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Thread: Dust collection on circular saws with EZ system

  1. #1
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    Dust collection on circular saws with EZ system

    Hello all!

    I plan on getting my first circular saw (7 1/2") soon and need some advice. I had planned on getting the Festool TS55 until I read up on the EZ system. Now I think I will go with that. Here are my requirements.

    1) I am a VERY occasional woodworker without a dedicated workshop. I have to pull my cars out of my garage just to set ANYTHING up to work. (It's why I have chosen the EZ over the Festool system)
    2) Of course able to work with the EZ system.
    3) I will be working with MDF in the future so dust collection is a must.
    4) As with anyone price is a factor. I need to keep it under $200 just for the saw.

    I know the forum favorites seem to be the Hilti, PC Mag, Worx. Has anyone used a couple of these and able to comment on their dust collection? Are their better options? Festool is renown for their DC systems. Do any of these compare in that regard?

    Thanks for all the advice!

  2. #2
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    I use the PC MAG with my EZ setup and am very happy with the dust collection. I can do a lot of cutting and have very little mess to clean up after I finish. I've found that the PC is a comfortable saw to use and has plenty of power for my needs.

    I have the Porter Cable hose that adapts my HEPA filter equipped Shop Vac's 2 - 1/2" hose to my PC MAG dust hose connection. Eurekazone has a dust shield that they include with their system that you mount on your saw for additional dust collection efficiency. It works great.

    My shop area is similar to yours and all has to be portable enough for me to pull my van inside during bad weather. For me the EZ has been a huge help in that regard, and it lets me cut wood without the need for a lot of shop cleanup after I'm done.
    Don

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Van Voorhis View Post
    Hello all!

    I plan on getting my first circular saw (7 1/2") soon and need some advice. I had planned on getting the Festool TS55 until I read up on the EZ system. Now I think I will go with that. Here are my requirements.

    1) I am a VERY occasional woodworker without a dedicated workshop. I have to pull my cars out of my garage just to set ANYTHING up to work. (It's why I have chosen the EZ over the Festool system)
    2) Of course able to work with the EZ system.
    3) I will be working with MDF in the future so dust collection is a must.
    4) As with anyone price is a factor. I need to keep it under $200 just for the saw.

    I know the forum favorites seem to be the Hilti, PC Mag, Worx. Has anyone used a couple of these and able to comment on their dust collection? Are their better options? Festool is renown for their DC systems. Do any of these compare in that regard?

    Thanks for all the advice!
    First of all, I would recommend you ask this on the EZ forum in the manufacturer's section of Sawmill Creek. But to address your questions, dust collection with a circular saw isn't that difficult. With your limit of under $200 though, you'll have to eliminate the Hilti 267. That's what I have and it's an amazing saw. And with a very minor modification the DC is excellent. All you do is add a clear plastic strip to act as a shield at the front of the blade guard. You can do this modification to any CS that has a dust port though. It's supposed to be very effective on the PC saw too.

    I don't know if the DC with my Hilti is as good as with that green saw or not. But my shop vac sucks up so much of the dust that there really isn't too much room for improvement. If mine sucks up 90% or more of the dust does the green saw suck up 100%? Nope. Ask these questions on the EZ forum and you'll get a lot of help.

    I'm sure you'll be very satisfied with your choice of the EZ Smart. It's an amazing line of tools that is continuing to get better and smarter all the time. There's nothing else like it in the tool world that I know of.

    Bruce

  4. #4
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    Dino claims the dust collection on his Bosch Wormdrive is better than any saw, that is of course with a few mods.

    The dust collection with my Hilti 267 is pretty good.

  5. #5
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    To get decent MDF collection, you MUST have some kind of separator to prevent the vacuum filter from clogging up with that sticky MDF dust. I use a clearvue minicyclone with a PC MAG circular saw although I'd like to replace it with a Festool ATF someday so I can get completely chip-free cuts in conjunction with the eurekazone cabinetmaker. You still will not get 100% but maybe around 80-90%.

  6. #6
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    I have a seperator I made out of a 5 gallon bucket, lid, and 2 90 degree pvc elbows, and it is very effective. I was suppriesd the first time opening it up after ripping about 20 linear feet of 2x pine, to find it was more than 1/4 full.

  7. #7
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    Think about future projects! Are you right handed or Left handed? Are you looking at (currently), just the EZ guide rail setup, or a Bridge setup?

    The reasons I say these is 1. Different saws have different depths and not all have brakes. 2. Fewer left bladed saw choices 3. As for the Bridge, EZ system, while a brake is nice, you can do with a longer rail (just wait for it to stop), so that may or may not be a factor.

    I was happy with the Bosch CS20 (early dust collector adopter), and it did a good job, so I am sure the Worx would to (similar setup). If you go the PC (mine currently is the left blade/left dominant), get the one with the brake. But there are those who do cut thicker stuff and start out with an 8 1/4" saw, and do their own dust mods.

  8. #8
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    Thanks for all the replies people!

    Quote Originally Posted by Randal Stevenson View Post
    Think about future projects! Are you right handed or Left handed? Are you looking at (currently), just the EZ guide rail setup, or a Bridge setup?
    1. Right handed. So I was looking for a right bladed saw, right?

    2. I was only looking at the rail system and not the bridge. Since I woodwork so infrequently the bridge is overkill for my planned future projects.

    3. While a brake is nice, I did not think it was a requirement on the rail system.


    I did not post in the EZ sub-forum at first because my question was primarily about dust collection and not about EZ System synergy.

    So I guess the Hilti 267 is more than $200. What about the Hilti 167? Does that have DC? I am assuming that it would be cheaper as well.
    BE ALERT! The world needs more lerts.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Van Voorhis View Post
    Thanks for all the replies people!



    1. Right handed. So I was looking for a right bladed saw, right?

    2. I was only looking at the rail system and not the bridge. Since I woodwork so infrequently the bridge is overkill for my planned future projects.

    3. While a brake is nice, I did not think it was a requirement on the rail system.


    I did not post in the EZ sub-forum at first because my question was primarily about dust collection and not about EZ System synergy.

    So I guess the Hilti 267 is more than $200. What about the Hilti 167? Does that have DC? I am assuming that it would be cheaper as well.
    1. Correct, and Dino has posted that either will work fine on a Bridge (for FUTURE reference) Because 2. May eventually happen (but not for some time).
    3. NOT A REQUIREMENT, but a usefull item. If you read through some of EZ's posts, you will see people chipping the white antichip edges, from running close to the very end of the guide, and pulling the saw off of it to avoid things like woodburn, and they chip the edge from the running blade. That is one more reason to either use a brake, go for the longer (114") rail setup, or buy extra antichip edges.
    With the dust mods, Bosch CS series, Worx, and Porter Cable (shield and exhaust), should all be fine.
    As for the 167, it costs more, has less depth of cut and doesn't have the built in dust collection of the Porter Cable.

    Don't be afraid to look at refurbised saws from Porter Cables site, they run sales on them.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Randal Stevenson View Post
    Don't be afraid to look at refurbised saws from Porter Cables site, they run sales on them.
    I didn't know that!

    Thanks for all the help people. Keep it coming!
    BE ALERT! The world needs more lerts.

  11. #11
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    I just purchased the PC325MAG reconditioned. I was tempted to the Festool but couldn't justify the cost from how little woodworking I do. It sound like it should fill my needs nicely with my upcoming EZ system purchase.

    Is all that is required for the 325mag is that plastic shield around the blade?
    BE ALERT! The world needs more lerts.

  12. #12
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    My 325Mag dust collection is very good after adding a shield. At least 95% effective hooked to a Fein Turbo II.

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=56246

  13. #13
    Help me understand something about, "Shop vacs". I have an old Craftsman jumbo sized vac that could suck-start a Harley. I equipped it with a super fine point something something micron filter. I use one of those vac start switches from Craftsman. So my question is, how is the Fein and Festool vacs better at sucking? I'm not trying to be argumentative here at all. But other than possibly lasting longer and certainly looking better, how do they perform better? Do they suck harder? Do they filter better than mine with that special filter? I'm not saying that they don't do any of these things better, I'm just curious if they do, or do they just cost a lot more and look better? I'm not in the position to replace mine any time soon but when I do I plan to get the best bang for my buck.

    Bruce

  14. #14
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    I have a 7 year old Ridgid which looks like a classic shop vac--big round tank, motor on top, small casters, etc. and a Festool CT22. The suction of the two seems about the same. The Festool is considerably quieter, has the switch built in (less stuff to haul around/put away) and has a Hepa filter, which you could probably get for the Shop-Vac. I have a Cleanstream filter on the Ridgid--not sure if that is a hepa filter. Per "Uncle Bob" I'm fine sanding drywall with the Festool. I believe there is a warning against doing so in the manual for the shop vac and I know I've read stories about how shop vacs send the fine dust all over making a bigger mess than they clean up with standard filters. The Festool uses a bag like a house vacuum, at least like house vacuums used to use. Costs a little extra, but much less messy to empty. I don't even empty my shop-vac in the shop. The Festool is easier to move around because it doesn't tip over when I try to pull it over a cord or the big expansion joint that runs right through the center of my shop. The big wheels on the back make it easy to pull it through the yard to the house and up the deck steps when I need to use it in the house. The Festool hoses are way better than anything Ridgid or Shop-Vac sell. They would fit the shop vac too. Mine fits my Festool sander, my Porter-Cable tools (sander, circular saw, and biscuit joiner), and my Dewalt router with no adapters. I had a cobbled up, stiff Shop Vac hose to do that before the Festool.

    I've kept both because I still use the shop vac for "dirty" jobs and for wet jobs.
    Last edited by Matt Meiser; 08-08-2007 at 11:53 AM.

  15. #15
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    2 words - bypass cooling.

    The air used to cool the vac motor on the Fein (and the Festool as far as I know) is sucked from fresh air as opposed to using the air sucked through the vac hose to cool the motor. Result is better cooling, longer motor life, motor cooling even if hose is completely plugged up.

    Matt hit the other points: noise level, better hoses, built in auto switches, filtering...

    Cheers

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