Systainers, Sortainers, Organization -- Help

[TahoeTwoBears]

Hi All,

A relative newbie to Festool. Dove right in and now have a variety of tools. My wife pries me off this forum to go to bed at night. So much to learn, so little time.....

So I've noticed that not everything fits in my tool's Systainers. As an example, the guide stop for my jigsaw doesn't fit in the box, nor do some of the blades (long ones). I've got the guide stop coming for my router today (1400) and I'm guessing that it won't fit either. In trying to keep with being a proper Festoolian, which systainer sizes or sortainers are you using as support for the following tools with their extra accessories?

MFT 1080
saw TS 55
router OF 1400
router OF 1010
2 5" Sanders (Rotex and ES)
Planer 850
jigsaw PSB 300

My problem is that my local dealer doesn't carry the Sortainers and I've never seen them. They look as if they might fit the bill, but I'd like to hear other's experiences and opinions.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[Dan Clark]

Mike,

Other than the ones that came with my Festools, the only other systainer I have is the Router Bit Systainer.  I highly recommend it. 

When I went looking for router bit storage, virtyally all of the online posts were about making storage for a shop.  I wanted portabity.  The Router Bit Systainer gives you that plus ease of access and lots of storage space for bits.

I have some other tools like a Makita belt sander that didn't come with a box.  I bought some cheap tool boxes for storage and am sorry I did.  A systainer with some foam inserts (http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/subcategory.html?sid=2a57db09e80da2bc3915187c7763338f&scat=76) would have been much better.

Like you, I have multiple Festool accessories.  Some I keep in the systainers when they fit.  Others are just loaded to into a plastic storage box.  I find it difficult to find things.  I'm looking at Sortainers too, so I'm interested in what others use.

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Brice Burrell]

  I have a really big problem, too much Festool stuff. I don't know what to do with it all! OK, not really a problem, but keeping it organized can be a challenge. Like most of you guys, my work space at home is small. So keeping things in their proper place is necessary to work efficiently. I've been looking on the net at sortainers, mini systainers and maxi systainers and the systainer port. Not much good info out there. I have been talking with Christan O. about trying to get more info on Festool storage systems on their site. There products look great, but before I put out that kind of money I really would like to know a little more about the items. So if you have these products, please give us the scoop.

 

[The Dude]

Brice, I have the most expensive office supply organizers ever.  Stacked Festool Sortainers for paper clips, pens, staples, etc.  Sometimes it is nice to be a dealer...lol. 

In the shop, we use the sortainers for everything.  We have them stacked on the rolling carts.  Stacking is a breeze because you don't have to open the tops like a systainer to get at the product. 

I sell sortainers to all types of contractors looking for viable sorting methods for fasteners and such.  They put the sortainers on their vacs to roll into their trailers etc.  There are extra dividers available so you can configure each sortainer to your liking.  Personally, I think the 9 drawer is the most versatile, and the 4 drawer has the large drawer for bigger "stuff".

The sysports are EXTREMELY KEWL, however, very pricy.  I do have several contractors that have bolted them into their work trailers.  The drawer pull-outs are adjustable so you can maximize usage.  They are lockable.  and the drawer pull-outs lock when pushed all the way in.  Side Note, if a drawer pull-out is pulled out, you are unable to pull out another drawer.  I would guess this is to keep the thing from tipping.  Easy assembly, but there is a trick to moving the drawer pull-outs...a kind of twist-and-push-and-pull all at the same time.  They are very rugged, and have a nice cushioned top to them.  Casters are great quality which makes moving them around a snap.

If you want some shots, I may be able to hook you up with some.

Timmy C

 

[Brice Burrell]

If you want some shots, I may be able to hook you up with some.

Timmy C

Tim that would be great!

 

[semenza]

Hi All,

A relative newbie to Festool. Dove right in and now have a variety of tools. My wife pries me off this forum to go to bed at night. So much to learn, so little time.....

So I've noticed that not everything fits in my tool's Systainers. As an example, the guide stop for my jigsaw doesn't fit in the box, nor do some of the blades (long ones). I've got the guide stop coming for my router today (1400) and I'm guessing that it won't fit either. In trying to keep with being a proper Festoolian, which systainer sizes or sortainers are you using as support for the following tools with their extra accessories?

MFT 1080
saw TS 55
router OF 1400
router OF 1010
2 5" Sanders (Rotex and ES)
Planer 850
jigsaw PSB 300

My problem is that my local dealer doesn't carry the Sortainers and I've never seen them. They look as if they might fit the bill, but I'd like to hear other's experiences and opinions.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Hi,

        I just did some measuring and I am pretty sure that all of the jigsaw accessories (at least all the ones listed in the catalog) will fit very nicely into the Sortainer with the 4 drawers (1 lg, 1med, 2sm.)  If this is on the bottom of the jigsaw Systainer you would get total access and total portability. If you don't mind unstacking you could of course put them all in a Systainer - I. 
      How long is your longest jigsaw blade?  The flat depression under the saw is a good 8" long.

Seth

 

[semenza]

Hi,

      Could  a Sortainer owner or one of the dealers post the interior measurements of the Sortainer drawers? This would be very helpful in determining which ones to buy for various purposes.  Also how many deviders can go into the drawers?

Seth

 

[TahoeTwoBears]

Just checked the longest blade. I tend to leave them in the packs. They don't fit in the slot under the saw. They're 9 3/4" or 250 cm long. The problem with the 4 drawer Sortainer is the size. May be the correct solution, but it seems that it's as large as a Sys 3. The saw only uses a Sys 1. I do like the drawer option however, rather than having to unclasp and open a separate box each time.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Just checked the longest blade. I tend to leave them in the packs. They don't fit in the slot under the saw. They're 9 3/4" or 250 cm long. The problem with the 4 drawer Sortainer is the size. May be the correct solution, but it seems that it's as large as a Sys 3. The saw only uses a Sys 1. I do like the drawer option however, rather than having to unclasp and open a separate box each time.

I just got off the phone with Timmy, the 4 drawer Sortainer's larger drawer is the same size as the Systainer 1. I think you could put the jigsaw's plastic insert in the large drawer and blades and other accessories in the smaller drawers.

 

[jonny round boy]

AAAaaaarrrrggghhhh!!!!!!

I've just dragged mine out, photographed it, measured it, written a long post with all the details in, and clicked 'post'.

Then I got an error message, and I lost everything I'd just written 

I hate it when that happens!!!!

I may re-do it later if I can be bothered....

 

[jonny round boy]

OK, here goes (again   )

I have a 4-drawer sortainer, which I use in conjunction with a Sys 3 & roll board as my basic toolbox.
[attachimg=1]

And the sortainer itself:
[attachimg=2]

The internal dimensions of the bottom (large) drawer are; Width 349mm, Depth (front to back) 285mm max, (275 where the divider slots are), and height 86mm. there are 4 possible positions for the 2 supplied dividers.
[attachimg=3]

The small & medium drawers are identical, other than the width. Dims are; Width 83mm (small) and 172mm (medium), depth 283mm max, and 260mm where the cut-out is for the latch. There are a total of 7 possible positions for the dividers, of which there are 4 small & 2 medium supplied. The positions of the small & medium drawers can be interchanged - I have them as S-S-M, but you can have S-M-S or M-S-S, if that makes sense.
[attachimg=4]

The only issue I have with the small & medium drawers is that sometimes the contents move around in transit, and then catch on the inside of the lid as you try to open them. Usually a quick shake of the drawer is enough to free it up.

Hope that helps, and that this post works this time!!!

 

[jonny round boy]

I just got off the phone with Timmy, the 4 drawer Sortainer's larger drawer is the same size as the Systainer 1. I think you could put the jigsaw's plastic insert in the large drawer and blades and other accessories in the smaller drawers.

You could get the inserts in there, but only if you trimmed them down a little - they won't fit as-is.

 

[Lou Miller]

I have the 9-drawer sortainer and I'm probably going to buy at least two more of them as well as a 4 drawer one. The 9 drawer is perfect for me when it comes to working on jobsites. I work with kitchens more than anything else by far. So I need to keep a lot of different sized screws with me. From #6x5/8" all the way up to 4" installation screws and everything in between. I also keep a good selction of Kreg screws, putty sticks, plastic bumpers, drill bits, countersinks, square drive tips, pencils, calipers and a bunch of other things I can't remember in there. Its actually very surprising how much the thing holds. More importantly, its very well organized and finding things is a snap. Without a doubt, it was one of the better Festool purchases I've made.

I showed it to one of my electricians and he went out and bought one the next day. Then went back and bought a few more. All of his guys now carry one on their trucks. The plumbers on the other hand looked at it, laughed, and said how much did you pay for that? They said they'd keep on using the 5 gallon buckets they take from us at the end of drywall jobs. Plumbers  : $#it runs down hill and payday is on Friday... 

 

[Brice Burrell]

I know you had some trouble trying to post pictures of your shop, so is there any chance we could get a few shots of your 9 drawers setup?

Plumbers  : $#it runs down hill and payday is on Friday... 

Lou across the state in Pittsburgh, it goes like this: "$#it runs down hill, cold on the right, payday is on Friday and the boss is a jerk".

 

[Lou Miller]

I know you had some trouble trying to post pictures of your shop, so is there any chance we could get a few shots of your 9 drawers setup?

Plumbers  : $#it runs down hill and payday is on Friday... 

Lou across the state in Pittsburgh, it goes like this: "$#it runs down hill, cold on the right, payday is on Friday and the boss is a jerk".

I guess the plumbers out there are a little smarter than they are here? A lot of them don't seem to know that cold goes on the right here.  ;D

 

[semenza]

I just got off the phone with Timmy, the 4 drawer Sortainer's larger drawer is the same size as the Systainer 1. I think you could put the jigsaw's plastic insert in the large drawer and blades and other accessories in the smaller drawers.

You could get the inserts in there, but only if you trimmed them down a little - they won't fit as-is.

Which insert are you guys talking about?  I think you could put the whole saw in the large drawer.

The Large drawer must be a little smaller than a Systainer - I.

Seth

 

[semenza]

Just checked the longest blade. I tend to leave them in the packs. They don't fit in the slot under the saw. They're 9 3/4" or 250 cm long. The problem with the 4 drawer Sortainer is the size. May be the correct solution, but it seems that it's as large as a Sys 3. The saw only uses a Sys 1. I do like the drawer option however, rather than having to unclasp and open a separate box each time.

    I think cutting off the top and bottom excess material on the pack might do it.

    It is as large as a Sys - III but when latched to the saw in the Sys - I it is still pretty compact. Same as a Sys - IV in total size.

Seth

 

[semenza]

OK, here goes (again  )

I have a 4-drawer sortainer, which I use in conjunction with a Sys 3 & roll board as my basic toolbox.
[attachthumb=1]

And the sortainer itself:
[attachthumb=2]

The internal dimensions of the bottom (large) drawer are; Width 349mm, Depth (front to back) 285mm max, (275 where the divider slots are), and height 86mm. there are 4 possible positions for the 2 supplied dividers.
[attachthumb=3]

The small & medium drawers are identical, other than the width. Dims are; Width 83mm (small) and 172mm (medium), depth 283mm max, and 260mm where the cut-out is for the latch. There are a total of 7 possible positions for the dividers, of which there are 4 small & 2 medium supplied. The positions of the small & medium drawers can be interchanged - I have them as S-S-M, but you can have S-M-S or M-S-S, if that makes sense.
[attachthumb=4]

The only issue I have with the small & medium drawers is that sometimes the contents move around in transit, and then catch on the inside of the lid as you try to open them. Usually a quick shake of the drawer is enough to free it up.

Hope that helps, and that this post works this time!!!

    Hi,

  Thanks for doing this.  One more measurement would be great- the height of the sm and med drawers?

        Your pics help get a good idea of what can go in these. The catalog photos make the drawers look small, and the depth doen't show up without seeing them pulled out. The size starts to show when I see in your pucs that you have pliers , screwdrivers and such in them.

Thanks,

Seth

 

[semenza]

Hi,

      I will probably get a 4 drawer for my jigsaw. The guide stop to go on the guide rail will go in the med drawer. Rip guide and circle cutter in the large, blades in the two small.  The chip guard fits in the covered compartment in the saw case.

Seth

 

[Greg in Memphis]

Hey Mike
I'm sure you know that all the specific Festool cases and inserts can be found online through their homepage. Just look up the tool, and it will say which systainer it is shipped out with.
I've got the OF 1400 router, and it fits a ton of extra accessories inside (all the accessories that came with it plus my guide stop, my MFS hardware [minus the profiles], and some of my more often used router bits).
If I were needing even more space, I would just buy the next size up and put a box roughly 15 1/2" x 11 1/2" underneath everything inside.
If you are needing those extra accessories anyhow, you will be taking the tool out of the box first.
In the end, you will end up with an extra systainer. I am sure you can use that extra systainer for something else.
I like the looks of those sortainers with the drawers but sheeeeesh, $100 will buy alot of beer.

Good luck

Greg