I took the “plunge”, pun intended

[RawUmber]

Well, after sitting on the fence for a while, I’ve taken a big plunge. (Puns seem to appear...).

I bought a CXS drill about a year ago as my first and only Festool piece. I’ve been amazed by the power, control and battery life for such a small drill.

Fast forward and now I’m going to be owner/builder for a a second property/house— biggest ever project for me by light years (I’ve done tons of renos but never anything this ambitious) and the first order of business was to tool up. I started down an obsessive run of internet research and then predictably circled around to German engineering and Festool. Aside from the Bosch GCM 12SD mitre saw and stand, all the new stuff so far is Festool. My credit card is literally on fire:

TS55 REQ (with Makita tracks)
OF 1400 EQ
Domino 500 with big tenon/cutter kit
PDC 18/4 TID 18 combo kit
CT MIDI (I wanted smaller and really portable)

I won’t necessarily frame the house (probably beyond me) but I’ll try to do everything else, including the mill work, built-ins, most of the furniture.

Wish me luck (and patience and undiscovered skill)...!

 

[Knight Woodworks]

Welcome to the FOG.

Enjoy your new tools, looks like you'll need a sander as well? Be sure to let us know how you make out. Pictures would be nice.

Good Luck!

John

 

[RawUmber]

Thanks. Fun to be here.

The sander choices seem more overwhelming than most of the other categories. Based on my post and intentions, what do you recommend as the minimum reasonable all purpose sander?

 

[Knight Woodworks]

Realistically you will need a lot more tools than your current inventory + a sander to meet your stated goal of being the builder of a second house.

To answer your question, what sander you choose will be based on what you're sanding. Joint compound? Raw wood? Plywood? Finishes? You get the idea. I own ten Festool sanders, each has it's place. As a trim carpenter/cabinet maker I use my ETS EC 150/5 the most. Your needs my vary. If I was starting over I'd take a hard look at Mirka.

Good Luck,

John

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Congratulations and welcome.
The sanders are the most difficult choice because there are so many and the uses are quite specific. The most versatile is probably the Rotex series. They can do everything from rough work like stripping floors and paint to finer random orbit for more general sanding, all the way to polishing....but they are heavier  and less ergonomic for the lighter duty random orbit use. Plus being round, the don't do inside square corners, except for the RO90, but I wouldn't recommend that one as an "only" sander. It's just too small  for every job.
That said, it's hard to tell a guy that he really needs at least three? I'd say an RO, an ETS EC (either size paper, but both the same) and a DTS or RTS for corners.

 

[woodferret]

At minimum, I use a Bosch ROS65-VC.  It's a cheap, reasonable alternative to the EC 150.  If dust is an issue, then Festool/Mirka is worth the premium.  But for non-lived-in-site/workshop, I'm happy with the Bosch.  Once trim is up though, you'll definitely want a RTS/DTS for touch up.  Hand sanding is definitely an alternative there and unavoidable 100% so I'd consider that class more of a luxury for the DIY.  I suggest building up your list of pain-points before running out and buying a sander.

 

[mino]

Thanks. Fun to be here.

The sander choices seem more overwhelming than most of the other categories. Based on my post and intentions, what do you recommend as the minimum reasonable all purpose sander?

Well, forget the "all purpose sander" idea.

IMO if you work mainly with flat materials, you will be best served by the ETS EC 150/5 for volume work and some finish sander to add.
As a finish sander I would go for any of ETS 125 with the edge guide.

The I would get a battery-powered grinder with speed regulation it you already do not have one. These are great for rough-grinding things here and there when used with a sanding pad. Festool and Makita make ones.

Regardless of the other tools, be sure to get a cyclone /the Festool CT-VA 20 will be a very good friend/ the sooner the better. It will pay for itself on saved bags during the project.

Ah, and get the Bluetooth remote for the vac, It is a great time saver/productivity enhancer and the time adds up ...

 

[waho6o9]

Goo luck and enjoy your journey. 

And welcome to the FOG