FUN TIME What is the most useless expensive festool tool/accessory you have ever bought

Untidy Shop said:
[size=14pt]

The Guide Rail Deflecter.

Sits in a drawer whilst I either hand hold, or pass over my shoulder, the vacuum hose and power lead. At least, by Festool standards, it did not cost a fortune, BUT any tool is expensive if it is not used!

http://www.festool.com.au/epages/tooltechnic.sf/en_AU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/tooltechnic/Products/489022

I use that little goodie all the time.
The item i found to be more problem than good has been the boom arm.  With low ceiling, it can never bemused to full extension and still make its full swing.  I finally pulled it off and it is resting peacefully in a corner behind other debris. 
Tinker
 
For me, it's the FS 5000 197" Guide Rail. It's been sitting in my shop for around 8 months and I haven't even taken it out of the box yet. And I haven't figure out where to store it. At 16 and 1/2 feet long, it won't fit on my 12 foot overhead door like my other guide rails.

For now it's floating around and mostly in my way. I'm sure I'll use it at some point - I just don't know where or when?
 
wow said:
For me, it's the FS 5000 197" Guide Rail. It's been sitting in my shop for around 8 months and I haven't even taken it out of the box yet. And I haven't figure out where to store it. At 16 and 1/2 feet long, it won't fit on my 12 foot overhead door like my other guide rails.

For now it's floating around and mostly in my way. I'm sure I'll use it at some point - I just don't know where or when?

wow, I bet you would find more use for a rail shorter than any you can find thru Festoy sources.  A good hack saw and a little filing of the slightly jagged cut could give you a couple of shorties.  There is a great aftermarket alignment device (I know Sal has one) that is great for connecting two rails together with great accuracy.  As a matter of fact, I have put even three rails together using the connectors that Festoy supplies as accessories.  And the result is a straight cut the length of the tree rails.  I only did that once, but I know it can be done.  I think those Festoy connectors are more useful than a 16+ rail would ever be.  I have, sometimes wished I had a little 18" or 24" rail for when i need to take mt TS 55 outside in my most spacious shop of all.  I f I am only going to be cutting very long boards down to lengths I an manage to get into my shop,  and not cutting sheet goods at same time, instead of taking my TS 55 out for the cutting, I grab my old reliable Milwaukee 7-1/2 and a framing square guide.  My Festoy guide rails are a bit clumsy to use for cutting 2x's when my bench is a couple of saw horses.
Tinker
 
wow said:
For me, it's the FS 5000 197" Guide Rail. It's been sitting in my shop for around 8 months and I haven't even taken it out of the box yet. And I haven't figure out where to store it. At 16 and 1/2 feet long, it won't fit on my 12 foot overhead door like my other guide rails.

For now it's floating around and mostly in my way. I'm sure I'll use it at some point - I just don't know where or when?

Is that the one you bought when 7 Corners Hardware was doing their closeout and you got a good deal?

Peter
 
the miter gauge that came with the mft3 set. since ive bought the parfs that gauge is garbage. i hate the amount of time it takes to calibate it.
 
Peter Halle said:
wow said:
For me, it's the FS 5000 197" Guide Rail. It's been sitting in my shop for around 8 months and I haven't even taken it out of the box yet. And I haven't figure out where to store it. At 16 and 1/2 feet long, it won't fit on my 12 foot overhead door like my other guide rails.

For now it's floating around and mostly in my way. I'm sure I'll use it at some point - I just don't know where or when?

Is that the one you bought when 7 Corners Hardware was doing their closeout and you got a good deal?

Peter

Peter:

Great to hear from you! And obviously your drugs have not affected your memory.

[thumbs up]

Yes, it is indeed the one I bought from 7-corners, and got a great deal on it. BTW, I'm not complaining about owning it, - just posting in the spirit of the thread that it has been useless (unused?) for months.

Tinker:

I can't tell you how many times I've considered cutting it down. Heck, I even have the Aluminum blade for my TS75.

I may still do that, BUT it will take lot of resolve to take a saw to that rail. I don't know if I can talk myself into it ... but I AM thinking about it.
 
wow, if you have no place to safely store that monster, you possibly will come to point where you will suddenly discover "I shuda cut that thing shorter," as you find yourself staring at a "U" shaped box that you just know is still harboring a 16 foot guide rail.

There now my friend, does that help? 
Tinker
 
On the cheap, but quite useless front I'd put the toolie as its hex keys broke after a few months of use (the metal ring peeled off and they are now loose).

On the more expensive side of things I would nominate the CMS-PS insert and the original Carvex PSC400 as well as the Ti15 impact driver.

The jigsaw insert for lack of blade guide -> does not act as a rough scroll saw or bandsaw replacement due to blade flex, the original Carvex due to crap blade guide resulting in burned blades and slanted cuts and the Ti15 for getting bits jammed into the drive shaft when the impact kicks in when screwing in a tight spot without the Centrotec adapter.
 
wow said:
For me, it's the FS 5000 197" Guide Rail. It's been sitting in my shop for around 8 months and I haven't even taken it out of the box yet. And I haven't figure out where to store it. At 16 and 1/2 feet long, it won't fit on my 12 foot overhead door like my other guide rails.

For now it's floating around and mostly in my way. I'm sure I'll use it at some point - I just don't know where or when?
I mounted mine on the wall above the 2 bay garage door.  Need a ladder to get to it, but I don't use it that often. 
 
Now for my second attack of useless things from festool, I bought a cyclone box just for the router and as it fitted on top of a Mini / Midi CT was sold a CT mini, again by my local tool dealer down here in SW France, works perfect as all of the cuttings go in the cyclone bin. One day I had to go to my girlfriends house to refit all of her internal doors so took along my Mini as it was small and light, and a planer, waste of time as the hose kept blocking, for some unknown design reason the hose has a 90 degree rigid plastic bend as it enters the bin unit and with anything other than dust it blocks up. The other thing is the size, I have a pocket in my trousers bigger than the bin on the Mini so used as a Class L vacuum could cost hundreds of pounds a tear in bags.
 
All of my actual tools I'm happy with what they cost

Think the most useless and expensive has to be the cooltainer I bought 
 
Jesse Cloud said:
wow said:
For me, it's the FS 5000 197" Guide Rail. It's been sitting in my shop for around 8 months and I haven't even taken it out of the box yet. And I haven't figure out where to store it. At 16 and 1/2 feet long, it won't fit on my 12 foot overhead door like my other guide rails.

For now it's floating around and mostly in my way. I'm sure I'll use it at some point - I just don't know where or when?
I mounted mine on the wall above the 2 bay garage door.  Need a ladder to get to it, but I don't use it that often.

Wouldn't work for me - My door is 12' tall. I'd need a heck of a ladder to get up there and get it down.
 
With what Festool and the accessories cost, I don't have a useless tool or accessories.  Other tools, that could be a long list.  [eek]
 
WOW, time to cut that thing down..  lop off 3000mm and then divy up the remainder however you see fit..  I'm assuming you already have the 1900 if you have the ts75..  a few of my most rails are the 1080 and the 800 which you could get out of the remaining 2000mm.  (Might as well round the 1080 up to 1200!)

My LR32 kit has to be one of my least used festool items and even the sees enough occasional use to be justified!! 
 
NERemodeling said:
WOW, time to cut that thing down..  lop off 3000mm and then divy up the remainder however you see fit..  I'm assuming you already have the 1900 if you have the ts75..  a few of my most rails are the 1080 and the 800 which you could get out of the remaining 2000mm.  (Might as well round the 1080 up to 1200!)

Edit: I already have a 1400 Holey Rail, 2400 Holey Rail, and 3000 - and of course the 5000.  Interestingly enough I don't own a 1900. I didn't really like the length of it even though the 75" was supposed to be the 'match' for the TS75 just like the 55" is supposed to be the match for the TS55. The 1900 rail is 20" longer than the 1400, but the TS75 requires less than 10" more length to have the same entrance and exit clearance(s).

A while back I posted a question about the 'ideal' length of rail for use with the TS75. I didn't get many answers...
 
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