Another - new to Festool

[jkristia]

I just found this group after doing some searching for Festool.

I have often looked at Festool tools, but stayed away from it because it was just too expensive for a weekend worrier like me. I guess my wife had noticed, so for Christmas I received a ETS 150/3 sander, and the very next day I went out and spend my next year tool budget on a CT 26. I hope to get a lot of dust free sanding out of this combination for the next many years, and who knows, down the road my existing tools might slowly be replaced with Festools.

Jesper

 

[ajones]

Jesper great combination..

 

[peter halle]

Jesper,

[welcome] to the World of Festool and  [welcome] to the FOG!

You have indeed picked up a great combination! 

Peter

 

[Kev]

Welcome to the slippery slope  [big grin]

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Yep, you are on the slope for sure.  Once you get used to dust free sanding, you're going to start wanting the dust free saw and the dust free router! [scared]

But its a good slope, your lungs will thank you and woodworking will be lots more fun than before!

 

[dltflt]

Welcome to FOG.
Your tool budget will need to be increased.  The more you use these tools the more tools you want.

 

[ccarrolladams]

Please let me add my own  [welcome] to the Green World of Festool and   [welcome] to The FOG!

Your wife has a keen tool sense, because your ETS150/3 is a very useful finish sander, which can be effective with coarse abrasives when you need to remove more material. You will find that your CT26 is the ideal companion to your sander, and every other Festool needing dust extraction.

Now that you have your CT, consider as a future purchase the combo of a plunge saw such as the TS55 with a MFT/3 set. This combo entitles you to a special discount.

While it is true you might not be earning a living with Festools, for the non-pro the Festool quality increases the pleasure of woodworking.

 

[semenza]

Hi Jesper,

Welcome to the FOG !  [smile]

I am curious as to wether or not you have actually used the sander / vac, and what your first impressions are?

Seth

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Hi Jesper,

Welcome...as others have a said, that is a great combination to start with and sanders are probably the most used tools as most projects require some kind of sanding and the ETS 150/3 is a great choice.  Very, very smooth and it leaves a great finish.  Add a hard pad and you are good to go for flat surfaces and crisp edges.

Scot

 

[jkristia]

Thank you all.

>>I am curious as to wether or not you have actually used the sander / vac, and what your first impressions are?

I tried it out in the store before I bought the vacuum, and at first I thought the vacuum didn't turn on, that is how silent the vaccum is. I'm used to my Rigid shop vac and Dewalt sander and a whole lot of dust when done.
When I came home I played with it a little, finished sanding some shelves I had been working on, but only to 150 grit as they will be painted, and again I was impressed with the dust collection, pretty much zero dust, and you dont need earplugs while sanding.

Jesper

 

[mdog114]

I'm a new Festool guy myself, and also started with a sander.  They really seem to deliver the goods when it comes to performance.

 

[andy5405]

We all refer to the Festool thing as an addiction in a jokey kinda way but it is actually that for many. I had a big spend in the spring of this year and have managed to be very good till recently. I foolishly (depending which way you look at it) bought an MFT top and some rail dogs recently  and will be building my own base as I am too skint to get the full blown MFT at the moment. I thought the TS55 was Festool's real game changer when I got it but despite only using the top resting on trestles at the moment I can already see that it's going to be as significant in changing how I work as the TS55 has been. The problem now is that I want loads of accessories and I have no money.

I hate the analogy that I have used before on here as I hate drug use but I saw Festool referred to on another forum as "crack cocaine for chippies". It is so apt as you just can't get enough of it and will give up on all sorts of other things to get your next fix. The plus side is that you get to enjoy your work so much more and do it better and faster. 

 

[sancho57]

stay away from thesaw and the  routers, once you experiance dust free sawing and routing you'll be hocking yer car to pick up a  MFT with a TS55, then rout dust free using a ten ten or 1400 with accessories then you'll end up living at the YMCA like me

 

[agehall]

Andy, I think you miss out on a very important part of the MFT, the base! The surface top is nice, but the real treat is the base with the T-rails where a lot of clever attachments can be made.

 

[SteveC]

Welcome !
Using Festools to shorten the "Honey Do" list would certainly guarantee and increase in your green tool inventory.

 

[andy5405]

Andy, I think you miss out on a very important part of the MFT, the base! The surface top is nice, but the real treat is the base with the T-rails where a lot of clever attachments can be made.

Trust me when I say I would love to have the base but I just can't afford an MFT at the moment so my current solution will have to do.

 

[woodwreck]

No one has mentioned, but the noise level - not just volume, but racket, chatter, etc. of the other brands (plural and each different) sanders threatened me with great bodily harm by the better half.

Got rid of 2 or 3 varied and then found after watching video of how well the 150 took a rough board to a piece of glass finish sold me and went on to several more.

 

[fdengel]

Andy, I think you miss out on a very important part of the MFT, the base! The surface top is nice, but the real treat is the base with the T-rails where a lot of clever attachments can be made.

Do the Festool accessories/attachments fit a "normal" T-track like you can pick up at the hardware stores?

Just find the right vertical position and screw a few of them into the sides of a bench/table...?

 

[peter halle]

The Festool extrusions on the sides of the MFT/3 have two different areas:  first, the vee slot on top, and secondly a modified t-slot at the bottom.  The modified t-slot does take standard toilet flange bolts for mounting your own accessories, but I don't think that you will find two many off the shelf non- Festool items that will be of use.

Peter

 

[Peter Durand]

You will never look back. My first Festool was a sander/vac combo. I am now on my 8th tool and am happy with every one.