New to the forum, where's my green Kool Aid?

[jefm]

Hello, Festool Fiends. I'd like to say hi and spout off my newbie questions.

Despite no real woodwork training, I've made quite some few shelves, beds, platforms, benches, gadgets and even some set stuff for movie work. My tools were often no more than a battered circ saw, cordless drill, tape measure and a box of drywall screws.
Lately I've taken a couple wood workshops. What a feeling that: using real tools, and having something come out square! I'd never built finer joinings in my life.

So I enter woodwork as a hobbyist. I don't know a cross cut from a paper cut but have gotten books, am looking for classes and would love to learn. My dream is to earn money at it some day, but I'm not holding my breath. For now I'm happy to build things for the house, turn trinkets on a lathe and make stuff for friends. I'm also into leatherwork, costuming and any number of things that woodwork would only compliment.

I'm interested in Festool since at the moment as I have severely limited shop space and like the modularity of a 'system shop'. Things I'm not using at the moment can pack down to nothing, and if a task is too big, I can set up shop outside in moments. Dust extraction is also of utmost importance, and it will need to be able to clean up after the lathe.

One of the biggest questions I have at the moment regards advice I got against Festool's router system. The idea being I could buy a table and two routers for the price. Maybe so, but is it worth not being able to use it on the Festool tracks? With the stuff I read and the people I talk to, the router is nearly the centerpiece of the shop, so this decision means a lot to me. I won't have a tablesaw thus I'm routing my dadoes. BTW, that advice was from a Festool guy, so I was taken aback. He likes the other stuff, Domino, the dust extractors, etc, played down Kapex a bit, but whatever.   

I've been watching videos and looking at pictures and it looks like Festool needs a setup for each cut.

I'm not sure how to word this but is there a "Festool way" of woodworking that I as a beginner risk getting trapped in? And is that such a bad thing, lol.

Would this be a good thread to spill my proposed workshop setup or is that better off in another thread?
I've got more questions than time so that's enough for now. Thanks for any help!
jefm

 

[peter halle]

Hi Jeff and welcome to the forum.  I am sure that many members will be asking questions and offering their thoughts.  I do apologize for the fact that I will be / have removed your linked video.  Eureka zone products and conversations tend to get a bit testy here.

Hope you get some great advice.

Peter

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Jefm and welcome to the greatest woodworking gathering on the internet.

You would do well to look through a few videos featuring Festool products and get a feel for the Festool "system" approach.

Festool USA have quite a few links on their web site.

There is a really well respected chap here on the FOG, Paul Marcel, who has a shed load of informative and helpful advice for everyone. He can also be found under the name "half inch shy". He has a blog and a YouTube channel. I started by looking through a lot of his stuff and it has been a huge help for me.

Good luck.

Peter

 

[wow]

First, [welcome] to the FOG!

Festool has some great products, and also what I think are some 'OK' products.

On this site you'll find people who, like me, have invested a small fortune in Festool products. Because of that, you're not likely to see many "Festool is crap' posts. Those people don't last long here and quickly move on. That said, I think you'll still get a lot of practical and pragmatic advice from the members here.

As I an example, I personally own a 'metric crapload' of Festool, but I also own a number of Milwaukee M12 drills and find them to be wonderful. Does that mean i think the Festool drills are bad? Nope - I just don't see the value of them over the value of my Milwaukee drills. While I don't own any Festool drills, there are others who RAVE about them

Festool routers, for instance, spin a router bit and remove material just like any other router. It's hard to make a router bit spin differently for Festool than it would for other companies, so in that regard they are 'the same'. But it's the Festool SYSTEM that shines.

Virtually all Festool tools come in Systainers. They ship in a case/organizer system that is the envy of every other tool company. That alone sets them apart.

Then there's the tools themselves: The products are first class. The quality is as good as any product on the market, and better than most. The warranty is second to none.

And then the system: The guide rails that come with (or are available for) the Track Saws are also integral to the LR-32 system for the router, and can be used with the Carvex Jig Saw. It's the tight integration of the tools that make the system so valuable.

But in the end, only YOU can decide if the Festool products and system make sense or have value to you. Take advantage of the 30-day trial period (if you are in the USA) the next time you have a need for a specific tool. If you aren't thoroughly satisfied with it, send it back within 30 days and move on to whatever tool you think is higher quality, better value, or nicer color. I'll bet you return very few - if any.

Welcome to the addiction!