Festool Junkie Blog

Hello all,

If you are a Festool Owner / User and like the group feeling that you get in a forum environment; www.talkFestool.com has moved into it’s new home. The new Festool oriented forum has a crisp new look, a team of moderator’s, incredible software with hundreds of features, and well, just a great bunch of folks that have already started posting there. This is where FestoolJunkie, TimmyC, RW, and MarkE will base our forum activity and I hope to see many of you woodworking enthusiasts over there to share, play, and learn.

As I mentioned above, the software is indeed superb and will be the perfect arena for content, reviews, and good ol’ conversation about Tools and woodworking. In my opinion, it is going to be a fresh, and certainly unique forum that has beautiful untended soil, that has not been “churned and burned.”

Please stop by and say hi,

Timmy C

I am honored to have been asked to moderate a section of a new forum out there in the wonderful world of Festool. The forum is called talkFestool.com and has a section called “ask a Dealer” We all know that Festool can be a bit tricky with all the attachments and accessories that are available with many of the Festool tools. The vision is to centralize many of these questions and be able to access answers quickly and confidently.

There is a site up now that can be reached by typing in www.talkFestool.com . Once there, you can click on the TalkFestoolForum link and be directed to the forum itself.

The forum is brand new, and they are anxious to get the information rolling in. Upon perusing the site, it is very functional and already allows for pictures, there are several “off Festool” zones that you can join in on, and overall it is a very nice environment.

One of the cool things about this is watching it grow. I am sure there will be little anomalies that will arise, and frankly, that is truly part of the attraction. It appears that there are already some great minds that are involved, and I am just tickled green to be part of it.

Get over there! Sign-Up and start sharing ideas, concepts, projects, and most of all….Have Fun!

Timmy C

Tool purchases can be difficult when you have a significant other monitoring your buys. Therefore, I have come up with the 9 ways to, “Hide tool purchases for your significant other”.

1. Use Pre-Paid Credit Cards from the bank of your choice. Often, if you squirrel away $20-$30 here and there, it is fairly easy to get up to the required dollar amount.

2. Purchase the tools on lay-away, so as not to have the glaring “big hit” to your credit card.

3. Purchase the tools with cash. Warning, make sure to get the tools dirty prior to showing them off.

4. Get a buddy to buy the tools and you pay them back. Careful, don’t tell the significant other it is a poker debt you are paying off.

5. Purchase several small tools over a period of time; never open them and keep the receipts! Then when you have enough credit on returning these items, get the one big item you desire.

6. Each project requires a new tool, make sure you commit to only the ones that require new tool purchases.

7. Purchase the tools, bring them home, and DO NOT USE THEM FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. This way, when asked if they are “New” you do not have to lie when you say NO!

8. Purchase large tools that can be dismantled; it is sometimes easier to get to the shop with the tools taken apart. Better yet, have the tools shipped to your work place, dismantle them there, and bring them home piece by piece. This is often beneficial for several reasons.

a. There is no packing material to throw away.

b. When you assemble the tool, it looks more like a repair job rather than a set up of the new tool itself.

c. Refer back to Rule 7: it may take a while to get the tool set-up. Therefore, when you are ready to fire it up, it is no longer a “new tool.”

9. Always round the purchase price down when asked how much something cost. I.e. if actual take home cost was $849, you would respond “about $800.” Tax never counts!

10. Please add your own creative ways to this post. I am always up for learnin’ somethin’!!!

Timmy C

How to connect two hoses:
All Festool Dust extractors have vacuum inlets that accept any 50mm or 2 inch standard hose ends. The 2 inch standard hose measures 2 inches, or 50mm on the INSIDE Dimension. The outside diameter of a standard 2” hose end coupler is actually 2 1/4”, and the inlet in the Festool dust extractor has a 2 1/4” opening. This is the standard in the industry for most shop vacs. Any 2” standard hose will fit the Festool machines.
The 50mm Festool hose has a 2 ¼ inch coupler on each end. All that is needed to join another hose with a standard fitting is an open tube with an internal opening of 2 ¼” diameter. The Festool item #493047 connector sleeve can couple to either end of this hose and accept the 2 ¼” standard end of any 50mm, 36mm or 27mm Festool hose.

The 36mm Festool hose has a tool tip of flexible rubber mounted to a hard plastic rotating shell. This can be removed and replaced with a 452894 or 452893 Festool rotating adapter, which is the standard 2 inch coupler with the 2 ¼ inch outside diameter. This is the same as what comes on the other end of the 36mm hose. Then, all that is needed to couple any other standard hose is again, the open tube Festool 493047 connector sleeve. This piece is conductive to static and will properly complete the circuit to ground if both hoses are of the green and black AS variety.

Alternate 36mm method
There is an alternate and much quicker method to convert the tool end of the 36mm hose to a 2 ¼” opening. The Festool 452897 Suction adapter is the funnel shaped open tube, the small end of which can be inserted directly into the tool tip of the D36 hose and will provide a 2 ¼ “ opening for any other hose. However, this piece is not made of conductive material, and for antistatic use, a piece of foil or conductive wire could be used to bridge across the junction.

The 27mm Festool hose is 12 feet long and another 12 foot D27 hose coupled to that is very inefficient because of the extreme restriction of air flow. It is best to couple the 27mm hose to the end of a larger diameter 36mm or 50mm hose to provide better air flow. But if needed, the rubber tool end could be removed and replaced with the #452892 rotating adapter and the two hoses joined with the open tube #493047 connector sleeve.
The rotating adapters and the tool tips are both removed and installed as assemblies of three parts. A removable clip ring secures the inner sleeve, which is the only part that is actually attached to the threads of the hose. The clip ring is secured to the outer shell with two tabs that engage into slots in the shell. To remove, push in the tabs with a flat blade screwdriver.

Mr. David McGibbon from Festool recently published an article for the SysNotes newsletter from Festool. Air quality is important. You are what you breathe???? I suppose that may be somewhat of the case. With the Festool System, dust and particles are taken out of the game right at the source…the tool.

Not only do the Festool Tools provide accurate and precise work methods, they also provide for an environment that is much more friendly than what most of us that do workworking, solid-surface, floor finishing, and general fabrication are used to.

The paper used for dust collection may not seem like a big deal, however, you should read this article! Thanks David for your “always on”, helpful and cheerful attitude, and your knowledge of these truly remarkable tools.

by David McGibbon, Festool Service Technician
Festool CT Dust Extractors filter dust in different stages. The first level of filtration is the filter bag. The filter bag has to fulfill very demanding duties: It has to hold back as much dust as possible (goal is 99.9%) and at the same time it has to let the air pass to create the suction. Preventing clogging in the pores of the bag is also important ensuring adequate air flow until the bag is full. The bag needs to prevent as much dust as possible from reaching the final filtration step, the main filter. The less the main filter has to filter, the longer it is going to last and the better job it can do.
The bag has to be tear proof, needs to sit secure in the dust extractor with secure connection between the bag and the dust extractor, the glued joints have to last and have to be dust proof. The bag needs reinforcements at spots with high stress. At the same time the filter bag has to have an acceptable selling price.
Does all that sound like an ordinary paper bag?
Quite a demanding job! An ordinary paper bag couldn’t do it. The Festool CT filter bags are a complex system of paper layers. It took a significant amount of time in the laboratory to develop the right bag for the CT. The engineers examined how dust flows into the bag and how maximum filtration can be achieved. They also have to prevent phenomena like the “dust cake”. In certain dust extractors the dust accumulates to a certain spot and creates a “dust cake”, a very hard piece of dust sitting in the dust bag opposite the inlet, causing the bag to tear.
There are countless hours that went into the design of the filter bag for a good reason: Proper dust extraction only works with the right filter bag.
View the line of Festool Filter Bags.
What are the benefits of the Festool Filter Bag?
” Save Money. Main filter does not clog too fast and does not have to be replaced constantly.
” Save Time. Easy and fast way to dump the dust. Clean way to dump the dust, no clean-up.
” Healthier Work Environment. Less dust in the air.
” Longer Tool Life. Better protection for the vacuum motor in case the main filter is leaking.

Thanks again David, Talk to you soon I’m sure. I wouldn’t want you to become a “Maytag” guy!

Timmy C

Shop Festool Vacuums Now

Shop Festool Sander / Vacuum Packages Now

It is that time of year, and due to the warm weather, many of us are behind on
the Festool acquisitions. FestoolJunkie is offering two (2) Rotex RO 125 FEQ Dual Mode sander and Festool CT Midi packages shipped 3 Day Select UPS for those who have procrastinated this fall. FestoolJunkie is offering this shipping deal because Timmy C is indeed empathetic to those who procrastinate.

BE QUICK ON THE CLICKER

WITH THIS ONE! WE ARE ONLY OFFERING TWO (2) OF THESE

SPECIALS!!!

Hop on this package and we will get the shipment rolling the same day as ordered; if order is placed

Monday - Friday before 3:00pm Central Time.