Dust Buster
(Page 2 of 4)
October/November 2000
by Bill Greene
The Table Top and Base
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The saw table is 34 1/2" tall. It has outslanting legs with skids connecting each pair on their lower ends. The table surface measures 25" x 30" with an 11"-square drop hole cut in its center. The sawdust evacuation system consists of a boxlike sawdust collector attached to the underside of the table directly under the drop hole, with its outlet spout connected to a 2-horsepower shop vacuum cleaner that draws the sawdust out of it.
Both the saw table and sawdust collector are constructed mostly of wood, and the whole structure is mounted on skids to make it movable yet still stable. The legs, braces, sawdust collector and saw are also detachable for easy storage.
After you cut the 25" x 30" saw table top from a 1"-thick sheet of marine grade plywood, round its corners and cut an 11"-square drop hole in its center, you'll want to build a base for it. This base acts as additional support and pro vides sturdy mountings for the legs.
The front and rear faces of the base run almost the length of the table at 24 1/4" long - the last 5" on both ends of these faces should be strengthened (or widened) by adding 2" x 5" pieces of Douglas fir and expanding the width of the ends to 5 1/2". Reinforce by backing each of them with pieces of 1 "-thick pine measuring 5" x 5 1/2". These expanded and reinforced ends can be assembled using 1 1/2" long #5, flat-headed wood screws and 3"-long, 2d box nails.
Angle the entire length of the base by sawing out a 1/2"-wide triangular section so that when installed under the tabletop it will give an outward slope of about 15°. This gives the legs a wider stance once they're attached, and makes the table more stable when you're feeding material backward and forward through the saw. Secure these canted faces to the underside of the table with 12 3"-long, #8, flat-headed wood screws (six per face) and carpenter's glue.
Cut the two sides of the base to 21 3/4" lengths from 2x4 Douglas fir stud stock and attach to the underside of the 25" width of the table top at a 90° angle using 3"-long, #8, flat-headed wood screws (four per side) and carpenter's glue. Also, attach the sides to the front and rear faces of the base with 3"-long, 3/16" lag screws (two for each end).
Legs, Braces and Skids
