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Thread: Festool CT Cyclone Dust Collection Pre-Separator

  1. #1
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    Festool CT Cyclone Dust Collection Pre-Separator

    Does anyone have early experience with the Pre-Separator?
    https://www.festoolusa.com/products/...083---ct-va-20

    Looks like the separatioin is more of a baffle design, so would be interesting how it compares to Oneida's cyclone separator.


    Matt

  2. #2
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    There has been a good bit of discussion at FOG but mostly speculation. Peter Parfitt has done a couple of videos including a separation test.



    He also did one with the CT SYS.

    My personal take on the whole thing from the outside is the UDD is probably a better solution for a mainly static installation (see what I did there?) in a shop and the Festool a better solution for the mobile guys.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  3. #3
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    Don Ware at Anderson Plywood did a great job showing what it did with 25 lbs of saw dust and cut a bag open to show what actually made it through. It does a very good job of pre-separation.

    EDIT: You Tube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=LeihbzUhKlU

    The killer for me is price. I would need to use 39 bags before I broke even and at my usage, that's a long long time.
    Last edited by Dick Mahany; 09-20-2018 at 11:52 AM.
    Dick Mahany.

  4. #4
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    It's only recently been released, so there may not be a lot of actual hands-on write-ups yet. I suspect it will do what it's supposed to do, however, and be really nice for folks who pick up a lot of debris as opposed to primarily extracting sanding dust in that it should extend bag life considerably.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
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    I have a CT26 that I use with a sander and my scroll saw. I find the bags last a long time for me. It would be difficult to justify. If I used it with a router or saw, it might be worth it. That is, the value will depend greatly on your use.

  6. #6
    I saw it in a Woodcraft flyer that arrived yesterday and it reminded me of a debate taking place on FOG several years ago regarding using the Oneida stackable cyclone for the Festool vac and if that voided the Festool warranty. The issue came to light when a Festool vac owner said the circuit board on his vac blew. Someone made a claim that because he had the Oneida inserted in between the Festool tool and vac, that voided the warranty.

    This was a pretty heated thread.

    But the issue was regarding static and that static was probably what fried that circuit board. Festool mods said their systems are designed to ground static and thus protect the circuit board. You can imagine how that went.

    So yesterday I see the Festool answer to Oneida's cyclone. Lots of plastic in there. But I guess Festool plastic conducts static electricity.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post
    I saw it in a Woodcraft flyer that arrived yesterday and it reminded me of a debate taking place on FOG several years ago regarding using the Oneida stackable cyclone for the Festool vac and if that voided the Festool warranty. The issue came to light when a Festool vac owner said the circuit board on his vac blew. Someone made a claim that because he had the Oneida inserted in between the Festool tool and vac, that voided the warranty.

    This was a pretty heated thread.

    But the issue was regarding static and that static was probably what fried that circuit board. Festool mods said their systems are designed to ground static and thus protect the circuit board. You can imagine how that went.

    So yesterday I see the Festool answer to Oneida's cyclone. Lots of plastic in there. But I guess Festool plastic conducts static electricity.
    "UDD is probably a better solution for a mainly static installation (see what I did there?)"

    ^ that is what I was referencing but it turns out there was indeed an issue. Once Oneida issued the grounding straps to UDD owners and changed the new UDD to a static conductive resin (yes there is such a thing https://www.oneida-air.com/static.as...tance-faq.html ) all the reports of friend circuit boards disappeared.

    Turns out the Festool engineers are not as silly as they looked on the surface. This all illustrates a trait shared by many German, Austrian and Swiss engineers in that they wonderfully design a product but it is optimized to be used in the manner they specify and with the associated components they specify. This is often at odds with the American (and other countries) consumers spirit of innovation which leads us to naturally modify things and mix and match parts. I imagine being forced to watch MacGyver reruns would be mild to moderate torture for Teutonic engineers.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Van Huskey View Post
    Turns out the Festool engineers are not as silly as they looked on the surface. This all illustrates a trait shared by many German, Austrian and Swiss engineers in that they wonderfully design a product but it is optimized to be used in the manner they specify and with the associated components they specify.
    As an engineer who has occasion to work with German engineers....this is painful, painful, true


    It seems like the separator is really intended for drywall dust. The pictures on Festool's website seem to confirm this. Makes sense - drywall dust clogs bags very quickly. I don't get why people are making so much drywall dust to begin with, though. Much easier to scrape wet mud flat than sand dry mud flat. Who is putting gallons of mud onto walls then sanding so much of it off that they need to preseparate to keep their vac from plugging up?

    (For that matter, who needs that $750 Festool drywall sander-on-a-pole? Seems like Festool is building a product line for people who are really bad at finishing drywall?)

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Friedrichs View Post
    As an engineer who has occasion to work with German engineers....this is painful, painful, true



    (For that matter, who needs that $750 Festool drywall sander-on-a-pole? Seems like Festool is building a product line for people who are really bad at finishing drywall?)

    Ha, both comments are great Dan, yeah really bad at finishing drywall, sounds like me.

    I don't have the Festool sander, however I did go and buy the Midi last weekend, Diann can lift it so all is well again.......Rod.

  10. #10
    Glad you got a Midi, Rod! I ended up selling my Mini for more than I paid for it 3 years ago (I guess Festool price increases outpace inflation by a good bit!), and my wife used the Ct-26 to clean her car this weekend. She declared it "really nice"

  11. #11
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    They also make conductive rubber tires and hoses which are required for carts hauling liquid hydrogen around. I think they also drag a ground strap on the floor as well. You do not want static to build up and spark into hydrogen!
    Bill D.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    You do not want static to build up and spark into hydrogen!
    Bill D.
    But it is such a pretty blue flame!
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Friedrichs View Post
    Who is putting gallons of mud onto walls then sanding so much of it off that they need to preseparate to keep their vac from plugging up?
    Amateurs who watch HGTV for tips.

    That Mike guy (big guy with blond hair) who used to be the fix-it superstar, was doing a walkthru in a new house. Some tapers were at work - bazooka, flat box, inside and outside corner rollers - standard tools for professional tapers. Big Mike says, "Wow! I've never seen anything like that."
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  14. #14
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    While good drywall finishers will leave a minimum of sanding there is still sanding to do. Traditionally with a pole sander but more and more are moving to powered sanders and HEPA vacs because they are fast and save the lungs. The issue that some are missing is even with only a little mud to sand off bags do fill up and bags cost money. A drywall finishing crew running a Festool vac would cover the cost of the CT cyclone in short order.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

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