Questions about Festool Dust Extractor

[Keith Webster]

I was wondering if anyone had the the festool dust extractor Model CT 33 E Hepa. I am needing to purchase a better dust collector and this one seems like it might do the job. But will it handle dust from my table saw or planner? I would like to purchase a Oneida system but can't have both because of the cost. Any input would help. Thanks

[Joe Spear]

The Festool works great for the circular saw, router, and sander. But the 1" diameter hose would not work on a tablesaw and certainly not a planer. Number one, the hose would clog, and, number two, collection is into a paper filter bag, which would fill up really fast. I think there may be a larger diameter hose available (I have the smaller one), but even that would not be adequate for a tablesaw or planer.

[Keith Webster]

So....do you think that aan Oneida system would be better and I could hook my small tools along with the big tools to it? The reason I am asking these questions is that I have seen the Festool Domino with the dust extractor on sale for just around $1100.00. Yes I get a Domino with that but I still will have a bad dust problem in my shop. I do have a air cleaner hung from the ceiling which helps a lot but I am only using a 6 gallon shop vac for my DC.

[Paul Johnstone]

If it were me, I'd buy a good dust collector before buying the domino. Read Bill Penz site. This is your health we are talking about here. That's more important than getting a domino, IMO of course.

Yes, the domino has special intro pricing right now, but considering how much it costs, it's not that big of a deal to wait and then pay $40 more later (or whatever the increase is).

I have the medium festool vac, the CT22 and it is fine for small power tools. You might want to save some money and get the 22 instead of the 33. Also, you can buy a HEPA filter for a regular shopvac for about $30. It's not as nice as a Fein/Festool vac, but it will save money.

So, I'd a big dust collector first (for your planer and tablesaw).

[Pete Brown]

I was wondering if anyone had the the festool dust extractor Model CT 33 E Hepa. I am needing to purchase a better dust collector and this one seems like it might do the job. But will it handle dust from my table saw or planner? I would like to purchase a Oneida system but can't have both because of the cost. Any input would help. Thanks

I just purchased the CT 33 E Hepa. So far it looks to be a great unit for extraction with small tools, although I have barely used it (just received this week). I might even consider hooking it up to my spindle sander, but I haven't evaluated that yet.

I also have an Oneida cyclone (see the "Small Shop Tour" thread) The cyclone is excellent for the jointer, planer, router and tablesaw and good for the bandsaw. I would not hook a shop vac or Festool vac to any of those tools as (as others pointed out) the hose would clog and the bag would fill up way too quickly. I also don't think it could keep up the CFM to properly service those tools.

I agree with others that the intro pricing on the Domino is not, in and of itself, sufficient to make you have to buy it now. Given a choice, get a good DC now and save for the other tools later.

Pete

[Ted Miller]

Keith, I have the CT 22 DC from Festool and I use it with all my small power tools and it works fine. Used with the Domino and the CT picks up 99% of the dust and chips. The CT will not move the volume of air you need for larger tools like a TS, Jointer, SCMS and the like...

[Frank Martin]

Keith,

I have the Festool vac and a lot of their tools and they do work. However, a vacuum is not the appropriate tool for collecting dust from large machinery (i.e., higher volume). For health reasons, I would say, absolutely go with a good dust collector.

However, this is not to say that you don't need a vacuum. Because you do, especially tasks like sanding, sawing with a circular saw, and may be routing if you have a router with a decent dust hook up.

I have a small dust collector and about to upgrade to a cyclone in the near future. Need to decide which one...

So....do you think that aan Oneida system would be better and I could hook my small tools along with the big tools to it? The reason I am asking these questions is that I have seen the Festool Domino with the dust extractor on sale for just around $1100.00. Yes I get a Domino with that but I still will have a bad dust problem in my shop. I do have a air cleaner hung from the ceiling which helps a lot but I am only using a 6 gallon shop vac for my DC.

[Jim Becker]

Rule of thumb...vac is best for small tools where the amount of air to be moved is small ("tiny" port and hose) and the static pressure is high. Dust collectors are best for when the amount of air to be moved is high in volume (large port and duct) and the static pressure is lower. While you can do a little crossover in a pinch, it's best to use the right appliance for the job at hand.