Sawstop CTS, Hose Size & Festool Midi Advice

[mac sparrow]

I've read a lot on the forums over the years that with a Kapex use a 36mm hose and cut it short and you'll get better dust extraction. I'm applying that same advice to a Sawstop CTS I am considering buying. Do you think it is advisable to use the biggest hose possible that will still fit the CTS & Festool Midi (with CT-VA inline if it doesn't affect airflow to badly) without modification to provide the best dust extraction?

I was thinking about the Festool D50 hose from the CTS to the Midi https://www.festool.co.uk/accessory...cessories/suction-hoses/452888---d-50x2,5m-as Sawstop tell me the 50mm Festool hose will work with the CTS without modification.

I do have a 36mm hose that came with an older cleaning site I bought several years ago that doesn't see much use, I was thinking of cutting that down to use with the Kapex (I have the KS60) and Midi. I don't have a lot of space and can't justify multiple dust extractors but I have considered it. Would a D50 to the Kapex KS60 and CTS be a wise decision (I'm aware I'd need a Y splitter or manifold if I don't want to keep on swapping hoses)? I could buy the 4 metre D50 if the 2.5 metre D50 isn't enough and cut it down and that would do for the Kapex and CTS. I would then sell the 36mm hose to help fund this.

I have reached out to the forum in the past for dust extraction help with a TSC55 and the suggestions from you worked great when I implemented them. Thank you for helping me with that question and thank you for your input on this question as well. It's appreciated.

Thank you

 

[rst]

I don’t have the Sawstop, I have a Metabo HPT table saw and I use 50mm hose on that for extraction. I have both Festool and Fein 50mm hoses and the enough for 50’. Price the Fein as they were much cheaper when I bought mine.

 

[Imemiter]

That D50 is a perfect fit into a Sawstop JSS, fwiw. Currently I've got a Y at the saw splitting off a short 36mm hose (Bosch, I think) to catch dust from the blade guard. This seems counter-intuitive as the "flow" of the Y-splitter is reversed from what would appear to be optimal. But it seems to work at least as well as putting the splitter on the Cyclone and running a longer 36mm hose to the guard.

The 36mm hose works well enough on my Makita "miterer" that I haven't experimented with a 50mm. But since the wife commandeered a CT I've been plugging the D27 from my Boom Arm into the Mak and tbh, it seems to work just fine too. I'd be reluctant to get rid of a 36mm because it works so much better for shop-vac style clean up. The easy answer to messing around with gates or hose swapping is always another CT, but space is an issue for me too.

 

[mac sparrow]

@rst thanks for the reply. When I was searching earlier I actually found a post from you from 2016 where you replied with a similar answer to the original poster. Good to know you use a 50mm on a table saw and yes I've looked at the Fein. The antistatic Fein hose in orange in the UK is actually slightly more expensive than the comparable Festool hose strangely enough and it's extremely rare here too. The Festool D50 hose isn't widely available either but I can get hold of it in the UK without huge problems. Thanks for the reply.

@Imemiter good to know it fits the Sawstop JSS. According to the data sheet for the Sawstop JSS and CTS saw they both have a 2.5″ (65 mm) hose outlet so thanks for confirming the D50 fits. Interesting, if I'm understanding about the Y you have the single side of the Y plugged into the JSS dust port and then 1 hose plugged into 1 leg of the Y splitter and then another short hose plugged into the 2nd leg of the Y splitter up to the blade? How do you "fix" the 36mm hose in place? I have the CT-VA and find it really reduces suction. I haven't yet experimented with removing the bag and just having the debris accumulate in the dust box without a bag lining it.

You're absolutely right. I have debated getting another dedicated dust extractor and might still do that but it's just more money and space. When you total up hoses, fittings, manifolds and the like, it starts getting up there alongside cheap vacuum cleaners. The CT15 is an option (as it's the cheapest) but again I'd still look to replace the included hose with the D50 so that's more cost anyway and space.

 

[Imemiter]

@Imemiter if I'm understanding about the Y you have the single side of the Y plugged into the JSS dust port and then 1 hose plugged into 1 leg of the Y splitter and then another short hose plugged into the 2nd leg of the Y splitter up to the blade? How do you "fix" the 36mm hose in place?

Yes. I've got the Y backwards, but I'm still experimenting. I think I got a Festool nozzle end for one end of the Bosch 36mm. That 16' Bosch hose (35mm, actually) used to go on sale fairly regularly. Someone here clued me into it. IIRC, one end worked in the CTs as is. I chopped it into three or four different lengths for various hookups. I've been using a shorty for the blade guard. It heads out of the Y and goes blade right over the fence. To date I haven't been ripping anything wide enough to need support for the hose, but I could always route the blade guard to the Boom Arm 27mm and another CT. Though that's a little more involved in the starting and stopping.

Here I want to say something about the advantages of having a tiny shop. But I can't think of any.

 

[onocoffee]

I have the SawStop CTS and the CT MIDI I (with CT-VA-20). However, I do not connect the MIDI to the CTS.

Instead, I also have a 12ga Ridgid with Dustopper and HEPA bag/filter mod that I use to connect to the CTS - and if you have a shop vac, it's probably the better option.

While I do like the CTS very much, I can't say that it's a champ with dust collection. Even with the higher suction of the Ridgid, there's still quite a lot of errant sawdust that escapes from the CTS. And if I were to use the MIDI, I would expect lower dust collection performance - mainly because of the lower CFM rating of the MIDI and the combined suction loss using the CT-VA-20. I don't have issues for sanding, domino or the TS55 as the suction is adequate but the CTS is not designed as a Festool - with dust collection as a paramount factor.

But the CTS connection is straightforward. Just grab the stock Ridgid 2.5" hose and connect it to the rear port. It works well enough - but there's always additional vacuuming to be done on all sides of the CTS after.