Thread: Festool dust extractors

I have the old CT22 which was replaced by the CT26. Although I am very happy with it, I wish I has spent the extra $100 for the bigger one.
Les

[QUOTE=Elleff;1718212]Hi All,

Can anybody advise which DC I would need to do an average amount of work in a home workshop.

/QUOTE]

That is a good question. What is average?
The DC you purchase will depend on your budget, space and what you are doing. I mange with the midi, but if you are using a router you would be be better with a larger DC, CT26 or bigger.

The previous generation of Festool vacuums pop up fairly regularly on eBay, mostly the CT22 and 33, for a fraction of the cost of a shiny new one (I picked up a CT33 last year for $450, the current CT36 goes for $1200), so if you don't have to have it right now you'll save heaps.

As for size,

The CT26 is a good DA capable of handling most tasks associated with WW in the homeshop.Whether
from a sanding task to a cutting tool task.
Suggest you get up to Forward Tools in Malaga ...perhaps check them all out with the huge range of Festool gear they have in stock ...it's wise to have a limit on your CC tho

It's a case of what you can afford !

I have the CT26 ,I reckon it's a beaut DA.

Cheers

Hi Elleff,
I have a CT22 and I reckon its fantastic.
I built our dining table with a parquetry top and final sanded it in our dining room right next to our open sideboard full of our family china and stuff.
Not a single speck of dust went anywhere except into the DC. I was using a festool sander.
I have also used it with my festool router, the small one and some larger particles in the track were the only things not collected by the DC.
No airborne dust at all.
I do an average amount of work and have only emptied the bag once in a couple of years.
You might do more than me.
Anyone you get will serve you well and as others have already noted they do come up on ebay
Depends on what you want to pay

cheers

Frank

Originally Posted by John Saxton

The CT26 is a good DA capable of handling most tasks associated with WW in the homeshop.Whether
from a sanding task to a cutting tool task. . . .

Sorry John I have to disagree. Vacuum cleaners are just not suitable for machinery like lathes, table saws, thicknessers or jointers which require much higher flow rates than any conventional vacuum cleaner is capable of. Vacuum cleaners are more effective for use with power tool that have been especially adapted to fit a vacuum cleaner.

Vacuum cleaners (even high quality units) need much more attention than most users think.
Most vacuum cleaners have a motor cooling loop which has no filter so this loop sooner or later ends up emitting more very fine dust than it collects.
If dust collection is even momentarily inefficient the motor cooling loop can grab and mince escaped coarse dust particles into lots of finer dust, and finer dust into very fine dust etc, and remember it's the finest dust that potentially reaches further into human airways.

Every vacuum cleaner (even the expensive ones) more than 5 years old and some that were only a year old that I tested suffered from this problem and like DCs many of them had leaks around seals and gaskets. Even a tiny crack can create lots of problems.

The way to minimise these problems is to
- make sure the vacuum cleaner is turned on before any dust making activity happens in the shed and that as much dust as possible is collected by the vacuum cleaner.
- if dust making happens and the shed becomes contaminated then the shed should be well ventilated using extraction fans, high flow dust extractors, or natural ventilation before the vacuum cleaner is used - this is a right PITA.
- the seals and gaskets and filters should be kept as clean, and replaced when they become damaged or blocked.
- Vacuum cleaners should be stored where they cannot get constantly covered in dust.
- It MAY be possible to clean the motor cooling loop by partial disassembly and using compressed air to blow it clear.

After ~5 years the best place for a poorly maintained vacuum cleaners is probably in the bin.

The safest way to use any vacuum cleaner in a wood workshop is either to located it outside or to put it in a sealed enclosure and vent the chamber outside. John Samuel has an excellent thread on how he did this in the Dust forum.

I'm pretty sure John was using cutting tool to refer to a router or electric planer or a circular saw, not heavy machinery.

You can also get a full hazmat suit with a self contained, closed loop breathing system and only breathe once every 10 seconds, just in case there's some tiny leak in it.

There is no (practical) way to eliminate dust completely. Position the vacuum hose as close to the source as possible, keep an eye on how full the bag is, clean the filters regularly and invest in a good half- or full-face mask for the times that flying dust is unavoidable.

Hi All Again,

A big Thankyou to all who responded to my query!

The feedback was excellent and is of great assistance when trying to spend more money than your wife would like. Even the suggestion that I may now last a few more years was met with a blank stare. I develop a mild cynicysm when sales people continue to recommend the dearest equipment in the shop so it was great to reap the benefits of members experience with this particular type of DC.

I am now the proud owner of a CT 26 Festool DC. All that now remains is to find connectors for my Makita trimmer and the Bosch orbital sander.

Thanks again

Elleff

Originally Posted by BobL

Sorry John I have to disagree. Vacuum cleaners are just not suitable for machinery like lathes, table saws, thicknessers or jointers which require much higher flow rates than any conventional vacuum cleaner is capable of. Vacuum cleaners are more effective for use with power tool that have been especially adapted to fit a vacuum cleaner.

-.

Totally agree with your response Bob,I should have stated that with my CT26 it manages with all of my Festool hand tools.
I have ducted DC for all my floor machines set up including the lathes & I should perhaps have made this point as well.

On my handtool sanding extraction option I use a Festool CT mini which works fine for my needs with Rotex plus a couple of other Festool sanders.

Cheers