Shop Woodworker, which Vac should I get / ideal shop setup?

D

DuluthWoodshop

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Aug 19, 2019
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Hi FOG, First post, looking for some insight from more expierienced users. I'm a hobbyist woodworker, and have a dedicated shop with lots of space, not a job site or mobile user.  I'm wanting to by my first dust collector / vac for my current Festool tool lineup (Domino XL, ETS 150, TS-55 REQ) I plan to add the 1400 router to the mix with the the new extractor.  I want to get the ideal setup for the tools I have including vac accessories that are viewed as essential for my situation.  My fear is there is so many options out there that I will spend more money than needed, get something that won't work for my needs, and/or not exercising the full benefits of the tools I have.  Thank you in advance FOG.
 
I’m a carpenter. At work I use a midi and I love it.
At the home shop I use a 9gallon Mirka vac.
I’ll just input that the dust deputy separator is the key to a good setup at home in my opinion. Dumping buckets is so easy and after a year and a half I have just some trace sawdust in my vac. I prefer the midi a lot vacuum wise but that is also because I use it for the cars and the house as well.
I know that’s not your exact scenario but just putting in my two cents, may help.
 
"I’ll just input that the dust deputy separator is the key to a good setup at home in my opinion."

^ The truth.

Saves on bags and works well. 

Welcome to the FOG  DuluthWoodshop!
 
IMO advising someone on an “ideal” setup can be, at the very least, challenging! I have been a hobbyist woodworker for 30 plus years and my ideal shop is still an ever changing work in progress. Having said that, given the tools that you have listed and the lack of mobility needs that you have described I would say that any of the CT vacs would be great for you. As far as I remember the whole line (other than CT SYS) are virtually the same in terms of power. I got the CT 36 because I wanted the larger capacity bag but the CT 48 was a little too tall for where I wanted to put it. The differences are bag size / capacity and the overall size and weight of the vac. Many users are disturbed by the cost of bags for the vacs so they take measures accordingly. They either buy Festool’s reusable bag and/or they buy one of the separator attachments that will help separate debris before it ever gets to the bag. The Oneida Dust Deputy line and the Newer Festool option are very popular. In my opinion that is always something you can add later but knowing the cost up front will help you plan.

In my case I have quite a few larger machines and a large cyclone system for dust collection so I do not run a lot of high volume streams into my CT. So I do not feel the need for the supplemental separator yet. Also, I am a hobbyist and I am not constantly filling vacuum bags and so the cost of the bags is not an issue for me personally. I bought a box of five when I bought the vac and I haven’t opened it yet.

I also use the Ct for shop cleanup and I have a set of tools for it. They are super handy and I love having them. I use the brush attachment most often and the extensions along with the floor attachment next most.

I bought mine before new CT’s were outfitted with blue tooth remotes. I bought one and for me it is super handy. I use it constantly when I am using the vac for shop cleanup.

I hope this helps as a first response. You should get many great opinions.
 
Thank you Alanbach! I know what you mean about "ideal", I have been woodworking now for only 5 years and my definition of ideal has changed I think every year.  When I first started I went to home depot and bought everything I thought a woodworker needed (big mistake). I've since learned and subsequently sold a lot of stuff for half price.  I'm slowly adding quality lifetime purchases as my knowledge and experience grows, and I think Festool fits that bill nicely.  I just don't want to repeat past mistakes. 

I also have large 3hp jet dust collector, connected to my larger tools, I just find it cumbersome to use with sanding and other handheld operations hence the need (mostly want) for a CT.  thanks for your input, everything I've read so far on the FOG has been positive, and I look forward to being a part of the community.
 
I don’t really get the complaints about festool bag prices though.. I complain about a lot of festool pricing but not there.
When I was using a 5 gallon shop vac everyday I was paying $8 a bag. If I didn’t buy a bag I had to buy a $15 filter. I would fill bags constantly and when I pulled them out of the vac they were MAYBE 20% full but couldn’t fit anymore due to shape of vac and filter.

Since switching to the Midi I use about a bag every 1-1.5 months. This is everyday on site use. When I empty the bag they are 100% full and utilize all space possible to be efficient. To me the bags cost the same as generic vacuum bags but at a much more effective rate.

My thoughts anyway.
 
I am going to differ a bit from some of the opinions here. Based on everything that you are saying I wouldn’t necessarily start with a separator. The Festools that you described shouldn’t be big volume producers. The exception to that might be the router when you buy it. Depending on the specific application the router can be a hog that fills up bags fast but probably not the other three. I would just buy a CT 26 or 36 and a box of extra disposable vacuum bags and then use it for a month or two before doing anything else. If you are filling bags up super quickly (I don’t think that you will be) or if the cost of the bags just makes you crazy you can always add a separator.

Likewise with vacuum accessories for cleanup. Likewise with a Bluetooth remote or extra / longer hoses. If you are cleaning up your shop all the time and your short hose is requiring you to drag the vacuum all over the place and you hate it. Invest in more hose. If you do that and you are having to run back and forth to the vac to turn it on and off and you hate it, buy a remote.

None of this stuff is a big potential mistake if you wait other than maybe getting a vacuum that is too large to fit where you want OR has too small a capacity OR it’s too heavy to move around comfortably.

So what I am trying to say is focus on which size CT is right for you. Buy it and enjoy it. Then as you figure out what accessories might help you improve some specific situation that you don’t love then do that over time. You will love it. The first time that you sand with that ETS with no dust OR the first time you use your track saw without throwing sawdust all over everything you will be a happy camper. I have had sophisticated big tools and really good dust collection for them for years but I never had decent (or any) dust collection for my small power tools until I bought my Festools and the CT. Like I said, you will love it.
 
Considering you have a large extraction system already and you mainly want the CT to improve your sanding setup, you really, really don't need a large model or a cyclone separator. Sizewise, a midi would probably be great. You can sand forever with those bag sizes and do a fair amount of tracksaw cutting. Routing goes quicker but if it's the occasional cut it's still not a problem and you can always use your big system if you're expecting large amounts of sawdust.
The CT26 has more accessories and ports, and also fits an Oneida cyclone a little easier I think, so perhaps you should decide between those two?
 
Thank you for your input, yes I really just want it for my Festool tools, and dust free sanding is what I'm most excited about.  Do you think the filter will get plugged really quick, without a cyclone.  If I'm blowing out filters all the time kind of defeats the purpose of avoiding dust and better health.
 
If you use the filter bags your filter won't get plugged at all. The bag itself may get a bit "plugged" as you say but with wood dust it's not nearly as much of a problem as with drywall dust. Generally my midi bag fills up all the way, but mine is mixed use with a tracksaw and an OF1010. It's easy enough to open it and give the bag a tap to clear the pores, but on the upside you don't need lots of suction for sanding anyway as it's generally detrimental to the end result.
 
My feeling...the middle sized units are great for shop use. I use mine exclusively for tool extraction and leave "shop cleanup" to a more traditional shop vac. I don't want to be filling Festool bags with a lot of stuff from the floor, etc. I don't think I could ever feel the need for the largest Festool vac setup for anything that I would personally do, either in the shop or elsewhere, but everyone works differently.
 
I have a CT36 and wish I had gone smaller.  I agree with those that suggest a more economical "shop vac" style unit for general shop cleanup of miscellaneous debris.  I only use the CT36 for dust extraction and have "bricked" the bag several times.  When full it is quite heavy especially if it contains any appreciable amount of MDF.  A smaller unit would be easier to move around, store in a more compact space, and be easier to empty.
 
Hi I agree w most of the above posts, Festool extractor (Size is your choice,) You will love the Bluetooth......Reacess your specific need for the Cyclone in a couple months.
I have 2 CT 26s I only use one And I have the Oneida DD that I still haven’t hooked up although I’ve had it for 18 months
Being systematic is key to customizing your own personal shop
Best
 
There is no real ideal shop set up as its all based on personal preference.

When I went to buy my first CT the festool guy at the brick and mortar suggested the CT 26 even though I wanted the CT 48 (was available at that that time) He talked me into it and he was right.
Its the perfect size for a small shop.

I woulds also buy the long life bag for it or the cyclone or just the cyclone itself as its a bag saver but not both.

Check out hte you tube videos by Don Ware at Anderson Plywood on the cyclone.

Since I bought the cyclone I havent had to empty a bag yet.

I emptied the cyclones box a few times but never the CTs bag.

If ya ca get yer hand on a old CT 22 youll be loving life. I bought a used one that looks like it was dragged over 4 miles of bad road but man that thing is awesome.
 
Well, I might suggest a different route if you are looking to save some cash.  Now, I have 4 Festool extractors and love them.  But when I got a shop that I could just park a machine in just for sanding- I went with the Flex HEPA extractor.  It's a rebadge of the Nilfisk and has all the bells and whistles of the Festool vacs- minus the Bluetooth thing- for only 300.00.  It's a pretty sweet machine and the Nilfisk consumables are readily available and Nilfisk is known for reliability.  Something to consider- that's a lot of money to put towards another sander...
 
In my basement shop, for the non-mobile vac near my main work station, I suspend an old Fein Turbo (by it’s top handle) from a floor joist. On a stand next to it is an ordinary Dust Deputy and 5 gallon bucket. The elevated height of the vac hose is more convenient and having use of the floor space beneath the vac is good too.
 
I know this won' work for everybody, but for me in my basement shop I bought a Ultimate Dust Deputy and connected it to our central vac system in the house. That vac has plenty of power and volume, and the UDD catches ALL the dust and debris. I emptied the dust bin on the central vac the other day and it was only half full but not one spec of sawdust and I have been hooked up to it for over a year. The UDD I have emptied and that is very easy since you can put a bag inside and just lift it out when full. To operate the vac I installed a manually operated switch. Normally central vacuums come on when you plug the hose in or turn on the switch mounted on the hose.

One of the biggest plusses is when I'm using the vac all the noise is outside in the garage, because that's where the vac is. The only vacuum noise I get in the house is the whoosh of the air being sucked in and whatever motor noise the tool I'm using makes. So no noise in the shop and no noise for others in the house to contend with. My garage is detached from the house and the vacuum line runs underground from the house to the garage where it comes up through the garage floor. If  you have an attached garage (and that's where your shop is) you are that much closer to success.

So if you have a central vac in your house, consider using it. If you don't think about getting one and installing it. You'll spend about as much (probably a bit more) as a CT but what you'll have in the end is a central vac in the house and a vac you can use in the shop.

I consider this a possible solution only for home shops.
 
[member=67935]xedos[/member] - That Oneida system looks pretty neat, but the noise level will be far louder than a CT.

Andy
 
For certain.  But so what ?

All the tools you'd hook up to either are so loud that you'll need to wear ear protection anyway regardless of which sucker you get.  For me the bigger drawback is cost.  The Oneida is easily twice the cost.  So if you're not going to run stationary tools it's value or potential will never be realized.  [sad]
 
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