This is embarrassing

[sherbin18]

This is my first post here and it's a painful one (not physically -- luckily).

I noticed, while cutting some wood on my MFT, that my saw was throwing off A LOT of sawdust (with the CT22 attached). So I kind of figured that I was going too fast / too slow, lifting, or something equally complicated.

Afterall, when I used the CT22 to clean up the dust afterwards, it seemed ok.

So, after about a year of ownership (the tools have been on vacation for a while), I decided to check the bag.

It was like a brick. Solid wood - could have made some MDF if I had the resin. I have no idea of how it was stuffing any more sawdust in, but the CT22 is really overbuilt!

Put in a new bag and it's now collecting all the sawdust. So the moral of the story is, check the bag regularly.

It doesn't pay to be a penurious accountant!

--Steve.

 

[greg mann]

Should've bought a C33.  ;D

 

[sherbin18]

I just would (or wood) have filled that up too without checking.

The real answer is careless and lazy are not a good combination!

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Interesting thread.  I am amazed by how much dust the bags hold.  Is there any indication, other than inspecting the bag, that its getting full?

 

[Ned]

...Is there any indication, other than inspecting the bag, that its getting full?

In my experience, not much.  I would expect to hear a change in pitch as the vac motor begins to labor, but no.  Steven's right.  Gotta check.

 

[pteubel]

Been there, done that.....just recently as a matter of fact. My CT33 was so packed, I had trouble just getting the bag out!

 

[sherbin18]

That was another problem. The bag ripped while in the CT. I put the whole CT into a BIG garbage bag, closed it, maneuvered the collector bag out of the machine, reclosed the bag around the collector bag and sealed it up. Then I had to use my shop dust collector to vacuum out the CT.

What a mess! ;D

 

[VictorL]

Dust extractor's dust bag replacement has been covered by 1+2 year warranty. You have to ship dust extractor to the service center and service guys will be more than happy to replace your filled bag. 

 

[MarkV]

I had something pierce the bag of my CT22 as well.  What a mess.  When should one replace the stock filters ?  Mine were pretty nasty.

Replace with HEPAs ?  There are just two underneath the top section of the unit or was there another set of filters I missed?  I ask because I see several flavors on the festool site.

Hepa Filter Element, Main Filters, Wet filters, Long life filters?  Obviously, the wet filter has a particular purpose.  I assume the HEPA is the best for wood dust.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Interesting thread.  I am amazed by how much dust the bags hold.  Is there any indication, other than inspecting the bag, that its getting full?

If I start seeing more dust in the air than usual I put my palm over the hose end to feel the suction. If it seems weaker than I remember I check the hose for chips or other lodged debris. If there aren't any obstructions, or if removing the obstructions doesn't improve the suction, I open the vac to see if there is still any give to the bag. Keep in ind that sometimes the bag is exhausted even if there is still space inside. Very fine dust can clog the filter paper before big stuff fills the volume.

The better vacs have bypass motors (ask Rick what this means) which don't change pitch when loaded anywhere near as much as a simple ShopVac does so there isn't a clear audible sign of a clogged bag.

 

[richard.selwyn]

In theory the '33 has a cut off switch for when the bag is too full.  Mine has never activated and I too have sometimes been surprised by how 'packed' the bag is.  Can anyone add there experience?

 

[billybokay]

My ct 22 appeared to be working perfectly one second, full suction power, and then instantly no suction at all. I thought something was broken. Changed the overstuffed bag and all was good. I have not checked the bag since. Just figured the tool would again tell me when to change the bag.

 

[stvrowe]

This isn't as embarrassing as wondering why your CT-22 wasn't autostarting with your tool when you tool was plugged into the wall outlet instead of the dust extractor.
Steve

 

[Tinker]

With my very first Festool purchase, I brought home the AFT 55, MFT 1080 and a CT 33.  I was concerned about the small size to the bags and asked the dealer how many times a week i would be replacing same.  Just in case, i bought a packege of five extra bags thinking the first would be full after the first few weekends.  i checked several times, finally just going ahead for a considerable time.  i don't know how long I worked before i decided it was impossible for the bag not to be full.  i checked, even tho i was not apparently loosing any vacuum.  The bag was packed full.  there was a tear at the little inlet tube, but i found no problems elsewhere in the machine.  Perhaps if i had worked another hour or so, i would have had some serious problems.  Anyhow, i had forgotten that i had extra bags, so i just worked the dust out of the bag until it was empty, patched it up with duct tape, put it back into the vac and back to work.  I have since located the extra bags, but in the meantime, i had ordered the reuseble bag.  I have not installed that yet, but I have managed to get another fill or two out of the original bag with no more tears.  (Talk about cheeeep)
Tinker 

 

[clarkdp44]

Several years ago, before I knew about Festool, I bought the Fein Turbo 2.  I used the reusable filter liner instead of the paper bags, until I damaged the liner seal.  One has to remove this liner in order to empty the tank, and the seal is so good that, unless one is quite patient, damage to the seal and loss of an expensive liner is likely (well, for a klutz like me, anyway).  Is this an issue with the reusable bag on the Festool?