Indy woodworking show.

[robtonya]

Indy is having there woodworking show this weekend. I will be there bright and early on Saturday. Anyone else going? Would like to meet some people if you are going. I'd even let you buy me lunch. ;D

 

[robtonya]

Well, I came, saw, and now I have left. Overall, great show. I actually set down to watch some seminars. The thing that was most impressionable was Sommerfeld's show. I liked how it seemed to work with little to no measuring. It seemed like high quality stuff. The only thing I get nervous about is he was pushing it all as a system. I get nervous when I buy things that only work in a system. They have a new dovetail system called the Katie Jig Dovetail System that I really would like to give a try.

I bought a router bit holder too. I intend on stuffing it into a systainer. Here is a link to what I got (it's item number 1044) http://www.ptreeusa.com/routerAcc.htm#1044. After I bought it I found a Festool booth and he was kind enough to stuff it in a systainer for me to see if it would fit. It fits nice and tight. There is extra room on the left and right side of the foam (it's not an exact duplicate of the bottom of a systainer). I think it will work good though. Other than that, I did see the woman who was showing a lot of her "goods" off in order to get sales I guess. I took a double take, but felt uncomfortable enough to not even stop to see what booth it was, or what she was selling.

 

[nickao]

The Sommerfeld stuff can be used on its own, it is not ONLY good to use in his system. I have the offset T & G bit and the Cabinet bit set, the router table(older version), the pocket screw set up, the cabinet arched and straight templates,  plus a bunch of other stuff and I rarely use it all together unless I am making cabinets.

If you are going to make cabinets you may as well use his system it is the best by far. If you can afford it I would buy everything he sells. People have been complaining that the new aluminum top on his newer style  table is not flat, but a buddy just got one and it was flat to within .001 over the entire thing, seems flat to me.

That Katie jig has been out at least 9 years that I know of it's not new at all. I guess he pushes the Triton router now, but you do not have to use that router.

I am a big fan of all the Sommerfeld stuff.  Festool is a system too. Again you do not have to have everything in Sommerfelds system to make it work.

 

[robtonya]

I liked how he changed the bits, and didn't even have to make sure it lined up with the previous cut. He says the shaft are all the length where you bottom it out they will line up. Of coarse he gives a little rubber o-ring to put down first so it's not a metal on metal contact. The Katie Jig is marked new in his catalog, but who knows, maybe it has some changes or something. The router table top looked flat to me, but I was just using my eye. I was very impressed with it all. I probably would buy everthing he had if I had the money.

 

[nickao]

Yep using a matched set with the o-ring in the bottom is the best way to go. It has to be a matched set though. Actually, the o-ring is always in the bottom of all my table routers.

 

[robtonya]

I have Frued's matched set for raised panel doors. Do you think it would work the same for that set?

 

[nickao]

Yes it will, it works with any matched set and Freud are nice bits so if they say matched set I am sure they are.

 

[robtonya]

I'll have to give it a try. All this time setting up with a story stick. It would be nice to be able to just drop it in and go.