Festool Favorites and Flops

B

Ben West

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2007
Messages
23
What Festool tool do you like the most?  The least?  I'll pick a couple of things that aren't obvious.

Favorite?  The toolie!  I don't know how I got along without this little thing.  I probably use it more often than any other Festool thing I own, and it works great.

Flop?  A couple of days ago I got the parallel stop for the TS 55; I thought it would make parallel rip cuts a piece of cake.  Wrong.  I have struggled to get clean, straight cuts using it.  I'm sure practice would help and it has great utility in certain applications, but I think I'm returning it. 

What's yours?
 
Favorite: TS55 and guide rail. Best thing since sliced bread. The saw hasn't been in the systainer since I got it. Lives in a bin/shelf attached to my MFT1080. Got almost 500" of guide rail for it.

Flops:  Angle unit for guide rail. Nuff said about this thing...plenty of dissatisfaction threads here on this item.
 
Ben,
  Are you talking about the parallel guide? I love that thing. I use the guide rail to get one straight edge on a pile of rough lumber then switch to the parallel guide to dimension it. It is hard to get in mounted(tight fit). Maybe you got a bent one?
Mike
 
Ben,
  That's the one. I use some sawhorses I have with 8" wide tops and taped some foam to the top. The wood was 12' cherry. I think I clamped a short board on the last sawhorse(about a foot long so the saw won't hit the clamp at the end of the cut) and one to prevent side slipping (both thin enough so the saw will pass over).
  I used a Panther blade and measured from the guide to an inside set tooth, rotated the blade and remeasured from the same tooth.
  The boom arm helped a lot since I wasn't fighting the hose/electric cord drag. One hand on the guide, one on the handle and off you go.
   The first cuts (with the guide rail) I just set the rail on top and hoped friction would be good enough. I connected an 8' and 4' guide together. Straight as an arrow. I think Per did a pictorial about cutting up rough mahogany on the old site.
  Here's a link to John Lucas's site.http://www.woodshopdemos.com/fes--par-2.htm

Good luck.
Mike
 
Pretty much agree with Peter, TS55 and guide rail, I use all the time, also really like the vacuums.  The 1400 router is also great because of the dust collection.  The LR hole drilling kit I had some issues with but will reevaluate it.  Also the MFT is great but there is some room for improvement in minor areas.  Oh and let's not forget the Domino So far so good, great fast joint.   
 
Love the CT 22 but hate that the cord is too large for the hooks provided on the back!!!

Love the labels on the Systainers identifying the tools BUT the Dam things fall off!!!!  A label has already fell off my Domino & another is loose on the Domino biscuit box.  I have nearly the entire Festool line thus the labels are important to keep things straight however more.... & more... labels are falling off AND Festool does NOT stock replacements labels!!!

jim
 
Jim Dailey said:
Love the CT 22 but hate that the cord is too large for the hooks provided on the back!!!

Love the labels on the Systainers identifying the tools BUT the Dam things fall off!!!!   A label has already fell off my Domino & another is loose on the Domino biscuit box.  I have nearly the entire Festool line thus the labels are important to keep things straight however more.... & more... labels are falling off AND Festool does NOT stock replacements labels!!!

jim
Click to expand...

It seems they've changed the label adhesive. The newer tools loose the label quicker than the old tools.
 
I've been using 3M spray adhesive to keep my labels on the systainers, as they do have a tendency to come off.
 
Favorites:  The domino machine, the 55 saw and guide, the mft table, ets 150/3 sander with vacuum.

Flops:  RO 125 is the most uncomfortable and worst performing sander I have ever used.  C12 drills, I just couldn't adjust to the handle on this drill, and the price is ridiculous in my opinion.  I returned my two and got 6 Panasonic 12 volt drills with 3.5 Nimh batteries for the same price...thanks Amazon.com.
 
My first step on the slippery slope was for the ATF 55 and the MFT 1080.  still my most used and favorites.

worst was/still is the adjustable angle guide.  It is handy if i could figure a way to lock the angle.  (i tried John Lucas's sand paper trick which works fine for maybe two or three moves)  I am going to try an extra screw some how to lock, but have used a drafting triangle for accurate angles and just lock my guide bar in place and move wood instead of guide bar w/angle guide.  so far that guide is gathering dust and resides deeper and deeper in the pile.
Tinker
 
Favorites:  Just about everything
Flop:  Why can't I get a small plastic insert for the posts on the lids of the systainers that hold up the paper/cardboard accessory and inventory sheet?  Everytime I open the box (any box), the d@%$ thing falls out and I have to push it back over the post.  A $0.01 piece of injection-molded plastic T inserted into the 3-sided post would solve this problem, permanently. 

Maybe someone has something that would work?  Spray adhesive doesn't seem the best solution to this, and I don't want to throw the inserts away.
 
brandon.nickel said:
Favorites:  Just about everything
Flop:  Why can't I get a small plastic insert for the posts on the lids of the systainers that hold up the paper/cardboard accessory and inventory sheet?  Everytime I open the box (any box), the d@%$ thing falls out and I have to push it back over the post.  A $0.01 piece of injection-molded plastic T inserted into the 3-sided post would solve this problem, permanently. 

Maybe someone has something that would work?  Spray adhesive doesn't seem the best solution to this, and I don't want to throw the inserts away.
Click to expand...

Hi,

            How about pushing a neoprene washer over the post?

Seth
 
If you put a circle washer of stiff plastic under the washer.....?
 
Seth,

I don't know if you're talking about O-rings, but that's what your post suggested to me.  A package of those is cheap.  It'll be on my next order to McMaster.

The card falling off the lid has been a minor but persistent annoyance since my first Festool.  Thanks all for the solution.

Ned
 
I don't have a stock of spare o-rings laying about, but I do have small rubber bands.  I guess I'll give that a shot and see how it goes.
 
Jeff W. said:
Favorites:  The domino machine, the 55 saw and guide, the mft table, ets 150/3 sander with vacuum.

Flops:  RO 125 is the most uncomfortable and worst performing sander I have ever used.  C12 drills, I just couldn't adjust to the handle on this drill, and the price is ridiculous in my opinion.  I returned my two and got 6 Panasonic 12 volt drills with 3.5 Nimh batteries for the same price...thanks Amazon.com.
Click to expand...

Strange to say, but I love my RO125, especially for large flat work.  With grits of 100 or less it works about as fast as a belt sander, but does no gouging when kept flat on the material.  With finer grits up to about 200 I stay with the aggressive mode, then switch to the fine mode.  In the fine mode it is just about the same as my old Porter Cable Speedbloc sander, but with almost complete dust control.

But as they say --  different strokes .  .  .  . 

Loren
 
Favorites: Small router( really handy size,one handed plunge,trigger placed perfectly,dust collection)

Flops: inserts for systainers >:(  just don't like um. Can never get everything back in the right place. Wrench is at the bottom of the pile. I'll make some nice foam ones in my spare time ::).
 
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