Ron, your videos are the whole reason I got into festools. After watching the workbench video 20 times at least, I just had to get the ts55. Making the workbench also took me about 8 hours, and it was my first project using festools. It was the most fun I'd ever had making anything, and the table along with the festools has made my foreclosure house remodel a joy to work on, not a chore. [big grin] I am extremely impressed you had the foresight to make this masterpiece. Your tip about adding a square little piece of metal to the parallel guides was another great idea. I never would have had the guts to tap screws into them without seeing your video, and it helps a ton. The workbench and the festools together are just such a joy to use, I find myself racing home to use them. Luckily I have 30 acres with distant neighbors so I can saw into the night, because these tools and the bench are addictive to use almost. Hats off to you Ron, you definately deserve a lot of praise for turning folks like me onto festool.
I actually made it all out of 1/2 ac ply and it cost $350 I think, never tallied it up because if it cost 500 I was making it. This thing is so easy to transport being all 1/2" ply. I used $12 piano hinges for the sawhorses. And as far as the tops being replaceable, after building this and considering it almost a first child, I'd never let the blade come near the surface of my urethaned bench. I definately consider the bench a prized tool and the fact that I made it is even better, you are the man Ron!
