I was reading the post about the cabinet class and was happy to read the comments about the RAS 115. It is one of the most under appreciated sander in the Festool line up. My first project with it was removing 8 coats of latex paint from old growth T&G wall paneling 1x12, 9 foot ceiling. I was able to remove 25 sq f of paint an hour and left the wood under intact. A quick sand with the ETS 150/5 with 120 and 150 grit and the wall was back to it's original splendor. I have used it on different type of projects since then and just love it.
The second under appreciated tool is the Trion. I am a hobbyist who works alone and I spent a weekend framing a deck addition and railing 6 feet high. The design involved cutting and notching 4x4 and 4x6 lumber. At the end of the day, I realized that I did all of the cuts using the Trion with S145/4fsg blade and a carpenter square as guide. It was a portable band saw, speeding up the project and limiting the amount of lifting of these post and beams. I agree that the chip guard design is poor and limits the visibility somewhat when doing fine cuts but a little redesign by festool engineers could solve that problem quickly.
Last but not least the MFS guide system is an "intellectual" tool that requires reading Jerry and Brice reviews, multiple times, to start to realize the potential of it. I was not a fan of routers till I bought the 1400. The recent addition of the MFS has made many project easier, faster and safer. The learning curve and thought one needs to put into understand this system is well worth it, saving time and money on future project.
It was interesting that my dealer, who does a good job, didn't understand the potential of these tools and was not recommending as they should for the projects I had in mind.
Bruce
P.S. My Panasonic cordless drill is also a under appreciated tool
The second under appreciated tool is the Trion. I am a hobbyist who works alone and I spent a weekend framing a deck addition and railing 6 feet high. The design involved cutting and notching 4x4 and 4x6 lumber. At the end of the day, I realized that I did all of the cuts using the Trion with S145/4fsg blade and a carpenter square as guide. It was a portable band saw, speeding up the project and limiting the amount of lifting of these post and beams. I agree that the chip guard design is poor and limits the visibility somewhat when doing fine cuts but a little redesign by festool engineers could solve that problem quickly.
Last but not least the MFS guide system is an "intellectual" tool that requires reading Jerry and Brice reviews, multiple times, to start to realize the potential of it. I was not a fan of routers till I bought the 1400. The recent addition of the MFS has made many project easier, faster and safer. The learning curve and thought one needs to put into understand this system is well worth it, saving time and money on future project.
It was interesting that my dealer, who does a good job, didn't understand the potential of these tools and was not recommending as they should for the projects I had in mind.
Bruce
P.S. My Panasonic cordless drill is also a under appreciated tool
. I AM ONLY SURMISING, NOTHING MORE. I do wish him well.
