CXS on set...

[GhostFist]

Alright the first test for my new CXS is about to begin. Just to recap on the type of construction I'm doing right now, I build movie sets. My current film is an upcoming David Cronenberg picture, and the first test for the new tool will be tonight as i'm slated to be an on set carpenter. What this means is that I manipulate and modify an already built set according to the preferences of the Director of Photography and Director. I could be wrong on this call but the set i'm slated to work on is one that i built and is meant to look like a concrete barrier/foundation for a chainlink fence surrounding a basketball court. The barrier is approx 2' high and 19" wide at the base tapering to 12 1/4" at the top. It's built in 11' sections assembled and scribed to the ground then parged with concrete to make it look solid. All sections are made with 3/4" ply and are heavy enough without the concrete but you should get the picture, this thing is going to be weighty. So what the hell will I be doing with my CXS?? who knows really as the director could love working with what he has and minimal alterations will need to be made. I could have to tear the whole thing apart and rebuild it in a new configuration at a whim. I may end up standing by and assisting set decorators and special effects for the night, which could go as long as 20 hours straight.

Anyways the drill should meet most of my demands with the exception of the odd two inch hole I may have to drill for running cable (my crappy makita will have to do the job there) I expect it's light weight and belt clip to be an asset as I can have the drill on my person all night without it destroying my hips, I'm hoping the light is good enough to operate in almost pitch black conditions, the right angle chuck could also be a huge asset for a rapid fix without fumbling around and i hope I can run all night without changing the battery.

Anyway after my shift I'll post my impressions of the tool in action and give my likes and dislikes on it. I'll tell you right now I'm not too fond of the locking bit extender for the centrotec chuck, I plan on using magnetic bits and perhaps the jacobs with a longer quick change bit is this $35 thingy fails me.

that's it for now see you in the funny pictures

 

[GhostFist]

Ha, well that was a totally BS call. Not standby and not what I was expecting, none the less there was one test for the CXS and this is how it went down. We were pretty much rearranging sections of phony sidewalk. the sections were 4' x 12' x 4" high joined together by lengths of 2x4 some bone head attached by burying and stripping #10 3" robbies. The CXS you can tell wasn't meant for this kind of work but it can do it if you absolutely need. Started on the first screw on the 12th torque setting and on the second speed, she'd have none of it. Wouldn't pull the screw a quarter turn before just shutting down. Reset it in the first speed and out it came, got the knack on speeding things up by switching back into second as you start to see the thread of the screw and they'd pop out smooth and easy. That's not to say that this didn't really work the drill it started to heat up fairly quickly but I managed to pull about 80 screws until running the 18v instead.

The 18v makita (1.5amp battery) had the added torque needed to do the job quickly BUT I had to change the battery after 30 or so screws. Go figure. 1.5 amp batts on an 18v drill just isn't for professional work but I was aware of this when I got the bargain bugger as it's just to hold me out until the new bigger FESTOOL's are available.

CXS is obviously purpose built for instalation and smaller bench jobs but there is alot of torque in there, not to mention it's bloody smooth. The ergonomics of the little guy have me second guessing buying a T-18 and perhaps going for a C-15 instead. I'll need to look at some torque and speed comparisons but I love holding that guy, you can really get behind the thing. In the future I'll stick to using the CXS for more of what it was intended for, assembly and the like. For the record, another carp was pulling the same screws with a Bosch P20 and it wouldn't pull a single screw.

On a side note, this is my first Festool drill and it seems to be the first drill I've owned where the clutch and gearing actually works. In tests at home i could get it so that it would sing different screws at different length perfectly flush to the surface without a pilot hole. Every other driver i own is pretty much kept on the highest setting and i tend to pulse the screw home.

Anyways, would like to hear thoughts on the C15 vs the T-18. because that C handle design is really sweet but I'm not after buying another drill if it's not going to hold up to everyone else.

 

[PaulMarcel]

Well, happy you liked the CXS, but moreso, I'd love to see pictures of some of these sets you put together.  Of course it is all temporary, but seems like building a 'sidewalk' or 'brick fence' etc out of ply, MDF, duct tape, and maybe some barbed wire still sounds intriguing.

 

[Alan m]

id like to see a few pics2 as it sounds interesting

 

[GhostFist]

That's the problem, being on a film I'm under contract not to post behind the scenes pictures, so sadly you gotta take my word for it. I did snag some pics (that i can't show you) of some cool props for the new "total Recall" movie here as it's being made in the same studio but I guess that doesn't help you either.

 

[Brice Burrell]

.......The ergonomics of the little guy have me second guessing buying a T-18 and perhaps going for a C-15 instead. I'll need to look at some torque and speed comparisons but I love holding that guy, you can really get behind the thing.......

The larger C drills are wider so they doesn't fit the hand as nicely as the CXS, you'll need to try the full size C series drills in your hand to see if it's your cup of tea.  

 

[Holzhacker]

Just bought a CXS last week from my local dealer. Held it in my hands for a few before I delivered it to a contractor friend as a gift/payment. He won't take money from me. Something about referring him too much. [big grin]
Seemed like a nice drill, that's about all the review I have. [crying]
I built the sets for our play production class in high school. Joined the acting class to meet girls but as soon as the teacher found out my old man was a carpenter and I knew my way around tools and wood ... that was the end of acting for me.

 

[GhostFist]

HA! [big grin]

 

[peter halle]

Just bought a CXS last week from my local dealer. Held it in my hands for a few before I delivered it to a contractor friend as a gift/payment. He won't take money from me. Something about referring him too much. [big grin]
Seemed like a nice drill, that's about all the review I have. [crying]
I built the sets for our play production class in high school. Joined the acting class to meet girls but as soon as the teacher found out my old man was a carpenter and I knew my way around tools and wood ... that was the end of acting for me.

Markus,

But did you meet the girls? [big grin]

Peter

 

[Alan m]

of coarse he did. he engineered it to be strong enough not to kill anyone but weak enough so that he could run in and save her from impending doom.  [wink]

 

[Holzhacker]

Yes I did get the girls. Problem was I got too many of them. Made for a lot of drama among other things during high school. Got busted way too many times doing 'inappropriate' things.

 

[GhostFist]

You're perfect for Hollywood, or in my case Hollywood north

 

[GhostFist]

Well CXS is live on set as we speak (depending on when and if you read this of course). First gig was resetting some window stop after we blew up the glass. The little bugger really gleamed a it was installed with number six screws and number right self tappers into aluminum. Luckily I had a green robbie on the inboard storage and it was a snap switching between green and red using the centrotec with the red and popping the green right on the bare chuck. Rpm's and ergonomics were perfect for driving the self tappers and I finished my window stops at a rate of two to one up against my comrade here, again he was using a bosch then reverted to an 18v.
The director barely yelled at us. Good job festool

 

[Alan m]

you should put the cxs randomly into the scenes. on a shelf , beside a rock , you know what i mean. if you do it enough they cant cut it all out and we can go looking for it at the cinema.

 

[GhostFist]

I would but that would get me fired. I've probably sold six of them already tonight and I'm here until at least 2am.

I expect my thank you track saw to arrive shortly from festool high command

 

[Alan m]

get back to work , it is only 18minutes past 7. chop chop.  [wink] [wink]

you should get comision for those tools. or offer to go and collect them from your dealer for them . that way you build up a few favors there and might ease the pain on something else down the road

 

[GhostFist]

That's the crappy thing about being on set while they're filming, you get 15 minutes where you have to rush your ass off then for hours to surf the net on your cell phone and chain smoke until the next time you're needed. Lots of beautiful actresses though

 

[justinmcf]

i worked as a set builder on the chronicles of narnia-voyage of the blah blah blah in 2009.
i was amazed at the amount of festools being used.
the quality of work was amazing and those festool saws and drills got punished big time.

i just worked normal hours.
looks like you are doing some crazy hours there ghostfist.
keep up the good work.

justin

 

[Alan m]

are you allowed to show pics of old sets from a bit back. i would like to see the way it works

 

[GhostFist]

I'll see what i can dig up Alan. Film involves a wide range of carpentry from furniture making to complicated trim to what ever kind of carpentry it takes to build super computers or Roman colosseums and the like. Yes nothing is permanent but it still has to function and look right. High def makes it harder to hide stuff. Up here, in this Local I know of one other carpenter who uses festool but I know thats going to change as there's a lot of interest in it when I bring stuff on site and the other dude gets quite the number of snoopers too. There's still alot of the "that stuff is way too expensive attitude" that attitude quickly fades once you actually use the stuff as you all know. I really don't have pictures of anything I've done in film because of the deal memo's we sign. I was talking to someone about it last night and it's a taboo thing especially to post on the internet. But I'll see if i can find some stuff already out there and post it explaining how it goes together.