How many Dominos

[Captainwrinkles]

I was using the biscuit joiner today at work and started to think of how many there are around the world. Every company i work for seems to have at least 2.

So my question is (just out of curiosity), How many Domino machines have Festool (globally) Sold? Millions maybe? And do you think we will be swamped
with all the cheaper "Knock'offs" when the patent runs out?

Thanks
Benn

 

[ajones]

Hi Ben I would think production is still in the 100,000,s no way millions.. and yes as soon as someone is able to produce a rip off and be sure they have a market for it, i'm sure they will.

How long is the patent likley to be?

When you know a little about what festo/ festool do its easy to see where this amazing machine comes from.Im suprised that they do not have more wierd/wonderfull machines in prodution [big grin]

 

[Arthouse Joinery]

Were Festool the first to introduce the plunge-cut circular saw on a guide rail? Was that patented? I've noticed a few other brands making similar machines over the last couple of years...

 

[Captainwrinkles]

Were Festool the first to introduce the plunge-cut circular saw on a guide rail? Was that patented? I've noticed a few other brands making similar machines over the last couple of years...

Good Question! Mafell have one out that has a "Bendy Track". Festool definately made it before DeWalt and Makita came out with theirs. I asume they'll be copying other festool products

 

[neeleman]

Were Festool the first to introduce the plunge-cut circular saw on a guide rail? Was that patented? I've noticed a few other brands making similar machines over the last couple of years...

I thought it also was Holz-Her who had a plunge saw on a rail. But I can't find out the exact date.
In the year 2000 TTS (Festool & Protool) took over all the portable power tool lines from Holz-Her.
And converted some of the existing Holz-Her machines over to the blue-green (Festool) en black-orange (Protool) models.
Some examples are: Festool Plunge Saw, Festool Belt Sander, Protool Planers, Protool Drill Stand Gides.

In 2002 Festool celebrated the 40th anniversary of their Plunge Saw on rail.
So together with Holz-Her and Mafell they must have been some of the first companies.

 

[mouppe]

http://www.festool.com/EN/About-us/Pages/History.aspx

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

As a courtesy, I'll post an answer since this was posted in the Ask Festool section of the forum. But, the answer is we do not share confidential sales volume information.

 

[PaulMarcel]

Were Festool the first to introduce the plunge-cut circular saw on a guide rail? Was that patented? I've noticed a few other brands making similar machines over the last couple of years...

Good Question! Mafell have one out that has a "Bendy Track". Festool definately made it before DeWalt and Makita came out with theirs. I asume they'll be copying other festool products

I wondered the same thing when the DeWalt tracksaw was announced.  At the time, I did a Google Patents search and found that one guy working for DeWalt patented this interesting plunge saw design.  All the line-art was unmistakably a TS-55 even though the resulting DeWalt looks nothing like a TS-55.  That same guy had a couple other patents filed the same day.  I had posted all this on a forum that went through a software upgrade and lost all the posts... grrr

That was when the buzz among non-Festoolers was "oooh, this will come out and be, like, $100 and we'll have basically a Festool tracksaw for $100 woot!"... then it came out more expensive  [tongue]

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Sorry, I skipped over the bit about the patent. Yes, Festool patented the plunge saw on guide rail concept. The patent expired recently, hence the couple of "attempts" to copy it.

 

[Deansocial]

Sorry, I skipped over the bit about the patent. Yes, Festool patented the plunge saw on guide rail concept. The patent expired recently, hence the couple of "attempts" to copy it.

what about maffell hasn't theirs been out a number of years?

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

what about maffell hasn't theirs been out a number of years?

Not sure when it was introduced, nor am I knowledgeable on European patent laws. But, here in the states, we saw the introduction of a couple of competitor's versions in 2009 as I recall.

 

[chrisrosenb]

As a courtesy, I'll post an answer since this was posted in the Ask Festool section of the forum. But, the answer is we do not share confidential sales volume information.

This reminds me of a group tour we took at a John Deere combine factory in Iowa several years ago.
For those that maybe do not know, a combine is a machine the farmers use to harvest corn. soybeans, wheat & other crops.

Near the start of the tour someone in the group asked how many combines were built each day. The tour guide stated that the information was confidential.
As the hour long tour was coming near the end, we past the area where cabs were delivered from another factory.
The tour guide said the the cabs are delivered daily on an as needed basis. He then said that on average 35 cabs are delivered each work day.
Anyone familiar with combines knows that each combine built has a cab on it.
I do not know if the number of combines built was really confidential or if the tour guide was just having fun with the group.    

 

[ccarrolladams]

This reminds me of a group tour we took at a John Deere combine factory in Iowa several years ago.
For those that maybe do not know, a combine is a machine the farmers use to harvest corn. soybeans, wheat & other crops.

Near the start of the tour someone in the group asked how many combines were built each day. The tour guide stated that the information was confidential.
As the hour long tour was coming near the end, we past the area where cabs were delivered from another factory.
The tour guide said the the cabs are delivered daily on an as needed basis. He then said that on average 35 cabs are delivered each work day.
Anyone familiar with combines knows that each combine built has a cab on it.
I do not know if the number of combines built was really confidential or if the tour guide was just having fun with the group.    

Chris,
Another possibility is that the tour guide had been instructed to evade answering questions asking for confidential information, but if pressed to provide false data. Chance are good that your group had no way of counting the number of combines produced the day of your visit.

In my former life as a movie executive I instructed many tour guides to do exactly that sort of thing.

 

[Christian A.]

Servus,

I thought it also was Holz-Her who had a plunge saw on a rail. But I can't find out the exact date.
In the year 2000 TTS (Festool & Protool) took over all the portable power tool lines from Holz-Her.
And converted some of the existing Holz-Her machines over to the blue-green (Festool) en black-orange (Protool) models.
Some examples are: Festool Plunge Saw, Festool Belt Sander, Protool Planers, Protool Drill Stand Gides.

While it's true that some former Holz-Her tools have been sold under the Festool and Protool label since 2000, I do doubt that this applies to the plunge cut saws. Festo plunge cut saws were available many years before the takeover of Holz-Her. I have a couple of older Festo catalogues. In the 1986 catalogue Festo offered two plunge cut saws: the AXF 45 and the AXT 55. And in 1990 Festo already sold the ATF 55 plunge cut saw, which was the predecessor of the current TS 55 model. In Europe, the TS 55 was introduced in 2003.

In 2002 Festool celebrated the 40th anniversary of their Plunge Saw on rail.

If I recall correctly, Festool celebrated this jubilee in 2004.

Hope this helps,

Christian