request for advice

[Jan_P]

Dear Festool Owners and Craftsmen,

I would like some advice from you guys on which quality of tools to buy. First of all, I am not a professional. However, I am renovating my house, and apart from that I like building furniture. I already own the festool router OF 1010, and a professional quality Bosch jigsaw. I am now planning to renovate stairs and interior doors (remove glued carpet and paint), and therefore, I am considering to buy the rotex  RO 125 and the vacuum CT midi or CTL26...
In the future, I will keep using these tools for building furniture and other objects from hardwood and MDF, only for private use however; plus other renovation projects. I will also need to buy a circular saw at some point ..

I was wondering however if these festool tools are not somewhat overkill, if they're not used on daily basis... Would the professional grade from Bosch, Makita, Metabo also do? Or is the system concept from festool (the vacuum will fit all tools) not an advantage wrt to compatibility that will save me money in the end?

Please share you ideas. I am aware that there are as many opinions as craftsmen

Thanks,
Jan

 

[nclemmons]

Welcome to FOG.  Plenty of advice and tips here!  And a slight Festool bias.

I am a hobbiest and do not consider Festool overkill IF you plan to use them and value the quality of the work they can deliver.
They are great tools.

I would also consider the RO90 with the delta pad for details and the round pad (Rolex mode) for the flats.  The RO125 is a nice tool but you may need something for the close-in spaces and corners.  

You mentioned carpet glue...  You might want to think about getting the bulk of the adhesive up with a scraper and even a heat gun depending on how much is there.  Glue will quickly clog even 60 grit paper if there is a lot of it and it can become a mess.  I have also used a Fein multi master with a scraper blade.  I do not like the Fein for sanding, however.

The Festool DTS400 or RTS400 could also be possibilities.

What is the current finish on the stairs and are you taking them down to bare wood and then staining, or painting with a carpet runner?

Neil

 

[Birdhunter]

I have recently upgraded my 20 year old woodworking shop replacing my bench, routers, table saw, drills, track saws, jigsaws, sanders, etc. I went with Festool for all the products they sell after "sampling" the brand with a Domino and a TS55 track saw.

Bosch, DeWalt, etc make really good products. Festool adds value over DeWalt et al like Lexus does over a Ford et al. Both cars get you to your destination but Lexus has a big wow factor.  Festool has that wow factor.

Of all the Festool products I've bought, the Domino has made the most change in my woodworking. Next would be the MFT/Track Saw combination.

I am basically a serious hobby woodworker that does an occasional commission work.  I greatly enjoy the Festool products and I am willing to pay their price premium.

If I were looking for the best price, I'd stick with the better Home Depot brands (Bosch, DeWalt).

 

[batcave]

+1 on the Ro90. I will be slower on the open areas, but excel in the tight ones. The midi will serve you better for location work.

Kevin

 

[Jesse Cloud]

To answer your question narrowly "will Festool save me money over a DeWalt, Bosch, etc if I don't use them often [and don't charge for my work]?" - the answer is probably no.  They will save you time by lessening the need to clean up, by doing things in a better way (e.g. Domino) and maybe by avoiding errors caused in part by poorly calibrated tools.

Having said that, I have sold almost all my Bosch and DeWalt tools and find the Festool's much better.

One thing for sure, if you are married and renovating the house you live in, having Festool's effective dust control will save you from complaints about the mess you are making! [big grin]  That alone was well worth the price difference for me.

 

[dltflt]

I am a hobbist also and reccomend to use Festool for the quality and the system. It is such a pleasure to work with these tools. And if you do decide to quit building you can sell them for almost what you paid for them at least that is how it is in the states.

 

[FOGNewbie]

If you can "afford" it I'd say go the Festool route. I am a hobbyist as well(do some odd jobs). It truly is the system, compactness and the dust collection that won me over. Because of both the preciseness and accuracy of the tools, it helps me close the gap between the very skilled and the novice.

Like others have said, they hold their value.

 

[Wonderwino]

Get a TS55 & MFT/3 combo before the 4/1 price increase.  Add a DF500 if you are doing casework or furniture.  Parallel Guides for the saw if you are breaking down sheets of heavy MDF.  The LR32 can't be beat for shelf holes and euro hinge drilling.  The CT26 will be better for the high volume waste from routers & domino cuts.

 

[Jan_P]

Dear all,

thanks for your comments and advice... I have decided to go ahead on the festool route for woodworking tools. Why? Because of compatibility between vacuum, rails, and tools; the broad range of options and easy availablity in shops around here. Some of the options will come in handy. For more general tools like ie. a drill, I will stick to a good quality Bosch or something.

Now it's up to me to explore on the forum what would be most convenient for me... which sander, which vacuum, ...

Thanks guys!
Jan

 

[RC]

I was in your position about three years ago and since decided to Festoolify myself and boy did that go overboard just about then  [tongue]
I've since replaced almost every powertool I own with a Festoy equivalent and then some...

Since you already have the small router and plan on building furniture in the future I would probably start with a combination of:
- MFT/3 table set for work holding and cross cutting + 2 quick release clamps + a set of Festool clamping elements + some Parf Dogs
- TS55R plunge saw with a 1400mm 'holy rail' (i.e. get ready for the eventual LR32 shelf-drilling system upgrade to your router when you begin your first cupboard or bookshelf build)
- CT26 vacuum for your dust extraction needs
- Domino DF500 for case & furniture building + the Domino selection systainer (a bunch of different size Dominos and a cutter set of all sizes)
- Rotex 90 for tight corners and small piece sanding + Granat sand paper for both the triangular and round pads 80-120-180-220 grits
- ETS150/3 for large surfaces and finish sanding (or maybe look at the new Mirka Deros if you really need the intermediate 125mm size - just remember that every different diametre = 5 different grits of sand paper in that size) + Granat paper 80-120-180-220 grits

This should get you going and frankly I'd throw in the CXS drill and a Syslite with an investment like that to get screws into those dark & tight corners.

I'd probably keep your jigsaw for now - that is probably the least significant upgrade I made substituting my old trusty Makita with the Carvex 420.
And when your credit card has recuperated from that shebang you might want to look at the CMS system for table conversion of your router and plunge saw  [wink]

Have fun with your slippery slide to CoolAid blizz  [thumbs up]