On Apr 15, 2:04 am, charlieb wrote:
If you work with sheet goods the Festool T55 plunge saw, with edge
guide, seems like a great idea - albeit an expensive one. Lay the
guide's
zero clearance edge ON THE LINE (rather than some offset FROM your
line), set the depth of cut and cut a straight line, on the line - even
if
you've got the blade over at 45 degrees. For $430 for the saw and
guide that's what you get.
But if you want to use the parts you cut - well there's something
missing - making the line you're about to cut SQUARE to either the
factory edge or the one you'd just cut. For ply cabinets you want
RECTANGLES - with square corners. So here's deal breaker #1
- no square attachment for the fence. You want square - you
need to buy their special table - another $400+.
http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDet...&prodid=491588
Why would you spend $400+ on their MFT table instead of $71.50 on
their Combination Angle Unit? Do you get a thrill out of spending 6
times as much money to get the same result? Or you could just use the
saw and guide rail to square one edge of a piece of plywood, then use
a metal carpenters square, that you have checked for accuracy by
flipping it over and drawing the lines on top of each other. A metal
carpenters square will make make an accurate 90 degree line very
quickly and easily. I use one to establish a 90 degree line to a cut
edge when needed. Its not difficult.
Now I could make some sort of thing to square the guide edge to
a reference edge. But if I'm going to pay $430 I want THEM to
provide that little necessity.
For $71.50 they do provide that optional accessory. Kind of like
routers come with a basic, almost worthless black sub-base and then
you buy or make other more useful ones. Or like combination squares
come with a square head and then you can buy the centering head and
the angle head to attach to the ruler. Optional accessories are very
common with woodworking tools.
Oh, and if you want to cut a 4x8
sheet into two 24" x 96" pieces you need a guide extension -
for another $60 or $70 dollars.
Festool sells many lengths of guide rails. Long 3 meter ones down to
800mm ones. A length to suit any purpose. Personally, if you are
going to make long cuts, get a long guide rail so you know it is 100%
accurate. Joining two shorter length guide rails is convenient for
carrying the guide rails and cost, but its not as accurate if you want
a 100% straight true line. You may not be familiar with this, but
Delta sells its Unisaws with 30" or 50" fence rails. Buyer has the
option of which length to purchase. Festool gives you the option of
different guid rails.
The second deal breaker is that you have to use THEIR saw blades
- at 2 to 3 times what an equivalent "normal" blade would cost.
Sort if the multi-blade razors. The initial cost is maybe $12.
But replacement blades are $3 or$4 a pop.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=amb_link...pf_rd_i=552262
Using 7.25" circular saw blades as a comparison product. $20.20 for a
40 tooth Freud. $123.95 for a 60 tooth Forrest. $22.80 for 48 tooth
Milwaukee. $19.50 for 40 tooth Porter Cable. Festool charges $40 for
40 tooth, $53.50 for 48 tooth, $30.50 for 12 tooth, $36 for 14 tooth.
And the Festool saw comes with the 48 tooth, $53.50 balde as standard
equimpment. Unlike every other saw sold with cheap blades where you
have to immediately buy a quality blade. Festool does not cheat you
in that regard.
Since the saw and guide system idea didn't fly - got the Domino
and the accessories along with the other bits AND a boatload of
"dominos" (they don't like it when you call them biscuits). Two
Systainers are thrown in for "free".
You made a poor economic choice. You fell for the package deal. For
$200, you get the size 2 case and biscuits and all 4 cutters. But the
Domino itself comes with the 5mm cutter. The 5mm cutter sells for $27
individually. Why did you buy an extra 5mm cutter by buying the
package? Do you really think you will wear out the 5mm cutter that
quickly that you need two brand new ones before you even turn the
machine on? Is this like the sawblades above where you think you will
wear out the high quality 48 tooth Festool sawblade that comes with
the saw and you think you have to buy several extra blades to have
sitting around for years and years? Or do you just like to spend
money? Nothing wrong with that as long as you admit that is what you
enjoy doing. The free size 2 case cost you about $40 when you factor
in the cost of the biscuits and cutters in the package. You paid full
retail price for the plastic size 2 case by buying the $200 package.
Biscuits are priced at $65 for the various sizes. Different amounts
depending on size purchased. You can easily figure up the per biscuit
cost. Wiser choice is to bypass the expensive plastic size 2 case and
use margarine containers or plastic tool boxes to hold the biscuits.
And then just buy the biscuit size and cutters you will actually
need. What does the 6mm size do for you that the 5mm or 8mm cannot
do? Why buy the 6mm cutter and biscuits? Think about the size of the
biscuits and what size wood they will work in. What thickness of
wood would 6mm work in that 5mm or 8mm would not also work? Think.
Of course many people love to buy whole sets of things. Like every
size chisel in 1/16" from 1/16" up to 2". Mounted in a display case
it looks pretty. Not useful, but pretty. Some people are like that.
The Festool Domino is a chunk of change. However, when you
compare it to the Leigh FMT PLUS a router and you're in
the same price range. The Domino doesn't take up as much
room when not in use and has the ease of use of a biscuit
joiner with much stronger results.
Have four more bonsai tables to make this week. The Domini
should make cutting the 32 mortises per table, 124 total
go a bit faster than using either the mortising machine
which doesn't do end grain well - or the TREND mortise
and tenon jig. Will report back about how that goes.
charlie b