Using my CT 48 as dust collection

[CrownBee]

Hi everyone!

I just got my first Festools back in December, and when using the Festools, the dust collection (I got a CT 48) is almost magical. However, I use a few other tools, mostly for stock prep, and I've been having a hard time connecting my CT 48 up to them. More details on my setup below, but my question is this: Has anyone based their shop dust collection around a CT 48 (or similar) and what type of hoses / adapters do you use for your jointer and planer? Also, what size hose do you use for your main work station, IE, sander, jigsaw, tracksaw.

I'm using the 27mm hose that came with the vacuum.

Primarily, I use 3 non-Festool tools:
Dewalt Chopsaw
Craftsman 6" Jointer
Dewalt benchtop Planer

The chopsaw hooks up to the CT 48 like it was made to. It's absolutely brilliant.

However, both the jointer and the planer have major issues, primarily because of the size of the chips / shavings they are producing. The shavings are long and curly enough to block the hose of the vacuum, and cause it to jam. Additionally, both tools have sort of a hacked together dust collection system, so there are pockets where the chips do not clear, and after extended use (more than one cut) they collect more and more chips until the whole thing clogs.

I was thinking that upgrading to the 50mm hose might help keep the hoses from clogging. Also, using a real adapter (rather than the flexible hosing and pipe clamps I have now) to properly downsize the 2" or 3" pipes that come out of these tools to a size used by Festool will probably help with the suction / airflow issues (and also the clogging around the funky transitions) that I seem to be having now.

More specific questions:
Will I run into problems trying to adapt a 3" pipe to a 50mm hose? Will this fix my clogging issue?
Is a 50mm hose overkill? Should I look at the 36mm hose instead?

 

[Holmz]

I hear that the "Dust Deputy" is good for the wood chips before a vacuum.
http://www.oneida-air.com/inventoryD.asp?item_no=AXD001004

 

[mouppe]

The CTs are not best suited for planers, jointers etc. I have a Ridgid vac connected to my thickness planer via a Rockler cyclone, and it gathers almost everything. A cheap and useful addition as I also use to pick up all the crap on the garage floor etc.

I think this is a better solution than trying to bend your CT48 to the task.

 

[Bohdan]

Using a 50mm hose will give you the best results that you will achieve with a CT.

The real problem is that the CT gives a high pressure low volume air flow whereas the planner and jointer require low pressure high volume air. The high pressure suction enables you to use the small 27mm hose as the drop in air suction is small compared to what is available. If you increase the hose size too much there will be no drop in suction but the air flow velocity will be too low to catch and move the chips.

My best recommendation is to try it with as short a 50mm hose as you can get away with and see if you are happy with the result.

The planner and jointer both produce large quantities of shavings and these will fill your CT very rapidly resulting in the use of a lot of bags. A worthwhile addition is a pre CT cyclone like the Onieda Dust Deputy.

My personal setup uses a DD/CT36 for the festools and a separate 4" cyclone for the planner and jointer.

 

[Kev]

The Festool DC's are sophisticated units and are more like a race horse ... but sometimes you need a plough horse!

By the time you've fiddled with connections you'll have spent as much as you would on a cheap 4" shop DC. Filtration becomes a expensive part and if you want a HEPA filter you add another $~400 (I don't know actual US $"s on these). It's a real win if you can plumb one in an enclosed, externally vented space.

The cheap units typically have low-cost accessories too!

I love my Festool vacs, but I don't think they're suitable for every situation - sometimes you just need a fat pipe sucking a large volume of air to do the job.

 

[travisj]

I would recommend against using your CT for this.  The justifications against have been mentioned.  For the cost of a long life bag for your CT, you could probably find something more suitable.  Jointers and planers eject more chips than dust, so a fancy canister filtered unit may not be necessary. 

I am in a similar situation, albeit I am looking to upgrade my larger (than a CT) dust collector.  I posted a query on the FOG and so far the Oneida, Jet, and Harbor Freight models have been offered as solutions for my uses.  I have not yet had a chance to look into any of them yet though.

 

[Cheese]

For a jointer or a planer you really need a DC system that uses a minimum of 4" ducting. A typical jointer/planer tool uses 4" ports so even trying to use a 50mm hose on a CT vac is a stretch when using these tools.

There's a reason why these tools left the factory wearing 4" ports...

 

[Kev]

Shoulda thrown a [welcome] in there [wink]