DOH! What's your worst/stupidest/most embarrassing Festool moment yet?

Gee, Matthew, how did you do that?  I recently managed to cut a notch in my fence when cutting a 45 degree bevel on a previously cut strip of plywood that had badly bowed and was too narrow and short to enable a guide rail to clamped to it.  The Festool 28 tooth ATB blade cut the fence clean like butter.

Dave R.
 
Several have mentioned variations on this theme. I recently bought the TS55, MTF, Rotex 150, and CT22 to remodel/update the house we just moved out of. The Rotex did great knocking down some over-ambitious ceiling texture, and knocking the grain down on the deck I just pressure washed (another new tool). I used the TS55 to install a beautiful laminate cork floor in the kitchen.

We had the kitchen cabinets resurfaced, and new doors installed by an outside contractor. I then fabricated a particle board counter, laminate top, and oak trim. Perhaps not the latest style, but it still looks good to me.

I bought a cast acrylic sink from Lowe's. Instructions said to invert on surface, trace outline, cut opening 1/2" inside the line. Luckily I looked VERY closely before proceeding. The damned sink was not square; it is a parallelogram! I could have returned it (along with the damaged shower door; the vanity counter with the cracked sink; the second vanity counter with the faulty (noticeably uneven) backsplash; the vanity faucet set with incorrect drain parts packed in the sealed box), but it wasn't too noticeable, and I needed to get something done!

So I inverted the counter top section, inverted the sink, traced, and moved in 1-1/2". There was plenty of room to move in closer, and this gave me much greater latitude in case of error. As you all know, it is much easier to cut more material off later if need be, than to put it back when you remove too much!

I then set the counter section on the cabinet to make the plunge cuts with the TS55, and of course, you all know what happened next. The lateral cuts were fine, but the side cuts overlapped the cabinet, and left a kerf mark in the face of the new material. Luckily, (#1) I had the saw sat at moderate depth, and the kerf is only about 1/2" deep. Luckily (#2) the cabinets were done in white laminate, and a quick dab of white silicone caulk camouflaged the ding. I'll show it to my wife after we have a signed purchase agreement in hand.

(When I made this cut, the counter was set over the door underneath the sink. Jeeez - if I had set the blade at max depth, as is recommended to coincide with the plunge limit marks on the saw guide, I might have cut all the way down to the door opening! Unfortunately, even the best tools don't prevent these stupid mistakes . . .    )

I can take pride, however, in knowing that the kerf is exactly perpendicular to the top of the counter! A high-quality screw-up is better than a sloppy screw-up, isn't it?  (Please say yes . . . )

Ed Gallaher

 
Whilst cleaning the plaster dust off the bathroom floor last night I started to notice that the suction on the ct22 seemed to be decreasing more than it should. I opened the lid to discover that I had previously closed it without ensuring that the probes that detect water level had room. One had punctured the filter bag, and the inside of the ct22 was an absolute mess.

Lesson learnt.
 
Had a new worst moment this a.m.  I'm building a couple of sysports out of melamine and dominoes.  Decided to use the 6x40 dominoes.  Having never used the domino on particle board before, I "wisely" set up a couple of test cuts.  I was shocked to find that the fit was incredibly loose.  So I start on the process of elimination.  The bit was tight.  The fence was a solid 90 degrees.  The fence that screws on to the bottom was in the right place, maybe it was my technique.  Tried smooth, slow and steady cuts and different ways of holding the workpiece and the domi.  Tried the cut in regular wood with the same results....Well, you have probably guessed already, but it took me half an hour -- I was testing the 6mm mortise with a 5mm tenon.

Of course, the 6mm fit just fine. :o
 
I was on site a couple of weeks ago, making & fitting some MDF cabinets. For some reason, the dust extraction didn't seem to be very good, and there was quite a lot of dust building up on the customer's carpet...

I checked the bag on my CT mini, and it was less than 1/2 full, so no problem there. Disconnected the hose & spent 5 mins ensuring that there were no blockages. I just couldn't figure it out. Decided to carry on regardless & clean the mess up later.

Anyway, 6 hours later I finished, packed up all my tools, and began to clean up the mess. I then realised what was wrong - the last time prior to that I'd used the mini, it was when I had borrowed a Rotex from my dealer to try out, and I'd turned the extraction down to minimum...

I normally *never* reduce the suction from full, so it simply didn't occur to me to check it!!!
 
Yup I did the power cord thing to.  Went ot a job grabed some toos and a fest poer cord only to find the power cord I grabbed had the little plastic piece in it so it wouldnot fit all my tools!!!  1/2 a day gone there.  Also my wife that works with me pluus the vacuum cord out of the socket by the cord from accross the room and packes it up, usally the 15A to 20A adapter stays in the outlet at the job site :/ 
 
southern_guy said:
Now, do I tell SWMBO that it is fixed, bearing in mind that she doesn't yet know about the domino. That I just couldn't resist. It had sat on the dealers shelves for longer than he liked, and he wanted to move it. I got the domino and a systainer of dominos for 2/3rds the cost of the domino alone! So long as I don't have more than two systainers together in one room at any one time, she doesn't get to count them all!!!
Click to expand...

Glad I'm not the only one who brings new tools into the house in stealth mode.  "That,?  I've had that for years."
 
SWHMBO:  what are all those cardboard boxes from.
Reply from you know who: Oh, Those are just some boxes I picked up to put scraps and sawdust in to clean up the shop.  (as I bite my tongue)
Tinker
 
Tinker said:
SWHMBO:  what are all those cardboard boxes from.
Reply from you know who: Oh, Those are just some boxes I picked up to put scraps and sawdust in to clean up the shop.  (as I bite my tongue)
Tinker
Click to expand...

"Those I've had a while. I'm saving them for when I sell my older Festools next month so I can upgrade"

Never, ever waste a chance to set up a future purchase.
 
Sorry to be so stupid.  But what does SWHMBO stand for?  I can usually figure these things out but this one has me stumped.  I am assuming is has something to do with your wife???

Thanks for the tolerance.
 
sbnx said:
Sorry to be so stupid.  But what does SWHMBO stand for?  I can usually figure these things out but this one has me stumped.  I am assuming is has something to do with your wife???

Thanks for the tolerance.
Click to expand...

It was the frequent saying of Rumpole, the Bailey, on the PBS tv series. At least that was my first knowledge of the saying. I don't have a clue to it's real history.
 
My most stupid moment (no Festools involved) was to spray lacquer on a coffee table, and knowing i had some sanding to do and not wanting the dust on it, i instinctively grabbed a blanket and threw it over.... Oooops :-[
 
Tezzer said:
My most stupid moment (no Festools involved) was to spray lacquer on a coffee table, and knowing i had some sanding to do and not wanting the dust on it, i instinctively grabbed a blanket and threw it over.... Oooops :-[
Click to expand...

Nothing like a padded top on a coffee table. It provides a built in hot pad. ;)

Seth
 
This evening, i happened to think of another stupid booboo that happened back in the 40's.  i was in HS and since my mother was devorced, I guess i figured I was the MOTH (That's Moan Of The House).  i did inherit some of my dad's love of working with tools, so some of the necessities did fall onto my shoulders, as my brother was more of the artist with his head in the clouds much of the time.

My mom had just bought an old house with no heat, electricity or running water.  There were dozens of projects that needed doing and i was in my glory.  for the first year in the house, the olny heat was the kitchen (kerosene) stove with its many idiosyncrasies, too numerous to go into here.  I am sure there are a few of you out there who are my age (39 for about 38 years) who have had their own experinces with those cantankerous and smelly monstrosities.  Anyhow, Mom bought a large space heater from Sears (maybe that heater was my beginnings of my dislike for much of what Sears has had to offer).  we decided the best place to put the stove would be in the cellar directly under the livingroom floor.

After leveling a spot and mixing up some concrete, i leveled a pad just the right size for the stove.  My very first ever experience with concrete (I could go on for quite a while about some of my stupid misttoks with that material) turned out quite successful as time would prove.  Once the stove was safely setup on the pad, i plumbed up to the floor above and drilled a hole (hand drill, remember, no electricity) centered directly above the stove.  I then went up into the living room and decided the measurements for the placement of the stove were satisfactory.  i made my measurements from the center point and prepared to start cutting the hole for the iron register that we had found somewhere.  It must have been cast iron, as it weighed at ton.  As i prepared to start cutting, Mom suggested that i set the register in place to be sure my markings were correct.  NOW, if any of you have ever raised 14 or 15 year old boys, you know exactly the sort of remarks I probably made about stupid grownups, or whatever.  I knew what I was doing.  I just went on cutting.  I assure you, that was no eazy task as the floor was wide oak 5/4 planking, well seasoned.  i worked up quite a sweat.

Once the hole was completed, my buddy, who had mainly been an observer to that point, offered to give me a hand setting that monstrous floor register in place.  I took one side, and I the other.  As our fingers neared the edges of the floor opening, we simultaneously let go so the iron could settle into place and my job would be done so we could get back outside to play ball.  CRASHHH!!!  The hole was exactly 1/4" larger than the total register dimension, NOT 1/4" larger than the flange.  Oh well, we had been quite accurate in our aim.  That register never touched a bit of the wood floor as it decended directly onto the space heater waiting below.

It was great my Mom had a sence of humor.  She laughed (I think) and went to sears and, luckily found a new register to fit my hole with only minor adjustments to one side of the flooring.

Tinker
 
Classic one today - Had some worktops to fit, so needed vac, router, TS55, screwboxes etc (it's amazing how much you need for a relatively small job!). Had 2 stacks of systainers and my rail bag to get in the car. Opened the boot to find a load of offcuts, copper pipe and misc. crap I'd forgotten about, so spent 5 mins trying to fit all the systainers in. Then off to the job, a 40 min drive away.

Started unloading, but couldn't find my railbag anywhere - then it occured to me I'd propped it up against the passenger side of the car, whilst I wrestled with the systainers.... :o

So began a frantic 40 min drive back home, in the hope that some scrote hadn't nicked it!!!

Luckily someone had handed it in so I did manage to get it back! That's a miracle in itself, a second miracle that occured was that somehow I managed to not drive over it as I reversed out of the space.

Had my 1400 & 800 rails, a couple of levels, and my worktop jig in it!!!
 
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