New festool owner

R

Richard83

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2014
Messages
20
G'day
Long time lurker, first time poster from Perth, Western Australia!
My TS55 + 1400 rail arrived last week (my first festool purchase) so now that I've been baptised I thought I'd say hello!

Only used it to trim some doors so far but coming from an old Bosch circular saw... Wow!

I've just finished what I'm calling the first 'wave' of a major renovation (major remodelling - reframing walls, insulating, re-wiring, new kitchen etc) and am about to embark on the second 'wave' this year which involves a lot if trimming, cabinet making (the nice stuff the wife sees that you actually get credit for!)

Decided my first task will be a new workshop (as I don't have anywhere to work right now - was previously moving tools from room to unrenovated room)

Once the frame is up I plan on building some workbenches (both fixed and mobile based on the benchworks.be design), some cabinets with drawers to hold all my new (future) systainers, then some rolling cabinets for my mitre saw and maybe a bench drill if it becomes necessary.

So I have my track saw, the next purchases in current order are:
Domino plus Midi extractor to help with the cabinet making.
RS200 sander for sanding large areas
Rotex 90 for fine sanding
Drill (not sure which yet - must be able to drill min 25mm hole in 80yr old hardwood - what my house frame is made from!)

Most of my current tools are knackered after the first wave so using the change to the second wave to refresh and upgrade my tools (Have newish router and mitre saw which I'm happy with (for now!)).

With that in mind I am just about to purchase a few new things from the US (I have a US postal address so I usually do a big purchase of gear quarterly and combine the shipping back to Oz). If you have any suggestions on what should be essentials for my new workshop to get the most out of (or compliment) the tools I mentioned above I'd love to hear from you. To give you an idea of what I mean, the things currently on my list are:
Silky Pocketboy
Incra T-rule
FastCap True32
Sensguard hearing protection
(Do I need a pocket hole jig if I have a domino?)

Items can come from any US/Canadian website so look forward to your suggestions

Cheers

Richard
 
Hi Richard, relatively recent poster myself.

Priority on my list would be safety, so push the vac up the list, along with the hearing protection and add a decent face mask in.

I also suspect an MFT would be a good addition to the kit list.
 
[welcome] Richard, nice to have another Aussie on the forum. i reckon in about 2 months you will buy a festool sander and drill then you will be well and truly hooked. Better get a mortgage  [wink]
 
Hi Richard,

Welcome Mate....  Good to see another West Aussie here.

I would say getting the CT Midi would be of high Priority, since i works with everything.
As for the Drill the new DRC18 would be a perfect place to start.

May i ask who you bought your gear from?
 
G'day mate! And WELCOME to the FOG.

As you may have figured out from lurking, this site can be hazardous to your wallet. That's why I wouldn't get OVERLY concerned with what you order right now - 'cause another order won't be far behind.

;D

Lot's of good advice will be offered. Just don't get your insides all twisted up trying to get it EXACTLY right...
 
Hi Richard,

  Welcome to the forum!  [smile]

I would definitely recommend a pocket hole jig to use in conjunction with the Domino. Makes a great combo.

Seth
 
Hi Richard,

Good to see the Aussie ranks on the rise!

Kev.
 
Cheers fellas

The vac is certainly high on the list (as is the pocket hole jig now!)

Considering the MFT but to be honest the price is scary!! My current plan is to build my own but try to source a CNC drilled work top to gain the accuracy of the MFT.

My first purchase was from JustTools (but those UK prices look pretty juicey!!)

Exciting times!
 
Richard83 said:
Cheers fellas

The vac is certainly high on the list (as is the pocket hole jig now!)

Considering the MFT but to be honest the price is scary!! My current plan is to build my own but try to source a CNC drilled work top to gain the accuracy of the MFT.

My first purchase was from JustTools (but those UK prices look pretty juicey!!)

Exciting times!
Click to expand...

Take care buying OS, you'll want to make certain you're getting a bargain as the warranty doesn't transfer.
 
Hi Richard

I am also a new convert and have just taken a new mortgage out LOL to purchase Festool in a big way.

When I was doing my research on what to buy the Midi was foremost as dust extraction was my priority. Another thing to consider is as others have stated if purchasing OS your warranty claims will have to be done OS. Festool Australia will not cover it.
I initially looked at purchasing online and got quotes etc.....yet eventually purchased from a local dealer at a slightly higher price but had peace of mind for warranty and their service and support has been excellent.

I just now have restrain myself ( it doesn't work) as I have the Green disease bad. I was at my dealer today get a router bit and these new little mini sustainers with T loc just said they had to come home with me. The CXS drill was also wanting to come home with me but I resisted.

A suggestion maybe would be to just buy the mft top....... please don't quote me but from memory they are about $160....might be a cheaper alternative for you.

Enjoy your new purchases
 
Thanks for the advice...

I find the concern about warranty a funny one... I'm new to Festool but I sure hope they are not so badly made that people are using their warranties all the time?! How many Hobbyists have actually needed to use their warranty? (I understand people using them professionally would more likely run into trouble)

Anyway, buying the MFT work top might be a good option

Cheers
 
I am a woodworking hobbyist who has been doing that for a number of years. I don't have any problems with any Festools I've bought. Even with the TS55REQ recall, I never experienced the alleged problem with the saw (but I hadn't owned it very long of course). During that process I felt that Festool was extremely responsive even during the time the final solution was being worked out and accommodated all of my needs and answered all of my questions. I've had the same experience with the MFT with questions and responsiveness. They are much more responsive and assist much more readily than any other tool company I've ever dealt with. All companies have some defects and problems over time. So far, for me, problems with Festools have been almost non-existent.
 
Richard83 said:
Thanks for the advice...

I find the concern about warranty a funny one... I'm new to Festool but I sure hope they are not so badly made that people are using their warranties all the time?! How many Hobbyists have actually needed to use their warranty? (I understand people using them professionally would more likely run into trouble)

Anyway, buying the MFT work top might be a good option

Cheers
Click to expand...

Your dice to throw.

I've done the math on savings, factored exchange rates and shipping, etc. Then I've considered risk, warranty and the ease of dealing with my Festool retailer that 10 minutes away. I also value the in store advice I receive and the benefit of having demonstration tools ... Also I'm not the sort of person that would take advantage of a retailers overheads, then buy from the cheapest source. If I sample something in a store and bend their ear on it - I feel a reasonable commitment to buy from them.

I've have very little in the way of issues with quality / warranty ... but I've certainly asked my quota of dumb questions.
 
[size=11pt]

I would not do it Richard. The price difference is not that great, particularly after you consider the points made by Kev and others above. And remember some Australian dealers discount.

Also, whilst Festool do make a high quality product. You only have to regularly read the FOG to see that there can be issues with a new tool or in how it operates.
 
Yeah, it's an interesting debate.

I have a quote which I haven't pulled the trigger on yet which offers me a 25% discount versus buying local (including delivery/tax etc)

Significant in my opinion and certainly in my wallet's opinion!

But I thought I would do the right thing and go and see my local Festool dealer this morning. The display had one track saw and one ETS 150/5 and a few accessories like dust bags and some clamps. I asked if they had any more tools to look at, response was "nah, if you want anything we can order it in"... OK... so then I ask what is the difference between the ETS 150 and the Rotex 150 (two sanders I am considering), response was "mmmm, I'm not sure, I'd have to look it up"...

So yeah, less than impressed with what is supposed to be the difference between buying locally and online!

This may be a Perth-specific problem though because when you live in the most isolated capital city in the world there isn't much competition and hence customer service suffers. So for me it comes down to a domino PLUS a sander if I order from UK or just the domino if I get my local dealer to place the order for me.

Every choice has consequences I guess... appreciate the feedback so far
 
Richard83 said:
Cheers mate

Took a while to figure out where to find my messages!

[tongue]
Click to expand...

Further PM Just  sent. Good luck. [smile]

PS is there only one dealer in Perth?
 
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