What Festools to buy First.

[paulkane1]

I need some help and advise,on what Festools to buy first? I can only buy 1 Tool a month,at the moment.I would like to try Furniture Making,also,Kitchen units etc.?I am a Novice,so,I educate myself,and, I just like to practise ,practise.Its just for a hobby at the moment,so,I'm under no pressure,I seen Festools at a show a while back,while they cane across as expensive,they look the job.With what I have in mind,could someone kindly guide me as to what tools I need to buy first.There is a great sale here on Festools ,in the UK.

                      Yours Kindly Paul

 

[semenza]

Hi Paul,

  Welcome to the forum!  [smile]

      If you are buying just one a month and do not have other tools already then you will be pretty limited as to what you can build for the first few months. If you have other tools what are they? It will help people recommend things.

    In no particular order .... TS55, OF1400, ETS150/5 or RO90,  for a start. The vacuums are great and almost necessary but a less expensive one can be used to get you started. Same for the MFT ...... other things can be used for the work surface until you can get the MFT.

      Do you have other things such as clamps, measuring tools etc?

Seth

 

[DB10]

That's good advice from Seth.
  I went about things in a different way. First thing I bought from Festool was a CT Dust extractor, As I had most tools form other manufactures. And if you also have older tools you can use it straight away.
Most of the older tools can hook up to the CT with some improvising. Then when funds dictate you can swap out the older tools for Festools. And you will know which tools you are going to get the most use out of.
If your starting from scratch and have no other tools available, then trying to do it all with Festool will be a big ask on your pocket. My advice would be buy lesser tools to start with and see how you like it before investing big money in Festool.

 

[Vanquish]

The TS55 would be my first purchase followed by a sander. Your choice as to which one, but I couldn't live without my RO 125. Then I would get a dust extractor. From there, maybe the OF1400 and a second sander like the DTS400. That's one of my favorites as well.

At some point I would consider a longer rail for the TS55 and buying/building your own MFT workbench.

 

[eddomak]

I too would recommend a TS55 track saw as the first purchase - a track saw was revolutionary for me and started the whole (sad, downward) path of Green ;D. In your context it would be very useful for breaking down sheet goods in making cabinets, and as a novice/hobbyist it is great in "What you see is what you get" for the cut line. Hooked up to a dust extractor or shop vac it is also an amazing experience to have virtually no dust to clean up.

If you are doing cabinets, squareness and repeatability count for a lot - to get everything nicely lined up, no gaps etc, so an MFT-like surface becomes useful, so search this forum on "home made MFT" or "MFT slab" and you can see the threads for how to get a tabletop with holes in it. This ranges from:
[list type=decimal]
[*]buying a full MFT
[*]buying just the top and making your own base
[*]getting the top CNC'd and making your own base
[*]drilling those holes yourself and making your own base
[/list]

I would think that option 2 or 3 would be good as it gives you the accuracy and certainty of the top, and you can then use sawhorses, etc and practice a project by making your own MFT base.

Cheers!

 

[charley1968]

I'd buy in this order: TS55 saw, MFT workbench, OF 1010 or 1400 router+ routerbitset, dustextraction, CSX/TSX drill,Domino500/XL, ETS 150 and/or Rotex 90/124/150 sander, Carvex or Trion jigsaw. Vecturo multicutter.
It's debatable if you have to buy all abovementioned tools by Festool , but i'd buy at least the first three plus the Domino from Festool.
My 2 cent

 

[NHSP759]

I'd recommend the TS55REQ myself. It was my first Festool from my wife. Absolutely invaluable in my,little shop. Dust collection next!

 

[elfick]

Skip month 1, month 2 buy ts55+MFT, skip month 3, month 4 buy sander+CT, skip month 5, month 6 buy Domino (costs about 2 tools), skip month 7, month 8 buy Kapex... Now I'm just making it up, but seriously consider those first two packages and the domino, assuming you get a package deal in the UK.

 

[Maddie]

The comments and recommendations of DB10 mirror my own. I would emphasize, however,  that the combination of the CT dust extractors and sanders to be the most valued Festools that I use. I have purchased over time, as my skill level improved and the projects warranted the expense. 

 

[guitar_ed]

My only comment would be to buy the dust extractor at the beginning. The wife will be very impressed by the mess you DON'T make.  Wether you are in a shop, the garage, or in the house where the cabinet will go.

Later,

edg

 

[GPowers]

The tools that change the way you build things are the TS55, MFT/3, dust extraction and the Domino. Plus all the accessories.....

 

[paulkane1]

Hi Paul,

  Welcome to the forum!  [smile]

      If you are buying just one a month and do not have other tools already then you will be pretty limited as to what you can build for the first few months. If you have other tools what are they? It will help people recommend things.

    In no particular order .... TS55, OF1400, ETS150/5 or RO90,  for a start. The vacuums are great and almost necessary but a less expensive one can be used to get you started. Same for the MFT ...... other things can be used for the work surface until you can get the MFT.

      Do you have other things such as clamps, measuring tools etc?

Seth

Sorry for not getting back sooner,I have a selection of tools,clamps,measuring tools,I do some woodturning,so i have a Lathe and Accessories.I have some Incra tools,Table Saw plus many other bits and pieces.I just looking to do something different,like furniture making,and thats what got me going the Festool Way?Ill go for the TS55 saw with a good Vacum,would the Midi do,or is it better to go for the 26 litre version?What Sander would you recommend , the Rotex version 150 is it? then the Dominio,500.

 

[eddomak]

Ill go for the TS55 saw with a good Vacum,would the Midi do,or is it better to go for the 26 litre version?What Sander would you recommend , the Rotex version 150 is it? then the Dominio,500.

The suction of all the vacuums is the same, so it mainly comes down to (apart from price) capacity vs portability. I have the midi and like how it fits well in my small garage and also in the car. I don't do a lot of work nor work that generates a lot of dust. If you wood turn then you might want the 26 to clean up the rest of the shop as well?

 

[dpetrzelka]

This is a pretty solid approach - and keep an eye on how you can pair tools

1) TS55REQ + MFT (use an old shop vac at first, with a switched outlet)
2) Sander of choice with a CT26 ( most versatile size from my limited experience) - RO90, ETS150 are a great pair. DTS400 is pretty useful as well
3) Domino 500 (this will change how you build furniture, more than you'll imagine)
4) Carvex Jigsaw ( use in place of a bandsaw for curved pieces on your furniture)

Depending on your work I'd get several sanders and abrasive assortments before the Kapex - its the ultimate miter saw, but there are many tools in the Festool catalog that will deliver more for your needs in the early stages of building a shop.

Just my few cents.

Skip month 1, month 2 buy ts55+MFT, skip month 3, month 4 buy sander+CT, skip month 5, month 6 buy Domino (costs about 2 tools), skip month 7, month 8 buy Kapex... Now I'm just making it up, but seriously consider those first two packages and the domino, assuming you get a package deal in the UK.

 

[Mort]

I just bought my first Festool the other day, so here's how I'm going to do it.

1. Carvex Barrel grip (done)
2. Carvex accessory kit. This contains a base that works with a;
3. 55" guide rail. Maybe not as fast as a TS55, but I'm just a hobbyist, so that isn't the worst thing in the world.
4. TS55. There may come a day where I'll rip a bunch of plywood. Then I'll have two guide rails. Bonus.

Since I seem to be in the minority of the Festool buyers, I have to save up for my tools, so next will probably be a sander/CT combo (not sure which, there's plenty of time for research). Then a router of some sort. Then the Domino. I'd love to get the Domino first, but $1000 makes my eyes water.

 

[GPowers]

3. 55" guide rail. Maybe not as fast as a TS55, but I'm just a hobbyist, so that isn't the worst thing in the world.

Just in case buy the rail with holes for the LR32 system.

 

[bdiemer]

When I started out in woodworking (Pre-Festool) and asked the "which tools first" question  the big guys would always answer "you can build anything with a table saw and a router. I believe the table saw has been replaced by a TS55. I also believe if there  was a number that scored a tool in terms of production v/s learning curve, The Domino would be the winner.....

 

[Throwback7r]

on the CT I would ask your self if your going to be moving this stuff around " site work and such" I have a CT26 and a AC36 I wish I would of bought the mini or midi vac as I do most of my stuff on site.

 

[Greg M]

Sorry for not getting back sooner,I have a selection of tools,clamps,measuring tools,I do some woodturning,so i have a Lathe and Accessories.I have some Incra tools,Table Saw plus many other bits and pieces.I just looking to do something different,like furniture making,and thats what got me going the Festool Way?Ill go for the TS55 saw with a good Vacum,would the Midi do,or is it better to go for the 26 litre version?What Sander would you recommend , the Rotex version 150 is it? then the Dominio,500.

The first Festool I bought was the TS55.  The second was a ETS125 and a CT48 (bought together for the discount).  I got the largest CT because that one stays in the shop and has the largest capacity.  I've also added an RO125, I like the 5" sanders.

The tool that I was most excited about after getting it was the sander/CT vac.  I hated sanding and the dust before Festool and now sanding went from something dreaded to something I like to do.

Since you have tools already I'd suggest the TS55 if you cut down a lot of sheet goods.  If not, get a sander/CT combo first and the TS55 second.

After that get Festool tools that fill the gaps in what you already have.  Once those gaps are filled then start replacing some of the tools you have with Festool versions.

One comment on the vacs, I've got a midi and while it's nice for site work I would never buy one for a shop vac.  Get at least the CT26 and compare the price to upgrade to the larger capacity of the 36 or 48.  If it's going to stay in the shop and you're going to use it to clean up the shop then I'd get the 48.

 

[ajinstallations]

Definitely buy the 2.7mtr track for the ts55 they are well worth having