How long have you been a festoolie?
- Thread starter HowardH
- Start date
I've been a couple of years in the sect.
I was looking at tools for renovations on remote old farmhouse. My lungs don't get along with sawdust, particularly from man-made woods. While hunting on the internet for tools + dust control I came across Festool. I couldn't believe the prices and looked elsewhere. And then came back. Still appalled by the cost, and went away again. Came back. And somehow, by some process I still can't fathom, persuaded myself that Festool was worth it.
Once the mental obstacle was hurdled, I went in hard. Started off with a TS75, Rotex, OF1400, MFT 1080 and CT33. The pain of spending so much on so little subsided as soon as I started using the tools, and has never returned. I've since got a few other tools, plus various Systainers and oddments. All have been thoroughly used, but I still get the same pleasure out of these power tools as I do with well-tuned quality hand tools.
As for the lungs ... the Festool investment was well worth it on that account. This afternoon, in a hurry and working outside, I didn't bother with the CT33 vac while chopping up some plywood with a TS55 and routing hinge inserts with the OF1400. Dust everywhere. And now I'm thinking I might have to use my asthma inhaler for the first time in a few years. If only for all the dust I haven't breathed, the thousands I've spent on Festool has paid off.
I also run between two homes, one rented in town and the aforementioned farmhouse. The ability to clip together tool and assortment Systainers, throw in a couple of guide rails (in Festool carrier) and the CMS mounted with the TS75, and head to the farm with dogs and kid and an entire wood shop in a Subaru Forester is unbeatable.
On the downside, I've become a Festoolaholic. I want more. I NEED more ...
I was looking at tools for renovations on remote old farmhouse. My lungs don't get along with sawdust, particularly from man-made woods. While hunting on the internet for tools + dust control I came across Festool. I couldn't believe the prices and looked elsewhere. And then came back. Still appalled by the cost, and went away again. Came back. And somehow, by some process I still can't fathom, persuaded myself that Festool was worth it.
Once the mental obstacle was hurdled, I went in hard. Started off with a TS75, Rotex, OF1400, MFT 1080 and CT33. The pain of spending so much on so little subsided as soon as I started using the tools, and has never returned. I've since got a few other tools, plus various Systainers and oddments. All have been thoroughly used, but I still get the same pleasure out of these power tools as I do with well-tuned quality hand tools.
As for the lungs ... the Festool investment was well worth it on that account. This afternoon, in a hurry and working outside, I didn't bother with the CT33 vac while chopping up some plywood with a TS55 and routing hinge inserts with the OF1400. Dust everywhere. And now I'm thinking I might have to use my asthma inhaler for the first time in a few years. If only for all the dust I haven't breathed, the thousands I've spent on Festool has paid off.
I also run between two homes, one rented in town and the aforementioned farmhouse. The ability to clip together tool and assortment Systainers, throw in a couple of guide rails (in Festool carrier) and the CMS mounted with the TS75, and head to the farm with dogs and kid and an entire wood shop in a Subaru Forester is unbeatable.
On the downside, I've become a Festoolaholic. I want more. I NEED more ...
Michael Kellough
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- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 7,096
Why isn't this manual available from FestoolUSA.com? Or, did I just fail to find it? If I did fail, why is it that hard to find?
HowardH
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- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 1,572
Just got another commission check in the mail today...Hmmmm...let's see, 25% set aside for the tax man... Ok...A little to Visa, the crums, which leaves me enough for... hey! Going to Bob's website for a domino when I get a minute. Wife wants me to build a new kitchen table, gotta have a domino for the joinery. Woo Hoo!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
How long? I've been a Festoolie since McFeely's first looked at the line in 2002. We added a few items to our Fall catalog and the rest is history. I'd been a professional woodworker since 1989 and so had a pretty good stable of tools. Shortly after we added Festool, my trusty Bosch jig saw gave up the ghost and I bought my first Festool. Since then, I've faced the dilemma that most of you do, looking for excuses to replace other tools. I own many Festool products and but I'm also spoiled with having any and all at my disposal from our demo stock. (Eat your heart out!). Now to convince the wife, that I NEED a new router, when she took notice in my shop just the other day that had 5 on the shelf!
It really is great seeing all of your enthusiasm for these tools!
It really is great seeing all of your enthusiasm for these tools!
Michael Kellough
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 7,096
bassman00 said:
It's good of Festool to provide you with Rick's excellent manual but the one available at FestoolUSA.com is the official black and white version. Seeems to me they should have Rick's which is good enough to double as marketing literature.
Michael Kellough said:
Ok. I guess the first thing to go really is the mind. :-[ What I meant to say is the manual that came with the TS55 had the updated guide adjusters. It's not Rick's excellent manual. I just followed that link above and saw his. Printing it out now. The one that comes with the TS55, as of last week at least, is the one linked on the FestoolUSA.com site. I agree that Rick's manual should be included with the saws. I'll go correct my mistake above... :-[
PaulD
I had better come up with some good projects to justify this one...richard.selwyn
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- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 635
I bought my first Festool (saw and guide rail) in 1999 - and I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say it changed my (woodworking) life. Until then cutting panel goods was almost impossible. Since then my wife (and accountant) wish there was some sort of cure available.
I think that Festool's product development is pretty good. New tools have moved over to plug-it, but some of the older designs are still sold without - but you can buy an adapter......The new TS saws have several improvements over the old AT ones...but generally new things are compatible with old ones (The Basis and CMS tables you don't have in the US are a good example).
They're not perfect - I don't much like my Festool jigsaw, or the mitre guide for the rail - but I just love the way everything seems to have been thought out and engineered, instead of just having happened. They do seem a bit slow to move into new technology - like LiIon batteries - but I respect that too - it must be a big investment and when they do, I expect that they'll do it right.
Re some other threads here, I just wish that in France they had some decent retailers - I don't much care if they price fix or whatever, but someone in driving distance of me with some decent level of stock would be great. Tooltechnic France seem to carry no stock at all and so retailers' orders have to come from Germany - sometimes this seems to take for ever. Some of the online sellers are OK, but I have had too many orders part filled (once they sent the wrong drill/driver out 3 times!) Sorry for the rant.
Festool addict.
I think that Festool's product development is pretty good. New tools have moved over to plug-it, but some of the older designs are still sold without - but you can buy an adapter......The new TS saws have several improvements over the old AT ones...but generally new things are compatible with old ones (The Basis and CMS tables you don't have in the US are a good example).
They're not perfect - I don't much like my Festool jigsaw, or the mitre guide for the rail - but I just love the way everything seems to have been thought out and engineered, instead of just having happened. They do seem a bit slow to move into new technology - like LiIon batteries - but I respect that too - it must be a big investment and when they do, I expect that they'll do it right.
Re some other threads here, I just wish that in France they had some decent retailers - I don't much care if they price fix or whatever, but someone in driving distance of me with some decent level of stock would be great. Tooltechnic France seem to carry no stock at all and so retailers' orders have to come from Germany - sometimes this seems to take for ever. Some of the online sellers are OK, but I have had too many orders part filled (once they sent the wrong drill/driver out 3 times!) Sorry for the rant.
Festool addict.
