Jeff Hein
Member
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2010
- Messages
- 129
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend both the Advanced router class in Las Vegas last week, and Cabinet class in Lebanon this week. I saw both classrooms, and both instructors. I am sure much of what I am going to list below has been talked about before, but until I actually go and do/see some of this stuff, it doesn't necessarily sink in with me.
Here is a small list of things I picked up while at class.
1. Stop using inch measurements while making cabinets. Invest in a Fastcap True32 tape and make all of your cabinets in Metric. The True32 tapes have small dots every 32mm on the tape. If you have a inch measurement you want to try to match, round it up or down until you get to a standard 32mm interval.
2. The LR32 hole drilling system is fast and accurate. I now own one of these after using it a few times. It will definitely speed up my cabinets, the key is you need to start making your cabinets heights in intervals of 32mm (i.e. 768mm high)
3. All of the festool routers have center lines scribed into the bases. When doing layout on your cabinet for dado's/grooves, just mark the center line on the workpiece and then line up the router base to that center line and you will have great results. Even though the MFK700 doesn't plunge, once you get your depth set, you can remove the motor from the base to do all of your alignment work, and then re-attach the motor and go (AWESOME!)
4. All festool routers (including the MFK700) can micro-adjust in 1/10 mm increments (about 1/256th of an inch)
5. If you buy a MFS router template system, you will need to get a 30mm guide bushing for your router (not included, but needed if you do any circle or arc work)
6. Once the parallel guides are calibrated to your saw, they are VERY accurate.
7. Watching the RAS 115.04 scribe to a line in a cabinet is AWESOME. We had a live demo of this: Youtube video If Festool would sell to us while we were on site, they would have sold several of these!
8. The depth stop on the TS55 moves at 1mm intervals. If this is not granular enough for you, you can insert a screw into the small hole on the top of the depth adjustment and "micro-adjust" your blade depth.
9. If you want to trim hardwood edging on a shelf, get the Edge Plate, Angle Arm, and Chip deflector. Using the 1010 router, you can flush trim edge banding up to 1 3/4" deep. The MFK700 will also trim edging, but it is limited to 5/8" deep using the horizontal base.
10. Get an interface pad for your sander. Using an interface pad allows you to sand round-overs and other "non-flat" surfaces with your Rotex 150/125/90 or ETS sanders. I have not considered getting a interface pad before, as I only thought they were used for polishing applications. After using one, I found it to be a nice accessory for the sanders.
11. Festool is now selling large rolls of foam-backed Granat sandpaper. These are perforated so you get a nice sized sheet for hand sanding. We used these in cabinet class, and they just felt good in your hand. These are going to be awesome for "in-between" finishing coats. I already have a couple of boxes on order. Here is a link to the products on Tool-nuts page: http://www.festoolproducts.com/Festool-Sandpaper-Rolls-s/113.htm
12. The new Carvex Jigsaws do allow you to easily see your cut-line while cutting!!! I tested both the corded and and cordless model. I love the fact that you can see the cut line easily, and that blade appears to be "stopped" due to the strobe lights. Frank Pellow actually tried to trade his wallet for the demo unit after testing it out
. If I were to pick one, I would probably choose the corded barrel group. The cordless and corded versions seemed fairly equivalent, but I like the fact that I can cycle the dust extractor on/off with the corded version. We did test several battery types on the cordless carvex, and a 12v 1.3amp battery from a C12 powers the new carvex just fine...neat stuff.
13. The new C12 drill with the 1.3 amp lithium battery is light!!! I can't believe how lightweight the new lithium battery is. I am definitely getting one of the new C12 drills once they are available. It is not really that much bigger than the CXS... After using both the CXS and the new C12, I am going to go with the C12.
14. The MFS is a template guide for making circles, arcs, squares, rectangles, and much more. If you want super accurate cuts using the included scales on the MFS rails, get a 10mm bit for your router, This makes the layout/calculation much easier. It is best to use the guides to make a template (i.e. a large circle out of MDF), and then use the mdf on your final material (i.e. cherry table top)
15. The scales (repeatable stops) on the Kapex UG miter saw station work very well. Before using them, I didn't think they could be nearly as good as my Kreg Miter saw fences, but I found them very accurate and easy to set. If was using my Kapex outside of the shop, I would bet investing in the Kapex UG stand/wings.
I can't really recommend one Festool training location over another. Both trainers are great. If you have a chance to attend a class, I highly recommend it.
Here is a small list of things I picked up while at class.
1. Stop using inch measurements while making cabinets. Invest in a Fastcap True32 tape and make all of your cabinets in Metric. The True32 tapes have small dots every 32mm on the tape. If you have a inch measurement you want to try to match, round it up or down until you get to a standard 32mm interval.
2. The LR32 hole drilling system is fast and accurate. I now own one of these after using it a few times. It will definitely speed up my cabinets, the key is you need to start making your cabinets heights in intervals of 32mm (i.e. 768mm high)
3. All of the festool routers have center lines scribed into the bases. When doing layout on your cabinet for dado's/grooves, just mark the center line on the workpiece and then line up the router base to that center line and you will have great results. Even though the MFK700 doesn't plunge, once you get your depth set, you can remove the motor from the base to do all of your alignment work, and then re-attach the motor and go (AWESOME!)
4. All festool routers (including the MFK700) can micro-adjust in 1/10 mm increments (about 1/256th of an inch)
5. If you buy a MFS router template system, you will need to get a 30mm guide bushing for your router (not included, but needed if you do any circle or arc work)
6. Once the parallel guides are calibrated to your saw, they are VERY accurate.
7. Watching the RAS 115.04 scribe to a line in a cabinet is AWESOME. We had a live demo of this: Youtube video If Festool would sell to us while we were on site, they would have sold several of these!
8. The depth stop on the TS55 moves at 1mm intervals. If this is not granular enough for you, you can insert a screw into the small hole on the top of the depth adjustment and "micro-adjust" your blade depth.
9. If you want to trim hardwood edging on a shelf, get the Edge Plate, Angle Arm, and Chip deflector. Using the 1010 router, you can flush trim edge banding up to 1 3/4" deep. The MFK700 will also trim edging, but it is limited to 5/8" deep using the horizontal base.
10. Get an interface pad for your sander. Using an interface pad allows you to sand round-overs and other "non-flat" surfaces with your Rotex 150/125/90 or ETS sanders. I have not considered getting a interface pad before, as I only thought they were used for polishing applications. After using one, I found it to be a nice accessory for the sanders.
11. Festool is now selling large rolls of foam-backed Granat sandpaper. These are perforated so you get a nice sized sheet for hand sanding. We used these in cabinet class, and they just felt good in your hand. These are going to be awesome for "in-between" finishing coats. I already have a couple of boxes on order. Here is a link to the products on Tool-nuts page: http://www.festoolproducts.com/Festool-Sandpaper-Rolls-s/113.htm
12. The new Carvex Jigsaws do allow you to easily see your cut-line while cutting!!! I tested both the corded and and cordless model. I love the fact that you can see the cut line easily, and that blade appears to be "stopped" due to the strobe lights. Frank Pellow actually tried to trade his wallet for the demo unit after testing it out
. If I were to pick one, I would probably choose the corded barrel group. The cordless and corded versions seemed fairly equivalent, but I like the fact that I can cycle the dust extractor on/off with the corded version. We did test several battery types on the cordless carvex, and a 12v 1.3amp battery from a C12 powers the new carvex just fine...neat stuff.13. The new C12 drill with the 1.3 amp lithium battery is light!!! I can't believe how lightweight the new lithium battery is. I am definitely getting one of the new C12 drills once they are available. It is not really that much bigger than the CXS... After using both the CXS and the new C12, I am going to go with the C12.
14. The MFS is a template guide for making circles, arcs, squares, rectangles, and much more. If you want super accurate cuts using the included scales on the MFS rails, get a 10mm bit for your router, This makes the layout/calculation much easier. It is best to use the guides to make a template (i.e. a large circle out of MDF), and then use the mdf on your final material (i.e. cherry table top)
15. The scales (repeatable stops) on the Kapex UG miter saw station work very well. Before using them, I didn't think they could be nearly as good as my Kreg Miter saw fences, but I found them very accurate and easy to set. If was using my Kapex outside of the shop, I would bet investing in the Kapex UG stand/wings.
I can't really recommend one Festool training location over another. Both trainers are great. If you have a chance to attend a class, I highly recommend it.
