HAre & Forbes ST250 dust extraction

Hi all.

Well after spending a few days scrolling through previous forums and after much deliberation I ended up buying a Hare & Forbes ST250 10" table saw (with slider included) as that was the limitation of my budget and I wanted a sliding table (plus it was the only one I could find on special at the time:U).

Started putting it all together today but was surprised that there is no baffle or 'bin' to catch the dust before it is extracted via the dust port at the back of the saw. The base of the saw is open as it stands on four small feet and has no floor. Does that seem right? Will the suction of the dust extractor be enough to stop the sawdust from simply falling to the ground??

Will a 1 hp dust extractor be enough to ensure that there is no dust left on the floor?

I was thinking of making a baffle to seal off the motor bay from the floor so that it collected dust at the height of the bottom of the dust extraction port. Obviously this would mean that the dust extractor would need to be on whenever the saw is run. I was hoping that this would also enhance the dust extraction at the blade guard. Has anybody tried this or am I just missing some parts? Will the restriction of airflow around the motor cause overheating problems??

Appreciate your help/ideas.

Thanks:roll:,
Paul