Which hoses should one have for a CTL vac?

[RC]

I'm looking next into acquiring a CTL vac for my OF1400, TS55 and a Bosch mitre saw, Makita jigsaw saw & no-name sanders.

From past forum postings it seems that getting a D36 hose would be best for the router, mitre & plunge saw and D27 for the jigsaw, sanders, etc. small volume tools.

I'm planning in getting the boom arm that you all talk so highly of at some point in time so I'm interested is the 3.5m hose long enough for boom arm use or should one plan on 5m hoses (since the boom is 2m long in itself) and is it worth getting the plug-it integrated D27 hose (456746) for boom use ?

Also on a related note I would be interested to know is the boom arm easily detached/attached or is it meant to be a permanent attachment to the vac? (if it isn't easily removable it won't work for me storage wise  [sad])

Since Shane says in the Planex FAQ that the Planex hose will work with (almost) all D36 tools (I presume that means the routers and saws) that connect to the inside of the hose so that the Planex-connector won't interfear.

Why I'm asking is that the CTL 36 E AC Planex VAC with the Planex D36x3.5m-AS hose & the AC shutter & Planex base costs about 50€ more than the standard CTL 36 E AC here and the integrated plug-it hose is about 115€ separately it could make a descent package without having to get two D27 hoses (the packaged one & the plug-it one) and an additional D36 hose (that would cost about 125€) if there isn't a gotcha I can't see ???

 

[Brice Burrell]

The good news is the boom arm comes with a short section of D50 hose to give the standard 3.5m hose enough length work at table height (but not long enough to work on the floor).  The D36 hose works great on larger tools but not so well, or not at with smaller tools like sanders.  I thought I remember someone posting a Festool adapter for the D36 hose with the D27 sized connection.  That adapter could be just what you need.   

 

[ccarrolladams]

The good news is the boom arm comes with a short section of D50 hose to give the standard 3.5m hose enough length work at table height (but not long enough to work on the floor).  The D36 hose works great on larger tools but not so well, or not at with smaller tools like sanders.  I thought I remember someone posting a Festool adapter for the D36 hose with the D27 sized connection.  That adapter could be just what you need.   

As always Brice is so correct about the short 50mm AS hose and a coupling as part of the boom arm. Therefore standard 3.5mm hose length works fine with the boom.

Here in North America we do not have the option of the integrated 27mm hose with a Plug-It electrical cable. I have seen them in Europe but none of my friends in the woodworking business these use the integrated hose.

My strong recommendation would be to keep the 27mm x 3.5m Anti Static hose which is part of the CL, and add an optional 36mm x 3.5m AS hose. With the sanders, OF1010, Domino and jig saws, which require the 27mm hose, you really need the flexibility. For miter saws and the TS55/TS75 the 36mm AS hose provides better dust extraction. With those tools I find extra flexibility is not good, I have found with guide rails while sawing the slightly less flexible 36mm AS hose snags less so it works better.

What is awkward is trying to use a sander well with a big hose and an adapter on the end. Ultimately the savings on a hose is just noy worth it to me.

Of course, your mileage (KM) might vary.

 

[RC]

I don't believe in adaptors in things that can get stuck, janked & inevitably dislodge themselves from the tool or hose so therefore I'm looking at options of getting both D27 & D36 hoses with as little extras as possible i.e. I'm trying to avoid is end up getting three hoses (CT standard hose that comes with extractor + integrated hose for boom use + D36 hose for saw use) instead of just one D27 integrated and one D36 hose.

Of course I guess one could use duct tape to make an "integrated" hose out of a plugit cable & extension cord and the vac bundled D27 hose and buy a D36 hose separately, but since the integrated one is all of 10€ more expensive than the standard D27x3.5m-AS I'd rather not play with duct tape  [tongue]

 

[ccarrolladams]

I don't believe in adaptors in things that can get stuck, janked & inevitably dislodge themselves from the tool or hose so therefore I'm looking at options of getting both D27 & D36 hoses with as little extras as possible i.e. I'm trying to avoid is end up getting three hoses (CT standard hose that comes with extractor + integrated hose for boom use + D36 hose for saw use) instead of just one D27 integrated and one D36 hose.

Of course I guess one could use duct tape to make an "integrated" hose out of a plugit cable & extension cord and the vac bundled D27 hose and buy a D36 hose separately, but since the integrated one is all of 10€ more expensive than the standard D27x3.5m-AS I'd rather not play with duct tape  [tongue]

You can temporarily fasten power cables to hoses on the boom arm. However, in my experience that is not necessary. The boom keeps both the hose and cable from dragging. What I find when sanding is that the extra flexibility of the 27mm AS hose and the Plug-It cable each doing their own thing lets me move the sander where I want it to go with the least resistance.

As I saw, sawing in a straight like on a guide rail a super flexible hose and cable combination is not so important.

Of course your own mileage might vary.