Picked up a TS 55 REQ-F-Plus + CT 36 E HEPA CLEANTEC :)

MikeDVB

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Aug 28, 2018
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Hello everybody!

I've had a small shop in my garage for a few years now and I enjoy building for myself, my kids, my family, friends, etc. I don't do this for a living but as a hobby because I really enjoy it.

I've had my eye on the Festool Track Saws for a long time now because to be honest I've gotten really tired of the lack of dust collection on my circular saw when breaking down sheet goods as well as having to set up a straight edge.  Honestly it really comes down to the dust collection for me.

My workspace is small - about half of my 3 car garage which is far shallower than a garage should be [I can't park my full size truck in the garage, ha!].  When it comes to dust collection while I understand nothing is 100% and that dust will still get all over everything - the amount of dust I throw all over the place using my circular saw is atrocious.

I wasn't originally planning on getting the CT 36 but just sticking with either my dust extractor or my shop-vac.  The dust extractor isn't really built for the output of the TS 55 and would be fairly cumbersome to use.  My shop-vac would definitely work but to be honest I use it for so much more than just woodworking and it's not HEPA rated.  Its filters get dirty fast and flow reduces and it still sends some of the really fine dust out of the outlet.

I went to my local Woodcraft and was planning on picking up the track saw and the CT 26 but with the 10% discount you get for buying a vac with a tool the difference between the 26 and the 36 was ~$54.  The capacity difference is 6.9 to 9.5 Gallons which is a pretty decent increase for only $54 considering how expensive the vac is itself.

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I'm currently in the process of building a new assembly table and workbench both of which will be on wheels.  Once this is done I'm going to be insulating the walls of my garage and installing 1/2" sheathing as well as a carrier mini-split - so pay no mind to how disorganized/messy it appears to be :).

I did order the Tradesman/Installer cleaning kit - mostly because I wanted the 36mm hose and the kit was only a little more expensive.  I also got the reusable filter bag for the vac primarily because my Festool dealer is over an hour away and the cost in gas [or shipping] alone + the bags would very quickly match the cost of the reusable filter.  I got it for $200 on Amazon which I feel was a decent deal considering.

I was looking at picking up the Kapex but after reading about the motors blowing smoke I'm not really comfortable spending the money on a Kapex.  That said I do need to find some way to adapt the 36mm hose to the 2.5" port on my table saw and miter saws.  If anybody has any advice on recommended adapters I'm all ears :).
 

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Hi Mike,

  Welcome to the forum!  [smile]

        You could adapt the D36 hose but you could also just swap to a 2 1/2"  shop vac hose or a Festool D50 hose for use on the table saw. A regular hose will fit the CT vac port. That way you will have a little more air volume flowing for the table saw. Try the hose from your shop vac?

    And forget about "breaking down" sheet goods. You can use the track saw for you finished cuts. No need to re-cut on the table saw.

Seth
 
SRSemenza said:
Hi Mike,

  Welcome to the forum!  [smile]
Thanks :).

SRSemenza said:
You could adapt the D36 hose but you could also just swap to a 2 1/2"  shop vac hose or a Festool D50 hose for use on the table saw. A regular hose will fit the CT vac port. That way you will have a little more air volume flowing for the table saw. Try the hose from your shop vac?
I've read bad things about not using an anti-static hose wit the CleanTec units.  The hose on my shop-vac is definitely that normal black plastic and is not anti-static.  That said I think I can find anti-static normal shopvac hoses - which would be ideal to give me the most suction to those operations.

I got the 36MM mostly for the TS 55 to give me more suction to the saw without sacrificing usability but when it comes to the table saw/miter saw I don't really care how easy to use the hose is because the tool is pretty much stationary :).

Would the D50 hose fit to a 2-1/4"~2-1/2" port on a Miter Saw/Table saw?

SRSemenza said:
And forget about "breaking down" sheet goods. You can use the track saw for you finished cuts. No need to re-cut on the table saw.
Indeed - the TS 55 is actually substantially nicer than my Bosch JobSite Saw [my shop space is limited so while I want a SawStop PCS - I don't have the room to spare for it].  When I'm not using the Bosch I stand it up on end and it takes up far less room.  You can see it in the second picture in my initial post :).

 
IndyMike said:
SRSemenza said:
Would the D50 hose fit to a 2-1/4"~2-1/2" port on a Miter Saw/Table saw?

  You can figure that out by trying the vac end of your Festool D27 or D36 on the table saw port. The Festool hoses all have the same vac end size. And both ends of the D50 are that same size.

Seth
 
I went ahead and ordered the D50 hose - even if it doesn't directly fit - it's close enough that adapting it to fit should be substantially easier.  I'll have the 27mm, 36mm, and 50mm hoses - so I should be able to adapt to fit just about anything without having to have a huge change in size at the tool.

That said the 50MM hose sounds good for the table saw anyways.

I may even try the CleanTec with my jointer and see how that does with the D50 hose.  If it does well I might be able to get rid of my Harbor Freight dust extractor - or at least move it to my basement to clear up more floor space.

The only thing I wish the CT 36 did was let me see how full the bag is without opening the unit up.  At least with my dust extractor I have a clear bag on it and can just look over and see when it's getting full :).
 
[member=68651]IndyMike[/member]

"The only thing I wish the CT 36 did was let me see how full the bag is without opening the unit up.  At least with my dust extractor I have a clear bag on it and can just look over and see when it's getting full :)."

Thats one reason Im going to get the cyclone as a Xmas present from my kids. The bucket is clear and I can see how full it is.
 
I want the vac to be mobile - I may build a stand for the CT + a cyclone of some kind at some point with wheels on it - but for now I'll just settle for popping the top off periodically to see how full it is :).

I know with my ShopVac I have, many times, not noticed it was full until my jointer started spitting wood chips all over the place.
 
IndyMike said:
I want the vac to be mobile - I may build a stand for the CT + a cyclone of some kind at some point with wheels on it - but for now I'll just settle for popping the top off periodically to see how full it is :).

I know with my ShopVac I have, many times, not noticed it was full until my jointer started spitting wood chips all over the place.

There are two cyclone solutions that are completely mobile. The first is the Oneida Dust Deputy for CT 26/36. It sits atop the CT like a systainer. It doesn’t have a view port, but checking it is easy. And, of course. The cyclone makes your CT filters last a lot longer. The Dust Deputy for Festool is $300.

The second solution is the new Festool cyclone, due out in October. It is systainer-based and will be $379. It has a clear plastic box for collection that can also be lined with Festool plastic bags.

I have owned the CT 36 and Dust Deputy for about two years and can vouch for the effectiveness of the pair.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
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