Festool Meets A "Mechanic"

[twowheels]

Ryan - I wouldn't use the word 'hate'. I would say it is more like 'the honeymoon is over' And, I wouldn't use the word contempt, I just don't like 'fanatics' no matter what the product is - Snap On, Apple, Politics, etc.

I am very happy with my tracksaw - I purchased it just after it was released and back then it was the only game in town. It still serves me well, but I think you will find when you go to use the "guide rail connectors" that it is a very poor/frustrating system to get two rails aligned properly. You should take a look at the "Betterly alignment tool" ($99) or better yet, just do what I did and pop for the 106" guide rail ($331) and be done with it

I hope you're not planning on using that card table/MFT to break down sheet goods? I would suggest just making a dedicated cutting table using 2 x 4's and a pair of DeWalt saw horses instead. (they have notches for the 2 x 4's) It will support a full 4 x 8 sheet of ply and you don't have to worry about the offcut falling to the ground or cutting into the face of the MFT. (I have attached a pic of mine for reference)

Also, that parallel guide set you bought is really designed to be used with two of those MFT/card tables. You space the tables apart and then the saddle hangs down between them. But that is an extra $665...

In any case - I have a proposal for you

I have looked at the list of the Festools that you purchased and came up with a similar list of tools. The Festools cost over $2,200 more than the tools on my list - almost 50% more

Purchase these tools (perhaps get more suggestions from forum members), use them in comparison with your Festools while you are building your kitchen cabinets and tell us what you think. Are the Festools really worth spending almost twice as much?

And the icing on the cake - Give away the tools!. Have a contest - start a thread where all you have to do is make a post to enter and then give away the 'inferior' tool.

(You said these tools were a tax write off, you get to play with more tools and you probably get some more people signing up for the forum just for the contest!)

It's a win-win

I am in a similar situation -- I want to control dust in my shop. I use a lot of melamine, and it makes a real mess. My reasons are a bit different... I don't have a nice metalworking shop (yet), but the dust goes all over the place on the car/boats in other bays, and stuff we've got stored on gorilla racks. I've got visqueen "curtains" up at the moment which I really dislike. I am definitely watching this thread with interest!

As a start, I think I am going to build myself some cabinets with doors to replace the gorilla racks. The cabinet doors will keep the dust out of some of the stored items. To try and reduce the overall dust output, I am thinking about getting myself a track saw to build the cabinets with. Git, I am intrigued by your case for the lower budget Makita track saw option, and the Bosch router. I have a nice older Fein Turbo II vaccuum that I love, and hook that vac up to most of my sanders (works pretty dang well!). It's not elegant... plenty of masking tape holding the vac hosing to the tools. I assume I can probably hook the Fein vac up to the Makita track saw and Bosch router and get pretty good dust collection? Although part of me wonders if I should just bite the Festool bullet, and just buy in to their system. Sorry for the long post... appreciate any thoughts and ideas.

Ryan, thanks for creating this site... it's an awesome resource. Spent far more hours browsing over the years than I would care to admit!

Tim

 

[justbummin1]

Hey Ryan, thank you for all you do on here! Just waiting for some of your impressions before I pull the trigger and spend my kids inheritance on green stuff. I am interested in if you have used the sander much yet sense that seems to really kill my garage with the fine dust coating EVERYTHING. To spend a thousand bucks for the vacuum unit and sander with no accessories or sanding pads etc... I want to know for sure it is going to meet my expectations. Thanks for any input

Rob

 

[takai]

Interested to see how this goes, as im starting down the woodworking path again after many years with bikes and cars.

Im going the roll it outside route though, and building a cutting table that can be rolled into the back laneway for most saw work, thereby reducing the dust in my garage. Also helps with the space in the garage, as with the race car and all the bikes and brewing equipment there isnt much room for a woodwork area in my current setup (i want my old garage back).

 

[rossddvm]

Thats funny, I have a CT 36 with the $400 work center sitting on top. When I needed a second vac - I bought a Bosch! (The add-on cleaning set for Festool is $300)

And you know what, Bosch doesn't raise their prices every year for no apparent reason other than they can

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HUCUK6K/?tag=atomicindus08-20

How do the Festool and Bosch compare in noise level and suction? I am looking for a primarily dust collection system for tools. I listened to the Festool vac at Tool Depot a couple days ago and was amazed at how quiet it was compared to the shop vacs and rigid I have had. I am reluctant to get locked into the Festool system but really want quiet and efficiency as I set up my new shop.

 

[Git]

How do the Festool and Bosch compare in noise level and suction? I am looking for a primarily dust collection system for tools. I listened to the Festool vac at Tool Depot a couple days ago and was amazed at how quiet it was compared to the shop vacs and rigid I have had. I am reluctant to get locked into the Festool system but really want quiet and efficiency as I set up my new shop.

I have a Festool CT-36 (current price $725) and the Bosch VAC090S (current price $545) - they are both around 9 gallons in capacity. Keep in mind when you buy a Festool Vac, they all use the same motor and electronics, the bigger sizes just have more capacity

Noise - I just did this less than scientific test

Using the sound meter app from Smart Tools I stood directly in front of both vacs, holding my smartphone at about chest level. The Festool registered around 72-73 db while the Bosch was just a tad quieter at a steady 71-72 db range. Festool published spec is 72 db and Bosch publishes 71 db, so my test turned out to be fairly accurate

Suction Power - All I can do is go by the specs, they seem to be about the same when in use:

Festool - 96" static water lift
Bosch - 97" static water lift

Note - the Festool does have an electronic speed control which does come in handy when using some of their sanders. The Bosch uses the more traditional method where there is vent that slides open on the hose. Also as I mentioned, these vacs are designed to auto turn on/off when you have a tool plugged into them, like a sander. The Festool vac turns off immediately when you turn of the tool. The Bosch is designed to run for about 7 more seconds after you turn the tool off to get any extra dust (I like that feature - I use the Bosch mainly with my Bosch Miter Saw)

Lastly - the Festool uses a HEPA Filter, the Bosch is HEPA ready, meaning if you really need HEPA you can buy the filter for around $95 (I don't need HEPA)

Both come with a 30 day money back guarantee - but you can get the Bosch through Home Depot which would make returning it very easy if it did not meet your satisfaction

Regarding the sound level of other makes of shop vacs - I found this post on the forum that indicates a rigid shop vac, for example, is in the 93-95 db range:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=226762

Also, keep in mind the cost of consumables - check the prices for bags and filters

 

[rossddvm]

Thanks for the thorough reply.

 

[mikeyr]

I know I am late to this thread, specifically about the LR32.

It is interesting to me to read the comments about the LR32 and what some people have said about it not being worth it. It is the one tool that got me hooked on Festool. I have used it more than any other Festool I have bought, on small short projects specifically mentioned in a earlier post as a problem without issues and long projects again with no issues. My first tall project I tried to use the short LR32 rail and got it to work, but its so much easier with the long rail that I now have also. The LR32 is simply the best woodworking they make to make your life easier. Well maybe the Domino is the best

As to why they don't put the holes in all their rails, its simple, I own the 118" rail for long sheets of plywood and the 95" rail for the LR32....see how that works, they sold 2 rails where if the 118" had the holes I would have only bought one. I even went so far as to see if I could get a local CNC shop drill the holes for me in the long rail, they could but it didnt really save that much money.

 

[jackson1701]

After reading this thread and watching many Festool videos over the past year, I can either say "Thanks" or "You ****" Ryan. I'm getting ready to build an addition onto my home for my mom with a separate living quarters/kitchen etc. I hate giving my money away for things I can do myself. I'm no master carpenter, but I can hold my own. My family bought me a Festool track saw for Christmas and it's AMAZING!. Here we are a couple of weeks later. I'm going to be building all the cabinets, trim, etc. That savings just paid for this purchase. I'm looking to adding more festool tools to my collection.

CT36 dust extractor
Rotax 125 sander
MFT3 work station
Kapex saw
TS75 track saw
some Woodpeckers items are on the way to

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