Festool - My Story

[Stone Message]

Hi Everyone

I have been asked many times to describe my woodworking story and how Festool came into my world. So, I have made a video. It mentions the FOG and Paul Marcel and is a genuine account of my Festool story.

Here is the link:


Peter

 

[nclemmons]

Thanks for all the tips and ideas you have shared thru the years, Peter.  Always great to learn from you and your story!

 

[Stone Message]

Hi [member=167]neilc[/member]

Thank you so much. Despite the World Cup football the video is getting noticed.  Cheers.

Peter

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I saw the video before logging in here today.
I too was heavily influenced by Paul Marcel. His demonstrations of the DF500 brought me into the Festool world, for its uniqueness. Then the horizontal zero degree base modification of the MFK700 just kept my interest. That became my second purchase....and the rest is history.
I'm kind of opposite of Peter, using them as a pro cabintemaker and currently planning how to arrange them as I start working on a home shop. Retirement is not that far away.

 

[Muttley000]

Hi Peter!  I often comment on your YouTube channel as Bowers Custom Woodworking.  I truly enjoy watching your content, keep up the great work!

 

[johnyhuh]

Just out of curiosity...

What happened with Paul? His YT videos got me started on Festool as well.

 

[Adamsse]

Peter, I received so many practical tips from watching your videos.  They gave me confidence as I decided to make Festool purchases. Sandy

 

[Vtshopdog]

Just out of curiosity...

What happened with Paul? His YT videos got me started on Festool as well.

He still posts here now and then.  I believe there is a new life as some sort of acrobat.
Count me as another who picked up many Domino and MFT tips from Half Inch Shy

 

[timwors]

Thank you Peter for an excellent and very interesting video.

I am another who you have inspired and got me into Festool... it started when I was looking for a better organisation system a year ago. I remember watching your introduction to systainers and the penny dropped. "This is the system I need," I thought!

As a follow-up it would be really interesting to hear about how the idea for the Parf system came about, how you developed it and how it got to the market.

 

[Stone Message]

Thank you Peter for an excellent and very interesting video.

I am another who you have inspired and got me into Festool... it started when I was looking for a better organisation system a year ago. I remember watching your introduction to systainers and the penny dropped. "This is the system I need," I thought!

As a follow-up it would be really interesting to hear about how the idea for the Parf system came about, how you developed it and how it got to the market.

Hi Tim

I think the Parf Guide System video is an interesting idea and I will see what I can do.

Things started with the original Parf Dogs which are still made and marketed by Lee Valley under their prestigious Veritas label. I then went on to look at ways of getting a simpler way to cut things square.

I spent 2 years working on a concept to improve the accuracy of tracksaw cutting on the MFT3. At an early stage I realised that a major factor was the layout of the 20 mm holes. Festool have never claimed (as far as I know) anything about the accuracy of either the hole size or the layout of the rows and columns.

After that 2 years I teamed up with Axminster to do the final development and pre-production testing of the Parf Guide System. Axminster were very cautious at the start and only made about 200 sets of the original system. Those sold out in 36 hours and so full scale production then started.

"Parf" is a protected trade mark and there is now a family of Parf products which all share the same tolerances, all work together hence saving users from the frustration of matching kit from different manufacturers.

Cheers.

Peter

 

[Euclid]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Peter.

Curiously, perhaps, I discovered Festool via the Systainers before I’d even heard of Festool as a tool brand. I was intrigued when I found that this maker of boxes also did some power tools! And hence I found the FOG…

I too have long been inspired and educated by Paul-Marcel’s ‘Half inch shy’ channel, especially his long-running projects and sometimes re-watch them as entertainment… hoping he will at some point have time to finish his ‘Angle Madness’… I’d love to see how that turns out.

It was possibly via you, Peter (and maybe Matt Estlea too) that I discovered Axminster, who have since had stacks of my money! (They are always good to deal with though.)

 

[Stone Message]

Hi [member=42852]Euclid[/member]

Yes, Axminster are really good and I too have spent of lot of money there. Their customer service is excellent. All of my Festool storage boxes/drawers that you see in the background on my bench came from there and at the time they were the cheapest place to buy from.

Cheers.

Peter

 

[johnyhuh]

Hi Everyone

I have been asked many times to describe my woodworking story and how Festool came into my world. So, I have made a video. It mentions the FOG and Paul Marcel and is a genuine account of my Festool story.

Here is the link:


Peter

Forgot to mention... Paul, your videos have been very valuable and have helped me learn about the intricacies of Festool offerings.

Thank you!

 

[R4Y]

Peter, I'll add my "thank you!" to the chorus of comments. I appreciate your unbiased and pragmatic advice bolstered by years of experience.

It would be interesting to map our Festool journeys. Is there a common gateway drug, like the Domino 500 or maybe the TS55? Of course a dust extractor is needed, and once you've paid $700 for a vacuum cleaner you're firmly in Festool's grasp.

Another vote for the Parf Guide history!

Thanks again for all of your contributions to this community.

 

[Stone Message]

Peter, I'll add my "thank you!" to the chorus of comments. I appreciate your unbiased and pragmatic advice bolstered by years of experience.

It would be interesting to map our Festool journeys. Is there a common gateway drug, like the Domino 500 or maybe the TS55? Of course a dust extractor is needed, and once you've paid $700 for a vacuum cleaner you're firmly in Festool's grasp.

Another vote for the Parf Guide history!

Thanks again for all of your contributions to this community.

Thank you so much. I will do my best with the Parf Guide story.

Cheers.

Peter

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Just out of curiosity...

What happened with Paul? His YT videos got me started on Festool as well.

He is still around, just not with the frequency of years past.

I think a thread similar to the "what Festool did you buy today" for everyone telling their "introduction to the brand" story would be interesting.

As R4Y mentioned, it is likely from the DF500 or the TS55. Some probably stop right there, others have quite a few and use them for decades.

 

[Mortiser]

Peter, thanks for your video. I'll also second (or third) my interest in a video describing the entire "Parf" enterprise, from the dogs on. What was the motivation, what were the trials and errors, the decisions to market, who to market with, etc.? Will there be more products added to the "Part System"? No need to respond, I'll just wait for the video.

Thanks for all of the videos and information you've put out about Festool over the years. I've learned a lot from you about the many tools I now own. They've been "Spot On."

All the best.

 

[Stone Message]

Gosh, I will certainly take a look at the Parf video idea.

Many thanks everyone.

Peter

 

[PaulMarcel]

Thanks for the shout-out, Peter!

Based on the comments here and on the video, I'm confident a few wives don't like me much haha!

I did end up jumping into the circus world more than expected; now if I could get good at it...

As a maybe interesting story from my side:

My rope instructor is from Barcelona and I met up with him during his layover in Las Vegas. We met up with a bunch of circus people including a clown in the Cirque du Soleil Believe show. Turns out that he followed me and then later started a cutting board business out of his garage. He eventually quit the rather toxic show to go full-time. Met him again 3 years later when my instructor passed through. His commercial shop was enormous; you could comfortably fit 2 Woodcraft retail stores in it. Made custom everything for Las Vegas hotels and especially chefs.

Weird how those two worlds intermingled.

COVID hit, he sold it and moved to Portland where both worlds combined: circus gym, community arts center, and custom woodworking shop. I need a trip there tbh

 

[Stone Message]

Hi [member=3513]PaulMarcel[/member]

You have had a very interesting time since starting your circus antics. I really appreciate what you have done for the woodworking community, especially here on the FOG but more importantly for me. You may not remember but when I was at the very start of my YouTube journey I sought your advice and you responded straight away. I now have about 75k subscribers and have even been invited to Google HQ here in London.

What everyone wants to know is whether you are going to get back into woodworking YouTube work and what I would like to know is if you plan to come over here?

Peter