.

[marly]

.

 

[dltflt]

Nothing like diving in head first. That is an awesome first run, congrats.

 

[ScotF]

Congrats on the tools! Welcome to the forum. Ask questions if you have them - this is a good group and lots of collective wisdom and experience to share. Have fun!

 

[sancho57]

Good Job Marley you relly had a big drink of the green koolaid.

FYI when setting up your MFT, make sure you have a known square square to set it up. If not it will drive you crazy.

Dont ax me how I know that  [embarassed]

BTW  [welcome] to the FOG

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

Hi and welcome Marly, good luck with your health, and your projects.
Maybe build two kennels, just in case your wife sees the list of stuff you bought!
[blink] [big grin] [wink]

 

[threesixright]

Nothing like diving in head first. That is an awesome first run, congrats.

Go big or go home, that's what I say.

I second that! Everything else is mediocre, and who wants to do that?

One thing is for sure, you can’t blame the tools now [wink]

Have a awesome time with the tools!

 

[cpw]

Congrats on the tools! Welcome to the forum. Ask questions if you have them - this is a good group and lots of collective wisdom and experience to share. Have fun!

I'm sure I will have lots of questions. My first project will be making a kennel for my dog. My wife uses our current kennel next to the bed as a nightstand and the dog sleeps in that. The problem with the kennel is that all her stuff falls off it because it doesn't sit flat against the wall. This should be an easy project. I was thinking of getting a nice sheet of plywood, mitering the edges together at a 45-degree angle and using the domino to hold it all together. Then making a face frame for the front like a cabinet. It won't be super fancy, but it will at least keep stuff falling off the top of it. The dog won't care how it looks either.

If this is your first foray into casework, I would consider using some fake faces on the sides to match the face frame on the front.  You can definitely do a miter with plywood, but having a butt joint and then having something overlay it would probably be a bit more forgiving.

 

[Cheese]

Good for you Marly, I like your attitude.  [smile]

My favorite saying is "Anything worth doing is worth over-doing".  [big grin]

As a comparison, my first Festool purchase was a lowly DTS 125 WITHOUT a vac.

Nice selection of Festool's but, you're going to be needing a sander and some paper for that kennel/table you're making.

Here's another alternative to the Woodpecker square that other FOG members use. It's nice to have options.
https://tsoproducts.com/tso-products-precision-system-triangles/mtr-18-precision-system-triangle/

 

[gunnyr]

Sweet!  I didn't buy all that at once but it really didn't take me long.  With the projects you are planning I can't recommend a TS55 enough!  It will make managing the sheet goods easier than a table saw by a factor of 10.  You're already swimming in the deep end, might as well enjoy it.

Best of luck, the FOG is a great place to come for help and encouragement.

 

[butzla]

Good Job Marley you relly had a big drink of the green koolaid.

FYI when setting up your MFT, make sure you have a known square square to set it up. If not it will drive you crazy.

Dont ax me how I know that  [embarassed]

BTW  [welcome] to the FOG

You mean something like this?

Now that I think of it, maybe I should have gotten this yesterday when I had the chance?

Congratulations and Welcome aboard.  You're off to a good start.  Don't waste your hard earned on a Woodpecker square.  Anderson Plywood makes a nice alternative.  Made on a CNC router, highly accurate for less than half the money.

 

[RKA]

Wow!  I think you funded someone's retirement at Woodcraft!  You're going to have some fun for sure!  Enjoy the tools and the hobby!  And tell your wife not to worry...the resale is surprisingly good on these tools!  [tongue]

One question (in case you still have the opportunity to return or exchange)...why did you opt for the CT48 and the cyclone?  Usually the cyclone us used to cut down on bag use, which no longer necessitates a refrigerator sized extractor. 

 

[mrboult]

NICE! That's a first purchase and a half. I'm jealous

Do you already have sanders and either table/circular/track saw? I'm surprised by your first purchase including routers and jointers but not saws or sanders. .
But that's just me and the way I do things, there are obviously no wrong answers if the final products stands, and there are often a million ways to skin the cat. Hand tools often being one of them.

Welcome to the FOG, lots of helpful folk here.

EDIT: Lol, you've just answered this above. . . . .

 

[Michael Kellough]

I encourage you to get a track saw. Running a board past the fence of a tablesaw doesn’t do much good if that guiding edge isn’t straight to start with.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I went with the CT48 and the cyclone because, as I said earlier, “Go big or go home.”

First, there is a price. The price difference from the CT48 to the CT36 is $40. The price difference from the CT48 to the CT26 is $100. While $100 is a lot more than $40, I’m already spending at least $730. I’m buying Festool, so I’m already spending my life savings, what’s $100 more?

Next is the size. As far as  L x W x H on the CT 26 vs. the CT 36, they’re pretty much the same thing. The most significant difference between all three on L x W x H is the height with the CT 48 having the most height. Where I will be storing it, I will have plenty of height, and I won’t be carrying the thing around with me. I don’t need to put it in a work truck and haul it off to customer sites. I think taking it up and downstairs would be most comfortable on the CT 26 vs. CT 48, but I won’t be moving it around much. It will live most of its life in the garage. Next is the 7.2 pounds in weight difference between the CT 26 and CT 48, but it’s not like I’m carrying the thing on a plane where 7.2 pounds makes a big difference. Plus, my wife is usually the one who gets the vacuum, so it’s not like I have to lift the thing. I am the guy who has to empty the sawdust, though, so a bigger bag is a plus for me.

Lastly, where I will store the dust extractor will be on the other side of the garage from where I would use the domino or some other type thing, so with the extra hight, it just means hose that I will need to go up to the ceiling. I will use my Kapex next to the dust extractor, so running the hose along the wall where it will be will keep it out of the way too.

At the end of the day, I couldn't see much difference and bigger meant I would need to empty the bag less, so I went with that.

Welcome to the clan Marly, but take the advice from the people that have used these tools for years already, the CT48 is too big to be comfortable unless you have it set up in a production environment where it has a steady place. You seem to be new to this and I wish you lots of luck and joy with your new hobby, but you're going to find out you want to move around with your vac.

The weight difference of the empty 48 and 26 might not be big, but once it get's filled up the weight difference can be easily between 30 and 40 pounds. And it is going to take ages to fill the 48 up, so once it gets heavy, you're stuck with that weight for some time. Factor in that you already have the cyclone to go with it, so bag size is really not important to you. I'd highly suggest you'd change the 48 for a 26 while you still can and take advantage of the fact it is much more mobile.

 

[VirTERM]

I went with the CT48 and the cyclone because, as I said earlier, “Go big or go home.”

First, there is a price. The price difference from the CT48 to the CT36 is $40. The price difference from the CT48 to the CT26 is $100. While $100 is a lot more than $40, I’m already spending at least $730. I’m buying Festool, so I’m already spending my life savings, what’s $100 more?

Next is the size. As far as  L x W x H on the CT 26 vs. the CT 36, they’re pretty much the same thing. The most significant difference between all three on L x W x H is the height with the CT 48 having the most height. Where I will be storing it, I will have plenty of height, and I won’t be carrying the thing around with me. I don’t need to put it in a work truck and haul it off to customer sites. I think taking it up and downstairs would be most comfortable on the CT 26 vs. CT 48, but I won’t be moving it around much. It will live most of its life in the garage. Next is the 7.2 pounds in weight difference between the CT 26 and CT 48, but it’s not like I’m carrying the thing on a plane where 7.2 pounds makes a big difference. Plus, my wife is usually the one who gets the vacuum, so it’s not like I have to lift the thing. I am the guy who has to empty the sawdust, though, so a bigger bag is a plus for me.

Lastly, where I will store the dust extractor will be on the other side of the garage from where I would use the domino or some other type thing, so with the extra hight, it just means hose that I will need to go up to the ceiling. I will use my Kapex next to the dust extractor, so running the hose along the wall where it will be will keep it out of the way too.

At the end of the day, I couldn't see much difference and bigger meant I would need to empty the bag less, so I went with that.

Welcome to the clan Marly, but take the advice from the people that have used these tools for years already, the CT48 is too big to be comfortable unless you have it set up in a production environment where it has a steady place. You seem to be new to this and I wish you lots of luck and joy with your new hobby, but you're going to find out you want to move around with your vac.

The weight difference of the empty 48 and 26 might not be big, but once it get's filled up the weight difference can be easily between 30 and 40 pounds. And it is going to take ages to fill the 48 up, so once it gets heavy, you're stuck with that weight for some time. Factor in that you already have the cyclone to go with it, so bag size is really not important to you. I'd highly suggest you'd change the 48 for a 26 while you still can and take advantage of the fact it is much more mobile.

I concur that the Cyclone will virtually bring these two vacs to the same "usability" level and you will end up hating the extra (unnecessary) weight.

 

[Cheese]

I just want to reiterate what others have said. If you're using a cyclone, I'd definitely go with the CT 26. Accidents do happen and you never know when you'll need to move/use the vac in a different location. Remember these vacs have wet capabilities so if something bad  [crying]  [crying]  happened in the house, you'd be equipped to handle it. However, 48 liters of water weigh 106# so emptying it will still be a struggle, especially given your health situation.  For that matter, emptying 48 liters of dust will be a struggle.  [smile]

The SawStop with the sliding table is really nice however, the sheet goods have to be cut square and straight before they can be cut on the SawStop.

I've purchased ply from Woodcraft, Menards, Youngblood Lumber & Home Depot, all needed to have the factory edge squared...either a little or a lot. I use a TSC 55 for that chore.

Don't forget to purchase a 2 meter section of 36 mm hose for the Kapex.

 

[sancho57]

+1 for the Anderson Ply square

 

[Michael Kellough]

You can get a Flex Hepa ~9 gallon vac for $300 from Acme.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I don't think you will regret switching to a 26.

As for running 3 sanders on a single vac, if you only look at the required suction it could work, sanders don't need the full suction of the vac to work. In fact, often it is best to lower the vac's suction because the sander can work as a suction cup and this will negatively impact its handling.

But having two people or even three work on a single vac is not very efficient, you really want to move around independently.

If you're thinking of getting a second vac, keep the Mini/Midi models in mind, they're especially usefull with sanders. You don't need the high bag capacity of a 26 and the smaller vacs are even easier to move around. I'm just one person and I have 2 Mini's as I mostly use my sanders with them and I am often working on two projects at the same time. I used to have the 26 also for my wood chipping tools, but traded it for a Mini as I need to move around a lot. 

 

[Michael Kellough]

I still use a first generation Mini for most site work and usually have a basic Dust Deputy cyclone bungee strapped on top. If the bucket is empty the whole bundle weighs less than a CT 26. Is is awkward to carry but as soon as the wheels touch a smooth floor it’s quite mobile.

The footprint of the Mini (even with cyclone) is the smallest you’ll find. Midi is the same.