Drywall sander vacuum question

[Gweertz]

Hello,

I just picked up a new planex drywall sander.

My question is regarding dust extraction.  I have a ct 26 without auto clean. I understand it will work but not as effective due to amount of dust.  I also have a Clark cav 26 vacuum used in floor refinishing I am attaching spec sheet it has large capacity and sucks really well I was wondering how suction of vac, has 3 motors that can be used independently will affect tool.

Thanks for the insight

Gabe

 

[AlexThePalex]

It is not the power of the vac that matters, the normal CT26 has plenty of power, and the vac you're talking about probably also.

What matters is the way the dust is caught, because drywall dust will clog a normal dust bag and a normal filter very quickly. Like in minutes, with the amount of dust a Planex can generate. So that's why the CT 26 AutoClean doesn't use a dust bag, but has a mechanism that automatically cleans the filters in short intervals, ensuring that they won't clog so you can keep on working and use the full capacity of the vac.

 

[Gweertz]

Thanks for the response,

Appreciate it.

 

[Scott B.]

I always look forward to this subforum as an opportunity to hear answers that Festool employees have for user questions that are specifically addressed to them. And out of respect, have always tried to refrain from jumping in to this section, which is often difficult because the questions are really good most of the time.

Is that the intent, or is it cool for general membership to respond here?

 

[Gary in Texas]

I always look forward to this subforum as an opportunity to hear answers that Festool employees have for user questions that are specifically addressed to them. And out of respect, have always tried to refrain from jumping in to this section, which is often difficult because the questions are really good most of the time.

Is that the intent, or is it cool for general membership to respond here?

Scott, I think that was the intent for this sub forum, however, appears answers or input from anyone has been acceptable in past.  If you have any advice or can answer a question based on your knowledge and background, why not contribute?

 

[wow]

I have always ASSUMED that the intent is for Festool employees to see and respond to the questions, but I saw no reason that the general membership can't or shouldn't respond as well? If I am wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me!

Festool employees are clearly identified by their ID's, so it's not like you are impersonating them or anything. I personally don't see anything wrong with members helping members - even in this sub-forum - but it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong...

[embarassed]

 

[Stephen B]

I have always ASSUMED that the intent is for Festool employees to see and respond to the questions, but I saw no reason that the general membership can't or shouldn't respond as well? If I am wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me!

Festool employees are clearly identified by their ID's, so it's not like you are impersonating them or anything. I personally don't see anything wrong with members helping members - even in this sub-forum - but it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong...

[embarassed]

[size=14pt]

WOW, I see your point but Scott may be correct re FOG guidelines -

[size=12pt]
Offline Shane Holland
Festool USA Employee
FOG Administrator
. .,.,.,..

About This Board
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2009, 10:39:46 »
This board serves as a place for members to post questions directly to Festool.  Employees of Festool USA will monitor this section of the forum and will post replies to your questions.

Our website has a support knowledgebase with and extensive list of answers to frequently asked questions.  Alternatively, you can contact Festool USA toll-free at 888-337-8600.

[size=14pt]
And there certainly are other sections where we can all say our 'pennys worth'. But then guidelines are not necessarily RULES!  [smile]

And heaven help me if someone now finds that I have previously responded in this section/sub forum!  [eek]

 

[AlexThePalex]

I didn't even see this was the Ask Festool sub forum.

Forum members have always been free to jump in. Why Scott suddenly has to bring this up is beyond me. Has the wheel been reinvented?

People who post a question here can generally be assured they get an official answer because Festool (Shane) keeps an extra eye on this section. Posting a question in another section of the forum might not have the same result.

Other members have NEVER been discouraged to answer here too. If it were, Shane would have probably made this section off limits by default, like the classifieds section.

Anybody remember this recent topic? http://festoolownersgroup.com/ask-festool/best-way-to-contact-festool-uk/

 

[wow]

Other members have NEVER been discouraged to answer here too. If it were, Shane would have probably made this section off limits by default, like the classifieds section.

Excellent point, Alex, and I didn't even think about that. Posting in this section doesn't provide any 'warnings', alerts, or other indications ... so I don't typically even notice that it's in the 'Ask Festool' area. If general members are not supposed to post here, I'd hope that some sort of 'alert' would be provided so that we can avoid posting where we're not supposed to.

As to the FOG guidelines, you quoted:

"Employees of Festool USA will monitor this section of the forum and will post replies to your questions."

To ME that is a commitment that this area will be monitored by Festool employees and responded to accordingly. It also implies that other areas of the forum won't necessarily be monitored as closely or regularly, but we all know differently and have come to expect 'official' Festool interaction on a regular basis anywhere on the forum. That obviously could change at any point in time, but for now it seems like an official response gets posted - if it is warranted - regardless of where the question or issue is raised.

And just to be clear - my comments above are not meant to denigrate the value of THIS sub-forum in any way, but rather to commend the official interaction that takes place on this site in general. I've not been a member of any other forum where the interaction is so quick and so helpful.

 

[GarryMartin]

I'd asked this exact question of Shane previously when I inadvertently posted before realising it was the "Ask Festool" section. I'm sure he won't mind me reproducing his reply;

Garry, the forum is meant to be a collaborative environment. So, feel free to post whenever you feel you have something to contribute. There's no issue with posting in the Ask Festool section of the forum.

Thanks for asking though.

Shane

 

[Scott B.]

Hey guys

It was just a question out of curiosity, not to cause any kind of stir. Obviously, I am not as active on the forum as some, so I miss much of the day to day goings on and etiquette stuff.

There certainly is a wealth of knowledge here, both Festool employees and general membership...I know I appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge, and I try to do so in the areas where I am knowledgeable too.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

 

[tjbnwi]

Hey guys

It was just a question out of curiosity, not to cause any kind of stir. Obviously, I am not as active on the forum as some, so I miss much of the day to day goings on and etiquette stuff.

There certainly is a wealth of knowledge here, both Festool employees and general membership...I know I appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge, and I try to do so in the areas where I am knowledgeable too.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

Trouble maker.

Tom

To the OP, use an auto clean dust extractor.

 

[Scott B.]

Hey guys

It was just a question out of curiosity, not to cause any kind of stir. Obviously, I am not as active on the forum as some, so I miss much of the day to day goings on and etiquette stuff.

There certainly is a wealth of knowledge here, both Festool employees and general membership...I know I appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge, and I try to do so in the areas where I am knowledgeable too.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

Trouble maker.

Tom

To the OP, use an auto clean dust extractor.

[big grin]

 

[hopper]

Would an ultimate dust devil be effective in removing the dust before it got to the filter?  Has anyone tried it?

 

[Scott B.]

Would an ultimate dust devil be effective in removing the dust before it got to the filter?  Has anyone tried it?

The rate at which the Planex refers dust to the extractor is astounding in comparison to any other tool I have seen on an extractor. The nature of drywall dust (fine) is also part of the equation. The Planex may be a case where a work around is not a good idea. Everything I have seen in Festool literature suggests that it should be used with the 36AC, and my experience has been such that anything else would be a set up for failure on the vac. The amount of dust contained during use of the Planex is astonishing. If anyone would be interested, I'll go out to the shop and open up our 36AC to show how that system looks after use.

 

[greg mann]

Found this post in the time machine. It might be helpful

Roger Savatteri

Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Los Angeles, Ca.
Posts: 504
     

Re: Consolidated Q&A for Planex and CT AutoClean
« Reply #20 on: February 20, 2012, 12:52 AM »
Quote
Quote from: Remodelboy on February 16, 2012, 02:02 PM
Hi Shane,

Thanks for posting this convenient thread. 

I am a general contractor working on mainly bathrooms and kitchens, so the areas of drywall that I install/repair are usually fairly small.  I already have a CT33 (pre-RRP requirements) and a CT26 along with a Rigid and Dewalt, so I am kind of reluctant to buy another $750 vacuum.  Here are some questions that will help me make a decision.

1) For occasionally sanding a typical bathroom or kitchen amount of drywall, could I expect good results using my CT26?

2) If I added something like the Oneida Ultimate Cyclone for the Festool vacs (something that I would also benefit from when making cabinets), could I expect good results using the CT26?

3) If I was able to sell the 33 or 26 and then put the CT AC to use in the shop, when it wasn't being used for drywall duty, could I expect good results from the CT AC (without a bag) for collecting wood dust from routers, sanders and saws.  In other words, without a bag, would that blowback action clear the wood dust collecting on the elements as effectively as the video shows it working for drywall dust.

I do all of the trades for my remodeling projects and the way that I do drywall, there isn't a whole lot of sanding that ends up being needed, but even so, there is enough to require tarps (that need washing) and vacuuming and the protective gear and clothing (that needs washing) and the dust from my shoes and clothes that gets into my truck (that needs eventual cleaning).  I'm seriously considering getting just the Planex to try and eliminate even that small amount of dust since it ends up requiring quite a bit of extra effort to clean up. 

If it won't disappoint me while using it with just the CT26, then I will probably give it a try, but if I have to buy another expensive vacuum, then I'll have to think about it reallllllly hard!

Thanks Shane!

Roland

Roland,

To answer number two regarding the Ultimate Dust Deputy I may be helpful in a round about way.
I'm presently working on a remodel where I've had to cut concrete with my Hilti Diamond saw and drill out 1 1/2" holes in sandstone and vac out the holes.
I didn't want to spend $900 plus on a Hilti vac especially designed to vacuum concrete dust because it has a stirrer that stirs the contents every 15 seconds to eliminate caking.
I have several ct's and my older ct33 is relegated to demo work, (I didn't want to beat up my ct36's with demo work) I knew that if I used that one directly I would have bag blowout almost every time, especially due to the weight of the rock dust. So I ordered the Ultimate Dust Deputy and I couldn't be happier. When using the Ultimate DD I consider when it fills to 2/3's as full as I don't want any bypass filling my ct33 - at 2/3's full the Ultimate DD caught about 70 lbs of rock dust! With a miniscule amount going into the CT. I'm so thrilled with the Ultimate DD that I ordered another one for the sanding room of my workshop. I have no doubt that one would have similar results with drywall dust, with the benefit of a Hepa Filter to boot.

cheers,
Roger
Report to moderator    Logged
Los Angeles, California

 

[AlexThePalex]

Would an ultimate dust devil be effective in removing the dust before it got to the filter?  Has anyone tried it?

Never tried it myself because I don't have one, but many people here have tried it and reported favourable results.

Back to the OP's question, it is not lightly that you decide to buy a new vac when you already have two. I would simply try to use my current vac(s) and see how far I got before committing to a large expense.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

Would an ultimate dust devil be effective in removing the dust before it got to the filter?  Has anyone tried it?

Hi Hopper! I have an Ultimate Dust Deputy from Oneida, and have used it on my CT-26 and ASR 35 ACP vacs with great results for wood dust.

As a residential remodeler, I find myself producing concrete, stucco, plaster, and drywall dust almost as often as I produce wood dust. My original intention behind getting the Dust Deputy was to pair it with my CT-26 to act as a prefilter when extracting cementitious dust. In my experience, the Ultimate Dust Deputy does seem to live up to the manufacturer's claim of capturing 95%+ of the dust. HOWEVER, the dust that did make it through seemed to be extremely fine, and seemed to saturate the pores of the fleece filter bag in my CT-26. So, performance would drop, even when the fleece bag was only 1/4 full. That, and in a on-site setting, the Ultimate Dust Deputy/Vacuum assembly was a bit awkward to move from room to room.

Ultimately, I've decided to reserve my Ultimate Dust Deputy for applications where I am producing EPIC volumes of wood dust in a single day (for instance running a thickness planer, performing extensive ripping operations, etc...), where it is hooked up to a bench top tool and there is not an expectation that I will be moving the vacuum from room to room.

My CT-26 and CT-MIDI are now reserved for processing woods, plastics, metals, anything non-cementitious.

For processing cementitious dusts (stucco, plaster, concrete, drywall, brick, mortar, tile, etc....), I have purchased a vacuum that is specifically designed from the ground-up to agitate the filters to release the dust. The downside here is I don't get to open the vac to reveal a nice, clean interior. The upside is these vacuums can extract just about anything you throw at them, but I needed to learn to tame my OCD a bit about the interior cleanliness of the vacuum.

For drywall, check out the CT-36 AC. If you need a HEPA rating for Lead projects, check out the Starmix ISP series vacs (here in North America, these are offered by Metabo as the ASR 35 ACP for ~$750, or a more fully featured version from Rokamat called the Tapir for ~$1500), or the new Makita vac would be a great, relatively low cost option as well.