This Old House

[butzla]

Saw the latest This Old House episode the other day.  Working on a Dutch colonial in Newton, MA.  Tom Silva was fabricating and installing book cases on site.  Saw he's retired his C-12 drill for a T-15.  Then he started on the book cases using the Domino to assemble only he called it a "loose tenon machine".  I was waiting for him to break out the LR32 system to bore the shelf pin holes when he instead pulls out a Delta Line Boring Machine.  This is on site out in the driveway!  Looked pretty sweet!
Is there a tool this guy doesn't have?

 

[lordinteriors]

wow that things looks pretty cool is this old house out on dvd ?

 

[butzla]

Not yet I don't think so.  It's the current season.  I don't know if they air in the UK but for those in the states check it out, they'll be airing it again this week.  check your listings

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/info/0,,20058777,00.html

 

[proclive]

As soon as he started talking about the holes that he needed to drill I also thought "hey here comes the lr32" and I was pleasantly surprised by the line boring machine as well.

 

[honeydoman]

It's nice to have unlimited resources for tools to show up at the job side. Plus if they say the name of the tool then it would be an endorsement. But most of us know what they are using by the color of the tools or we find out 

 

[bobbobbob]

I just saw an episode of the same house and they used the Festool deck system on a small intermediate deck.  That was very cool to see that product in action!  Of course there were the T15s and C12s seen in the same episode.  Did anyone catch that one?

 

[greg mann]

The Silvas buy the tools they use. Bob Marino got them on board. Certainly, they could use anything they want, and not have to pay for the privilege but that is not the case. In the past few episodes I have seen the Trion, T15, C12, OF2200, a Guiderail, Rotex, ETS150, Deltex, MFT, C22, and all manner of Systainers lying around. In fact, I have a hunch that some scenes are set up so that various crew members are seen picking up or setting down systainers as a scene unfolds. My own personal belief is that this is a subtle way of promoting the products without promoting them, if you get my drift.

If my intuition is right I believe Festool will start to see their sales take off. There has been so much contention and discussion (in that order) about the relative value of Festools, and relative level of sanity of those of us who use and appreciate them. Tom Silva is using them and very quietly promoting them in a way that is pretty much unnassailable. It is very difficult for the non-believers to criticise him for the tools he uses because he is just an ordinary and likable guy who happens to be very good at what he does and who is always on the leading edge in technique. When he put the OF2200 in the hands of the female homeowner I laughed out loud. I had to explain to my wife what was so funny but I am not sure she got the joke.

The only promotion that would carry more weight would be another year of NYW with Norm using the tools.

 

[bobbobbob]

That would be quite the promotion, but since Delta was a main sponsor of the show that would be tough!  At least it's good to see Tom Silva using the green...

 

[Robkonkoma]

I just saw an episode of the same house and they used the Festool deck system on a small intermediate deck.  That was very cool to see that product in action!  Of course there were the T15s and C12s seen in the same episode.  Did anyone catch that one?

I saw that one too... Glad to see Festool back in action on TOH
(seeing Festools on the show is what got me started on the green [laughing])

I remember recently on Ask TOH.. I think
I watched Rich Trethewey attach what looked like a 4" holesaw to a C12 & proceed to saw through a rim joist & siding to install a PVC vent for a condensing boiler...  [scared]
(  I thought that might have been a lil 2much for the poor lil' C12 [unsure]  )
But it did it though  [tongue]

 

[greg mann]

I am under the impression that one of the reasons NYW was hanging it up was the difficulty in getting sponsorship. Maybe Festool ought to jump in where Delta and PC have been for a long time and squeeze another year out of Norm.  ;D

The c12 and the 4 inch hole saw have shown up several times. Tom poked a hole thru a roof just last week. Bobbobbob may be making my point about the importance of TOH for Festool.

I have been reading a book, The Tipping Point, which is about how various conditions can align to cause the spread of an epidemic or the rapid growth of a product. Based on my interpretation of the autor's hypotheseis I think TOH is an important variable for Festool. It is essentially word of mouth advertising that hits the perfect audience every week with extraordinary credibility.

 

[Neill]

I am under the impression that one of the reasons NYW was hanging it up was the difficulty in getting sponsorship. Maybe Festool ought to jump in where Delta and PC have been for a long time and squeeze another year out of Norm.  ;D

The c12 and the 4 inch hole saw have shown up several times. Tom poked a hole thru a roof just last week. Bobbobbob may be making my point about the importance of TOH for Festool.

I have been reading a book, The Tipping Point, which is about how various conditions can align to cause the spread of an epidemic or the rapid growth of a product. Based on my interpretation of the autor's hypotheseis I think TOH is an important variable for Festool. It is essentially word of mouth advertising that hits the perfect audience every week with extraordinary credibility.

Greg,

I also understand that another reason for NYW hanging it up is that Norm is at a point in his life where he just did not want to continue with his current workload.  There were also some rumors about his health which may be tied into cutting back on his schedule. We all hope he is well and continues as long as he wants to be involved.

As far as Festool sponsorship, I doubt it will ever happen.  First of all, Festool's appeal is limited because of the pricing and somewhat limited network of retailers.  Second of all, Festool's product line is limited in the US primarily to hand power tools.  With Delta and Porter-Cable you have hand power tools and also shop tools.

There was a show on DIY called Freeform Furniture.  She used a number of Festools and they were listed in the credits.  However, if she needed to use a bandsaw, table saw, drill press, drum sander, planer, jointer, impact driver, etc. she had to turn to other sources.

Neill

 

[greg mann]

I don't disagree with most of you points, Neill, but I do believe Norm's health rumors were probably an offshoot of someone commenting that they saw him shake a little while trying to do some task. Next thing you know some poster on a forum or two has him halfway into the ground with Parkinsons. I can tell you I have watched him work in recent episodes of TOH and see NO evidence of shakes. Since the first rumors are at least two years old and he is not shaking now I hope we can put that one to rest. If, OTOH, he would like to hang it up for any number of reasons I wish him the best. Once in a while I catch an old TOH and it is remarkable to see the whole crew at an earlier age (except Kevin of course). I think it would be very easy to under-estimate the work involved in putting these programs together and I have come to appreciate their work more and more every year.

My comments about Festool sponsoring a year of NYW, especially since the program is winding down, were a bit tongue-in-cheek. But not entirely. IF sponsorship is an issue just think how appreciative his audience would be to get another year simply because Festool was willing to step in. I have no idea what the costs are to do such a thing but the payback could be huge. Festool has a much wider appeal in Europe mainly because they have been there forever. As far as the limited appeal here, well PC is totally out of the big iron game and Delta offers nothing to Norm that he couldn't do with others. He really would not need to change much of what he does, other than changing a few sanders and maybe doing a few Domino projects. He could still refrain from identifying the tools, everybody knows what they are anyway whether it is PC, Makita, DeWalt, Lamello, or Festool. Failing all that, Festool could hire him to do a few limited product DVDs ala Kreg or MultiMaster.

If it made sense to sponsor FreeForm Furniture, and I think it did, then doing someting with Norm makes 10 times as much sense, even if it is something less ambitious than NYW.

 

[Neill]

Greg,

As far as Norm, I agree with you about the rumor.  That's why I specified that it was rumor and pray that is all it is.  Most of us have been greatly inspired by his craftsmanship and good nature.

I agree with you about Festool sponsorship.  I would love to see it.  My point was (and maybe I wasn't too good at getting to it) that Festool would be promoted for maybe 10 seconds at the beginning and end of the show.  There would also be some limited usage, because of the limited product line, during the show.  But the predominance of tools used during the show would be from another manufacturer.  With Delta & P-C, Norm could use their products almost exclusively.

How about this,  a show featuring all high-end tools and equipment, IE., Festool, Fein, Felder/ Hammer, etc.  It could appear on the I-M Broke channel.

Neill

 

[lordinteriors]

toh does air in the uk but not often and when its on i really enjoy watching it if they brought it out on dvd i would love it
i remember when i was younger my father liked watching norm in his workshop

please bring it out on dvd it would sell

lee

 

[peter halle]

toh does air in the uk but not often and when its on i really enjoy watching it if they brought it out on dvd i would love it
i remember when i was younger my father liked watching norm in his workshop

please bring it out on dvd it would sell

lee

Lee,

Do you know if I sent you a dvd from the US if you could play it with different formating?  NTSC versus PAL or vice versa.  Just curious.

Peter

 

[Texastutt]

I try to burn the Heck out of the C12 drilling through stuff I would use a tailed drill for... battery dies a little sooner but, I can't wait till I get my hands on a T15... I'll cut a hole in the empire state building.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I can't wait till I get my hands on a T15... I'll cut a hole in the empire state building.

Don't count on it. I did some tests drilling through concrete today with mine ....... complete fail. Deepest hole was 2 mm.

 

[clev1066]

I can't wait till I get my hands on a T15... I'll cut a hole in the empire state building.

Don't count on it. I did some tests drilling through concrete today with mine ....... complete fail. Deepest hole was 2 mm.

Agree. I have an 18v Bosch hammer that I can use for light masonry. However, when it comes to concrete and stone; it's time for the big Milwaukee.

 

[mwhafner]

I can't wait till I get my hands on a T15... I'll cut a hole in the empire state building.

Don't count on it. I did some tests drilling through concrete today with mine ....... complete fail. Deepest hole was 2 mm.

Agree. I have an 18v Bosch hammer that I can use for light masonry. However, when it comes to concrete and stone; it's time for the big Milwaukee.

A hammer or percussion drill will always be superior for masonry drilling.  The C12, or any other non-percussion drill for that matter, will perform pretty well as long as you -

a) use the correct bit.  Masonry bits are offered in both percussion and rotary models, make sure you use a bit rated for rotary applications.  As with anything, quality matters.  Junk bits will burn up in seconds.  I had the best luck with Hilti and Rawl.

b) use the lowest speed setting.  Sometimes you have to go slower to go faster, and that is the case here.

c) clean out the hole frequently.

d) use a little more pressure on the drill than you generally do.  Not a lot, but some.  The twist on the bit is only to remove debris, it doesn't really help feed into the cut.  

e) be reasonable with your expectations.  You aren't going to have any luck drilling a 1" hole in 6k PSI concrete with a C12.  It will work fine for Tapcons and the like.  I have drilled a couple dozen 1/4" or smaller holes with mine, and it worked as well as I could have asked.

Is it the C12 the right tool for the job? No, but it beats having to run back to the truck if all you need to do is install a couple of Tapcons.

Among the best tool purchases I have made was a small 3-mode SDS rotary hammer.  There are a few Festools (including the C12) on that list as well.  

 

[greg mann]

I can't wait till I get my hands on a T15... I'll cut a hole in the empire state building.

Don't count on it. I did some tests drilling through concrete today with mine ....... complete fail. Deepest hole was 2 mm.

Agree. I have an 18v Bosch hammer that I can use for light masonry. However, when it comes to concrete and stone; it's time for the big Milwaukee.

Exactly right.

A hammer or percussion drill will always be superior for masonry drilling.  The C12, or any other non-percussion drill for that matter, will perform pretty well as long as you -

a) use the correct bit.  Masonry bits are offered in both percussion and rotary models, make sure you use a bit rated for rotary applications.  As with anything, quality matters.  Junk bits will burn up in seconds.  I had the best luck with Hilti and Rawl.

b) use the lowest speed setting.  Sometimes you have to go slower to go faster, and that is the case here.

c) clean out the hole frequently.

d) use a little more pressure on the drill than you generally do.  Not a lot, but some.  The twist on the bit is only to remove debris, it doesn't really help feed into the cut.  

e) be reasonable with your expectations.  You aren't going to have any luck drilling a 1" hole in 6k PSI concrete with a C12.  It will work fine for Tapcons and the like.  I have drilled a couple dozen 1/4" or smaller holes with mine, and it worked as well as I could have asked.

Is it the C12 the right tool for the job? No, but it beats having to run back to the truck if all you need to do is install a couple of Tapcons.

Among the best tool purchases I have made was a small 3-mode SDS rotary hammer.  There are a few Festools (including the C12) on that list as well.