Well, all I can say is that was the best £10 I've spent for many a year. Absolutely brilliant day at the Axminster Skill Centre (not sure why they let me in, I am not particularly skilful). The course was scheduled to run from 9:30 until 5pm and cost £10.
I got there at about 9:20 for a 9:30 start, was welcomed by the Axminster Staff and taken to their very well equipped training centre. We were given free run of the place and told to help ourselves to Tea, Coffee and Fruit if we wanted.
Due to a road being closed in Axminster for repairs some of the other members of the course arrived a little late so we didn't get started until about 9:40. When all had arrived there were 9 of us in total. We were given the standard site induction and then introduced to our trainer Phil Beckley who is Festool UKs Technical Trainer (I have had some FOG forum interaction with Phil at times over the last few months so it was nice to be able to put a name to a face).
Phil had come loaded for Bear and he had brought a transit sized van full of Festool Kit from the very latest cordless tools right through the Festool range available and included but not necessarily in this order: Track Saws (Plunge and New Circular) including a great demonstration of the various blades available, Jigsaws PS300 & PS420, Extractors Midi and CTL-Sys, Dominos DF500 & DF700XL, Planers, Sanders (Rotex, Orbitals and HS130), Drill/Drivers, SDS Drill, Small Drill/Drivers and finished with the Kapex.
Phil went through the use of each item fully explaining how they worked and included the best way to setup and calibrate each item. He then demonstrated them on a variety of materials including man-made (worktop, laminate and Corian), Plywood, Hardwood, Dense Block, Softwood and included using, through Sipo tenons with the DF700XL, how to setup and use a Carvex and the FSG105/4 and where appropriate gave the option to use, handle and test the tools.
We stopped for a comfort break and coffee at 11am and were greeted with a nice selection of cakes to choose from. We took the opportunity as a group to get to know one another and our use or anticipated use of the tools.
After this short break we resumed once again with a different set of tools to discuss, try and have demoed for us along with the attributes and the why they are in the Festool line up.
At 1pm, Phil called a halt and we stopped this time for lunch, which was a lovely selection of sandwiches, we were not too disappointed to stop at this time as most of our rear ends had gone numb having mostly been sitting on a work stool for the past 3.5 hours.
Again after the break we resumed with demos and discussion of more tools until we needed to stop again at about 3pm for another comfort/coffee break and a opportunity to stretch our legs.
We recommenced after a short break and finished up with the use/discussion of the Kapex on the UG set and its use and how to get the best from it.
We then said our thanks to Phil for what was an excellent day overall and also got a nice surprise as we were all given a few goodies to take home to remember the day.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Phil for his very interesting, entertaining and good natured delivery, and Axminster Power Tools for providing the venue and vittles' and I know that everyone who attended today got something from the day, no doubt, some more than others, but I would not hesitate to attend another as there were many other Festool Items that we did not have the time to see today Planex, Routers, Edge Bander etc.
Just one thing to state and a great postscript to this post, is Phil's description of Festool Items (whether tools or accessories) is to think of them as 'not to be thought of as expensive, but instead, a lifetime investment'
=D>
I got there at about 9:20 for a 9:30 start, was welcomed by the Axminster Staff and taken to their very well equipped training centre. We were given free run of the place and told to help ourselves to Tea, Coffee and Fruit if we wanted.
Due to a road being closed in Axminster for repairs some of the other members of the course arrived a little late so we didn't get started until about 9:40. When all had arrived there were 9 of us in total. We were given the standard site induction and then introduced to our trainer Phil Beckley who is Festool UKs Technical Trainer (I have had some FOG forum interaction with Phil at times over the last few months so it was nice to be able to put a name to a face).
Phil had come loaded for Bear and he had brought a transit sized van full of Festool Kit from the very latest cordless tools right through the Festool range available and included but not necessarily in this order: Track Saws (Plunge and New Circular) including a great demonstration of the various blades available, Jigsaws PS300 & PS420, Extractors Midi and CTL-Sys, Dominos DF500 & DF700XL, Planers, Sanders (Rotex, Orbitals and HS130), Drill/Drivers, SDS Drill, Small Drill/Drivers and finished with the Kapex.
Phil went through the use of each item fully explaining how they worked and included the best way to setup and calibrate each item. He then demonstrated them on a variety of materials including man-made (worktop, laminate and Corian), Plywood, Hardwood, Dense Block, Softwood and included using, through Sipo tenons with the DF700XL, how to setup and use a Carvex and the FSG105/4 and where appropriate gave the option to use, handle and test the tools.
We stopped for a comfort break and coffee at 11am and were greeted with a nice selection of cakes to choose from. We took the opportunity as a group to get to know one another and our use or anticipated use of the tools.
After this short break we resumed once again with a different set of tools to discuss, try and have demoed for us along with the attributes and the why they are in the Festool line up.
At 1pm, Phil called a halt and we stopped this time for lunch, which was a lovely selection of sandwiches, we were not too disappointed to stop at this time as most of our rear ends had gone numb having mostly been sitting on a work stool for the past 3.5 hours.
Again after the break we resumed with demos and discussion of more tools until we needed to stop again at about 3pm for another comfort/coffee break and a opportunity to stretch our legs.
We recommenced after a short break and finished up with the use/discussion of the Kapex on the UG set and its use and how to get the best from it.
We then said our thanks to Phil for what was an excellent day overall and also got a nice surprise as we were all given a few goodies to take home to remember the day.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Phil for his very interesting, entertaining and good natured delivery, and Axminster Power Tools for providing the venue and vittles' and I know that everyone who attended today got something from the day, no doubt, some more than others, but I would not hesitate to attend another as there were many other Festool Items that we did not have the time to see today Planex, Routers, Edge Bander etc.
Just one thing to state and a great postscript to this post, is Phil's description of Festool Items (whether tools or accessories) is to think of them as 'not to be thought of as expensive, but instead, a lifetime investment'
=D>
