Importance of Pairing a Festool Track Tool with a Festool Dust Extrator

[Ribick]

Hi All:

I've heard that in the "minimal ambient dust creation attribute," pretty much nobody beats Festool track saws and dust extractors in the "track saw/dust collection" market.

Now--by no means do I wish to denigrate Festool's dust extrators, but we all know they're pricey.  Yes--you get what you pay for.  But it's also true, or at least smart, that you don't get what you can't afford.  (wink)

So--given my desire for a TS 55 REQ, I'm curious what people think about what percentage of each tool is responsible for this great dust control (saw/dust extractor.)  Perhaps to rephrase, if I hook up the TS 55 REQ to a solid non-Festool dust extraction system until such time that the money's there to buy Festool dust extraction equipment, can I still expect to get good dust collection--or is it really the Festool dust collection that bears the majority of the credit here for keeping ambient air dust at bay, or the combination of the two tools: saw and dust extractor combination.

Or maybe its the saws ability to pool dust in one central location for a vacuum to suck it up that's the real feature?

Looking to do some cutting work in my basement during the cold time of year.  Dust extraction is important.

Many thanks...Happy holidays!

 

[Holmz]

By Paragraph:
no,
no,
Sort of,
yes,
yes

P1: The TS55 is good, the dewalt pretty dismal and the Mt55 better. You cannot tell a lot of difference at the top end, the physics of it is that some small amount while scoot out, but with out the vacuum it is a total snow storm of chips. The TS55 is about as good as it gets.

P2: If you look at CFM, there not a string correlation with cost/price. Any vacuum will pick up about the same as the track saws are not as stressing on CFM as a table saw of SCMS. The sanders usually have an even lower CFM requirement. Most good vacuums have a knob, so you can run it lower if you do not need it high.

P3: I ran out of bags the other day. I can assure you that the Mt55 spits the dust out the port... And all over hells 1/2 acre.

P4: Pretty much that is it. The saw keeps it around for the vacuum to suck it up.
One still gets crap spraying out the bottom, and a cut trimming a 1/2 blade width spews out the dust. On the whole for regular work it gets a large percentage.

P5: It is worthwhile to get the dust aspecially in a room. If/When you sand the vacuum also works a treat.

(Now I am back to the oven to attend the turkey)

 

[rst]

I have three Fein vacs...the older ones with suction control, and two Festool Cts...a Midi with an Onieda Festool collector on top and a 26 that I use onsite.  The Fein vacs work great with all Festools, I had them first.  It is the combination of the Festool equipment used with a good vacuum system that is the ticket.  Today I used my CMS, 1400 router and Fein extractor to edge 48" of 1" UHMW and had almost no loose plastic chips to clean.  In the past this process would have created clouds of snow that would have stuck to everything to clean up.

 

[G3Trim]

No you don't have to use a festool dust extractor to get good dust collections. I've used a small rigid vac for the last year with great results. You'll need to buy one of the non antistatic hoses to hook up to saw I would recommend the 36 mm (452881), it will give you the best result's for the tracksaw. You will give in and buy one of the extractors after you have to turn the vac on and off manualy, it gets old real fast. Now here is your glass of Green Kool-Aid, drink up and kiss all your savings good bye [thumbs up]

 

[Shane Holland]

Welcome to the forum and Merry Christmas!

Festool does have a great dust extraction system, and all of the tools are designed around the basic principle of exceptional dust collection. Using their tools will quickly make you realize that there's a better way... a way without dust, or much of it anyway. I think this is a reason that many people are drawn to Festool.

If you're in the U.S., you can save 10% off the cost of a dust extractor if you purchase it with a tool, including the TS 55. So, there's some cost savings.

If you're tight on funds, you can opt for the dust bag conversion kit that we offer to at least capture most of the dust with your saw until you can spring for a vac.

The forum and its members are a great resource, so I'm sure you'll get some great insight and advice.

Shane

 

[Kev]

Do you guys get the CT17 DC in the US? That's where I'd go if TS and DC only was my target.

 

[Shane Holland]

Do you guys get the CT17 DC in the US? That's where I'd go if TS and DC only was my target.

Nope, and no CTL-SYS either.

 

[grbmds]

I used my Fein vac with the TS55 before buying my CT. I think the dust collection is excellent with the Fein. However, I purchased a Fein HEPA filter. I don't think the Fein is as good at keeping dust out of the air without the HEPA filter. Plus, the Fein vac's internal filter bag generally only fills up to 1/2 before needing to be replaced. Overall, I'd say that the Fein would work well for you until you can afford to buy the CT. However, I ended up with the CT and have never been sorry. It has more suction than my Fein and it just collects more of the dust, in my opinion, and doesn't put it back into the air.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=14pt]CT17 is not HEPA which seems to be a US requirement/regulation, but for the budget conscious anywhere else it appears to be good and rugged choice.
[attachimg=1]
http://www.festool.com.au/epages/to...ooltechnic/Products/270809/SubProducts/270809

[size=8pt][member=13058]Kev[/member]

How was lunch?

 

[AlexThePalex]

Perhaps to rephrase, if I hook up the TS 55 REQ to a solid non-Festool dust extraction system until such time that the money's there to buy Festool dust extraction equipment, can I still expect to get good dust collection

You can use any vac you want and still get good dust extraction as long as the vac meets a certain CFM requirement.

After all, sucking air is just sucking air. The most important part of Festool's great dust collecton is how the dust is handled at the tool, ie how the suction of the vac is guided in such a way that dust can't escape from where it is created. This is where Festool outshines the competition.

As for Festool's vacs, they do not have capabilities that exceed those of other brands. I find they have less suction than most other brands. The lesser suction is not important when you work with a tool because they're good enough for that, but when you clean the floor I often wish my Festool vacs had more power.

The auto start feature and electronically controllable suction are important things to have when you work with tools. They do not improve dust collection, but make it much more comfortable to work with the combination.

 

[grbmds]

HEPA could be a US guideline or rule. However, to me, it has always be more of a standard that defines the best filtration available. I would assume it is not limited to the US. HEPA filters retain 99.97% of dust particles .3 microns in size. These small particles are the ones that are the most harmful to the human lungs. You don't want to inhale those, so a dust collector which retains those particles when pushing air back into the environment is extremely desirable. There are a variety of vas on the market. Fein is a great vac in particular. However, filtering the air is at least as important as collecting it. So, whatever you get, I'd always advise making sure that it is equipped with a HEPA filter. Beyond that, I have never used a vac that is more effective at collecting dust from a portable power tools than the CT. It just can't be beat. The filter bag stays effective until it is almost full and the suction doesn't drop nearly as quickly as with the Fein vac as the bag fills.The capability to dial the suction down is probably only important if you use it with Festool sanders. With other tools you want as much suction as possible. The CT is not effective for large tools like planers, jointers, even router tables. For those you want a larger dust collector that is made to handle the volume of chips and dust they produce. All of this is just my opinion, of course, but my shop doesn't have a lot of residual dust laying on the floor or shelves, so the combination of the CT for small power tools, a larger cyclone collector for my large tools, and a ceiling mounted air cleaner must be working well.

 

[Holmz]

Basically a CT series will match your saw in colour and style, however is not the best unit, nor the one of best value.

The HEPA is like secondhand smoke. It is hard to make a cogent argument that it is worse than firsthand smoke.

I do not use a vacuum with a hand plane, but I use it with a sander.
The saw generally does not spit out dust like a sander, but if/when one cuts drywall/gyprock it certainly does.
So I generally use it with the router and saws, but any old shop vac does the job to a large extent.
However I would get a HEPA level vacuum as if you are doing any sanding.
Maybe it spits out the same amount of small dust but a lot more big chips.

If you already have a shop vac then just hook it up for now and see how it goes...

 

[Peter_C]

I have been running a regular shop vac for years. The Festool vacs are sooo quiet compared to a shop vac though. I do have a Dust Deputy mounted to a 5 gallon bucket, and an auto start box. The Bosch vacuum hose from Amazon takes care of the connection. For offsite portable cutting I have a small Ridgid vac that actually kicks butt, but it has a small filter that plugs quickly. Did I mention how quiet the Festool vacs are?

 

[sae]

My CT26 is noticeably louder than my Starmix/Metabo vac at all levels, low, medium, or high.

The Festool vac isn't bad, keep in mind that while they are track saw experts, they are not vacuum experts. They only got in the business in the past few years after they stopped relabelling Nilfisk vacs as their own. While you'll miss out on some features like the Systainer dock by getting a non-Festool vac, there are better vacuum units out there, made by mfgs that are specialized in vacuums.

 

[JimD]

I use a Rigid vacuum with a HEPA filter paired to a dust deputy with my DeWalt track saw and my other tools.  It is noisy but works well.  The dd means I do not have to empty the vacuum or clean the filter.  Just dump the 4.5 gallon bucket under the dd.  I use the Bosch 5 meter hose with my track saw and other smaller tools.  I use the 2.5 inch Rigid hose on my table saw and for floor vacuuming.  I'd rather have my noisy Rigid with the dd than any other shop vacuum without the cyclone.  I do not like cleaning filters or buying bags. 

I've never used the Festool track saw but the wood whisperer said the DeWalt and Festool were similar in dust collection.  I know that my DeWalt does not allow much to get out unless I am cutting with one side of the blade exposed (taking a little off the edge).  My understanding is that they all let some dust out on these cuts. 

 

[Steve-Rice]

I also used a Rigid shop vac with a HEPA filter and a Dust Deputy with my TS 55 REQ for almost two years before I bought my CT 26, with excellent dust collection results. If money is a major issue for you, you will be very happy with the results of that combination.

I purchased the CT when I learned that a HEPA filter alone was not as good as a HEPA rated unit. Although the filters have the same rating, the HEPA rated unit keeps dust in the vac whereas a non-HEPA rated unit may possibly leak some of that fine dust.  Look where the top and bottom sections of your rigid vac come together -are they sealed tight with a rubber gasket or do they fit loosely together? This is where most leakage occurs. 

I'm very happy with my CT purchase, but money wasn't really a major issue for me.  If money is tight, I'd definitely recommend sticking with your shop vac and a HEPA filter.  A standard 2 1/2" hose will suck every bit of dust your track saw can spit out and you'll be a very happy camper having saved $700 by not buying the CT.

I hope this is helpful.