After a weekend of using my take on inexpensive dust collection for some longer cuts than I’ve previously done (a “Bucket Head” shop vac and a second bucket w/ an arrangement of PVC piping to make it into a cyclone), I broke down and drank the green Koolaid:
Debated on a Fein Turbo and the smaller Festool, but decided the all-in-one assembled unit and the extra mass at the base was worth it. (Now watch, Oneida will make a unit which is an enclosure for a Fein Turbo 1).
Hopefully everything will arrive by Friday and I can use it this weekend.
OoooOooo fun stuff… green koolaid indeed. I use one of Oneida’s super dust deputies in my full shop and it’s amazing. 99% of dust is an understatement.
Awesome. I just bought that Festool and I love it. I didn’t know about this attachment. Update here when you get it together and let me know if I should spring for it!
FWIW, I’m a little concerned about recommending it — from the reviews, apparently even in the new 3rd version the molding for the connectors isn’t quite right, and one is supposed to fix it with a file, and there’s a concern about connectivity for grounding, and there’s the whole “3rd party attachments invalidate the warranty” thing.
Yes, I saw the review about the hose length on Amazon. Doesn’t sound too promising but I like the idea. If it’s not an absolutely stable connection, I’ll have to pass. I’ll wait for your review.
Being a Fein Turbo I owner I’m curious to see your review. I’ve seen the Festool stuff at my local Rockler store and I have to say it looks pretty sweet. I was on the fence on buying another Fein or maybe even the Festool for around the shop use, but finally dove in whole hog and bought a full dust collector and piped it around my shop,…now I don’t have to disconnect any hoses, just open gates for each machine as I go, and I even have a couple long hoses attached for when I need to just vacuum something up, or roll my table saw or small sanders out. Added a ceiling hung air purifier as well to keep the un caught dust from settling on my motorcycle!
Not off to an auspicious start. The Festool was delayed (hoping it will arrive today) and the Oneida Dust Deputy had some issues with the molding (it has a lid w/ inset metal nuts) where the nuts are not placed in an even hexagon pattern — they really should have made a larger base on the cyclone w/ larger holes and washers. Do appreciate the fact that they went to the effort to mold the lid so that there’s no exposed hardware (the nuts are inset from the top).
The anti-static stuff is interesting and there are extensive notes on static-control (and apparently a bit of controversy where Oneida was initially granted testing and approval by Festool which was retracted when the static issue came up (since addressed in the newer kits)).
Green koolaid indeed. The entire “dust collection static problem” conversation inspires a similar vitriol to asking if a plane on a treadmill can take off. There be dragons here.
I had issues with the attachments between the midi and the dust deputy, but a few minutes with a file sorted it out. I really dislike having to do such adjustments on a fairly pricey product, but I have no other complaints. It works incredibly well, and you can stand next to it at full blast and still comfortably have a conversation. Though that’s really down to the Festool more than the DD. Still, I haven’t replaced a filter since I got it.
assembled the Festool to the Ultimate Dust Deputy properly
added a hose clamp to the Festool hose attached to the cyclone and mounted that so the right angle is vertical
managed to get the Festool hose connected to the 1 1/4" shop vac extension wand I use on my dust shoe by removing the connector, packing the corrugation w/ a small length of cord (wasn’t feeling patient enough to dig out a hot glue gun and warm it up), and screwing that into a 1" PVC pipe right angle (after adding a bit of metal tape to it)
I’ve thought about getting the oneida add on as well for my CT26 but figure I won’t benefit enough since I only use my vac for sanding primarily and maybe use my domino every so often with it. Awesome vacs though, can barely even hear them running. When I first got it I had to really get right by it when I turned the sander on because I couldn’t hear it but I could really hear the suction out of the vacuum ports in the bottom of the sander. I love the green koolaid
Cyclonic separators are neat but I only ever considered adding one to my system once I was using my vac with my jointer and planer (huge chip producers).
Until then I just used the disposable bags, which last a long, long time when used with tools like saws and routers.
The disposable bags also keep your filter clean. That talc that makes it beyond the separator will be captured by the bag.
I also find a bag helpful, even when using my separator, because on occasion I overfill my 30-gallon drum. Typically when planing and I forgot to check my level in my drum before starting. By the time I remember, I’ve typically sent a gallon or two of chips through to the vac.
Yes, it is adjustable speed, and running it at the slowest speed seems to provide plenty of suction. Hopefully the transparent tubing will show up soon and work out well.
Bags FTW. I use the reusable variety to cut down on consumable costs… No need for a separator when the chips are so small as those created on a CNC… Out on a planer or a large volume producer like a table saw it’s another story.
Used some metal foil tape to cover everything over and marry things up, and was able to use my previous dust shoe version, but have drawn up a new one to cut out.
Green koolaid indeed. The entire “dust collection static problem” conversation inspires a similar vitriol to asking if a plane on a treadmill can take off. There be dragons here.
