TSC 55 KEB-F US dust collection performance suddenly declines

[Road2Damascus]

I'm posting both a problem, and what I think is the solution, but I wanted to get this in front of more experienced people:

PROBLEM:
I have a TSC 55 KEB-F that is connected to a CT 26.  Both of these are coming up on 2 years of age, although actual usage is limited to about a month total over this time (i.e. they are in great shape).

Dust collection has been incredible until the last time I took it out and used it.  There was a noticeable decline in dust collection performance.  Let me get the obvious out of the way:

1. I have checked the entire hose of the CT26 by sticking a broom stick all the way through, and I've also stretched it out and shone a light through it.  There is no obstruction, and the suction on my hands is as high as it should be.

2. The CT26 bag is only a quarter of the way full.

3. I have removed the face plate of the TSC 55 and ensured that there is no obstruction at all.  There is nothing in the dust port on the saw either.

A google search found one guy years back that experienced the same problem, but there were no solutions.

SOLUTION (somewhat):
In examining the teeth on the blade, I noticed a small build up of residue.  It never seemed to impact the performance of the saw or the quality of the cut.  However, I went ahead and cleaned it with a brass brush and some laundry detergent.  Dust performance suddenly seems better!

However, I can't wrap my head around how this would solve the problem.  I can't imagine that the dust collection is so dependent on the aerodynamics and fluid flow around the teeth that small buildup would negatively impact it.  But in this experiment, it is the only variable I changed that caused an improvement!

 

[waho6o9]

Did you happen to check and or clean the filter?

 

[Road2Damascus]

Yes, the filter on the CT26 is clean, and it's performance is normal when it is not connected to the track saw or is connected to my sanders.  There is no obstruction anywhere in the saw or the CT-26. 

My working theory is that the pitch and resin buildup is causing saw dust to stick just enough to remain attached to the blade and then become ejected on the bottom of the tool (external) rather than the chamber (internal).  But this still seems like a stretch to me.  Regardless, the performance seems better since I cleaned the blade.

 

[squall_line]

Dirty blades will produce poor quality cuts that are being abraded away rather than cut away, leading to overall more dust particles than chips.  Collection suffers as a side effect.

 

[Road2Damascus]

Dirty blades will produce poor quality cuts that are being abraded away rather than cut away, leading to overall more dust particles than chips.  Collection suffers as a side effect.

Thanks Squall_line, that sums this problem up nicely!

 

[frahengeo]

Interesting.

Cleaning of the blade was the only change you made when comparing before and after?  Any chance you dislodged debris that was blocking the dust chute of the saw during the removal of the blade?  I assume the blade was removed to clean it.

Unless everyone is good about maintaining their saw blade, you would expect to hear more about dust collection issues.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.

Unless everyone is good about maintaining their saw blade, you would expect to hear more about dust collection issues.

I've never come across any tracksaw users who said their dust extraction degraded significantly because of the build-up on their blades. If there were minor effects, they didn't notice them.

I clean my table saw blades regularly not because of any concerns about dust collection but because of burn marks. The same goes for my Kapex blade. Both saws use a ZCI.