If you open the lower blade door on the Rikon 14″ bandsaw, you’ll see the faintest evidence of a dust collection port. I lived with the mediocre performance of this setup for over two years, and then one day I’d had enough.
Surgery was very quick as my patient did not require anesthesia. Remove the lower wheel by extracting a singlebolt and get your angle grinder handy.
The shroud that partially occludes the dust port is just tack welded in place, so cut through the weld beads and the shroud will fall off.
To reassemble, place the drive belt around the wheel’s pulley and wipe any debris off the guide wheel bearings and shaft before remounting the wheel. All that’s left is to tighten down the guide wheel bolt, put the belt on the appropriate pulleys, and put the lower door back on.
I saw a significant increase in the dust collection on my saw after making this modification. Hope it helps you out, too!
Thanks for reading, y’all!
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