CT26 for small shop - talk me in (or out) please

[mikbau206]

Hello everyone

New user here, just purchased my first Festool - a ETS 125 REQ and I love it. I have a small shop, basically a small one bay garage that is a bit like a Tetris game when I'm working on a project, and I have many tools on wheels and carts. I'm currently using an older Craftsmasn shop vac for dust collection which is really loud and not very efficient. I've been doing a a ton of research on dust collectors/extractors, and I'm about 99% decided on the CT 26 with the Systainer separator (was also going to order the 36 mm and 50mm hoses.) Below is my tool set - I realize that there is no "silver bullet" solution, but the CT26 seems pretty close - especially as I can see additional Festools in my future. A larger dust collection system isn't in my future given my space constraints:

- DeWalt jobsite saw
- Dewalt 735 planer (no collection here, straight in to a bag)
- Rikon 6" Benchtop jointer (use collection to keep it from plugging up)
- Oscillating Spindle Sander
- mini lathe (usually have a hose behind it to pull in debris)
- Mitre saw
- Festool 125

My questions are:
1. Am I on the right track here? The planer isn't a concern, so I think the 26 will handle all the other tools well enough. Thoughts?
2. I'm thinking about an extra systainer for the extra hoses - does anyone have a suggestion as to the proper size?

thanks!
Michael

 

[mino]

If you do not expect to lug it around, consider the CT48 instead of going the cyclone route in the future. if effectively halves bag costs over time and includes the handle which is very useful if having only one vac in a shop and hauling it around ..

Especially if you plan on using the D50 hose with the bigger tools.

CT26 is the better choice if you planned on a cyclone eventually - for big tools use the Oneida DD 2.5 is an obvious one ..

My 2c.

EDIT, just checked that the CT48 is not sold with the handle in the US. IMO that makes it an even more obvious choice as it reduces the price difference a lot.

 

[mikbau206]

Thank you. I hadn't considered the 48 - I was going to order the 26 with the Festool separator - I figured that the separator would be required with the planer, but I don't do a ton of volume, so perhaps the 48 w/o the separator could be the way to go. I'll give it a look.

Michael

 

[mino]

Thank you. I hadn't considered the 48 - I was going to order the 26 with the Festool separator - I figured that the separator would be required with the planer, but I don't do a ton of volume, so perhaps the 48 w/o the separator could be the way to go. I'll give it a look.

Michael

I have the CT-VA, and it is not something you want for a planer.
It is a low-to-mid volume unit. Ideal for sanding and OK for all tasks where the D27/32 hose is fine. Anything you feel like -requiring- D36 or a bigger hose you want to look at the the DD 2.5.

 

[mikbau206]

Thank you. I hadn't considered the 48 - I was going to order the 26 with the Festool separator - I figured that the separator would be required with the planer, but I don't do a ton of volume, so perhaps the 48 w/o the separator could be the way to go. I'll give it a look.

Michael

I have the CT-VA, and it is not something you want for a planer.
It is a low-to-mid volume unit. Ideal for sanding and OK for all tasks where the D27/32 hose is fine. Anything you feel like -requiring- D36 or a bigger hose you want to look at the the DD 2.5.

I have the planer hosed directly in to a collection bag, so I won't need to use it for the planer (I relized I should have left that off my tool list above)

 

[mikbau206]

Thank you. I hadn't considered the 48 - I was going to order the 26 with the Festool separator - I figured that the separator would be required with the planer, but I don't do a ton of volume, so perhaps the 48 w/o the separator could be the way to go. I'll give it a look.

Michael

I have the CT-VA, and it is not something you want for a planer.
It is a low-to-mid volume unit. Ideal for sanding and OK for all tasks where the D27/32 hose is fine. Anything you feel like -requiring- D36 or a bigger hose you want to look at the the DD 2.5.

I have the planer hosed directly in to a collection bag, so I won't need to use it for the planer (I relized I should have left that off my tool list above)

I think the only tool I have where I'd use the larger hoses is for my lathe - and that's more from the standpoint the larger hose works better in pulling in the debris from a larger field - that said, I did build a catch funnel so I could probably get away from the larger hose. I was only really considering the 50mm as it's close to what I'm using now, but I realize it may not be necessary. The largest I probably need to go is the 36 (except maybe vacuuming chunks of cutt offs off the floor.) At the end of the day, my dust and chips is small volume which is why I figured the 26 and CT-VA would be optimal for my use

 

[mino]

I would go with the bigger CT48 and and see how far the first 5-bag pack gets you.

The CT-VA is worth about 30+ CT48 bags .. plus the space it occupies. Each full bag is like 50 pounds of material. A hobby user may not create as much dust in a decade .. a pro may make it in a month ..

Writing this as a happy owner of a CTM 36 AC who got the CT-VA along with the vac. Doing it again, I would have probably went CTM 48 AC instead and look to add CT 26 + CT-VA once I felt it justified.

So far, after the vac used for 3 years in our community shop, I am about 20% down the line of the CT-VA paying for itself in saved bags. And those were the CT 36 bags, not the bigger CT 48 ones.

 

[mikbau206]

I would go with the bigger CT48 and and see how far the first 5-bag pack gets you.

The CT-VA is worth about 30+ CT48 bags .. plus the space it occupies. Each full bag is like 50 pounds of material. A hobby user may not create as much dust in a decade .. a pro may make it in a month ..

My only concern/question - hooked up to my jointer, am I at risk of clogging the machine at all? That's the only immediate need I have for a separator is that. Every other tool generates dust or considerably smaller pieces.

 

[mino]

With a jointer and the D50 hose you should be fine.

I would not use the CT-VA with jointer or a planer. Both for too low an air volume (about 1/3 of what you get directly with the D50 hose) and for the risk of clogging.

 

[mikbau206]

With a jointer and the D50 hose you should be fine.

I would not use the CT-VA with jointer or a planer. Both for too low an air volume (about 1/3 of what you get directly with the D50 hose) and for the risk of clogging.

For down the road, is the Dust Deputy a better option for the larger hose and the jointer? (It's only a benchtop jointer, so not a ton of debris)

Lastly, I wonder if the 36 is a good compromise if I intened t pull it out to my driveway once in a while?

 

[Hipplewm]

Lathe and Jointer will make TONS of large chips - most everything else is small and IMO suitable for a CT

I personally would get the new DD 2.5" as it is custom made for shop vacs - no hose connections etc - it just works (I recently swapped my old one with 6 adapters to a new one with 0 adapters) Wether you use it with the CT or a shop vac doesn't matter - but especially if those 2 pieces of equipment are close to each other just leave the DD semi permanent in one location.

Also to pile on, if you use the 26 for everything you will probably wish you went bigger pretty quickly

 

[Hipplewm]

With a jointer and the D50 hose you should be fine.

I would not use the CT-VA with jointer or a planer. Both for too low an air volume (about 1/3 of what you get directly with the D50 hose) and for the risk of clogging.

For down the road, is the Dust Deputy a better option for the larger hose and the jointer? (It's only a benchtop jointer, so not a ton of debris)

Lastly, I wonder if the 36 is a good compromise if I intened t pull it out to my driveway once in a while?

Both of those are solid thinking IMO

 

[rvieceli]

[member=81116]mikbau206[/member] I think the CT26 is a great size for an extractor. I've got it's predecessor the CT22. Personally I don't like to pick up a pretty full CT22 because it's heavy. But then I'm an old guy  [scared]

The 48 feels like a boxcar to me in comparison. Even if you can roll them every where, you still have to pull a full bag out of the units and dispose of it.

Ron

 

[mikbau206]

Lathe and Jointer will make TONS of large chips - most everything else is small and IMO suitable for a CT

I personally would get the new DD 2.5" as it is custom made for shop vacs - no hose connections etc - it just works (I recently swapped my old one with 6 adapters to a new one with 0 adapters) Wether you use it with the CT or a shop vac doesn't matter - but especially if those 2 pieces of equipment are close to each other just leave the DD semi permanent in one location.

Also to pile on, if you use the 26 for everything you will probably wish you went bigger pretty quickly

I should have clarified - it's a mini lathe - mostly pens and small turnings less than 6" in diameter.

I still keep coming back to the 26 for size/portability and using either the DD 2.5 or the Festool cyclone (or both for different chores) - for the volume of work that I do, from everything I've read, the Festool cyclone should work well enough. My benchtop jointer is only a 6" model and most of the time i'm jointing short smaller stock - I'd almost bet the 36mm hose with an adaptor to 2.25" would be adequate w/o clogging. And the planer extracts straight to a bag, so no real use for the CT there.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

The CT26 + CT-VA-20 will be just fine for you. It’s a great combo. No need for over-thinking or over-complication.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

They all have the same motor and static pressure (suction) which is what powers the CT/VA, with it taking in most of the debris. The bigger ones are exponentially more expensive, with not real gain, other than bag size. With a separator the size of the CT itself is not really important.
That being said, it sort of comes down to your desire to have Bluetooth or not? It is quite handy to have a remote switch, but you don't miss what you never had. A CT26 can get you that, but it's an add-on ($80 or so for the module and remote)
Smaller units like the Mini or Midi are already Bluetooth capable, though the remote is an add-on too, but that part is under $50.
In a really small shop, you may not care about that aspect, which would put a CT15 at the top of the list.
If you are not planning on using a separator, the equation changes to capacity and how often you would need to change the bags.

From the tool list,
I would count the planer out immediately, as you already have. It will overwhelm the small hoses, really needing a 4" dust collector hose. The sanders, miter saw and  jobsite saw would be fine with an extractor, but the actual percentage of dust removed will be mostly dependent on the tool. Some aren't so great and a good extractor can't overcome that inherent weakness.
The lathe? That depends upon what you do with it. They are pretty difficult too, a bigger 4" hose set-up is better there too. Sanding on the lathe, sure, it will keep the tiny dust down. If yoou turn "green" wood, forget it. The big curly shaving from that are nearly impossible to catch. They take well to a broom though.
Jointer? That one might be tough too. They generally put out long shavings, unless it has a carbide insert spiral head. Those are far easier to collect. Those long shavings from a straight knife head can clog even a 4" hose.

A Systainer for the hose/s? Go with the biggest you can find (or have a place to store). All of the cleaning sets that Festool offer come with the 437. The tools themselves don't take much space, but the coiled up hose certainly does. This BTW is the most economical way to buy a 36mm hose, especially since you already want a Systainer.

 

[Hipplewm]

Lathe and Jointer will make TONS of large chips - most everything else is small and IMO suitable for a CT

I personally would get the new DD 2.5" as it is custom made for shop vacs - no hose connections etc - it just works (I recently swapped my old one with 6 adapters to a new one with 0 adapters) Wether you use it with the CT or a shop vac doesn't matter - but especially if those 2 pieces of equipment are close to each other just leave the DD semi permanent in one location.

Also to pile on, if you use the 26 for everything you will probably wish you went bigger pretty quickly

I should have clarified - it's a mini lathe - mostly pens and small turnings less than 6" in diameter.

I still keep coming back to the 26 for size/portability and using either the DD 2.5 or the Festool cyclone (or both for different chores) - for the volume of work that I do, from everything I've read, the Festool cyclone should work well enough. My benchtop jointer is only a 6" model and most of the time i'm jointing short smaller stock - I'd almost bet the 36mm hose with an adaptor to 2.25" would be adequate w/o clogging. And the planer extracts straight to a bag, so no real use for the CT there.

The beauty of the cyclone is not emptying OR PAYING for new bags.  The 26/36/48 could handle the chips from a benchtop jointer most likely - those things make more chips than you think even on small stock.

For a sort of comparison - I use a MIDI - but only for sanding, dominos and Biscuits
shop vac/dd 2.5 for benchtop jointer, pocket holes, mitre saw and other small appliances
large shop dust collect 6" mains for tables saw, planar, bandsaw router table etc

All of that was accumulated over time and sanding is what drove me to a CT - literally zero dust now - even MDF is minimal dust.

 

[ChuckM]

That being said, it sort of comes down to your desire to have Bluetooth or not? It is quite handy to have a remote switch, but you don't miss what you never had. A CT26 can get you that, but it's an add-on ($80 or so for the module and remote)
Smaller units like the Mini or Midi are already Bluetooth capable, though the remote is an add-on too, but that part is under $50.
In a really small shop, you may not care about that aspect, which would put a CT15 at the top of the list.
If you are not planning on using a separator, the equation changes to capacity and how often you would need to change the bags.Snip.

As a former CT26 owner, after using the CT15 for two years now and recently discovering a way to add "blue tooth" to the CT15 (https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/...-25-vs-ct-midi-and-ct-26/msg705288/#msg705288 ), my vote would go to a CT15 plus a Dust Deputy 2.5 (if needed). I'd use the money saved towards the purchase of another Festool tool, if desired.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=57948]ChuckS[/member] so the light provides the load to start the vac? So, technically the remote is starting the light?

 

[ChuckM]

[member=57948]ChuckS[/member] so the light provides the load to start the vac? So, technically the remote is starting the light?

Correct.

In the first attempt, I used a night light (in place of a power tool), but the draw wasn't big enough for the circuit to detect and kick the extractor into action. The LED does the trick.