Festool Usage Changes Over Time

[SoonerFan]

Recently I was thinking about usage of my Festool tools as I was cleaning my shop and moving sustainers around. How often certain Festools get used has changed over time as I completed the build out of my shop and as my projects have changed. The biggest change in how often I use one of my Festools is likely the Carvex. It was an early Festool purchase for me and I have had it over a decade. It has served me well. I used it lots when I got it and then less when I got a bandsaw saw. Then I got a CNC and the usage went down again. Now I only use it occasionally but still won’t sell it.

Do y’all have Festools where your usage has changed a bunch (use it why more or way less) over time as your needs have changed and as the tools you have available changed? If so, what is the Festool where your usage has changed and why?

 

[luvmytoolz]

It's funny you mention declining jigsaw usage after getting a bandsaw and CNC, I too have a bandsaw and a CNC but I'm now thinking of splurging for the Mafell jigsaw, as my Makita cordless wanders too much in use, and I like to use it a lot for roughing out templates.

Probably my least used Festool now is my BS105 sander since I got the 25/50 drum sander, but the times I need it it's definitely invaluable. Before the drum sander it was heavily used for large glue-ups, doors, etc. As with your Carvex I would never consider selling it despite not using it much now.

 

[Cheese]

This is interesting...personally I feel a bandsaw is one of the most underrated tools in the shop. When I first set up my shop, the first two purchases I made were a band saw and a drill press. Over the years with those 2 tools I managed to do metal working as well as wood working and house remodeling. It was only 15 years later that I decided to finally purchase a table saw and with my current use of track saws, I'm not fully sure that I really need the table saw. It's a large piece of equipment that takes up a lot of space...kind of like the radial arm saw that also takes up a lot of space and gets used very seldom.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

I'm using a greater variety of my Festool tools these days in my projects and having everything organized for easy access. They compliment my larger tools.

 

[mcfal12]

It's funny you mention declining jigsaw usage after getting a bandsaw and CNC, I too have a bandsaw and a CNC but I'm now thinking of splurging for the Mafell jigsaw, as my Makita cordless wanders too much in use, and I like to use it a lot for roughing out templates.

Probably my least used Festool now is my BS105 sander since I got the 25/50 drum sander, but the times I need it it's definitely invaluable. Before the drum sander it was heavily used for large glue-ups, doors, etc. As with your Carvex I would never consider selling it despite not using it much now.

If you get the Mafell, I’d love to hear firsthand account on it. I have had my eye on it for years; just haven’t been able to pull the trigger with so many other fantastic tools out there. The standout feature for me is the blade design…. I can’t see how it wouldn’t be a massive improvement over the traditional design

 

[woodferret]

My RTS400 needs some love. I've been doing more prefab and TFL work, so haven't had the need to use it. One day, I'll get to remodelling/finishing work again. I do use my carvex often though, mostly as a means of breaking up stuff so other tools can handle it.

 

[Coen]

I have used some Festools only a few times. And some accessories I have owned for years before the first use.

bandsaw

The bandsaw, quite unique in the world of powertools... is the one that scares me.

 

[luvmytoolz]

The bandsaw, quite unique in the world of powertools... is the one that scares me.

After a fairly nasty spindle moulder accident, and having seen blades bind and snap at the timber mill, the idea of owning a bandsaw didn't appeal in the least for many years, until I could no longer work without one.

Now it's definitely in my top 5 used and best ROI tools.

 

[smorgasbord]

Well, not specific to Festool, but I'm old enough to have seen previous "gotta have" tools go by the wayside:

1) Half sheet sanders. Now it's all random-orbit.
2) Pad sanders. Now it's all random-orbit.
3) Radial Arm saws. Now it's all sliding miter saws. Except for me - I still want to replace my SCMS with a real RAS. Kind of pricey to get a good one, and used ones aren't normally available in my area (NorCal).
4) Hollow-chisel mortiser. OK, some people still use these and if you have a heavy-duty enough one they're actually pretty good, but most shops and DIYers have moved on to dominos and/or biscuits.
5) Tenons. Yeah, people still use tablesaw jigs, bandsaws, even routers with templates or pantorouters to cut tenons on the ends of stock, but I think a lot of people just get a DF700 or make do with a DF500.
6) Overhead pin routers - yeah, never really popular, but now CNCs killed those.
7) Pipe Clamps - Even if you're not using parallel clamps you're probably using those aluminum jobbies.
8) Panel saws - Yeah, some shops still have and use them, but I suspect most use track saws now.
9) Fancy router-based dovetail jigs. Yeah, CNCs and even pantorouters.

I could probably come up with another half dozen....

 

[cpw]

I think pipe clamps absolutely have a place. I have six 48" parallel clamps, but have four 6' pipe clamps (I originally had 5' pipe, but needed just a bit more for a 63" dresser) and four of the 10' pipes with clamps. The parallel clamps are nicer, but are prohibitively expensive and would take more room. The pipe clamps are cheap and flexible.

Most of my clamps are just Pony/Jorgensen F clamps in 12", 18", 24" and 36" sizes with maybe a dozen Irwin trigger clamps mixed in.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have used some Festools only a few times. And some accessories I have owned for years before the first use.


The bandsaw, quite unique in the world of powertools... is the one that scares me.

Actually, if you keep the upper blade guide down, where it's supposed to be, a bandsaw is one of the safest tools out there. The blade is constantly pushing the stock down onto the table and since it is only moving downward, it cannot kickback at you. The blade is entirely covered/contained, so it can't cut you either.
When completing the cut, you either pull the very last bit from behind the blade or push it with a sacrificial block.
It is very safe.

Smorgasboard
I agree with a few, maybe even most of those, but definitely not all. Some of those are still very much it use, by the cabinet shop, where I work.

7)Pipe clamps are still on use, but mostly because of the availability of length.
I own and almost exclusively use parallel clamps, but pipe clamps still exist.
8)Panel saws We still use 2 of them. One is in the countertop department. They use it to cross-cut the 25" wide sheets, that come in 145" lengths. The other is in the Solid Surface department, doing essentially the same thing, except the sheets are 30" x 144". It is very efficient.
9) Jigs (somewhat) We use dedicated machines for dovetails and drilling/inserting concealed hinges.

6)That one is pretty obscure to begin with, especially as a dedicated machine. I do however have a substitute "jig" that works on my regular router table. It accomplishes the same thing. I use it occasionally, to cut the dado in the opposite side of partitions. They are cut on a CNC originally, but turning them over to do a "second operation", is a waste of time.
The CNC can cut multiple parts, from a single sheet, but flipping them over, means one at a time.
The pin-router is one at a time too, but it is not tying up the CNC. It can continue and both can work at the same time.

Bringing it back to Festool usage: Yes, I have increased my usage as I have accumulated more. I have adopted most of the system.

 

[woodferret]

Ya, it depends on the scenario. Copy routers are still used (#9/pantorouter being a specific variant). As are horizontal mortisers. You'll find them in shops that are specific to a type of work (eg, beds, chests) that do custom almost one-off work. As much as I like CNCs, the overhead of programming them is prohibitive unless you're cranking out RTA.

edit: and it's not like these shops don't know the domino. They have them.

 

[smorgasbord]

With Bessey’s newish ability to join 2 K-bodies together, you don’t need pipes to join like the old days. Two 50” clamps should handle 8’

While existing shops will continue to use their existing tools, I suspect new shops being set up will not choose most of the tools I listed

 

[leakyroof]

Pipe Clamps- SO easy to join two together with a commonly found pipe coupling at Hardware stores, BigBox, etc.
Still have a Love/hate relationship with my Carvex, still use my much older Bosch Barrel Jigsaw than the Carvex.
Festool Half Sheet Sander- still own it , but admit it's used only once in a few years at best. Still might get a Drum Sander someday for the shop.