What next?

[bigfella]

Hi Guys,

I do a bit of hobby furniture making from home and have been building my Festool collection over the last few months. I now own an MFT3, TS55, OF1400 plus a collection of rails, etc. I also have a few older non Festool items including a random orbital sander (Bosch Pro GEX150) and Mitre Saw (Makita LS1030).

I am trying to decided what my next purchase will be.

The plan was for an Domino 500 but I am now questioning if this is the best option. A mate has a domino and I borrow it a bit for laminating table tops and a bit of other joinery, but not sure I would use it enough to justify a $1,700+ purchase.

I was instead thinking of maybe getting a pocket screw jig for my basic joinery tasks and investing the savings into a maybe a jigsaw (I have some ply projects coming up) and table saw instead. Currently, I get my timber supplier to rip and dress, but it costs additional and I need to order in advance.

Interested to hear the views of the experts on this forum.

Thanks.

 

[eddomak]

How about some dust collection? Or some (non-Festool) parallel guides to help ripping? I feel your pain about the price of a Domino, and got mine overseas when the $AUD was good - pocket screws and dominos really complement each other well.

 

[Kev]

I'm not a great pocket hole fan ... they obviously work, but I hate the look.

I buy tools based on a desire factor more than a need, so I'm certainly not a good source of "next purchase advice" if your goal is to be frugal.

A lot of this is going to come down to what you intend to make.

CMS TS will turn your TS55 into a nice little precision table saw ... then you also have a foundation to spend up on CMS OF [wink]

Domino meets certain construction needs, but not all ... it depends on how and what you're doing/making.

Quality DC would be high on my list if you don't have it already.

A band saw can be a popular addition and it's typically something you'll use more than you'd initially imagine (but a lot of tools are like that).

Quality sanding/finishing is something you don't appreciate until you go back to something old. I had a reason a while back to pick up a Makita half sheet ... miserable event that was [crying]

Planer in the picture for anything?

Kev.

 

[bigfella]

Hi Guys,

Should have mentioned that I already have a CT17.

We only have a small garage so I need to pickup my tools most nights so a floor standing bandsaw is not really an option. I actually quite like my existing RO Sander. Not as nice as a ROTEX but still pretty good.

On my Wishlist I have;

- Table saw (maybe CMS...)
- Thinknesser
- Jigsaw
- Domino

Just trying to figure out what is first...

 

[flair woodworks]

Which is least served by the tools you already own?  I think that of primary importance when working with solid lumber is being able to make it flat (being an even thickness is a close second).  Without that ability, it's hard to do good joinery and you're limited in your designs by the thicknesses of stock you order.  Unless you already have it covered, I would get tools to flatten stock and plane it to thickness.  Note that a thicknesser doesn't necessarily make wood flat.

 

[sancho57]

Kapex

 

[Stephen B]

Note that a thicknesser doesn't necessarily make wood flat.

[size=13pt]
Yes agree Chris.

Which is why at least one face needs to be 'flattened' by a Jointer Planner first. Otherwise the Thicknesser rollers just follow, for example; the bend or bow of the timber piece.

As Chris says your design options are widened, particularly if you use recycled timber, by having a Thicknesser and Jointer Planner or a Combination machine. Personally I prefer seperate machines as this assists work flow, but [member=47622]bigfella[/member]  you appear to have limited space, so a Combination Machine may be a better option for you.

https://www.finewoodworking.com/FWNPDFfree/011160064.pdf

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Note that a thicknesser doesn't necessarily make wood flat.

[size=13pt]
Yes agree Chris.

Which is why at least one face needs to be 'flattened' by a Jointer Planner first. Otherwise the Thicknesser rollers just follow, for example; the bend or bow of the timber piece.

As Chris says your design options are widened, particularly if you use recycled timber, by having a Thicknesser and Jointer Planner or a Combination machine. Personally I prefer seperate machines as this assists work flow, but [member=47622]bigfella[/member]  you appear to have limited space, so a Combination Machine may be a better option for you.

https://www.finewoodworking.com/FWNPDFfree/011160064.pdf

Agree. Now, you could use your router to flatten one face with a sled and side guides/fences that are parallel and in the same plane first and then put the wood in the thickness planer. Not a speedy process, but it would work. Flat stock is key to getting everything else fitting well in a project.