My second Festool dust extractor

[air19]

Trying to decide on my next Festool dust extractor.  I am about to purchase a Domino 500 and have decided to get the dust extractor with the slight discount as a package. 

This second dust extractor will be used only in my garage shop which is about 500 sq feet.  I already have a CT36 with the small green hose which works great with my TS55 tracksaw, OF 1400 router, and ETS 125 sander.  I love the noise reduction so it is starting to get used with all my portable tools - my biscuit jointer (soon to be obsolete when I get the Domino), my Dewalt RO sander, and my Triton router mounted permanently in my router table.  But this involves moving the CT36 around a lot.  Also having a docking station on top for my syscontainers make me more interested in getting another Festool than a Fein or something else. 

I am still using a loud Sears vac with a Thien separator for my Dewalt miter saw.  I have a Oneida cyclone central dust collector for the big tools. 

So the goal is to get to all my smaller vacs being of the "quiet" type, and easily usable with my growing Festool collection as well as other small power tools.  And I'm still thinking through the location for the 2nd Festool - thinking it may eventually sit permanently to service the miter saw, the router table, and potentially my overhead boom for my table saw. 

My first inclination is to get another CT36 since I already have replacement bags for it and really like how long it takes to fill up a bag.  Long enough that I'm just going to stick with the throwaway bags.  But hoping someone else has gone through this same thought process ahead of me and come up with another choice that might make more sense.

- Mike

P.S.  Has anyone ever successfully negotiated with their Festool dealer to swap out the 27mm hose for a 36mm and get the appropriate credit for the 27?  That would give me a lot more flexibility. 
 

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

I went with a Ct36 and a midi.  The main reason to get the Midi was the ability to carry it into clinets homes.  Being that this will be in your garage I would get a second Ct36 to keep all the bags the same.  Plus the Ct36 makes a great platform for other Festool accessories like the boom arm or the wrc-1000.  Never heard of a dealer swapping out hoses.  That's a good question for Shane Holland. 

 

[Kev]

I have a 36 and a mini. mini or midi work great when you're moving about a job outside of the shop (exterior sanding, etc).

Beyond the 36 and the mini, I'll just get another 36.

 

[dltflt]

I would get another CT36 then you only have one size bag to buy.

 

[Lou in DE]

I was going to get a second CT26 for my basement shop - it sits in the middle of the shop right under the Kapex. Like you, I drag it out from one end (MFT) to the other (where I break down sheet goods). The more I thought about it, I decided that I would still be dragging the new CT26 around so I went a different way by getting the Festool 10m hose/plug combo - a little pricey (what isn't) but still less than another CT26. I'm still in the process of developing some kind of system (boom?) to easily get it from one end to the other.

Lou

 

[Jeff Zanin]

I have the CT22 with boom arm which stays in the shop.  For working outside or on site I added the Midi which is easy to move around and does a good job. 

It comes with the 27mm hose which is not the greatest but is usable for sanding and sawing.  The 36mm hose will work but will not fit in the garage area which would detract from the portability of the Midi.

 

[air19]

Lots of good suggestions - thanks. 

I'm down to getting either a second CT36 or a Midi, probably the second CT36.  The Midi would probably fit nicer under my miter saw, but I can also build a garage area right next to the miter saw for a CT36.  I won't change the bag as often for the 36 and I'd be buying the same bags for both. 

The second hose has me scratching my head even more.  I probably need a bigger hose now so it would be great if I could swap out the 27 for a 36, but I haven't ever heard of anyone doing that.  Or at least I need to get a short 36 hose set up to work with the miter station.  From what I've read the 27 hose works fine with sanders.  But for my miter saw, the TS 55 tracksaw, and my OF 1400 router the 36 hose would be preferred.

Lou - that fancy hose you got with the sleeve, is it 27 or 36mm in diameter for the 10m length you got, and I can't find it on the Festool website so could you tell me the price? 

Shane - any chance for hose swapping?   

 

[Lou in DE]

The hose is actually tapered so it fits most tools on one end and the CT on the other - also has the cord on the inside and the sleeve is actually zippered all the way along the length - you're right - pretty fancy - should be for $375  [eek] but it works out perfect for my situation - I was just working on getting it in place in my shop.

it is product 500940 Festool 10m Hose w/sleeve

Here's a pretty good review:

10m hose review

 

[griffs]

 
  I had the same problem pulling an extractor from one end of the workshop to the other ,  I have just purchased a second hand central vac and in the process of fitting it all out, it works with 63 mm pipe work.

 

[Lou in DE]

I just finished setting up the 10m hose in my basement shop and I thought that I would post a few pics. I ruled out a boom arm because of space considerations, so I came up with the idea of a series of open utility hooks on the ceiling - there are hooks on both sides of the CT26 which sits under the Kapex so I can move the hose pretty much anywhere by just dropping it in the hooks. I haven't actually used it yet (just set it up today) but it seems like it should be workable.

Lou

 

[air19]

Lou - thanks for the pictures.

This is exactly the problem I'm dealing with.  I have two fixed toolsx at one end of the shop (miter saw and router) that need dust vac dust collection, and then an assortment of other power tools at the other end of the shop around my workbench that also need it. 

So how are you doing the swap with one Festool dust extractor.  Are you going to plug/unplug the dust hose between the Kapex one and the new long one everytime you use a tool?  Are you going to do the same with the power cord?  Or are you going to figure out some junction box so that everything can stay plugged in.  Maybe there is a power port that could have two plugs going in and either one would trigger the CT26, and for the dust hoses just putting in some dust gates. 

Very curious to see this developed and used and your feedback.  Exact problem that many of us have!

 

[tms0425]

Peter Parfitt has a nice video on his "Dust Hub", which looks like a nice option.

Dust Hub video

 

[Staniam]

Depending on where you're at in the world, what about a CTL Sys?

 

[GPowers]

I wish I wish, for the USA

 

[JonSchuck]

Lots of good suggestions - thanks. 

I'm down to getting either a second CT36 or a Midi, probably the second CT36.  The Midi would probably fit nicer under my miter saw, but I can also build a garage area right next to the miter saw for a CT36.  I won't change the bag as often for the 36 and I'd be buying the same bags for both. 

The second hose has me scratching my head even more.  I probably need a bigger hose now so it would be great if I could swap out the 27 for a 36, but I haven't ever heard of anyone doing that.  Or at least I need to get a short 36 hose set up to work with the miter station.  From what I've read the 27 hose works fine with sanders.  But for my miter saw, the TS 55 tracksaw, and my OF 1400 router the 36 hose would be preferred.

Lou - that fancy hose you got with the sleeve, is it 27 or 36mm in diameter for the 10m length you got, and I can't find it on the Festool website so could you tell me the price? 

Shane - any chance for hose swapping? 

When I bought my second CT I was going to get a midi.  I asked my dealer if I could swap out the hoses and just pay the difference.  He said not on the midi but I could on the CT-26.  I don't know if that was Festool-USA policy or just his.  So I bought the 26.