2014)

Thanks for all the good responses to this post! My next experiment is to reduce the hose and/or inlet area at the fence to balance things out. This should improve the suction below the table without (I hope) compromising too much the dust removal at the fence. I do know that if I plug the hose from the router directly (no Y fitting) into the shop-vac the suction under the table is excellent. With the TRA001 running with the shop vac also running it's much higher. I've found that this Triton provides a lot of downward suction in its own right. I'm also thinking about putting a larger ID insert plate in so I open up the annular area between the bit and this plate. This should reduce restrictions but I do know there are downsides to this.

Thanks again for everyone's assistance!


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Larry my greatest succest with dust collection is my router table. I am talking about over 95%. One thing I found out if you have the different size rings go with one that is bigger than your bit. In other words use a ring that will let the dust go down. I use a big dust collector plus my shop vac. Depending on what I am routing I sometimes don't use the shop vac. Check out my pictures.

Don


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

I suggest installing an insert with a bigger center and raise your bit guard...this should reduce the velocity for the fence port and increase volume capacity for the router dust port underneath. You might also put the straight part of the Y to the Triton port...

I usually use one or the other with my Triton...fence vac for edge profiling and largest insert and dust port for groove cutting. I've gone so far as to remove the insert altogether for groove cuts...


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

For future planning, I have a Y to gather at the fence (Freud) and the box I made. I may not be at 100% collection, when using the fence, but I'm so close to it nothing else in the shop beats the collection efficiency of my table, except when I cutting sheet goods on the table saw (upper and lower collection too).

I get these results with both my 1-1/2 horse and my 3 horse jets, even though the router table is t the end of a twenty foot long four inch hose.


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## Barry747 (Jun 16, 2011)

Larry, sorry that it's taken a while to respond to your post. I was away and am just catching up on the Forum posts. I dramatically improved my router table dust collection with a dust collector from Infinity tools. Here's the link Router Table Dust Collector I'm probably getting about 95% of the dust. The key is a silicon cup that mounts under the table. The only problem is that it does make bit changes a little more challenging but, for me, that's an easy trade off. It's inexpensive compared to other alternatives so I figured it would be worth it to try. I'm happy that I did. Good luck with your set up.


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