Which CT size do you use onsite?

[JonathanJung]

Which size of dust extractor do you use when at a clients?

How heavy is the CT 48 when full?

I'm getting a second CT for using on site to be dedicated to the tool bench. It will be pulled out of the trailer, hooked up at the bench, then packed away into the trailer at day's end. Sometimes it will be carried inside and only very seldom up stairs. My Midi will go with me into the home for cleanup in the room being worked in. I will carry spare bags in the trailer for both.

I'm tired of my Midi filling up so quickly, so I want larger size, but don't want a boat anchor of a vacuum when it is full. I regularly use all the following processes at the bench: dado's, pocket holes, routing, track saw, Dominos, ripping, mitre saw, sanding, and occasional planing with both a 13" planer and handheld.

CT 26, 36 or 48?

[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]

 

[Michael Kellough]

I use a first gen Mini and a first gen DD cyclone.

If it went missing I’d get a Midi and CT Cyclone.

I think it would be good for you too since most of your operations produce bulk debris rather than fine dust.

On the other a CT 48 full of bulk debris won’t be too heavy.

 

[RKA]

I agree, I think the 48 might get a bit heavy and it will consume precious space in your trailer or van.  I would get a cyclone and a 26/36.

 

[JonathanJung]

I use a first gen Mini and a first gen DD cyclone.

If it went missing I’d get a Midi and CT Cyclone.

I think it would be good for you too since most of your operations produce bulk debris rather than fine dust.

On the other a CT 48 full of bulk debris won’t be too heavy.

I agree, I think the 48 might get a bit heavy and it will consume precious space in your trailer or van.  I would get a cyclone and a 26/36.

That has been considered, but I've ready too many experiences of lost suction with a cyclone. Dust extraction is very important for both me and my clients.

 

[egmiii]

I have a CT36 and it's a pain to move around when you are shot at the end of the day. I'd much rather have a Midi and cyclone.

 

[JonathanJung]

I have a CT36 and it's a pain to move around when you are shot at the end of the day. I'd much rather have a Midi and cyclone.

Is that because you can carry the van and the cyclone separately?

 

[egmiii]

I have a CT36 and it's a pain to move around when you are shot at the end of the day. I'd much rather have a Midi and cyclone.

Is that because you can carry the van and the cyclone separately?

It gives you the option on how much weight you want to carry based upon the job. I've I'm doing a quick sanding job, then just the midi is fine. If I'm doing a lot of work with a router, then the cyclone comes along. In the case of the CT36, there is no lightweight option, and for routing, I'm still going to use the cyclone to avoid filling the bag quickly. Other than being a more stable base for a boom arm or workcenter (which I don't use), the midi is just as capable and far more portable.

 

[AlexThePalex]

How heavy is the CT 48 when full?

I once weighed my CT 26 filled to the brim at 38 kg = about 90 pounds.

Mostly filled with wood dust from a high quality laminate flooring, very dense, paint dust from sanding, and some sand from vacuming the floor. With its own weight of 14 kilos that left 24 kg for a 26 liter bag, almost a 1:1 ratio.

Translate that to a CT 48 with empty weight of 20 kg/48 pounds that can become 68 kg or 165 pounds.

You don't want to lift that.

The Midi holds 12,5 liter dust, the 26 can hold twice as much, I'd think you should be fine with that.   

 

[JonathanJung]

I have a CT36 and it's a pain to move around when you are shot at the end of the day. I'd much rather have a Midi and cyclone.

Is that because you can carry the van and the cyclone separately?

It gives you the option on how much weight you want to carry based upon the job. I've I'm doing a quick sanding job, then just the midi is fine. If I'm doing a lot of work with a router, then the cyclone comes along. In the case of the CT36, there is no lightweight option, and for routing, I'm still going to use the cyclone to avoid filling the bag quickly. Other than being a more stable base for a boom arm or workcenter (which I don't use), the midi is just as capable and far more portable.

Do you lose a noticeable amount of suction with the cyclone?

How heavy is the CT 48 when full?

I once weighed my CT 26 filled to the brim at 38 kg = about 90 pounds.

Mostly filled with wood dust from a high quality laminate flooring, very dense, paint dust from sanding, and some sand from vacuming the floor. With its own weight of 14 kilos that left 24 kg for a 26 liter bag, almost a 1:1 ratio.

Translate that to a CT 48 with empty weight of 20 kg/48 pounds that can become 68 kg or 165 pounds.

You don't want to lift that.

The Midi holds 12,5 liter dust, the 26 can hold twice as much, I'd think you should be fine with that.   

Wow, 90lbs is more than I thought. Thank you for the info! That's very helpful.
By the way, the CT48 is 35.9lbs:https://www.festoolusa.com/power-to...atalog&utm_medium=flippingbook2019#Comparison

 

[pettyconstruction]

I have a CT-26 for site work ( only vac I have ) and it gets heavy.
If my 26 came up missing , I would go the mini/midi rout with a cyclone.
It takes a long time to fill my vac when sanding and doing general clean up , but it fills real quick when I hook it to my table saw.

In the 8-10 years of owning the ct-26 I have used about 10 bags , not to bad , but I have been using it for the Saw Stop a lot more.

Personally I think the 26 is a bit heavy for site work and with the cyclone I wouldn’t go that big.
Charlie

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[JonathanJung]

I have a CT-26 for site work ( only vac I have ) and it gets heavy.
If my 26 came up missing , I would go the mini/midi rout with a cyclone.
It takes a long time to fill my vac when sanding and doing general clean up , but it fills real quick when I hook it to my table saw.

In the 8-10 years of owning the ct-26 I have used about 10 bags , not to bad , but I have been using it for the Saw Stop a lot more.

Personally I think the 26 is a bit heavy for site work and with the cyclone I wouldn’t go that big.
Charlie

Oh wow, I can fill up my Midi 4x in a day. Am I doing something wrong? lol

 

[egmiii]

Stick with 50mm hoses between the vac and cyclone. Use the shortest and widest hose to the tool. Shouldn’t notice any difference if you do that.

 

[semenza]

The CT48 is pretty big. But might be OK, for the in / out trailer use you describe. If you plan to move it around a site at all it is not a good choice. But might work for you described use. Especially since your Midi is for inside and mobile use.

Planing will fill any of them fast. Dados will not be too bad.

You can't go wrong with capacity on the 48 for your use.

The best one for a compromise between mobility and capacity will be the CT26.  But it sounds like you want the capacity side more than the mobility side.

The CT36 is definitely smaller than the 48. The 48 , though it looks the same, has a bigger footprint than the 26 /36  as well as being taller. But still lots of capacity.

Your basic decision is capacity versus mobility. Just in / out of trailer at the start and end of the day. Then the 48 could work well.  Otherwise pick a smaller one. I wouldn't plan on any of them lasting long (capacity wise) with the 13" planer.

Seth

 

[JonathanJung]

Stick with 50mm hoses between the vac and cyclone. Use the shortest and widest hose to the tool. Shouldn’t notice any difference if you do that.

Which cyclone are you using on the Midi?

The CT48 is pretty big. But might be OK, for the in / out trailer use you describe. If you plan to move it around a site at all it is not a good choice. But might work for you described use. Especially since your Midi is for inside and mobile use.

Planing will fill any of them fast. Dados will not be too bad.

You can't go wrong with capacity on the 48 for your use.

The best one for a compromise between mobility and capacity will be the CT26.  But it sounds like you want the capacity side more than the mobility side.

The CT36 is definitely smaller than the 48. The 48 , though it looks the same, has a bigger footprint than the 26 /36  as well as being taller. But still lots of capacity.

Your basic decision is capacity versus mobility. Just in / out of trailer at the start and end of the day. Then the 48 could work well.  Otherwise pick a smaller one. I wouldn't plan on any of them lasting long (capacity wise) with the 13" planer.

Seth

That is very helpful, thank you.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Wow, 90lbs is more than I thought. Thank you for the info! That's very helpful.
By the way, the CT48 is 35.9lbs:https://www.festoolusa.com/power-to...atalog&utm_medium=flippingbook2019#Comparison

I must say it was exceptionally heavy that day, that's why I decided to weigh it.

Odd about the given weight difference for the CT48 in USA and EU, here it is 18,8 kg = 41,45lbs. But still peanuts compared to what it can hold.

But if you have to empty your Midi 4 times a day then you might be better of with the 36 instead of the 26 like I said before. 4 times a day is a lot.

 

[James Carriere]

I take a CT26 for most jobs which matches the one I keep in the shop thus limiting my needs to one type of bag.  If there is a lot of mineral dust to be removed such as drywall sanding then I bring a CT cyclone on those days as the bags get clogged quickly without it.  The CT26 is reasonable overall on site however as some have mentioned, it can get a bit heavy as it fills up and if there are lots of stairs involved it can be a bit of a drag.  I also have a CT SYS for localized clean up which allows me to often leave the CT26 in the primary work area such as connected to a cutting / milling station and not having to move it to the install point if they are in separate rooms.  Unless you are embedded in a projects for considerable amounts of time I don't think I would opt for larger than a CT26 as the weight would be an issue.

 

[egmiii]

I use a Clearvue CV06. I’ve filled a 5 gallon bucket with chips and dust over a dozen times and found no visible debris inside my vacuum. Phenomenal performance.

 

[sancho57]

I dont do a lot of site work, but when I do, I bring a old CT 22E that I bought used.  Its ugly, looks beat up buy man it can put a watermelon through a garden hose.

 

[AlexThePalex]

If there is a lot of mineral dust to be removed such as drywall sanding then I bring a CT cyclone on those days as the bags get clogged quickly without it. 

Do you get much longer use out of your bag like this? I got an awful lot of walls with plaster to sand, I am getting crazy of the clogging so I think I might need to get me a cyclone too if it makes a difference.

 

[DeformedTree]

Wow, 90lbs is more than I thought. Thank you for the info! That's very helpful.
By the way, the CT48 is 35.9lbs:https://www.festoolusa.com/power-to...atalog&utm_medium=flippingbook2019#Comparison

I must say it was exceptionally heavy that day, that's why I decided to weigh it.

Odd about the given weight difference for the CT48 in USA and EU, here it is 18,8 kg = 41,45lbs. But still peanuts compared to what it can hold.

But if you have to empty your Midi 4 times a day then you might be better of with the 36 instead of the 26 like I said before. 4 times a day is a lot.

Unless there is a known difference go with the EU numbers. The Festool USA numbers tend to be whacked rather often, either bad conversions jobs, or show signs of being converted too many times with extra rounding.    Still  18.8kg = 41.36lb in my calculator. You could get some difference is packaging contents.

Anyway, I happen to own 2 CT26,  a US spec 110V version and a EU/German 230V version, both the same generation.  Only difference I have going on is my 110V model has bluetooth module added.  So I weighed both with no bag installed.  I don't really have a good scale for this, but both came in ~30lbs.  Festool USA says 30.64lb (13.9kg)  so that number checks. But again there isn't right unit conversion as 13.9kg is 30.58lbs.

If I was just estimating fill weights, I'd just go with 1:1 of 1L water = 1kg,  building material is generally going to be lighter than water, especially with the air trapped in it, so it should give a high end.  Maybe fine plaster dust might get below that, or say gravel.