Pipe out dust from under belt-drive saws
Wood dust messes up a shop quickly and can lead to respiratory problems. Tablesaws with enclosed cabinets easily adapt to dust-collection systems, but belt-driven tablesaws with motors hanging out the back make poor candidates for dust collection. To solve this problem, put a 3⁄4 " plywood platform between your saw cabinet and stand, and draw out the sawdust through a PVC pipe. Bore a 4"-diameter hole in the center of the plywood and insert a PVC pipe of the same diameter. Glue a PVC collar on top of the pipe to keep it in place, then reattach the cabinet of the saw to the stand using bolts that are 3⁄4 " longer than the originals. Hook the pipe up to your shop vacuum with a reducer that fits the diameter of your shop-vacuum hose, and let the machine eat your dust.
—Peter Hurney, Kailua, Hawaii