Skip to Content

7 Genius Miter Saw Dust Collection Ideas for Your Workshop

Miter saw dust collection seems like an impossible feat, but I've found the best solutions for your workshop! Keep sawdust contained and out of your lungs!

four miter saw dust collection methods

Last week, I showed you my dust collector setup and how I upgraded it for better performance. Since then, I've been brainstorming the best way to hook up that beast to all my machines.

First up: the miter saw. Miter saw dust collection is tricky because it spews sawdust in every direction, making it hard to contain. These genius ideas will hopefully inspire you to get that miter saw mess under control!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Purchases made through these links may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please visit my disclosures page for more information.

The dust ports found on most miter saws aren't particularly helpful. Even when hooked up to a shop vac, it still leaves a huge mess. I have both a dust collector AND a shop vac attached to mine, and it still doesn't get everything! You can learn more about the difference between a dust collector and shop vac here.

This video does a great job of comparing different brands to see which miter saw dust collection ports create the least sawdust.

There are so many different ways to contain miter saw dust, with varying results. Some only work for saws without the sliding mechanism for cutting those wide boards, so check the depth of yours before you start building!

Miter Saw Dust Collection Tents

Tent-like domes like this one get great ratings, but come with a hefty price tag. I'd prefer this model because it has a 4" vacuum port in the bottom to connect to my dust collector. Other miter saw tents like this one funnel the dust down to a container under the machine for later disposal.

Rousseau 5000 miter saw dust hood

Why not make your own instead? I created a miter saw dust hood using a baby tent! It works the same way as the expensive versions above, for a fraction of the price.

DIY miter saw dust hood

DIY Miter Saw Dust Collection

This wooden miter saw hood plan is a good way to use up all those oddly-shaped plywood scraps. Unfortunately, this one wouldn't work for my sliding compound miter saw unless I made it a foot deeper!

wooden miter saw dust hood

Let the light shine through this plexiglass version from One Project Closer! This one would even work on a sliding miter saw. Learn how to cut plexiglass in this tutorial if you've never tried it before.

Plexiglass miter saw dust hood

Those two DIY solutions work great . . . until you need to make a mitered cut. Change the angle of your saw and you're spewing sawdust everywhere! This sliding dust port can move back and forth to capture the mess from any direction.

sliding miter saw dust port
Photo courtesy of Woodsmith

Are the miter saw dust collection ideas above too much for you? This trash can solution might be just what you're looking for! I've also seen plastic storage bins and even cardboard boxes used as a quick fix.

miter saw with trash can dust hood
Photo courtesy of Lumberjocks

Want something that's a bit more mobile? This set up uses a roller stand with a special clamp to hold this huge dust funnel in exactly the right spot. Then move it over to the thickness planer, lathe or even when sanding to keep the area dust-free!

dust hood on roller stand behind a miter saw

Which of these miter saw dust collection ideas are you going to try in your own workshop? Let me know in the comments below!

Al

Thursday 21st of June 2018

I liked the saw comparisons, chop saws are hard to catch the dust.

Nicole

Sunday 22nd of April 2018

Getting a dust hood (or any of the other miter saw dust collector ideas) seems like a great accessory to use with your saw. Thanks for linking up with us a the #HomeMattersParty this week!

Tom Lecoq

Tuesday 6th of March 2018

I hung a clear plastic shower curtain behind my 10 inch sliding miter, which sits on a steel framed table. The curtain wraps around the sides just shy of the fence on each side. The bottom is gathered into a box with a dust collection port on the bottom. I used aluminum duct tape to secure the shortened curtain to the inside of the box, which is just a small plastic tub. The table is enclosed and has a door, which keeps stray duse town. The top of the curtain is syspended by conventional shower curtain loop, and I've taped a piece of the cutoff into the top so it hangs down near the level of the saw. My Bosch saw has mediocre dust port just behind the saw, which I plan to modify. I'll use some aluminum flashing to wrap around the port and extend down as far as possible just behind the blade, so it also clears the fence. With ample suction on the port, plus the curtain, I expect to catch 75-80 percent (or hopefully more) of the flying sawdust.

Vineta

Tuesday 6th of March 2018

Such a smart idea! Thanks for sharing!

Courtney

Wednesday 28th of June 2017

These ideas are awesome! I like anything that's easy. Thanks for sharing!

XO Courtney

Janice@sawdustsisters

Friday 23rd of June 2017

Great idead! I think I have a sliding miter saw as well so it makes things trickier! Thanks for sharing!

Comments are closed.