Ridgid R4512 Table Saw Blade Guard Dust Hood

thingiverse

I was getting fed up with having dust fly all over my small garage workshop. Even with a 1.5hp JET dust collector connected to the bottom dust chute via a 4" hose, it just wasn't enough. After some research, I saw and became very envious of the SawStop's blade guard dust collector. I wish we had something similar on the Ridgid. But my saw also didn't cost $2000+. There is one commercial solution, but lead time was 2-3wks and it would have cost $200. That's almost half the price of the saw itself, which is silly IMO. Anyway, after some quick work I came up with this. It attaches neatly to the stock blade guard via 4 screws. You will need to print out 2 of the holder-tabs to attach the front to prevent it from popping up. Holes are 1/4" / 6mm. Hose connector is 2 1/2" OD. It worked pretty well by sucking up at least 80% of the dust I normally get splattered all over the place (including my face and body). So for a quick and dirty fix, this worked well. I'll eventually design a better one, but I'm afraid I'm limited to the stock blade guard itself. There's only so much you can do. UPDATE: After 6 more prototypes and hours of printing, I am finally happy with version 2. It is more simplified and now sits on the metal arms. This allows for the plastic guards to freely move. More of the suction is focused downwards as well, over the blades. Only 1 long screw (5/16") and nut is needed to mount it. Holder tabs no longer necessary.