CT26 vs Midi

[derekcohen]

What are the advantages of the CT26 over the Midi (with the former 40% higher in price).

Alternately, what are the disadvantages of the Midi over the CT26?

My needs are to hook up a router directly and switch it on/off with the vac. Ditto table saw (what power limits would this involve).

A last point is that I have a Dust Deputy, and as a result ultimate dust volume collection is not the big factor.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[TOOLTOWN]

The main difference across the range of Festool vacuums is capacity.  The suction and flow rate is almost identical across all vacuums.

The 26+ can also handle the boom arm and work center, the Midi and Mini cannot.

Any of these vacuums can definitely handle a Festool router.  Being a dealer I cannot elaborate on the use of third party devices.

I'm sure others here will fill in the rest.

Ken

 

[derekcohen]

Thanks Ken.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Woodwork Wizard]

The DD cyclone drop box fits the CT36 (and 26) perfectly and will not fall off. Perfect for a workshop.
The DD does not fit the Midi as well as it fits bigger extractors, so I have a ratchet strap round mine to lock the Midi to the DD.

I have a CT36 for workshop use and a Midi for on-site. Both have a DD attached.

 

[DB10]

[member=4358]derekcohen[/member] I would say that if you are already using a dust deputy then go with the Midi. Don't forget that there are much bigger price differences on Festool extractors in Aus compared to North America and Europe.

  This is what I have done I am using the dust deputy delux and it works very well.
You don't mention which type of dust deputy you have, is it the deluxe which sits on a plastic. Drum or is it the Box that sits on top of the vac.
Before I bought my deluxe I saw a demo of the Dust deputy Box sitting on a Midi and it fits perfectly now, they have redesigned it so that it fits all the extractors the same. Unfortunately the price of the Dust deputy box being at $500 I thought was just far too much to pay.

Bottom line I guess, if you want to fit a boom arm then go for a 26 but if space is important to you and budget then go for a Midi.
 

 

[derekcohen]

Thanks DB10

I have the plastic drum version of the DD. For several years I have been using a Fein, and the two have been connected, with both sitting on a trolley side-by-side. The awkward shape of the Fein was one reason for this.

Someone mentioned that the hoses are positioned differently on the CT and Midi, that the latter comes from the top. Does this cause issues for those with one?

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Corwin]

Here's an older thread that illustrates the issue:

Here on the FOG: Help me decide model of 2nd Festool Vac I should get.

Wouldn't you want to mount your DD on the top of your next vac? It seems to me that someone had made a plywood plate that would clip to the top of the MINI/MINI's hose garage to not only mount their [cyclone's] can, but also had a hole in the corner to allow for a larger hose to enter directly. I couldn't find the thread.  [embarassed]

 

[ifit]

I originally bought midi as it seemed to fit my needs but found it filled a bit quick so i sold it and bought a ct26 and found this to be often heavy and bulky so i have bought another midi and have both now

 

[derekcohen]

I visited Carbatec, my local Festool agent, and had a look at the vacs. It really was an easy choice (cost aside) - the CT26E came home with me.

The only item I was not keen on was the thin hose (27mm?). What is the point of this? I also find it difficult to straighten. It wants to curl constantly. Is there a trick here?

Fortunately, I have the hose from the Fein, which is 36mm.

I spent some time thinking over how I could hook up the Dust Deputy. I have the Deluxe version that comes with two buckets. I use one bucket as a bracket.

What Festool have done is turn a Systainer into an airtight container for dust collection - the Ultimate Dust Deputy. It is very expensive locally - $500. Others have attempted to build their own version by converting a Systainer. It is a lot of work to make it air tight, and I imagined how difficult it would be to empty each time.

I decided to go in a different direction. It occurred to me that I could use a Systainer as a base for a bucket. That is, bolt a bucket to a narrow Systainer, which would fit to the top of the CT26E. I have one from a C12 drill/driver.

This is easy enough. Just ensure that you add reinforcement under the lid of the Systainer (wooden board) as the plastic is thin. Once the lot is bolted together, it is pretty sturdy ...

It is pretty easy to remove the working bucket when it needs to be emptied. It is also pretty easy to remove the Systainer and get to the storage compartment ..

I used the combination for a short while today. The suction was stronger with the larger Fein hose. The CT26E is looking like it will fit in just fine.

And for those that know me as a handtool user, I do have and use powertools - just that I prefer handtools. Here is my favourite router, which the CT26E is needed for ...

And a background shot of the power corner of my shop ..

For those that do not know me, and are interested in handtools, visit my website: www.inthewoodshop.com

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[AlexThePalex]

The only item I was not keen on was the thin hose (27mm?). What is the point of this? I also find it difficult to straighten. It wants to curl constantly. Is there a trick here?

The thin and light 27 mm hose is for use with hand power tools. It wil provide good dust extraction on about 90% of all tools Festool has to offer. Only some of the tools that produce bigger chips, like planers or routers take advantage of the separately available 36 mm hose.

The curliness of the hose is something that will wear out over time. A newly produced hose is curled up at the factory and if it sits like that for a while the fresh plastic remembers. It will loosen up over time, but it might take a while, depending on how often you use it.

Good luck with your new purchase, it's hard not to like the 26.
 

 

[derekcohen]

Thanks Alex.

So the 27mm hose would better to use with the router and sander than the 36mm hose?

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[jbasen]

Derek

You have a great looking shop! 

You may have an issue with static and your DD/CT combo.  This was an issue with earlier models of the UDD and Oneida addressed it with an updated design and a cyclone made out of conductive plastic.  There had been issues with the electronics in the Festool vac's getting knocked out by static discharges because there wasn't a continuous conductive path from the tool to the vacuum.

 

[derekcohen]

Thanks!

How would one know if there is static being discharged? I have used the DD for some years and not noticed anything.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[AlexThePalex]

So the 27mm hose would better to use with the router and sander than the 36mm hose?

The 27 mm hose should be sufficient for both tools.

The 27 mm is probably best for the sander, because it is light and thin which makes the sander better too handle. Suction power is more than efficient with this hose, you don't want too much or your sander will be sucked to the work piece like a vacuum clamp. I don't know which sander you have, but for the smaller models it is adviceable to turn the suction a bit down on the vac to get the best result. Not so much an issue with bigger sanders.

The 36 mm hose is probably better with the router, because the suction is better and it is less likely to clog. With big chips, the 27 mm hose tends to clog easily at the tool end.

 

[jbasen]

I have a CT Mini with the UDD.  Before I received the update from Oneida I would feel small shocks when using an RTS-400 coming from the metal band on the sander.  My situation was slightly different than yours as I was using the Festool hose so there would be a static buildup as the dust traveled down the hose and it was insulated from the dust extractor by the non-conductive UDD.  The only outlet for the static became the holding the sander.

I'm not sure if the Fein hose you have hooked up is a conductive, anti-static hose or not.  If it isn't I'm not sure where the discharge would take place of the built up static charge except for possibly inside the CT; where damage could occur to the electronics.

 

[Holmz]

That shop looks nice.

 

[DB10]

[member=4358]derekcohen[/member]
  The newer cyclone's from Dust Deputy come with an anti static grounding kit, this basically consists of some metallic tape that you stick on the cyclone unit and an earthing connector that attaches between the cyclone and the buckets, you then attach a wire to this that just sits on the ground.
I will try to get a photo of this later for you.

 

[jbasen]

[member=4358]derekcohen[/member]
  The newer cyclone's from Dust Deputy come with an anti static grounding kit, this basically consists of some metallic tape that you stick on the cyclone unit and an earthing connector that attaches between the cyclone and the buckets, you then attach a wire to this that just sits on the ground.
I will try to get a photo of this later for you.

Oneida has gone beyond all that.  They no longer use metallic tape and instead have replaced the clear cyclone with a black one that is made from conductive black plastic.  There are also other improvements in the design to eliminate any chance of not having a complete electrical path from the tool to the vacuum.  Owners of UDD's with the clear cyclone can get a free upgrade kit from Oneida.

 

[Bohdan]

[member=4358]derekcohen[/member] I mounted mine exactly like you did except that I used metal drums and attached them to a board shaped to fit the top of the CT.

Just ran a wire from the Festool hose where it attaches to the DD thru to an earth connection on the CT ( I connected it to the DD drum along the way). I used a piggy back plug, with just the earth wire connected, plugged into the CT. The bared wire at the hose is simply jammed between the hose and the DD and your tool is earthed. I used PVC water pipe between the DD and the CT and have not had any static issues.

 

[Corwin]

I have a CT Mini with the UDD.  Before I received the update from Oneida I would feel small shocks when using an RTS-400 coming from the metal band on the sander.  My situation was slightly different than yours as I was using the Festool hose so there would be a static buildup as the dust traveled down the hose and it was insulated from the dust extractor by the non-conductive UDD.  The only outlet for the static became the holding the sander.

I'm not sure if the Fein hose you have hooked up is a conductive, anti-static hose or not.  If it isn't I'm not sure where the discharge would take place of the built up static charge except for possibly inside the CT; where damage could occur to the electronics.

You nailed it! When I first got my ClearVue (2007) it zapped me immediately -- as in the first use -- when connected with Festool's antistatic hoses. And you have experienced EXACTLY what I have. Sounds like you have a good understanding of the issue.

That first day with my [non-conductive] cyclone I was able to address the issue by simply placing the bare-ends of a length of wire up between the hose-end fittings on either side of the cyclone. That's all it took to eliminate the problem. The next day I went to the store to get the copper tape to fix it such that it would be more plug-n-play instead of that silly wire. Never had an issue since then. And I don't expect to ever have an issue again.

I've never known anyone to have a problem with the steel version of the Oneida cyclone. Glad to learn that they now have abandoned the 'clear' version for the UDD -- just cannot imagine what took so long?