Patent ID: 7578063

Claim:
A portable cutting apparatus, comprising: a motor having a drive shaft; a cutting blade coupled to said drive shaft for rotating during operation of said motor; a protective housing enclosing at least a portion of said cutting blade wherein said protective housing includes a front section, a rear section, and a section being transparent for viewing said cutting blade during rotation of said cutting blade; a bellows connected to said protective housing and extending downwardly therefrom such that said protective housing and said bellows define a blade chamber for said cutting blade; a vacuum impeller operably coupled to said motor and rotatable in a first direction during operation of said motor to generate airflow, said vacuum impeller having a plurality of blades defining an outer blade periphery; a vacuum housing enclosing said vacuum impeller, said vacuum housing defining at least one inlet configured to direct the airflow into said vacuum housing transverse to said first direction and inside said outer blade periphery, and an outlet configured to direct the airflow out of said vacuum housing; front and rear vacuum tubes for directing the airflow from said protective housing to said vacuum housing, said front vacuum tube having a first end connected to said front section of said protective housing and said rear vacuum tube having a first end connected to said rear section of said protective housing, each of said vacuum tubes having a second end connected to said vacuum housing at said at least one inlet; and a bag coupled to said vacuum housing for collecting cutting debris and dust present in the airflow moving through said vacuum housing by said vacuum impeller.