it is the best method
I have early direct drive Craftsman saws with an open base, a Powermatic with a semi shrouded blade to which I added more sheet metal, and a Bosch Job site saw with a completely shrouded blade.
The Bosch allows a shop vac to be connect to the port on the rear of the saw and it works great. You can control the dust on an open base saw, but you'll need to move a lot of air into the cabinet and direct the dust off the blade as much as possible. I also use a over the blade collection arm hooked to a shop vac and that helps a lot.
From a review:
Dust Collection
The Bosch 4000 has a shroud that totally encloses the blade below the table that harnesses the aerodynamics of the spinning blade to help eject dust through a rear-mounted port that accepts standard 2 ¼"-diameter vacuum hoses.
The shroud system is very effective with even a medium powered shop vac to help extract the dust. As with any table saw, some dust comes over the top of the blade but even that seems to be reduced by the effectiveness of the shroud system.
Because the shroud is part of the motor/blade carriage, the dust port moves with the rest of the assembly when set for bevel cuts. Dust collection remains effective without having to add homemade covers or bags beneath the saw.
The newer saws will have much better dust collection, and if that's what you want, go for it! :yes: