My first big Festool purchase.

[ccarrolladams]

When I am asked what a person should order from Festool after buying more than one tool at a time, I always suggest attending an End User training class. Yes, the Festool Road School demo classes trained by Allen Kensley at dealer is marvelous, but at End User classes you will be coached by an expert to get you the most benefit from Festools.

Even with the plunge saws, they function best when used with a somewhat different technique that non-plunge circular saws without guide rails. The technique adjustments are not always the same for different users, which is why having an expert coach helping you is worth the cost of the class, travel and lodging.

The Domino is unlike any other tool on the market. It is hardly a plate joiner on steroids. In time it is possible to work out a technique, but that carries a risk of picking up habits which will frustrate getting the most from the Domino. On the other hand seeing the method advocated by the folks who designed the tool and trying it with a coach to help will save a lot of later frustration.

Once you have been taught how to use a Kapex to enhance its accuracy you will see approaching Kapex like other SCMS will deprive you of many advantages you paid for when you purchased the tool.

In my case I had been making good money using conventional power tools long before I bought my first Festools in early 2006. I lucked out in that my dealer is an expert woodworker and user of Festool track saws. Before I left his store with my first TS55 and CT22, he had shown me why I needed to become "at one" with my new saw. In 2010 I attended my first End User classes and the combination of Steve Bace and Brian "the Sedge" Sedgeley showed me refinements to my technique which make me even more effective. I was lucky to use a Kapex in Europe a couple of years before they were released in the USA. A Festool trainer taught me about the Kapex, but still techniques constantly get refined. Each class I have taken since 2010 has made me more effective with my Festools.

 

[nclemmons]

Great haul.  Congratulations on jumping into the DEEP end.  Agree with buying something for your wife / significant other for allowing that purchase investment!

When you add to your sanders, I'd consider an RTS400 and an ETS 150/3 - both are great for cabinet work.  The other consideration in time would be the RO-90.

Welcome to FOG - excited to see the projects you turn out.

neil

 

[duburban]

Just thought i would share my first big Festool purchase with people who could appreciate as much as i do. I would also like any feedback about what you guys think about my set up and any pointers about my new tools also would be welcome as i am pretty new to the Festool system. So here is what i received to day. I got the CMS GE Set, MFT full set, OF 1400 with a bunch of accessories, HL 850 Planer, PS 300 Jigsaw, Domino DF 500 set with the Tenon Assortment, CT 36 HEPA, Rotex Ro 150, RAS 115, TS 55REQ, Guide Rail Kit, Kapex KsS120, and a bunch more accessories like clamping elements, 3 piece hand sanding block kit and the list goes on to much to remember right now. The Kapex and Ras won't be here till tomorrow can't wait!!!! I forgot to mention i only have the 1400 rail as of now. I will be ordering another one this week what do you guys think the next one should be?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       [attachimg=#]

OMG...! you just got them all at once. your supposed to wait and want for a little in between at least!

 

[Acrobat]

Wow, thats a good haul there. Get the table braces for the mft. Next the longer rail as mentioned above. A delta sander like the DTS400, then of course all the accessories....Kapex extension wings are good. Another router so you don't have to take the OF1400 out of the table module would be sweet too. Did you get a drill? If Not The T15 is good or perhaps for cabinets you'd like the smaller drill, but of course you'll need the bits and drivers to go with it, it never ends......

 

[sheeschen]

Dang, that's an impressive haul!  Pretty similar to what I've got, but I've been adding to my collection over several years.

Sounds like you're already going to get another rail, as well as the LR32 set.

I started with the 1010, then added the 1400 as I needed 1/2" bits.  Starting with the 1400, you may be ok, but as someone pointed out, it's sometimes nice to have a second one.  I know there were several times while working on my kitchen cabinets that I had the 1010 devoted to the LR32, and I was glad I had the 1400 free to do other miscellaneous work.

The RO150 was my first sander, but I've recently added the RO90 and ETS150/3 and find I don't use the RO150 nearly as much anymore.

ccarrolladams' suggestion of attending one of the end-user classes is spot on, not only to learn how to use everything effectively, but also to see what else could fit into your workflow or what accessories would help you out.  I took the week-long cabinet class last summer, and it helped me use the tools better.  I also left class with a bit of a shopping list.

Enjoy!

 

[leer]

Are you that undisclosed lotto winner?!?!
[...]

My thoughts exactly!  I bought my first Festool last month, the TS 55 REQ.  I did get a longer rail, and a bunch of accessories, including the Seneca parallel guides.  I'm having trouble just getting to use all this as much as I'd like.  I've started on Christmas presents, which mostly involve use of my lathe, so maybe January wil be more of a Festool month!  I was going to order a Domino, but I think I'll wait until after Christmas.

Nanod, awesome purchase, for sure!   I cannot imagine taking the plunge quite so deep, all at once.  

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Congratulations on your new tools!  That is a great selection to start with and no doubt you will continue to add little bits and pieces...I think a delta sander would be high on my list to allow you to get into corners easily and maybe another router.  Great choices for your first full dip...

 

[Kev]

Nice one Nanod [wink]

 

[Crawfish]

I am new to the fog and also just a hobbiest but have a few questions for you. I have been looking at getting a track saw for over a year now but just can't seem to overcome the price on them! I saw on the post you had a ts55 and CT 36 were they really that good to justify dropping the bank and buying just about every festool product? I also saw where you said you are professional cabinet man what about the conventional tools like table saw shaper etc?

 

[K119Phil]

I am new to the fog and also just a hobbiest but have a few questions for you. I have been looking at getting a track saw for over a year now but just can't seem to overcome the price on them! I saw on the post you had a ts55 and CT 36 were they really that good to justify dropping the bank and buying just about every festool product? I also saw where you said you are professional cabinet man what about the conventional tools like table saw shaper etc?

Heya Crawfish! 

First and foremost,  [welcome] to the FOG!  I think rather than I (as a dealer) shower you with Festool marketing glitz, I'll sit quiet and have the guys tell you their personal experiences with the Festool System.  (Hint: the stories will probably involve saving alot of time and money.)

Cheers!

 

[nclemmons]

Hi Crawfish -

Welcome to FOG.  You are right, Festool tools are more money.  Some think they're outrageous.  But when you start to use them, you quickly realize that quality and control does come at a price.

It comes down to priorities for me - safety, convenience, and dust collection were what turned me on to Festool.  I mentioned control - and this is a key one for me.  Power tools can be dangerous, but guided saws or routers with great dust collection or accurate edge guides give me more control, and that leads to more confidence.  I've done woodworking for years, but can honestly say that i do better work with Festool because of confidence and the system ideas behind the tools.  There are quite a few hobbyists on FOG and you can see in the projects section the kind of work that many of us do - from cabinets, to furniture, gifts, home remodeling, etc. 

Getting over the 'hurdle' of price IS a challenge.  But if you can identify a project you have in mind, buy the tools and try them for 30 days and return them if you don't like them.  That to me is the best test.  For me, I started with a track saw and vac with that in mind.  But I never returned them and added to them through the years as I needed new or replaced old tools.  Today I can't imagine doing things the way I used to.

- faster to knock down panels of plywood
- safer with better control on things tools like the routers with rail guides, variable speed, etc.
- better dust collection which helps me stay focused on the cut with faster cleanup afterwards
- quieter operation which my wife appreciates with a workshop below the family room
- system level approaches that let you easily move the vacuum and power cord or rails or other accessories from tool to tool

There are many stories on the FOG of members who started with a Festool or two and have grown their collection - based on items like the above.

If there were two tools that fundamentally changed it for me, it would be the track saw and the domino.  Both have made woodworking easier and given me a lot more confidence in building better quality items.  Drills and routers are great, but those two items are 'game changers' for me as a hobbiest.

I'd suggest one path forward might be to outline the kinds of projects you are thinking about or have done and share here.  I'm sure you will get feedback on examples from members here who can reference pages of the FOG for how others have accomplished similar tasks.

Hope you enjoy the forum -

neil

 

[bkharman]

I am new to the fog and also just a hobbiest but have a few questions for you. I have been looking at getting a track saw for over a year now but just can't seem to overcome the price on them! I saw on the post you had a ts55 and CT 36 were they really that good to justify dropping the bank and buying just about every festool product? I also saw where you said you are professional cabinet man what about the conventional tools like table saw shaper etc?

Welcome to the FOG. I, like you, am a glorified hobbyist that had about 5 major home projects that I wanted to get done. We priced out contracts, asked everyone we knew and never found the price we wanted. I have always been a handy man around the house ( father taught me a lot when I was young) and would gladly have done these projects. The wife on the other hand, had a different opinion.

I started with the CSX, OF1400, TS55 (not R) and CT26. I have done more accurate work with those tools then anything else I have ever touched. Oh and I also picked up a MFT as part of my initial purchase.

It is a tangled web we weave but since using these tools, I feel a confidence in my work along with a quickness I have never had before. I don't pretend to be a professional but friends and family see my work that way and the satisfaction is immense.

Whatever route you take, I wish you the best. By the way, I am a Technical Account Manager for an analytics software company and do my "real" work on the weekends.

Cheers.

 

[leer]

I am new to the fog and also just a hobbiest but have a few questions for you. I have been looking at getting a track saw for over a year now but just can't seem to overcome the price on them! I saw on the post you had a ts55 and CT 36 were they really that good to justify dropping the bank and buying just about every festool product? I also saw where you said you are professional cabinet man what about the conventional tools like table saw shaper etc?

Heya Crawfish!  

First and foremost,  [welcome] to the FOG!  I think rather than I (as a dealer) shower you with Festool marketing glitz, I'll sit quiet and have the guys tell you their personal experiences with the Festool System.  (Hint: the stories will probably involve saving alot of time and money.)

Cheers!

I'll bite.   [wink]  I bought a TS 55 REQ recently.  It is my first Festool purchase.  I just finished a plywood box that fits together like it was CNC'd or laser cut.  And absolutely no tearout, which would have been somewhat present if I'd made the box with my table saw and radial arm saw.  This tool has totally changed my approach to woodworking.  Next purchase is a Domino.  After that, either a sander or router.  And then maybe a Kapex, and then ...     [big grin]

Now, at the rate I am investing, I am not sure about saving money, but I was going to buy a SawStop for breaking down sheet goods until I discovered what people were doing with a track saw. I put a Forrest blade on my contractor saw and figure that will do me fine for the foreseeable future, for those times you just want to use, or need to use, a table saw.

 

[Sparktrician]

Now, at the rate I am investing, I am not sure about saving money, but I was going to buy a SawStop for breaking down sheet goods until I discovered what people were doing with a track saw. I put a Forrest blade on my contractor saw and figure that will do me fine for the foreseeable future, for those times you just want to use, or need to use, a table saw.

I considered buying a SawStop contractor saw, but when I note how seldom I use my much older Bosch table saw, I decided to not bother.  The track saw does just about everything I need to do with material up to 1-3/4" in thickness.  Over that, I do break out the Bosch. 

 

[Nanod]

I am new to the fog and also just a hobbiest but have a few questions for you. I have been looking at getting a track saw for over a year now but just can't seem to overcome the price on them! I saw on the post you had a ts55 and CT 36 were they really that good to justify dropping the bank and buying just about every festool product? I also saw where you said you are professional cabinet man what about the conventional tools like table saw shaper etc?

I don't know about professional but I have been around woodworking my whole life. My dad builds cabinets and just about anything out of wood you can think of so that's where I learned.
I had my own shop for about 8 years but suffered an injury that side lined me for about a year so I had to close my shop. I packed all my equipment into a storage including my cabinet saw's,bandsaw,drum sander, molder, and all the other big tools.
One year later and starting over again I knew I would have to down size to the shop in my back yard which is 20x24 and my big equipment just wouldn't fit. I had bought a ts55 and ct36 about 2 days before I got injured so they sat there for almost a year. About a month ago I started to use them and all I can say is they are a game changer. The dust collection is second to none and I can actually break down 4x8 sheet goods with out breaking my back or fighting the table saw!!! I have also now been able to use my domino. It's a great piece of machinery and will change the way I work.
So looking at festool as a system, I would defiantly buy everything again!!! I will update my thoughts as I use each tool.
Another great thing about festool is the FOG. IF THERE IS NOT ALREADY A REVEIW ON A TOOL ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK AND YOU WILL HAVE A ANSWER WITHIN NO TIME!!!

 

[Acrobat]

No mention of any drills?
The drills are beaut but they come with their own Festool centrotec drill bit system which is cool but another expense to consider, although they all do still take standard bits with a the chuck. Once you go to the green side there's no coming back.

 

[Nanod]

No mention of any drills?
The drills are beaut but they come with their own Festool centrotec drill bit system which is cool but another expense to consider, although they all do still take standard bits with a the chuck. Once you go to the green side there's no coming back.

Since I posted about my first big Festool purchase I've kind went of out of control. I have bought so many other Festool's that That I have lost count by now you guys are defiantly right it's a very slippery slope but it's a fun one!!!
I've even bought the centrotec set with the zobo bits because I know it's a limited time offer and didn't want to miss out.
Now here comes the problem I haven't been able to use it because I still don't own a Festool drill.
Reason being is that I own almost every Milwaukee cordless tool there is the m12 system and the 18 volt system and they are very good tools at least I think so.
What's your guys thoughts should I sell them and buy all Festool drills or should I keep them and just buy the CXS Which I plan on buying anyways?

 

[nickao]

I think you should try the drills and if you love them keep them, if not they are an easy sell.

At one time I owned  about every  Festools out that the time. After a couple of years I sold everything off(lots of stuff here) I didn't love.I decided I loved the sanders ,OF 1400 and CT 33's  But to get the drill just becasue they are Festool may not be the best idea if those Milwuakee's work for you and you like them.

For me Festool is sanders, routers and dust collection(and MFT tops!). I tried out all the Festool's for months to years and after a time  thats my view. I loved having everything matching, but the money verse performance for the other Festool's was not there for me. Decide for yourself what you like by trying out the drills. You may decide the Milwuakee's are trash in comparison, you may decide you will stay with them. But unless you use the Festool drills yourself for a couple months you can only go off other peoples views.

 

[jacko9]

Nice start, I second the ETS 150/3 sander suggestion.

Jack