pingvinlakrits
Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 1,093
I have both the DF500 and the XL. I have had the DF500 since it came out on the market. I waited a long, long time before taking the plunge on the XL though (pun intended) and I waited for the right kind of job to surface before getting one but for most projects I got by with the DF500 so I waited a year extra, or two.
When I got an order for building old style (not that old, but "old") windows with frames, mullions and muntins - eight of them total - I knew this was a starting point. The framework for the windows was literally a breeze with the XL700. I have built traditional windows before and I have all the stuff needed to do a "classic" build, including a manual Danish Morsoe notch cutter. Which was also used of course.
The build was a fairly swift affair and the XL came in handy mostly for the window frames which was super easy to build and fit using the XL. I am not familiar with the correct english terms for all window parts so forgive me if something appears odd or out of place in phrasing.
I won't bore you with the full build but this is from the day of the first install. "Modern, eighties fixed cassette windows" are replaced with the same "classic" style windows that the rest of the house has. First picture with one of the old windows (left) still in place and my first one just fitted on the right side:
On the inside the window sill was running the entire length across four windows (two double hung windows side by side) so I decided to use large dominos and attach the window sill on site and trim the sill along the wall with the RAS115 after dry fitting. The wall wasn't all that straight it turned out. I marked the sill according to the window openings and adjusted the sill so it would sit some 5 mm down from the window frame to allow for caulking if needed. (Turns out fit was so good none was needed
).
This way I could replace the hideous existing sill and replicate the older style sills without removing the radiator.
I find the XL even more simple to use than the DF500 but I did use the DF500 to fit the Dominos to the window frame and had deeper Domino plunges on the sill using the XL. Once I had marked out the first two/three I could dry fit and mark out the others and start trimming it to size.
...and inside done with trim in place. There is no vent/slit in the sill since it is a) not very deep and b) none of the other windows have it in the house and they wanted them to look the same. Window muntins are matched to height with the existing old windows on that side of the house. After a full winter the owners report no discernible difference in warmth in the room despite replacing insulated cassettes with regular windows. Happy customer = happy carpenter.
After this build I got an order for an elevated bed so the XL came in handy yet again. I did not have the Domino connectors - which would actually have helped the build I realized when fitting the darn thing... No photos from that build though. The frame was done in no time so didn't even get the camera out.
Six months later there has been zero use for the XL
so it has sat in a corner of the shop, sulking away. No buyers remorse yet though. Then another project emerged, for a swedish govt agency; an indoors greenhouse for a conference room built with recycled windows as "walls".
Frame is 95x95mm spruce and we used the Domino Connectors for the joints:
The joints are two 14mm Dominos for support/strength and one connector (different orientation). The whole structure is 6m by 3,2m and 2,6m high and built so it can be disassembled when the agency is moving in two years time. Although a bit sceptic at first, the joints turned out to be very strong and the synergy of the components makes for a sturdy construction. I would not have built it like this for outdoor use though. For indoors it is more than strong enough.
Am I happy with the XL? Yes, I am. I don't have as much use for it as I have for the DF500. The DF500 has been with me for so long I don't mind if it doesn't get used in half a year or so but with the XL I am hoping to get a little more use out of it considering the initial cost and the cost of the connectors. I would even be willing to part with it if it turns out I don't use it enough. The DF500 is a keeper for sure.
The XL shines with beefy stock and larger builds so I would recommend the DF500 - which is what I would get if I did it all over again. I think it is way more versatile. (I have the Seneca adapter but I haven't used it yet.) The DF500 does pretty much everything I wish for in a custom kitchen build and probably most types of furniture I have done over the years would not have necessitated the XL.
Last week I picked up a second hand Mafell DD40G so I feel like I have a holy trinity of gadgets to put stuff together now. (No Lamello though...) I do think the XL will remain the least used machine in the line up. Considering how expensive some of the larger machines in the shop are my colleagues still think the XL is "cheap" and with that mind set I can always justify it being used less often that I would have liked or wanted. [big grin]
When I got an order for building old style (not that old, but "old") windows with frames, mullions and muntins - eight of them total - I knew this was a starting point. The framework for the windows was literally a breeze with the XL700. I have built traditional windows before and I have all the stuff needed to do a "classic" build, including a manual Danish Morsoe notch cutter. Which was also used of course.
The build was a fairly swift affair and the XL came in handy mostly for the window frames which was super easy to build and fit using the XL. I am not familiar with the correct english terms for all window parts so forgive me if something appears odd or out of place in phrasing.
I won't bore you with the full build but this is from the day of the first install. "Modern, eighties fixed cassette windows" are replaced with the same "classic" style windows that the rest of the house has. First picture with one of the old windows (left) still in place and my first one just fitted on the right side:
On the inside the window sill was running the entire length across four windows (two double hung windows side by side) so I decided to use large dominos and attach the window sill on site and trim the sill along the wall with the RAS115 after dry fitting. The wall wasn't all that straight it turned out. I marked the sill according to the window openings and adjusted the sill so it would sit some 5 mm down from the window frame to allow for caulking if needed. (Turns out fit was so good none was needed
). This way I could replace the hideous existing sill and replicate the older style sills without removing the radiator.
I find the XL even more simple to use than the DF500 but I did use the DF500 to fit the Dominos to the window frame and had deeper Domino plunges on the sill using the XL. Once I had marked out the first two/three I could dry fit and mark out the others and start trimming it to size.
...and inside done with trim in place. There is no vent/slit in the sill since it is a) not very deep and b) none of the other windows have it in the house and they wanted them to look the same. Window muntins are matched to height with the existing old windows on that side of the house. After a full winter the owners report no discernible difference in warmth in the room despite replacing insulated cassettes with regular windows. Happy customer = happy carpenter.
After this build I got an order for an elevated bed so the XL came in handy yet again. I did not have the Domino connectors - which would actually have helped the build I realized when fitting the darn thing... No photos from that build though. The frame was done in no time so didn't even get the camera out.
Six months later there has been zero use for the XL
so it has sat in a corner of the shop, sulking away. No buyers remorse yet though. Then another project emerged, for a swedish govt agency; an indoors greenhouse for a conference room built with recycled windows as "walls".Frame is 95x95mm spruce and we used the Domino Connectors for the joints:
The joints are two 14mm Dominos for support/strength and one connector (different orientation). The whole structure is 6m by 3,2m and 2,6m high and built so it can be disassembled when the agency is moving in two years time. Although a bit sceptic at first, the joints turned out to be very strong and the synergy of the components makes for a sturdy construction. I would not have built it like this for outdoor use though. For indoors it is more than strong enough.
Am I happy with the XL? Yes, I am. I don't have as much use for it as I have for the DF500. The DF500 has been with me for so long I don't mind if it doesn't get used in half a year or so but with the XL I am hoping to get a little more use out of it considering the initial cost and the cost of the connectors. I would even be willing to part with it if it turns out I don't use it enough. The DF500 is a keeper for sure.
The XL shines with beefy stock and larger builds so I would recommend the DF500 - which is what I would get if I did it all over again. I think it is way more versatile. (I have the Seneca adapter but I haven't used it yet.) The DF500 does pretty much everything I wish for in a custom kitchen build and probably most types of furniture I have done over the years would not have necessitated the XL.
Last week I picked up a second hand Mafell DD40G so I feel like I have a holy trinity of gadgets to put stuff together now. (No Lamello though...) I do think the XL will remain the least used machine in the line up. Considering how expensive some of the larger machines in the shop are my colleagues still think the XL is "cheap" and with that mind set I can always justify it being used less often that I would have liked or wanted. [big grin]
