TTS Aquires Shaper Tools

I think that's amazing!  [thumbs up] [thumbs up] Thanks for sharing the news Peter! [thanks]

Kind regards,
Oliver
 
[member=1674]Peter Halle[/member]

Peter is that the CNC machine they had at Connect?
 
Figured that was coming after seeing Shaper participating at Festool Connect.  Sam (Shaper) is a super nice guy and actually cut me out a template I wanted for slotting my MFT tops.  The Shaper Origin is impressive ... still haven't purchased, but it's definitely on my list.  Hoping the price won't go up (too much) now?
 

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Fantastic.  When I first saw Shaper at Connect and heard Festool was making the spindles for the Origin, I had a strong feeling this would happen.

Congrats to the Shaper team for a great product and best of luck with the new resources brought through Festool and TTS!

Sawstop.  Festool.  Shaper.  Tanos.  Lots of innovation yet to come.
 
... [member=167]neilc[/member] , I can see the whole “bring the tool to the work” synergy accelerating.

Peter
 
I'd been wondering if they were business plan targeted being acquired due to the pace of their rollout.

I have one that's seen way too little use, operator induced. When I have used it the results have been very good. Good to know there is backing to continue to grow the platform.

RMW
 
Like Richard, I've not used mine much yet...certainly glad that I ordered in the second offering...$1600.00.  I haven't used mine much due to business and family issues, looking forward to more settled times.
 
Wow I was going to pull the trigger on a shaper origin this week. Knowing that it's going to get great backing from Festool now helps put me at ease. In your collective opinion, should I wait until it's official or just do it this week? This is a "want" and not a "need" for me....

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 
PeterJJames13 said:
Wow I was going to pull the trigger on a shaper origin this week. Knowing that it's going to get great backing from Festool now helps put me at ease. In your collective opinion, should I wait until it's official or just do it this week? This is a "want" and not a "need" for me....

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

The parent company of Festool purchased Shaper Tools - not Festool.  It is official.  Besides the news on the Festool USA website there is an official TTS press release out on the internet (found after further searching.)
 
I think you are safe to purchase. 

I was in on the original purchase group and have had mine for a year in February.  It's a great tool and the company/team are wonderful people.  Very responsive to questions.  Active forum at ShaperTools.com  And the tool keeps getting better with software updates delivered via the cloud. 

I had debated a CNC router for years but did not have the shop space in a basement workshop.  The Shaper has proven to be a good compliment for the work I do - home improvement, woodworking, gifts.  It does not do '3D' but I find it excellent for what it does with 2D work.  Plus no reason it cannot go to a job site for those needing to do work on-site.  That would be difficult with any other CNC.

I would guess this TTS purchase will allow Shaper to expand distribution first and foremost.  Likely speed up availability with more money for inventory, engineering and distribution.  They opened up Canada this past fall and I know they have demand and plans for Europe as the latest software update includes German as an option along with French and English.

As Peter suggested, both companies share the 'take the tool to the work' mindset.  I think this will be a great match longterm with revisions in the hardware as well as software and potentially accessories.

 
Agree with [member=167]neilc[/member] that buying shouldn't be a concern now. Lately I'd had a thought rattling around in my head (noisy place) about whether the tape would be available if they somehow failed to make the next leap to sustainable business-hood. Total mindless chatter but that's just how I roll.

I have been puzzled by their business model. It seemed that the original pre-sales approach allowed them to totally bootstrap themselves to the point of delivering the product. That made sense, why raise investment $$ when guys like me will lend you $1600-$1900 interest-free & unsecured while you work out the kinks. After the initial orders shipped I assumed it was just a matter of refining their production & bulking up inventory before opening up the distribution channel via Rockler, etc. That hasn't happened.

My best guess now is that there will be yet another delay before widespread availability while TTS transitions manufacturing into their own facilities. Total SWAG.

In any case, I don't see how this is bad news for current SO owners. Perhaps they'll even fix the annoying tape delamination issue.

RMW
 
When I found out Festool was supplying the spindle last year I decided I would dive in as I was certain they would deliver on the pre orders. Origin is a game changer. I've done several jobs that I would have never been able to accomplish without it. Custom signs, display panels and just last week something for the flagship Lancome space inside Bloomingdale's -  NYC. I'm excited to see the future of Origin with Festool ownership. The crew at Shaper have been phenomenal thus far and I hope they were all retained.
 
Thanks, all. I'm definitely more at ease with Festool (TTS actually) officially being involved. Understanding the limitations are important for me - such as no 3D carving. I'm not 1/10th the craftsman that [member=167]neilc[/member] is (AMAZING video by the way), but using the Origin to help create templates and assist in inlay work is where this would provide instant value to me. Now I need to start taking some courses in Fusion. Thanks again, all!
 
I found this guy very helpful in learning Fusion


PeterJJames13 said:
Thanks, all. I'm definitely more at ease with Festool (TTS actually) officially being involved. Understanding the limitations are important for me - such as no 3D carving. I'm not 1/10th the craftsman that [member=167]neilc[/member] is (AMAZING video by the way), but using the Origin to help create templates and assist in inlay work is where this would provide instant value to me. Now I need to start taking some courses in Fusion. Thanks again, all!
 
Cheese said:
Hadn’t heard about the tape delam issue.  [sad]

Not a critical failure but annoying, the solution so far has been "don't unroll it too fast" & "stop unrolling when it happens". @ $18 a roll.

On the flip side every update has been great, adding features and improving the UI based on user input. There was one semi-critical bug that prevented some of us from logging into the hub. It popped up 2 updates ago and was resolved in the most recent update. They didn't release the fix until they had a major update ready to go, I thought they perhaps could have sped it up/released separately but who knows. I have to imagine with the added resources the support/development will just get better.

I've been really impressed by the messaging discipline. They are sometimes silent on things but very controlled and consistent when they do communicate or roll out updates.

Like others have stated, I hope the entire staff stays involved in the company going forward. While enjoying their new sportscars, of course.

RMW
 
zapdafish said:
I found this guy very helpful in learning Fusion


PeterJJames13 said:
Thanks, all. I'm definitely more at ease with Festool (TTS actually) officially being involved. Understanding the limitations are important for me - such as no 3D carving. I'm not 1/10th the craftsman that [member=167]neilc[/member] is (AMAZING video by the way), but using the Origin to help create templates and assist in inlay work is where this would provide instant value to me. Now I need to start taking some courses in Fusion. Thanks again, all!


Thanks! I bookmarked his page!
 
So I agree the news makes sense. But what about the eventual cost increase? I don't think if the price of the machine goes north of 3K that will be very encouraging. We all know Festool products just keep getting more expensive. So hopefully the price will remain fixed during the transition and into the next generation. Any thoughts?

One further note what about that $99 shipping? And the warranty? Both need some tweaking.
 
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