Need help from the Australia foggers... :)

[Peter-kenny]

Hey guys I'm here in Ireland at the min and I'm thinking of going down under like a lot of the irish, it more for the different  lifestyle and a change. work for me here is going great  but I'm 28 now and listening to all my mates ringing and looking at there photos it look great down there... Anyway back to the subject.. As I said I'm thinking of going down but like most of the irish working (drinking) on the mines and building sites  I want to do finish carpentry and general carpentry jobs. (If there any going) anyway the thing is when I'm heading down I was thinking of sending down my tools and all my Festool bits as there 110v here will they our can they work in oz??  I have company that will ship and creat down for me so getting the stuff down is not a issue
So if there any of the OZ guys here that could help me out be great
Thanks pete

 

[Kev]

Hi Pete,

110V isn't the best option here. You'd be better off cashing your tools that are 110V, keeping all of the accessories though - perhaps even checking prices ( festool.com.au ) and buying 240V before you hop on the boat.

I'm not in the industry, so I can't talk work ... but things are pretty good generally.

Sydney your target? We've got a plague of Irish here [big grin] [wink]

 

[GarryMartin]

Australia uses the same 230/240V at 50Hz electrical supply as the UK but the plugs and sockets are different.

240V Festool tools should therefore just require a change of Plug-It lead and will be good to go.

As I understand it from reading about this before when researching the differences between 110V and 240V tools, 110V is not used on site in Australia as it is in the UK; 240V is the standard and site tools are checked regularly so 110V may pose problems for the equipment used to do the testing and may not be passed for use.

You could change the plug on a 110V transformer and it should technically work without problem, but you may not be allowed to use it on site.

Hope this helps. Maybe some of the Australian members can advise on the practicalities of 110V for site use.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=12pt]

Pete, as stated by Kev and Gary, you will need to replace your Festool 110 V items. Forget transformers.

In Victoria and I suspect other states, due to WorkSafe and WorkCover legislation most worksites are subject to electrical inspection of leads and tools. This even includes offices and schools.

As for finishing work, look at Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. Other areas to investigate in Victoria are Geelong and Ballerat.

You are not alone, there are lots of young Irish coming down here, only out numbered by the Spanish. Plenty of Irish Pubs, particularly in the inner suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney.

 

[Locky]

Hey Pete,
I run my own building company with domestic and strata work on the northern beaches, and its a requirement for all power tool/accessories to be tested and tagged every 3-6 months before they can be used on site. With that being said I haven't had my tools tagged for a while as I work on domestic sites and have just got all new festool tools [big grin], but if you were to work on commercial sites where OH&S is to the second to none, then I don't think a sparkie would pass your 110v tools so your probably better to sell them and buy 240v tools, but don't do it down here as every one in the festool world know that we pay a heck of a lot more for our tools down here
Hope this helps