Should I buy Festool

[bruegf]

If anyone's looking at a Shopsmith they should take a look at:
https://www.smithy.com/products.php?cid=18&scid=19&pid=1003

This is a much higher quality machine that is also capable of light metal work.

Fred

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Good Morning,
I was wandering back through some of the old discussions in this forum, looking at all the great material that has been posted along the way.  I came across this discussion, and realized it had great potential!  It's been over a year since the last post, and I'm wondering what new ideas people might like to add on the subject of "Why buy Festool?"

We've had thousands of new members since this discussion was last active.  I'm wondering what people have to add.

So, jump in!

Stay in touch,
Matthew

 

[Bruce]

One thing that may or may not have been mentioned is that it can actually be less expensive to get started in woodworking with Festool machines if quality and precision are important to you.  What I mean is that by making use of a few Festool products (MFT, saw, router, dust extractor) and the knowledge documented on this forum, a person can do a heck of a lot of woodworking without an expensive (and space-hungry) table saw, jointer, compound miter saw and dust collection system.  I still don't have a jointer and dust collection system and may never own them.  As discussed elsewhere, a table-saw can be useful but is not absolutely necessary.  So even if you purchase one later, you can get by just fine with a small inexpensive portable table saw because the Festool saw and guide rails makes a big expensive table saw unnecessary.  It is better to slowly tool-up with quality, as funds allow, than to waste money on junk and later regret it.  I have not regretted any Festool purchase yet.

 

[kfitzsimons]

I just spent a couple of days helping finish out a cabin screened in porch.  A couple of weeks ago, I helped using only my bro-in-laws basic tools - B&D circular saw, cordless drill, old, old jig saw, etc.  This past Monday and Tuesday I went back to help with my MFT800, TS55 and a few guide rails.  We were SO much more productive it was amazing.  Instead of using a 2x4 as a saw guide, measuring the distance from the edge of the saw to the saw kerf and hoping the 2x was truly straight, we used my TS55 and the guide rails.  No measuring, dead-on straight cuts, very little or no chip outs - way quicker and more accurate.  My bro-in-law was blown away.  It really made it fun to work seeing how much better the siding, ceiling and trim went up.
Now I'll fess up.  I purchased my TS55 used and that was the first project I used it on.  Easy, straight forward techniques.  I'm used to using my Delta Unisaw and a Porter Cable Saw Boss.  I'm excited to see what other projects can be done with the Festool system.

 

[dltflt]

I  used the SS many years ago and agree with everyone else that it is a PITA.  I definitely would make the move to Festool.  I went from SS to many standalone tools and now I am switching to Festool.

 

[chesterdad]

From the type of things you are looking to do, Festool should work just fine.  Just remember, if you need to dimension material, you still need planer and jointer functions.  I am a big festool user, but find some functions better served by specific tools such as a bandsaw for resawing or a tablesaw for thin cuts or repetitive cuts.  All of this need to be measured against your space limitations.  You can find some nice, accurate small tools used from Inca that can meet some of the needs I mentioned to supplement your Festool tools.  I know this is blasphemy for some, but I would like to add a little balance to this discussion.

Best of luck

 

[peter halle]

Opinions are welcome.  Let's face it.  Tools are tools.  Some fit situations better.  Festool is a European country and their focus and origin is different than many in the US are accustomed to.  Europens have faced the fact that their natural resources are being used up.  They have adapted to the fact that many products are made of panelized products - think IKEA.  Festools were designed for the European market and then brought over to the US.

We are blessed to have the availability of products not available elsewhere and other tools might be required to process them to our requirements.

Rock on.

Peter

 

[Eli]

I would like to add a little balance to this discussion.

hehehehee  hah hee

(snif)

he

BWHAWHAWHAHWHAHWHAHWHAHWHAHWHAHWHAHWHAHWHAHW ;D

 

[Dave Ronyak]

... It is better to slowly tool-up with quality, as funds allow, than to waste money on junk and later regret it.  I have not regretted any Festool purchase yet.

Bruce,

Yours is a perfect comment in my opinion!  Over the years I have purchased many tools that I later replaced with tools of better quality, and Festool products are at the top of my list today.  The first time I used a Milwaukee drill with a precision "zero" chuck that tightly gripped the bit and had near zero runout was a revelation.  (That was 30 years ago.)  I still have that drill and that chuck still does not slip.  In contrast, many so-called keyless chucks on other drills I have used do slip.  I've also used that Milwaukee drill to pump water out of a new garage foundation excavation, running the drill at full speed for several hours at a time without any ill effects.

Dave R.

 

[talltree]

I also have a small shop - too small to use the Festool circular saw with accompanying fences. The tools which have come to be essential are  1) a little Porter Cable sidewinder trim saw,  2) a small bench mount drill press,  3) a small 6-1/4" Makita sliding cutoff saw,  4) a Ridgid portable contractors table saw,  5)  a Porter Cable 7335 random orbital sander, and a  6) Festool Domino. These tools, plus assorted other power and hand tools, seem to do the trick for 95% of my work.

This stuff could just as easily be loaded up in a pickup to do the work on-site.

Just to have good reliable tools is a great feeling, but an even better feeling to is sit down and figure out what best meets your needs. Amazon.com reader reviews are excellent in helping to judge a tool. My experience, for example with RO sanders, was to burn out about 4 name brand sanders before making an in-depth search for the sander with the best feedback for my particular needs.

Is Festool the answer? In my opinion, it depends on your needs.

 

[Ed in Tampa]

Actually I see a guided tool system as being the perfect complement to Shopsmith. They both function on the idea of accomplishing many tasks with a mimium space requirement.

I would keep the SS for any lathe, drill press, bandsaw, horizontal boring, jointer, rotary sanding (both disk and drum operations) that would be needed and use the Festool products for the rest.  The Festool vac's would be great with the SS as would the additional work surface afforded by the Shopsmith be with Festool equip.  Also if there is repetive ripping needed setting up the Shopsmith and cutting them may be a little quicker. 

I would do most of crosscuts and most of rips with the Festool and use Festool products to rout, sand and most everything else. 

I have a Shopsmith and I love it, I know I need help. But once you learn the system it becomes second nature to you. One thing you learn is so many of our typical woodworking tasks require identical setups and this is where the Shopsmith shines you simply changed the cutter and you can keep the basic initial setup.  A Shopsmith is like a giant erector set from which you build various jigs to accomplish the task you have at hand.  To me that falls right into the Festool philosophy of woodworking.

 

[mohrab]

I have had a SS for years and still do.  I also have just recently had a renewed interest in Woodworking.  As a result, I have been investing in Festool products and have been building children's furniture and furniture for my shop.  It is amazing how reading Fine Woodworking and other like publications makes you feel that you can do that if you just had all those tools!  I now have an MFT, TS55, CT33 and 1400 router.

I am trying to follow a rule that I will not buy a tool unless I am actually working on a project where the tool will be a benefit.  It has really tempered my purchases!

Your SS will serve you well as a drill press and 12" disc sander and as a lathe if you are into wood turning.  My table saw was down for awhile last spring and I did use the SS saw to rip some long pieces of lumber which I found was easier to do than setup the Festool guides at the time.  However, I had bought a table saw a long time ago to avoid using that feature on the SS.  I feel that the accessories and upgrades for SS are too expensive for what they deliver.  Particularly if you are cutting any sheet goods you will appreciate the Festool products.  The MFT was what initially attracted me just for assembly and glue ups.  Then I made the mistake of reading Jerry Work's articles on the Festool products (just kidding).

You may find the MFT and TS55 awkward at first for some setups, I did.  But after awhile you figure out what works for you just as the SS will if you use it frequently. I also have a small, but growing shop, and think through where I am going to put something before buying it!

Assuming you paid a reasonable price for the SS it probably wasn't a bad purchase just for the drill press and sander capability.  I particularly like the horizontal drilling capability.
Having said that, I did recently buy a drill press and plan to eventually sell my SS.  Any new money will go into Festool or hand tools.  I also plan to replace my table saw with a band saw to gain some space in my shop and if I have some projects that will warrant it!  This would not be possible w/o the basic Festool products.

 

[suds]

Seems like the Shopsmith has a very loyal following as does Festool.  Shopsmith seems to have some functions that complement the Festool system and both seem to have exclellent quality.  I read an interesting recommendation for Shopsmith on Song of the Great Lakes site.  He builds banjos and has numerous uses for the Shopsmith.  A pretty good eye opener on what a Shopsmith can do versus other stand alone systems.  Seems to me that Festool is giving us a complete new way to woodwork and Shopsmith is pretty much done as far as anything innovative is concerned.  One nice thing, you can sure pick up a complete shopsmith cheap.  One just sold for $900 in our town on Craigs list.  It had a bandsaw, jointer and jigsaw on top of all the other standard equipment.  It was 4 or 5 years old and hardly used.  I'm sure the whole setup was well over $4,000 new.

 

[nickao]

... It is better to slowly tool-up with quality, as funds allow, than to waste money on junk and later regret it.  I have not regretted any Festool purchase yet.

I still have that drill and that chuck still does not slip.  In contrast, many so-called keyless chucks on other drills I have used do slip.  I've also used that Milwaukee drill to pump water out of a new garage foundation excavation, running the drill at full speed for several hours at a time without any ill effects.

Dave R.

Dave those old Milwaukee drills are bullet proof aren't they!

I have one of the first of the larger drills and have used it from everything from drilling to mixing joint compound to using it as an auger to plant small trees! I have run it 8 -10 hours a day and it would get hot, but it never did or has broken down. It was about the only tool that did not melt in my house fire either! Not as much plastic in those old drills, but pretty heavy!

It has been in my shed for three years and I bet I could plug it in and it would fire right up. Cost 800.00 I think at the time new and that was EXPENSIVE!

One caveat to your statement about buying quality. Its better to have a tool than no tool if you have to wait years to get it.
I went without a Band saw for years because I wanted quality, big mistake I should have bought a cheap Sears and made due until I could afford better. I lost out years of experience on the band saw and not having any band Saw at all  excluded me from making many projects because I was  waiting for quality.

So buy what you can afford and have fun with it until you can get that "ultimate" quality.

 

[Bill Wyko]

My shop is 12x20, if it weren't for festools there wouldn't be any room for......ME ;D Stackable, compact, powerful, versatile and the highest quality. Plus great dust extraction. You just can't go wrong.