How much better is dust collection in a miter saw when the insert is a zero tolerance insert? Other benefits for zero tolerance inserts?
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Zero tolerance insert for miter saw
- Thread starter Webb Willmott
- Start date
I guess it might depend on the particular saw, but I've never seen functional dust collection for a miter saw other than a ginormous hood surrounding the back 1/2 of the saw hooked to a strong DC. Think of it this way, when you have a board laying on the saw to be cut, that board is likely covering all the opening of whatever insert is there, more or less making it zero clearance....so the performance of the DC is probably pretty much the same as it would be with a zero clearance.But a zero clearance insert might help with splintering/tearout on the bottom of the board.
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If your blade is good and sharp, not a lot. The main thing "zero clearance" inserts are for is to prevent tear out on the underside of whatever you are cutting. Same with a table saw. I have seen a number of You Tube videos, and the most effective dust collection at the chop saw is ALWAYS a bigger box behind the saw. Having an enclosed box that covers the back end of the saw, and the full arc of the angles is most effective. I still have to vacuum out the inside of my box.
robo hippy
robo hippy
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
Dust collection on a miter saw is a hassle. I built a humongous box to go around mine. Works really well as a stationary tool. Not portable at all.
I have never heard of a zero tolerance insert on a miter saw and I can't think of any place where it could be installed or what purpose for it.
I just added additional dust collection on my DWS780. My saw is on a mobile cart and not part of a miter saw shrine. I had a large plastic chute behind the saw and was lucky if it caught half of the dust.
With the shop nation system and the Inspire Woodcraft Zero clearance throat plate collection is much improved. I’d hoped to get rid of the chute behind the saw, but it’s still needed. Still, I think that the additional collectors were worth the cost. Both are high quality 3d printed components.
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With the shop nation system and the Inspire Woodcraft Zero clearance throat plate collection is much improved. I’d hoped to get rid of the chute behind the saw, but it’s still needed. Still, I think that the additional collectors were worth the cost. Both are high quality 3d printed components.
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I have both the big miter saw DC box with a big DC inlet, and a zero clearance insert (ZCI) for my Makita saw. The insert is irrelevant to dust collection, but does keep offcuts, chips, and dust from falling down between the stock split plates which is a very welcome “ergonomic” improvement. Super annoying tipping the rough end off of a board and having that just drop down through.
As others have stated, a ZCI in good condition will help prevent tearout. This is mostly nice if you’re doing finish carpentry style work, with final cuts coming off of the miter saw (versus just chop-saw rough cuts.) BUT… if you’re switching to different blade tilt angles you’ll need a plate for each of your setups. The instant a 90º cut ZCI gets reused for a non-90º cut, it’s no longer zero clearance, and this applies to equally to ZCIs for miter saws and table saws.
You can start off with one, but there's always a board or cut that for whatever reason, deflects the blade a bit. It gets widened in an instant.
I was really good at math (especially adding or subtracting fractions) and sort of afraid of heights, so I was sort of the main cut guy on our building crew. I got used to sighting down the blade for making accurate cuts, but I think some people like it close is for line up a mark. It has nothing to do with dust collection.
I was really good at math (especially adding or subtracting fractions) and sort of afraid of heights, so I was sort of the main cut guy on our building crew. I got used to sighting down the blade for making accurate cuts, but I think some people like it close is for line up a mark. It has nothing to do with dust collection.
Yea, the compound models would have a wider opening.
We always had a 15" Hitachi miter saw on the jobsite. It doesn't tilt, but it has a decent maximum width of cut for miters on casing/trim, as well as a decent capacity for cutting miters on baseboard. (standing up) Super accurate and even for small stuff, they make the cleanest cuts. When I left my job,(33 years ago
) I bought a used saw just like it. I've built 2 homes with it and still use it.
I have the perfect dust management for mine - a Bosch Glide.
I keep it in an open shed on a collapsible stand that doubles as a 2-wheel hand cart. I wheel it to where I need it, expand the cart to a good working height, and saw outside. Mother Nature collects the dust.
Do the same with a portable Dewalt table saw.
I keep it in an open shed on a collapsible stand that doubles as a 2-wheel hand cart. I wheel it to where I need it, expand the cart to a good working height, and saw outside. Mother Nature collects the dust.
Do the same with a portable Dewalt table saw.
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No change in dust collection, for doing finished cuts for cabinetry etc they make a difference, not huge diff if you are using primo blades but an improvement. I use stick on zero clearance tape from fastcap, way more cost effective than custom inserts unles maybe you make your own