New tools purchase help/advice

[firepilot]

Hi All,

Looking at my first set of Festools. Been a fan for a long time but now investing.

Used to have a shop now closed it 10 years ago and sold all my machines. I now have a full time job in aviation. I am setting up a small shop to build a house full of cabinets for the remodel of my own home and projects there after.

I have a 3hp Jet table saw with fence and no current table. Have many tools and such mostly Bosch.

I am weighing whether to get the Ts 55 or Ts 75. I have some 8/4 Bubinga I have been moving around for the last 10 years of so it will need to be processed some time. I also need advice on which dust machine will be appropriate. I will be doing 90% of the work in the shop will have another small dust collector for the table saw. I am looking at the LR system as all I know is the 32mm system. I want to build a MFT table and would buy the right router to do that. The OF 1400 Looks like a good choice for a router.

I could some advice and have about $2500 to start with.

Thanks and I am really looking forward to getting back into some wood working. After having several cabinet shops give me quotes and doing a couple of walk throughs I realized I missed it and wanted to do it myself. I'm probably not going to save any money but will have a nice setup hopefully when I am done. I don't want to go back into it full time, but be a serious hobby. I am a confirmed equipment junky. Loved making cabinets didn't enjoy having a business. Have had lots of big machines in the past. Altendorf, Striebeg, TimeSavers, and set up and ran a Tec-80 point to point back in the day. Looking for some high quality tools to work with and a system to build on.

Spent the last couple of days researching Festools and this forum. Its been a ton of help I just need to narrow down the wish list a bit.

Thanks

Phil

 

[MahalaHomecraft]

The of1010 will handle all but the largest tasks that the 1400 will, it's 100 bucks cheaper and has better dust collection and is lighter.  I used mine to make my MFT and it worked great.  Be sure to get the festool 20mm hole drilling bit for it.  I've never needed a track saw bigger than a 55 but if you need the bigger blade, get the bigger saw.  The lr32 is a wonderful system and you can use it to make yourself a nice MFT.  If you go that route, you may find it worth it to get a super set of dogs from qwas.  If you already have dust collection for your table saw and would like a second unit that can handle the track saw and router and also be portable, I like the ct midi.  It's a decent size but is still very portable.  If you buy it together with a festool you get 10% off.

 

[firepilot]

Thanks for the tips!

Phil

 

[firepilot]

Well after reading here for days I made the plunge. Went to Seattle to pick up the table saw I bought and hit Woodcraft Supply. It was nice to see and feel the tools I had been looking at. I got a good start and came home with:

Ts-55REQ with the "holey" Rail
106" Rail
CT-26 Vacuum
OF 1400 Router
LR-32 System

They are shipping the TS-55. I had called on Friday and they had one but sold 3 last week. They will ship it this week.

Nice people to deal with and pretty knowledgeable about the line. I had my wife with me and when they just about had everything totaled up she asked " Is this when I go around the corner to get a coffee?"

Said yep probably a good idea!

I have the green fever. Next a carved and a Domino I do believe. Tools plus materials still going to be under quotes for the cabinets, and I get to have a good time.

Hop to start making sawdust building cabinets for the shop for practice.

Thanks again for the help.

Phil

 

[semenza]

I know this is a bit late but the 8/4 bubinga  might be a tough go with the TS55 on rip cuts even with a rip blade.  Then again you have the table saw too.

Seth

 

[Sparktrician]

Next a carved and a Domino I do believe.

The Domino and a Kreg pocket hole jig are the dynamite duo for making cabinets. 

 

[firepilot]

Thanks Seth,

The Table saw will work for the Bubinga. I was looking around and I have more than I thought. When I looked at the 75 next to the 55 I licked the smaller machine and I'm sure it will do great for 95 percent of what I want to do.

Sparktrician I have the Kreg jig and am looking at the Domino pretty hard. It looks like a pretty sweet machine.

Thanks

Phil

 

[semenza]

Thanks Seth,

The Table saw will work for the Bubinga. I was looking around and I have more than I thought. When I looked at the 75 next to the 55 I licked the smaller machine and I'm sure it will do great for 95 percent of what I want to do.

Sparktrician I have the Kreg jig and am looking at the Domino pretty hard. It looks like a pretty sweet machine.

Thanks

Phil

   Well since you licked it , then of course you had to buy it   [tongue]  That's like touching food on a serving dish   [laughing]

Seth

 

[Birdhunter]

Domino 500, TS55, and 1400 router. I've got all the Festool routers and pull out the 1400 every time. It will handle 1/2" shanks where the 1010 won't. Absolute must is one of the Festool vacs. I'm sure you can make an MFT clone, but the "real things" are sweet. The big drawback is you can't a big vise directly on the MFT. I had to build an extension on one of my MFTs for the vise.

Please don't lick the tools if you are in Atlanta. It's flu season.

 

[Jmaichel]

I saw that you went to Seattle to pick up your Festools. Where in WA do you live, if you are close I can let you borrow my TS75 to cut the 8/4 Bubinga. Nice score BTW! It always best if the wife is not around when you are paying.  ;D

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

Congratulations on scoring some fine tools. You would find that you can rip 8/4 with the TS55 using multiple passes. I like to score the first at 2mm and take about 10mm to 14mm each pass for the rest.  Use a rip blade.

 

[wrightwoodwork]

I would be demented taking multiple passes at 10mm to cut a 100 mm that's up to 10 passes. Unless I've miss understood

 

[firepilot]

Got to love spell check!

No lick : do like! [big grin] I actually live in Lewiston Idaho. Washington is on the other side of the snake river. The Spokane Woodcraft is probably the closest store to us but I was in Seattle anyway,

Getting power run in the shop tonight and laying out benches and shop cabinets. Should have it pretty well planned out by the time the saw gets here.

Thanks

Phil

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

I would be demented taking multiple passes at 10mm to cut a 100 mm that's up to 10 passes. Unless I've miss understood

Yeah, it would be, but 8/4 is 44mm.  [wink]

 

[wrightwoodwork]

Ok I see, but surely with the right blade the ts55 should cut 44mm unless the blade is dull or the timber is soaking from treatment. I can see the point of a 2mm pass to stop tear out but then taking multiple passes at 10 - 15mm seems lot of work to cut 44mm.

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

It took me about three hours to edge joint 14-7 foot 8/4 red oak last week with a Mafell 55MTcc, a 24 tooth Mafell rip blade,and the Aerofix system. This is comparable to the TS55 with a Festool rip blade.  (The Mafell just has a bit more power.)
Every board came of exactly 18cm and true with no burn and smooth edges. It is possible...Of course, I would rather have a Powermatic 8 inch jointer.  Then, it would have taken me less than one hour.

 

[firepilot]

Hey,

Spent the weekend playing with the news tools. I'm loving them to be sure. Very nice to work with and amazing cut quality. I'm about halfway through drilling my MFt table and it is going well.

Will have bench dogs showing up this week and maybe a Domino Wed or Friday. Ripped up a sheet of Plywood yesterday and am making some garage cabinets.

Should be getting some together in the next day or so. Had to spend some time working around the house and filled 23 bags of leaves.

Anyway just a quick report really loving the tools.

Phil