I have been Festool infected...now what

[Rich Engelhardt]

I have been Festool infected...now what

Anything related to the saw that's on sale right now would be a wise thing to buy.
The word "sale" is a recent addition to the Festool vocabulary .

I'm not sure - & maybe Bob Marino can chime in - if the clamps, splinter guard and other stuff is included in the 10% off sale or not.

Blades are though, so, an extra blade might be a wise move.

I picked up a 55" rail yesterday from Hartville Tools. I debated all the way down and back if i should get another blade also.
I forgot to ask about the splinter guard..

The splinter guard eventually gets chewed up and needs replaced.

BTW - welcome to the Festool side.
You'll enjoy using them long after the initial sting of the purchase price is gone.
Eventually, they will save you money.
The payback time is considerable though.

Prior to buying my TS55, I actually took the time to sit down and figure out, by square inches, the savings that are possible by eliminating that 1/8" or more waste cut off need for trimming on a TS.
It's more significant than you could imagine.
I figured out that each 4' crosscut had approx $.10 of waste attached to it, allowing for 1/8" of waste on both sides of the cut line and allowing a mean price of $155.00 for quality 4x8 sheet goods.

[Neil Brooks]

The worst I'VE heard it that -- while they make FANTASTIC products -- it's hard to justify the price.

Which ... is fair ... since "value" is an entirely personal decision.

Even my brother (industry insider, and HIGHLY opinionated) can't put down their products; he simply won't pay the freight to join the club.

Me ?

Anybody EVER gave me ANY Festool product (mainly: router !), I'd happily use it for decades

[eugene thomas]

i don't have any festool tools yet. thinking of eventually getting the domino, in talking to woodcrafts they rep sade that the 22 and 33 are getting redone with some major changes. anyone know about that?>

[Matt Meiser]

There's a FAQ about that noise somewhere on their web site. Its just the electronic speed control in the saw kicking in. But yeah, it sure sounds bad to a new user.

[Peter Quinn]

a ts is not the only way to make a tenon. i have not ever made a tenon on a ts. a router is a good way to make a tenon.

Agreed, you can make tenons using lots of methods. A router is a good way to make tenons. The TS is also a good method. The op mentioned having a TS, though he didn't mention making tenons at all or having a router or not. The domino can certainly make loose tenons, of that much I am certain.

[Will Blick]

OF all the Festools tools (not counting the vacs as a tool), I would suggest the circular saws have the most value... why?

I have the full 75 saw and accessories. I also have a PM2000 with Incra fence, etc.

Remarkably, I am amazed how much I use the 75 cric. saw. While the TS has some obvious advantages, such as fast repetitive cuts using the fence, it also has some serious limitations.... mainly the size of the wood you can work with, assuming no large accessories on the saw, and often working by yourself. The large accessories to support larger work, often makes the foot print of the cabinet saw so large, its a space hog, and when finished using the TS, you can not put it on a shelf, its a space hog 24/7. While the Festool you can place on a shelf.....

Some situations I use the 75 over the cabinet saw... after edge jointing long boards 5ft+, I want to cut the other side, clean and parallel. With an 7ft board, this requires about 18 ft of cleared out space, and often two people.... in the process of doing this, the wood will sometimes cock just a tad and the TS blade will make some swirls, so the cut is not perfect, not glue up ready IMO... PITA.

OTOH, the Festool, with the parallel guide / fences, it creates a PERFECT cut every time. AND, space requirements is only the length of the board!! This is where Festool shines. Of course, you have longer set up time, but you are assured a perfect glue ready cut, that IMO is worth the price of the saw. Sheet goods? Forget it on cabinet saw with one person.... Festool is the ticket...

So if I only was alllowed one saw, I would take the Festool with accessorries over the PM2k.... B4 buying the Festool, I never dreamed I would make this statement... We never think of portable power tools having this much quality....but the Festool "saw system" is so well engineered, (like a high quality Cabinet saw), and so versatile, albeit sometimes longer set up times, that if you consider this saws price, you should compare it to a high quality TS, not a Borg circular saw. If you want rough cuts, a Borg circ. saw will suffice, if you want perfect cuts, the Festool is the ticket...

I think a lot of flames about this subject is about unfair comparisons. A few recent threads asks this very question.... "festool or TS" - pick one... And IMO, this is the question that matters to many starting out - and confronted with making a substantial purchase decision.

But this can only be answered with the knowledge of the size of the wood the user will be working with. For example, if you want to make small boxes as your main hobby, a TS is the better tool. But if you work with larger boards, or start with sheet goods often, the scales tilt in favor of the Festool... of course, having both is a luxury...

As for my other Festools, I would suggest its the accessories that often separate them from the pack.... in paticular, their routers are a top notch system...the router itself (1400) is superb, but there is many great routers on the market, so it comes down to the versatility of the system, assuming you have a need for those added features the system provides. And whats nice, you share the rail costs over all the tools.

[James Baker SD]

I love my Kapex.
James

[Ray Schwalb]

I was at a seminar one time where Gary Katz, trim carpentry guru, referred to Festools as crack cocaine for carpenters.

Hi, my name is Ray and I'm a (Festool) addict.

[Dan Karachio]

Not to get sidetracked here, but a question to you Green users, are there any discounts ever on Festool or online places that have them at a lower; or is the price you see at one store pretty much the price everywhere? I've been contemplating a domino for a while but am not ready to pull the trigger. A bit of a price discount may be the incentive to plunge forward. And yes I know that quality costs.....just the cheapie in me always looking for a better deal.

Jon, Rarely. They did have 10% off a while ago, but that is over. You will find they have a choke hold on all dealers and the pricing is fixed. It is rarely lower and the same everywhere and you will rarely if ever see anything used.

I own a bunch of their stuff, but I still laugh at the prices every single time. If they made a newly redesigned 14" bandsaw, I am sure it would cost $3500. However, it is the little stuff pricing that really cracks me up. Truly, absolutely no shame from corporate HQ on pricing. However, I love the tools and it only hurt at the cash register, then feels great in the shop.

[Alex Leslie]

The 10% off on TS55, TS75, rails and saw accessories is good until July 31, 2010.

I have a bunch of Festools, including the Domino. Sure, there are lots of ways to make loose tennons, but the Domino is faster and easier. It is not anymore difficult to setup than a bisquit joiner, but offers much more strength.

The dust collection on all tools is phenominal. You will spend almost no time cleaning up after sanding, routing or sawing with their dust extractors; plus they run with much less noise than a screaming Shop-Vac.

There will be two new upgraded duct extractors released in the US this fall; the CT26 and CT36.

[Rick Markham]

I got the bug a little while ago, bought the TS55 and spent the money and got the 2700/II track, get the track while it is on sale. I had a hell of a time justifying the cost of the track... Until I used it, all is forgotten now definitely money well spent. I just broke down a sheet of 3/4" baltic birch ply for a cutting table for my TS 55, had enough left over to make a planer sled, and with almost no waste. I will tell ya what, not wrestling around with a full sheet of plywood by yourself while a table saw is running is money well spent in my book. Granted I'm sure a slider is really where it is at... unfortunately I need a house upgrade for that... One day... One day

Currently saving my pennies for the domino... just can't... stay away...

[Eiji Fuller]

There is no cure for this bug. Sure an empty pocket book will slow it down a bit but you just have to let it run its course. Finally when you have all of them you need the infection has run its course and you have been cured. By then you will have an arsenal of awesome tools. Have fun scouring the catalogs in the mean time.

I was very lucky in this. When I was infected and the fever was at its highest point the FOG had WWing contests with tools as winnings and I won a few great tools.

Good luck with your infection.

[Tom Rick]

I picked up a used Domino last week.

The way these threads go I am considering smashing the thing to bits or maybe selling it off before I get all wrapped up in the buzz....

I think the only thing that is saving me is a recently fed love of vintage machinery- a 1944 Unisaw with tenoning jig I picked up on Sunday is floating my boat just now. The oddly colored Fes case on the shelf seems like a bit of a poor upstart and gets no love. I fine tool no doubt if one insists on IKEA level joinery..... I might even open the case one of these days to peer in with disdain.

[Frederick Gross]

Not to get sidetracked here, but a question to you Green users, are there any discounts ever on Festool or online places that have them at a lower; or is the price you see at one store pretty much the price everywhere? I've been contemplating a domino for a while but am not ready to pull the trigger. A bit of a price discount may be the incentive to plunge forward. And yes I know that quality costs.....just the cheapie in me always looking for a better deal.

Festool is similar to Apple as to their control of pricing. The retailers that sell Festool have the pricing set by Festool. Festool does have promotions from time to time on package deals, but rarely if ever, do they discount individual tools.

Ebay and Craigslist seems to have lightly used stuff show up from time to time.