Ultimate Oneida cyclone dust collector for Festool vacs

[Jaybolishes]

Absolutely, I'm working on an apartment remodel and will be working late to get it rentable by the 1st. I'll try to do that when I get home.

 

[mikeneron]

I found the regular garbage bags I use fit just fine.  They are 26" wide by 33" long.  I guess these would be OK for sawdust, but probably not strong enough for any heavy duty stuff.

 

[Kev]

Shoot me down in flames, but I have to say these things look UGLY. Plus "ULTIMATE" ... what an over used and misleading word when it comes to describing products. The number of times I've following the world "ultimate", expecting something truly special - only to see the very average. [sad]

To me a cyclone for a workshop is something that sits "on the other site of the wall" .. for me anyway.

To each their own I suppose.

 

[Jaybolishes]

My first impression was this thing looks sweet.  People who come into my shop say, cool what is that thing.  If I had of replaced every fill up with a festool bag I'd be getting those more expensive bags more often.  It rides ontop my ct36 so I easily move it around, and I'm not hesitant to use it to suck ip anything, not just sawdust.  I love how nothing goes into my prized $700 vac also saving my hepa too.  The hose being higher off the ground also makes using my Paulk ultimate workbench more enjoyable with less hangups by the hose.  Changing bags is so much easier on the ultimate and much faster.  It's made out of the thickest most durable material I've ever seen, very high quality. My garbage bags I used are same as stated above.  I really like how much higher the festool hose comes out of the cyclone, almost making a ceiling hook not needed.  But if you do have a ceiling hook it gives you even more hose to utilize cause it's much higher off the ground.  This thing is surely the ultimate,  could not possibly want anything more from it.  So happy Rons ultimate workbench deserves it's name as well, it's revolutionized how I do things and praise him on the design, the crosscut jig is a joy to use!

 

[mikeneron]

I really like how much higher the festool hose comes out of the cyclone, almost making a ceiling hook not needed.  But if you do have a ceiling hook it gives you even more hose to utilize cause it's much higher off the ground.

I actually like the look of it as well Jay.  I have a ceiling hook I use and with this setup can now make a full 8 foot rip of plywood with the hose right up out of the way.  Before, I would have the hose on the same side I was making the cut and kind of have to walk over it while I made any long cuts.

I used to have a metal garbage can with one of those Veritas lids, but it reduced the suction by quite a bit.  I still used it to pick up all sorts of stuff that I never would have if I was using just the vac.  With the Dust Deputy for Festool there is no loss in suction.  I had wanted to get one of these over a year ago but some of the comments I was seeing kind of put a hold on that.  Overall I am pretty pleased with it and would say any of the issues I was fearful of before are gone (ie. loss of suction and the plastic bag getting sucked up into the cyclone).

Just wondering if you have used one of these Kev.  I agree that words like ultimate do get overused, but this is still a good product.

 

[hhh]

==> Shoot me down in flames, but I have to say these things look UGLY

ugly... maybe, but maybe more utilitarian... yes.  some of us have cyclone central DC in our shops, and it is a bit 'cool' to have a  portable cyclone.  So the 'cool' factor is probably coming into play.  You are correct on the 'ultimate', but unfortunately business schools turn-out too many marketing types...

 

[monte]

I have two of them. (Ultimate Oneida cyclone dust collector )
One for the shop and one for the jobsite I'm working on.
After having used them I can't see life without them anymore.

As for the drywall dust, on the jobsite I have been drilling and cutting both sandstone and concrete dust.- Works like a charm.
Holds about 50 pounds of concrete "dust" before I need to dump it.

BTW, on both of them I have the "black" angle elbow that came with them.
I thought about the AC36 when it came out but opted for the above option, plus I have a Hepa Filer running, which the AC36 does not.

cheers,
roger

 

[Jaybolishes]

Roger I have the ac36. You may have known this, but just clarify, the ac36 can use the same hepa filter the ct36 uses.  It can do everything the ct36 does, with the extra option of a declogging mode you can set to decloge the special drywall filter more or less frequently.  When you sand drywall you are supposed to switch to a non hepa filter to keep it from clogging and losing suction, it has fewer pleats and larger micron.  But with the cyclone I just have left the hepa filter and regular dust bag in and haven't noticed any loss of suction, but I've done minimal drywall sanding since getting the onieda.  The ac36 in drywall mode actually uses an almost regular trash bag, not a fully enclosed dust bag like the ct36 uses.  When the unclogging feature engages it cuts off suction for a fraction of a second, allowing the cake on the filter to fall into the bag.  But with the onieda i dont think I'll need to use the drywall bag and drywall filter again.  If I notice a drop in suction after heavy drywall sanding I'll make sure to comment.

 

[monte]

Roger I have the ac36. You may have known this, but just clarify, the ac36 can use the same hepa filter the ct36 uses.  It can do everything the ct36 does, with the extra option of a declogging mode you can set to decloge the special drywall filter more or less frequently.  When you sand drywall you are supposed to switch to a non hepa filter to keep it from clogging and losing suction, it has fewer pleats and larger micron.  But with the cyclone I just have left the hepa filter and regular dust bag in and haven't noticed any loss of suction, but I've done minimal drywall sanding since getting the onieda.  The ac36 in drywall mode actually uses an almost regular trash bag, not a fully enclosed dust bag like the ct36 uses.  When the unclogging feature engages it cuts off suction for a fraction of a second, allowing the cake on the filter to fall into the bag.  But with the onieda i dont think I'll need to use the drywall bag and drywall filter again.  If I notice a drop in suction after heavy drywall sanding I'll make sure to comment.

Jay,
Thank you for the clarification.
I feel enlightened, yet at the same time somewhat confused. [scared]

Prior to purchasing my last ct36 I had the conversation with my area Festool rep about the Hepa feature of the AC36 while in its "active" cleaning mode.
I was told that the Hepa feature was not engaged at this time.
(which led me to use an older ct26 with Hepa and a long life bag with the Ulitmate Oneida on the jobsite and saved the ct36 for the shop)
(I got fed up with the paper bags busting, even with the minimum fill of the bag when using the Ulitmate.)

So, just to clarify......
Your using the AC36 in cleaning mode with a Hepa filter in place while using the Ultimate oneida up top?
Is there much of anything for the AC's sweepers to clean after going thru the Ultimate?

I'd be interested to know if you had a lost of suction with your AC36 sweeper turned off with the Ultimate up top.
I would think that you would not see a difference.

looking forward to your reply.
cheers,
roger

 

[Jaybolishes]

I think what the rep meant to say and should have been clear, you are not supposed to use the hepa filter when sanding drywall, nor the dust bags you normally use in your typical ct.  The ac36 didn't come with the hepa filter, just the drywall filter, so I had to buy the hepa filter separate.  But the Ac36 takes the same hepa as the ct36.  The ac with the Autoclean on makes a loud popping noise when the autoclean engages.  This loud pop cuts the suction off for a micro second and that is what pops the cake off the .1 filter. The hose jumps like it has had a sesure.  When I started my vac for the first time, I thought the thing was broke,  but that was just the autoclean coming on, so I dialed it all the way down to off.    There is a dial you can turn to turn the auto clean complete off, almost infinite intervals to set depending on how much auto cleaning you want if you're doing heavy sanding.  So with the onieda on top, I use the same .05 or whatever the normal hepa filter is, with the regular dust bag you are using in your ct.  No loss of suction at all after sanding a bunch of spots I fixed some plaster on in my apartment I'm renovating. Then I went directly back to using it for my routering and with my ts55.  The cyclone caught everything, and the suction is still the same I believe.  I too wonder what will happen if I sanded drywall all day, I bet the Oneida would catch it all.  I have to retest that theory soon.  but you could probably use the drywall filter in your regular ct36 and manualy pop the cake off if "if you had to" while sanding drywall with your cyclone.  The only difference in the filter is the micron is larger, so when drywall dust does make it all the way to the filter, you won't see as much suction loss as fast as with the hepa.
 Don't be embarrassed for being confused.  I too was confused until I got my hands on the vac and poked around for a few minutes.  It seems simple now that I've used it, but the bag system you use during drywall use is very counterintuitive. There is no top to the bag! It's just a trash bag really, but that is so the cake can fall into it. The Oneida seems to completely illiminate this caking of the filter, so no need to change your vac into a drywall vac.  This cyclone certainly is incredible.  You have to use it to find out unfortunately.  So I think people can get away with not getting the AC vac if you use an Oneida, I'd just throw in the drywall filter if you notice suction loss.  Maybe over the course of many days of sanding drywall the dust will clog the filter, if so I'll be happy I got the Ac, but right now I'm to believe a normal ct will do just as good if used with the Oneida. Hope that all made sense

 

[tbellemare]

Roger:

I think it might make it clearer to say that there are essentially two ways to use the CT 36 AC...

The first is for drywall and one uses the regular main filter that is supplied. It is not a HEPA filter but should catch virtually all of the drywall dust. In this configuration, the bag is not a filter bag like normal CT 36 bags. Rather, it is an open-top plastic bag, like a garbage bag. The AutoClean function periodically knocks the dust that has accumulated in the filter (that sits above the bag) down into the open bag below, you control the frequency of that operation using a knob on the front.

The other mode is to use it exactly like you would use a regular CT 36, you just turn the SelfClean mode off. You can use any of the filters, including the HEPA filter and either the SelfClean fleece bags or the LongLife bag. If you were using it as a wet vac, you'd take the bag out altogether and use the foam filter.

The only caveat while using it with a HEPA filter is that Festool has not tested for full unit HEPA certification like they did all the others sold in NA.

Tom

 

[mikeneron]

I posted a video on YouTube of the Dust Deputy for Festool in action in case anyone was interested.  I found that a lot of dust will accumulate in the lid so when you go to take it off some dust does kind of get knocked off and onto the floor.  I think having a flat bottom on the lid would have helped with this.  Other than that though, I am pretty happy with the purchase thus far.

It definitely is 99% efficient though as I ran a few tests in a row and weighed the bag after each test and it was over 99% of the previous weight.

Dust Deputy for Festool

 

[mikeneron]

If this is supposed to be a Dusty Deputy for Festool, shouldn't all the Festool hoses just fit out of the box?  I am not sure why the nozzles are tapered and an adapter has to be used for the 36mm hose.  I cut 20mm off the intake nozzle on the Dust Deputy as I haven't really liked using the adapter they included.  Sure it works, but I would rather have a straight in connection.  Am happy to report the 36mm hose now fits securely without an adapter.  The 27mm hose fit securely before the modification and also fits securely after.  I don't have a 50mm hose, but I would guess that would fit securely now as well.

I also cut 20mm off the top nozzle because the cyclone is supposed to fit in the systainer upside down for transport (quote from manual below).  It was a bit too tall so I wasn't able to latch it.  With the 20mm cut off the top nozzle, I am now able to latch it.

You can put the hoses in the box and turn the top upside down and latch the top down to transport the Dust Deputy to a job site so the cyclone is protected.

20mm off both nozzles with a hacksaw
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36mm hose attached
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Cylone now can be latched in systainer
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[hhh]

Just took delivery of a new UDD.  It appears they monitor FOG --- the mods that are needed to make it work on the mini/midi and now on the ‘black box’.  It’s still a bit of a kluge compared to a systainer fit, but at least it works without pulling-out a dermal…  They have also just added a 'secondary' gasket for the box base with hand-insert instructions.

Note to Oneida: in the future, you should remold the bottom to be exactly like a systainer – not just ‘close’…  it still needs this for a truly elegant solution – FT owners tend to be picky about such things….

You still need the 20mm cuts for the input/output on the cyclone.  It fits their hoses, so I can excuse them not coming-up with a FT-specific cyclone.  The mod is easy, but they probably should mention it in their manual.

You also need the ‘optional’ second elbow to get a nice hose run for the mini/midi.  I mounted mine on a new midi specially bought for the purpose and when done, it’s a sweet shop vac…  I do a bit of hand plane work at the bench, and the cost of bags would kill me compared to the UDD…

 

[Tomfoolery]

Is there a part number for the "optional" elbow? or just ask when ordering the UDD?

 

[monte]

Is there a part number for the "optional" elbow? or just ask when ordering the UDD?

It would also depend who you are ordering from.
From Woodcraft it may be an issue as they only stock the complete kits and that's it.
From Oneida I would probably just place the order on the phone.

I ordered mine from Woodcraft at the time because it I needed in a quicker time.
It takes Oneida at least three days to kick something out of the door, where Woodcraft could have it out the door the same day if you call earlier enough in the day.
Same price.
.

 

[Claimdude]

Is there a part number for the "optional" elbow? or just ask when ordering the UDD?

It would also depend who you are ordering from.
From Woodcraft it may be an issue as they only stock the complete kits and that's it.
From Oneida I would probably just place the order on the phone.

I ordered mine from Woodcraft at the time because it I needed in a quicker time.
It takes Oneida at least three days to kick something out of the door, where Woodcraft could have it out the door the same day if you call earlier enough in the day.
Same price.
.

What Roger said about Woodcraft. I ordered my UDD yesterday morning and it will be delivered Saturday. I selected standard shipping 7 - 10 days. Now that is service!

Jack

 

[mikeneron]

Noticed that Lee Valley is now carrying the Ultimate Dust Deputy for Festool.  Found it by looking in the What's New link under Woodworking.  $199 is a good price...wish I had waited a couple of months now.

Canada: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=69841&cat=51&ap=1
US: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=69841&cat=51&ap=1

 

[hemdale]

Hi guys.

For me it really seems the UDD is designee to fit the CTL26 series.
Did anyone try it putting it on a CTL Midi by any chance ?

Many thanks for your input

 

[jacko9]

I purchased one of the UDD a few years ago and when the concern about potential static discharge surfaced I contacted Oneida and they sent me the upgrade kit.  Here is a photo of my current set up complete with a static dissipating cyclone sent to me free of charge by Oneida.

I'm completely happy with my CT22/Oneida UDD.

Jack