New Bead and V-Groove cutter blocks for HK85

Roachmill

Roachmill

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
325
I figured this bit of info was worth posting if only for posterity... Some eagle-eyed poster on the "Fesdrool" group over on Facebook mentioned that Whitehill have started selling a couple of new cutter blocks for the HK85. AFAIK, the bead block came in to being as a custom request from Oliver Bradshaw of Bradshaw Joinery (a great channel BTW) fame.

Here's his video demoing his bead block:


They can be found here.
 
Yeah, I stumbled across his video a few months ago as I too was looking at getting a custom cutter made for the HK85.  A certain competitor wanted £1624.50 Each Nett for 1 cutter!

The Festool groove cutter does dadoes between 16-25mm.  I wanted something less so I could slot in thinner plywood sheets into these grooves (or rabbets).  The custom cutter I was quoted for does between 8-16mm.  Do you think Whitehill would be able to make a replica of the Festool groove cutter that will do these dimensions?

I go back and forward if using a track saw is a good idea for these applications, I mean a router will do all these profiles.  It feels a track saw is quicker for these types of cuts but the jump in cost is significant.  An HK85, tracks, custom cutters...
 
I'm sure Whitehall would make you a cuter block. Oliver's one was a one off to his requirements after all. £1600 is a tad eye watering but I think his one was closer to the Whitehall block prices.

I've only used the Festool groover a few times but it is quite something considering it's a saw. It makes a real mess (even with a D36 hose going into a CT26) but it is fast, precise and leaves a clean housing going along the grain. You do get a bit of blowout when exiting a cross-grain cut which is easy enough to pack out with something sacreficial. It certainly takes a bigger and deeper cut in one go than using a router and time is saved on making multiple passes.
 
Festool is missing an opportunity here. Offering a cutter with various profile knives would make buying HK85 much more appealing.
 
Svar said:
Festool is missing an opportunity here. Offering a cutter with various profile knives would make buying HK85 much more appealing.
Click to expand...
You spelt "eye wateringly expensive" wrong [emoji1787] But yeah, it's unusual for Festool to miss out on an accessory... or three.
 
I guess Festool might justify their decision by saying the HK85 is aimed at the guys who do big timber builds, it's not aimed at profile work.  Agreed, it would make it easier to justify the cost of an HK85.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top