CTL26 and dust control

[Tim Brennan]

About 10 years ago I bought a "Mobile dust extractor Cleantex 240v CTL26 E" and it has served me very well.

I need to cut a few circles out of some 18mm ply and I have been using a OF1400.

I normally do a my occasional woodwork outside, but since we recently got a large garden office I am am thinking of using that - especially with the bad UK weather at the moment. The problem is I am not sure if I will end up breathing in the dust, or getting everything covered in dust.

So my question is can I upgrade my CTL26 to be HEPA standard? Do I need to do that? or is the one I have ok the way it is?

 

[usernumber1]

no hepa in the world going to help you if your method generates dust that can't be collected. cutting circles with a router is a bit vague.

plunge cutting with a circle jig from a plywood sheet on top of some foam board? i think any vacuum will do
pattern cutting a sheet that was trimmed with a jigsaw? dust everywhere

although I don't think anyone including festool has published how much harmful dust they collect during different cutting operations with a vacuum combination (and the exact methods required). i think they just slap on a HEPA to meet regulation for the vacuum and bob's your uncle

 

[woodbutcherbower]

The UK CTL26 already is HEPA standard = 3-micron filtration, which is 8 x times smaller than the smallest particle which can be detected by the human eye. But as usernumber1 says - cutting dust-free all the way through any material using a router is going to be problematical, especially on the final 'all-the-way-through' pass. You have to remember that dust extraction quality is almost totally dependent on the application - with edge-profiling and through-cutting being virtually impossible to fully contain, even with the undermount extraction nozzle which Festool supply with the OF2200 accessories kit. 

Regarding similar 'difficult' applications involving different tools - I'm pretty sure that anyone on here who's trimmed a few mm off the edge of an 8-foot-long sheet using a TS55 will know exactly what I mean.

So here's me doing a rough-out curved end on a 40mm oak kitchen island countertop today, using a CTL26 + CT-VA-20 cyclone separator. Everything you see on the floor happened on the final 10mm pass. It always does. If you're concerned about breathing any nasties - grab yourself a decent dust mask from Screwfix.

[attachimg=1]

But hey - a quick cleanup, and you'd never know;

[attachimg=2]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=21939]TBR[/member]  as [member=68525]usernumber1[/member] mentioned, your description is a bit lacking. "Cutting a few circles" could be cutting them out of the middle of a sheet with a trammel type jig, trimming them up after cutting out with a jig saw first, or with a template/bushing.
Each would take a different approach, likely seeing different results.
Cutting out with a trammel would be the cleanest. Done with an OF1400, it could be almost dust-free.
Jig sawing and flush-trimming after, can yield decent results too if you cut close enough to be able to use the chip deflector without it snagging.
The template/bushing method would be similar to the trammel, assuming a completely enclosed trenching-type cut.
The key to the cleanest cut is for the bit to be fully enclosed, using an up-cut spiral bit. This will give the extractor the best chance of getting everything.
The trammel would be the best, flush-trimming next assuming you can saw close enough.
You might even have to turn the vac down with a trammel, to keep it from pulling the router down to the workpiece hard enough to make it difficult to move.

As [member=75780]woodbutcherbower[/member] said (and showed) cutting with the bit exposed/on edge will throw that stuff everywhere.
40mm is a lot harder to contain, the chip deflector is not big enough to cover that much bit. With 18mm ply, it shouldn't be very hard.

The TS55 comment is spot-on too, again because of the exposed blade. The TS could do a very clean job, out in the middle, usually only throwing visible dust at the very end of the cut.

 

[Tim Brennan]

Thanks for the replies.

I've been using a trammel with the OF1400, making 3 plunges of 6mm deep. The first two plunges make very little dust but the last one does. I haven't tried using a sacrificial board to keep the dust down though.

Then I round over with a 6mm radius bit. That makes quite a bit of dust. I could use the chip deflector but normally I am outside so I'm not too concerned about dust and it is quicker to not use it.

The various ways to use the OF1400 and the associated dust created is very useful. Is there a chart of this info anywhere online?

What I need really is to be realistic about how many of my tools can be used almost dust free.

I also found a recommendation for the Record two stage air filter on an older thread.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=21939]TBR[/member] there is not chart as far as I know, though there are lots of ways to configure it, including the edge guide.