850 planer bench unit extension table

[Holzhacker]

So I got the 850 last week, picked up the bench unit the other day and have it all assembled. I like it and am thinking the 850 may spend a fair amount of time in the bench unit. I have a bad habit of turning my planer upside down cradling it in my arm and planing off scribe lines that way so I can see them.
Has anyone made an extension in/out feed table for the 850? I thinking about a U shaped wood assembly, extends maybe a foot at the most past each end. The 850 would sit in the void of the 'U'. I also have an old metal Skil router table I don't use. Thinking of cutting a crevice out of it to slide the 850/bench unit into.
Any thoughts or pics would be great. Thanks, Markus

 

[jmbfestool]

I do the same with mine i don't really use it as a hand planer i always leave it setup in the bench really handy nice planer just to heavy to use free hand i think. I use my 65 ehl free hand. I think they make a bench thing for the 65 but don't see the point.

Jmb

 

[clintholeman]

I made in and out feed tables for mine and used them a couple of times, but they take up do much room and are a PITA and now just use the bench top without the tables.

A little practice is all it takes. ;D

 

[Foghat]

I am really frustrated trying to find an bench unit. I'm told the whole country is sold out of them (I know they've recently been discontinued).
Why did Festool take away, a unique and practical accessory to make it's product more versatile and useful. Planers aren't the highest used tools in one's arsenal, I would guess, so having another use for it, makes it more useful by far.
Is there any chance, given the fact they were so popular they sold out, that they'll make them again?
Pleeeeeeeeese????

 

[peter halle]

I don't think that they were very popular and that is the reason that they stopped importing them.

You might want to try posting a "wanted" thread in the classified area.  I suspect that there are members here who have one and rarely use it.

Peter

 

[Kodi Crescent]

I am really frustrated trying to find an bench unit. I'm told the whole country is sold out of them (I know they've recently been discontinued).
Why did Festool take away, a unique and practical accessory to make it's product more versatile and useful. Planers aren't the highest used tools in one's arsenal, I would guess, so having another use for it, makes it more useful by far.
Is there any chance, given the fact they were so popular they sold out, that they'll make them again?
Pleeeeeeeeese????

Perhaps Festool discontinued them to make more room for all those Imperial tools they're going to sell!  [cool]

The thought of cradling the planer in your arms upside down to scribe really has me feeling a bit nauseous...it sounds fairly dangerous, with a serious consequence if you make an error.  This accessory sounds like a necessary safety enhancement, and now I'm a bit more disappointed that it's been discontinued.

Perhaps they could have stocked a small number of them, along with some metric tools that could be purchased on request.  I assume that this is built in Europe.  Does Festool not have the capacity to special order items, with the buyer's understanding that it won't be arriving?  Are each of the shipping containers from overseas completely packed to capacity?  I know that adding one offs can disrupt the planned container content dimensions...perhaps someone can special order them from the Headquarters and pay whatever to ship it?

I have one, and while I don't use it often, it is fairly valuable to me as a makeshift jointer bed.  And now that I read about your method, and think about some unintended consequences of using it in this manner, I'm more inclined to keep it. 

This suggestion may be "verboten"...perhaps one of the kind dealers in other parts of the world will sell you one (on the QT of course)?

 

[aloysius]

I think I'd personally find extension tables a bit of a chore to use.  The outfeed would be OK, but the infeed would need to be realigned to the planer's toe after each & every adjustment. 

What is the "bench unit"?  Are you referring to the basic inversion stand?  If it's been discontinued, then make your own!  It appears superficially to be the simplest, most basic form of light gauge pressed steel wings on a simple aluminium extrusion.  A few basic measurements with callipers, a plank of wood and some scrap steel bent in a vice and a couple strategically placed & drilled short & long metric bolts & a nut is just about all you need.  You could make a spring loaded blade guard as per the original with a lightweight spring, a triangle of plastic and a dab of ingenuity too. Maybe a good rainy day job.

I have a couple of small convertible "under & over" planer/thicknesser attachments for some of my other planers too:  Metabo & AEG.  The former does about 80 mm square, & the latter 100 wide by 90 thick, or enough for hardwood studs.  The Germans had quite a fancy for these simple thicknesser attachments for a while, with both Bosch & Elu marketing them also.  I suspect there was really only one actual maker, as they all seem superficially similar except for the machine mounting points.  The major difference is with the AEG/Atlas Copco attachment, with its slightly greater capacity.  They come up second hand in Germany on all the usual sites.

In comparison, the Festo inversion stand is pretty basic & crude in a good way, in that it should be easily reproduced by someone with even limited material and tool availability and hand tool skills.  I'd recommend still buying the Festo "long fence", however, as this represents an accurate and easily adjusted full length true right angle to the sole.  This should be accurate enough to produce tried and true faces (but not parallel of course) in short workpieces.  Ideal for modelling in fact, which is what I use mine for.

 

[Acrobat]

Holzhacker,
I bought the table setup for the 850 planer, and I made a small adjustable infeed add on for it and the whole thing is secured to a cms type plate which sits in the cms when required. I use it far more than I ever thought I would, and it basically stays set up upside down and I can take the whole setup with me if required as its compact and light enough to put in the wagon with me. The little infeed has an adjustable height which is easily set to the shoe height of the 850 with a flat edge. Only made of MDF and I may end up making a larger longer version at some stage but it's been incredibly useful so far and the planer gives a great finish.
I am sure I had put some better pics of it up but here's an old link describing this and other cms modules people have made.....http://festoolownersgroup.com/festo...dules-belt-sander-jigsaw/msg452293/#msg452293

 

[Acrobat]

Here's a couple of better pics