Festool Junkie Blog

The Inaugural Midwest Festool Fest at Lincoln Hardwood and Tool Company is slated for August 30, 2008. The event will be held at Lincoln Hardwood and Tool, 2001 SW 5th, in Lincoln, NE. The event is for all those Festool Junkies out there, and for folk who have never seen Festool Tools and Accessories to join in some fun, food, and cheer.

We are planning to have official demonstrations put on by official Festool Corporate Trainers from Las Vegas, and Lebanon, Indiana. Furthermore there will be at least one “shirt” from Festool to answer questions regarding Festool products.

Midwest Regional Festool Fest, August 30th, 2008

If coming into Lincoln for some Hog Eatin, Cold Drink, Good Cheer, and comoradarie amongst fellow Festool owners, be sure to check out the link below to shoot me an e-mail or give me a call. As it stands right now, there are participants planning to attend as far away as Pennsylvania and California.

Lincoln Hardwood and Tool

For Mapquest Directions to our shop >>>Lincoln Hardwood and Tool Company Location<<<

I will post a schedule of happenings as we nail down “Pod Casting” and schedule for the demonstrations.

Timmy

Hello Everyone,

Lincoln Hardwood and Tool Company Inc., home of www.FestoolJunkie.com is proud to announce that we have taken on the Walko Workbench System line of tables and accessories. We will have exclusive rights for distribution in the United States. The Walko is an incredibly versatile workbench system and will fit nicely into the Festool System; Faster, Easier, Smarter.

Festool Junkie will begin to update you on information as it comes in. We are anticipating a mid-fall launch date for this product, and the website has been populated with the Walko products and their pricing, so head on over and check it out. As is the case with our Festool products, the pricing does reflect a “landed price”…we are not going to ding you for shipping these awesome benches. There is still some work do be done with descriptions of the products, but I wanted to get this information out to you, and frankly, the Walko is a pretty simple bench to set up and tear down in minutes.

I will be adding a gallery of some of the items as soon as I have my “propeller head” hook me up (apparently, I am experiencing some technical difficulties with the image files), and there will be a lot more to come over the next couple of weeks as soon as we have our demo benches; we will be putting up photos and video as we shoot them for ya.

For now, below is a video of the Euro model that has been around a while. Check it out.

You will be able to Pre-Orders for the benches just as we did the Festool Kapex. If you would like to order now, go ahead and cruise on over to the site. There is a Walko link on the home page that will take you right to the Walko Table section on the website; simply recognize that we will not be shipping until this Fall.

Here at “the Junk” we are still taking on that learning curve as information is coming in fast and furious. Once again, we will have demo tables in our possession in a couple weeks, and begin putting them to the test ourselves back in the shop. Below is an excerpt from the introduction letter to the members over at the talkFestool forum. Mr. Groot has been kind enough to jump in over there if you have technical questions.

Hello, my name is Bart Groot and I am President of WALKO-Tools BV (Europe, The Netherlands)

I will join this forum to answer your questions concerning the WALKO as good as I can.
I am not a native English speaker so please forgive possible mistakes.

First a brief history about the WALKO Workbench:

The WALKO principle is in use for many years already. The system was build out of frustration on the work spot.

The inventor was completely rebuilding a house once again but did not have enough space. Also he was frustrated about al the different “helps” he needed to do his job; beams to saw platters on, a workmate, a kind of work table, an old chair, two stands with a old door on it, and so on. Al these “helps” are fine but they do not do the job like he wanted to: Fast and easy.

Some people around him told him that he should do something with it. Beginning 2003 he signed up for an innovation contest with it and became one of the winners. He started the development of the WALKO together with a technical university and several engineers.

In June 2005 the WALKO Workbench was technically finalised and ready for the “proof of the pudding”. Thoughtful and calm the WALKO was tested on the local market to get reactions from end-users. Reactions were very good and in 2006 we started to gain more and more dealers. Now the WALKO is a big success here.

We experienced three important suggestions from our end-users;
1. It would be nice if there was also a smaller version
2. It would be very nice if it was completely water resistant
3. It would be better if it was lighter in weight

The smaller version, the WALKO-3 was launched early 2007 and is now sold in almost the same quantities as the original WALKO-4.
The water problem is solved by using bamboo table tops, and the whole construction was re-engineered to make it lighter. The WALKO-4 Frame was 24 Kg or 55 LBS, now 19 Kg or 41.8 LBS. These new models will be available in the States soon.

The WALKO Team

Kind regards

This promises to be a very exciting tool for the dudes / dudettes that are constructing on-site. The wave of the future is definitely to take your shop into the field. There is no better combo than, Festool, Walko, and Sawhelper…and guess what, you can find them all on www.FestoolJunkie.com

Here is a few suggestions, and resources that you can view if you absolutely see the pics RIGHT NOW!

Until I get the gallery up, you can always head over to the Junk and check out the Images Tab to view the pictures that I will post here on the blog soon!

Walko Specs PDF Download

Walko-3 Tabletop Hole Pattern PDF

Walko-4 Tabletop Hole Pattern PDF

Thanks for cruisin’ by, and we are very excited to have hooked up with the WalkoDude

Technical Glitches Fixed:

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

It has been difficult at best for me to sit back and NOT get involved with the rampant speculation regarding the “Festool Kapex Miter Adjustment Problem.” Although some of the speculative theories that were hitting the forums were remarkably close to the issue at hand, the fact of the matter is that they were indeed speculation, and the cause of the scraping sound, could not be confirmed “virtually on the internet.” That is to say that before Festool could determine the cause, they (Festool) had to have saws that were exhibiting the “scraping sound” in their possession and on the Festool Lab Table.

Festool users are indeed fanatical about their tools; they are certainly accustomed to the tools working perfectly out of the box. Before all else (the fact that I am a Festool Dealer), I am a Festool User. Not only are the users fanatical about their tools, Festool is perhaps even more fanatical about the exact same thing….their tools working perfectly straight out of the box. I would venture to guess, that the Kapex launch was amongst the most successful, if not the most successful, “New Miter Saw” launch in U.S. history. On one forum, I counted 8 experiences with an issue on the Kapex, and well over 6 pages of posts from many who do not even own a Kapex; all this on the largest Festool Forum on “Al Gore’s Amazing internet. To me, that is not an isolated problem / issue with a relatively small number of saws, for a launch that is well into the hundreds of saws sold. At Festool Junkie, we have had an EXTREMELY MINUTE incident rate, and our finger is definitely on the pulse of the Festool community!

Festool�s Official Statement Is Copied Below:

Festool Information Service 07-25-08

Kapex technical issue:

A technical issue has become apparent simultaneously and coincidentally with the U.S. market launch. The issue involves the free movement of the table of the saw through the full miter range. We have recently concluded that the clearance of the locking mechanism is creating an operational issue.

Abnormal Operation:

When the Kapex miter lock is engaged, the saw can lock infinitely to any miter angle throughout the entire range. This is accomplished by a post that rides on the top of the scale and a spring steel plate that engages the bottom of the miter scale. To allow free movement throughout the radius of that scale when the handle is unlocked, there must be a gap present between the spring steel plate (black plate under the handle) and the bottom of the miter scale. This gap should be between 0.2mm and 0.4mm, measuring between the spring steel plate and bottom of the miter scale when unlocked. Too much gap between the spring steel plate and the miter scale will prevent the saw from locking aggressively as it was designed.

Normal Operation:

1. The miter lock handle is shipped in the locked position. The Kapex utilizes a cam action lock to firmly secure the saw to the desired miter angle. To release the lock, the handle should be pulled firmly upward until the lock is disengaged. This motion can be felt and heard.

2, Once unlocked it is possible to move the saw through the entire miter range from 50� left to 60� right. During this movement it is possible to encounter an audible and definitive clicking sound as the saw is engaging the miter presets across the range. To avoid engaging the stops and the related sound, the lock handle is equipped with a detent override that allows the saw to bypass these stops.

Resolution:

This issue does not affect every saw. We have already examined all units in our inventory for this issue. Saws that measured a gap of less than 0.2mm were less than 4% of our total inventory. We will continue to monitor and inspect incoming units. Our production line in Germany is duplicating this effort as well at the production line. In addition our sales force has already spot examined and corrected units that dealers already received prior to the discovery of this issue.

FestoolJunkie will of course check the Kapex that we have in stock as well. Again, we have seen a less than 4% rate of “non-conforming” saws that we have shipped. We have checked every saw that has left our facility personally, and feel EXTREMELY comfortable with our success rate regarding the Kapex.

Thanks for stopping by,

Tim Colwell

President

Lincoln Hardwood and Tool Company, Inc

Home of: www.FestoolJunkie.com

One challenge some of our peeps have is which saw to choose; the Festool TS 55 or the Festool TS 75. Both saws operate the same way, and both saws are awesome with regards to precision and usability. However, in many ways, choosing the “right” saw can be a bit of a task.

Here are a few questions that may make it easier.

Before you click the purchase button, consider these questions:
1. Is size and weight important to me?
2. What are the most common materials and thicknesses of you are cutting?
3. Is cost a factor in my decision?

Questions 1 and 2 are really at the core of which saw you should choose. For me, I am a short little Irish guy, and like the “nimbleness” of the TS 55. It has served me in my furniture business for years. One of the toughest materials for a saw to cut is Solid Surface used for countertops and the like. National solid surface fabrication, and installation companies are using the TS 55 for field work. For those folk that are the furniture making types that do a lot of plywood and 4/4, 5/4, even 8/4 (surfaced) solid wood, the TS 55 will suit you fine. Even with the occasional 8/4 stock that is surfaced to 1 3/4″ the TS 55 has the juice to do the deal.

If you are considering using your TS for production, I would recommend the Festool TS 75. The increased size of the motor, and the increased power provide you with a “beefier” saw that will take the “production environment” all day long. That is not to say that the TS 55 wouldn’t work for production, we are just talking “much more saw” with the TS 75.

The TS 75 is a lot of saw. Doors, no sweat! All day on a construction site cutting 1 1/2″ stock, then going to cut out a window, then trimming doors at 2″ the TS 75 is your saw. Further, if you are using the TS to joint rough lumber such as Oak, Maple, etc. The increased motor size will do you well.
Here are some one liners I have heard:

“The TS 75 will do anything that the TS 55 will do plus…”

“Weight is irrelevant due to the way the saw travels on the Guide Rail” My take, True but you still have to lift it, and place it on the guide rail.”
“The TS 55 is awesome for what I do…mostly single sheets of Plywood and 4/4 - 6/4 stock.”

More Considerations:

The TS 55 comes with a 55″ rail. The TS 75 comes with a 75″ rail.

To cut an 8′ length the TS 55 uses a 106″ rail. The TS 75 requires the 118″ rail.

Spec Comparison:

We absolutely have a passion about the Festool Brand and it’s capabilities. E-mail from our clients, and prospective clients never go unanswered or slighted. Below is an e-mail we received the other day, and it had some great questions in it. Thank You Randy from SC !!!!

Tim,

Thanks for the quick response.

I’m thinking the TS55 with a long enough track would be my greatest interest but the price seems exhorbitant for a skill saw. The same is true of all your products. Other brands of vacs, drills, skill saws, etc. are much, much cheaper. I could replace most vacs several times before I could pay for 1 Festool vac. What makes them worth so much?

Festool Vacs are second to none. They are pricey, but in my opinion worth every penny. All Festool products hook to them, and frankly, I wouldn�t Sand and Finish without them. The Auto-Start is nice, the variable speed is essential to me, and the 99% dust collection with HEPA filtration has become necessary for my sinuses, and the quietness is crucial for my hearing and sanity. I say the variable speed is essential because, normal vacs have a �suck power� that will actually draw the sander into the workpiece. For rough and intermediate sanding, not a big deal; however, when it comes to finishing the workpiece and sanding �finish� this is crucial�.turning the Festool vacuum down to low speed, keeps the �suck� from drawing the sander into the workpiece. This allows the sander to float on the surface, eliminating swirl marks and �fish eyes�.

The TS 55 and the TS 75 are not �Skil Saws�. The Plunge action and the guide rail system of the saw separates them definitively. I like to say that if you can draw a line, or place two marks on the edges of a �panel� you can cut the line with every bit as much precision as a table saw�if not more�and the safety factor is well worth it. The edge of the guiderail is the �0� mark of the blade. Furthermore, if you have at least 2-3 millimeters of substrate under the ply (for example) you can cut on a concrete floor and not worry a single bit about running the blade into the concrete. I actually have a one-man-cabinet maker for a client that loads his plywood into his truck separating the plywood sheets with cardboard, when he gets back to his shop, he actually sizes his plywood while it is still in the back of his truck with the TS 55 and a guiderail.

The Saw is variable speed as well with what is called MMC technology. This is an awesome attribute when doing various jobs such as Solid Surface, Non-Ferrous Metal, Various Veneer, Plastics, etc. Speed and blade selection is crucial for precise, no tear type cuts. MMC technology is �Power in Reserve.� The electronics in the saw provide the appropriate power to keep the blade moving at the same speed regardless of what you are cutting. In essence, the saw only uses the power it needs when required. It is funny, I get calls often from first time users that are worried about the sound the saw makes. When you use the TS saws, they sound �growly�, like there is something the matter with it�.gears. The TS saws are �smart,� not only does it monitor the blade speed with the MMC, it also constantly looks for the proper gear ratio; based on the material that you are cutting, as well as how fast you are pushing the saw down the rail. Remember, blade / cutter speed (the routers employ this technology as well) needs to stay at a constant speed to provide a clean, burn free cut. So, bottom line is that you will ask the saw to perform a task, being �smart� the saw is constantly looking for the right gears, as well as power output to perform the task. One little caveat, if the saw is unable to perform the task that you need it to do�it will say: Nope, I can�t do that�.and shut off on you before you do damage to the saw, or do something unsafe.

I mentioned that the saw is burn free and splinter free. The saw runs on that rail. In this fasion, the blade is always true to the surface of the blade, and will not twist causing burning, and stress on the saw. Further, the guiderail�s splinterguard, and the Supplemental Splintergaurd are sacrificial, in essence creating a zero clearance blade similar to your Table Saw Throat Plate.

My shop is a small one comprised of 3 old men trying to stay active & out of trouble. We build desks, beds, tables, bookcases, etc. plus a number of novelty items. We try to build whatever the customer wants.

I have a 12″ L7770 DeWalt ras, 10″ Laguna saw etc, 10″ Unisaw, Jet & Delta 14″ bandsaws, flap wheel sander, 3 1/2 hp Makita Router, several PC routers, and a Makita laminate trimmer. We also have a Harbour Freight 12″ SCMS and most of the usual hand tools. I was thinking the skill saw with guides would be beneficial in that we would not have to do as much man-handling with sheet stock.

Great equipment, and sounds like a nice set-up. Many people that inquire have heard that the TS 55 / TS 75 could eliminate the Table Saw�.That is not my opinion. What the TS Saws do is allow a person to have LESS of a Table Saw in their shop�they (TS 55 and 75) work wonderfully side by side. The one place that I do not use my 55 for is ripping thin stock�.Face Frame, or 3-4� rips out of lumber. I rarely put plywood to my Unisaw anymore. All sizing and precision cuts of panels are done with the TS 55. One little note: I can actually cut Triangles out of the center of a piece of Plywood, without overcut, using the TS 55. I actually trust the 55 more than my Unisaw when I cut large panels�.mostly because of operator mistakes and drift. BTW I don�t have a sliding table on my Unisaw. The TS 55 would do wonders for safety in your shop with large panels�you wouldn�t have to lug them up on your Unisaw or Laguna.

As I understand it, I would have to buy extra track (guides) to cut the 8′ length of plywood. You say buy the packages but buying the extra DC would almost double the price with the saw & guides. The MFT is nice also but that would be pushing prices clean out of sight. And just forget about the drill. The offset bit is amazing and I can see that having a lot of applications. We are all 60ish so I don’t know that we can justify that much expense this late in life.

You would need either the 106� rail with the TS 55, or the 118� rail with the TS 75 to rip 8� ply. The extra length with the TS 75 is due to the increase size of the base with the TS 75.

What say you? You say you will not be at IWF but does that mean Festool will not be represented? I gathered you worked for Festool.

I do not work for FestoolUSA, I am a dealer for FestoolUSA. I own a company Lincoln Hardwood and Tool Company, Inc here in Lincoln, NE and we are also Festool dealer. We sell Jet/Powermatic, Grex, FastCap, Collins, SawHelper, Kreg, and several other brands. We also sell 3/4� Strip Flooring, Plywood, Hardwoods, Veneers, etc.

Hope this helps, and feel free to call anytime: Shop 402.477.8665

Timmy C

Festool Junkie owner Timmy C delivered what could be the first “paid-for” Kapex in the U.S. to Kevin Brun of Glenwood Springs, CO. At 12:01am Mountain Time, the Festool Kapex was handed over in the lobby of the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, CO. Long time, and loyal Festool Junkie Kevin Brun was very happy to see his new saw, and got up in the middle of the night to take possession. Festool Junkie is making a run in the Denver Metro area delivering these highly acclaimed saws on July 1st, 2008.

Check these guys out! Local friends of Festool Junkie have started to fabricate these killer inlays designed to go on Craftsman Style Furniture. Cruise over here to www.Craftsmaninlay.com and check out the awesome work. They will be in the “new product offering” section Style 1900 magazine in the next issue. If you hit their site tell them I said Hi!

Ben Brunick and Dean Orsborne have really come up with something here. Their inlays are Stickley reproductions in Pewter and Copper and various woods; quartersawn white oak, cocobolo and dyed veneers to name a few. The pieces come on a sheet ready to throw adhesive on the back and stick to your project.

Based out Lincoln, NE these guys are quick to ship stocking the items posted on their website. Custom work is also available to be had. Lead time on custom work ranges from 4-6 weeks depending on the drawing.

This is high quality schtuff, or it wouldn’t be on the junk.

Timmy C

Howdy All, we have seen a ton of traffic on the Pimped Out Bundles pages. Most of the bundles that you see in that section of the site were bundles that were made prior to the “Festool Feeding Frenzy” of March 31st, 2008 ( truly a monumental day for “the Junk”.) With that said, the prices of the POB’s has changed. We are in the process of getting many of them switched over to reflect current pricing and hope to have them available again soon.

In the meantime, we are in putting up new and improved bundles. Remember the bundles started by clients of Festool Junkie calling in with specific requirements and requests. After many conversations with Festool Junkies all over this great land of ours, I would compiled those needs and wishes into one central place on the site, and I called them Timmy C’s Pimped Out Bundles.

What I am asking for now is suggestions. Shoot me some ideas, or wish list type things and let’s get them up on the site.

If cash was not an issue, what would the perfect bundle be?

Hmmmm, sounds like a contest might be coming…

Thanks Dudes,

Timmy C

Festool Junkie is stocked and ready to rock on distribution of the three new
tools launching May 1st. You still have time to order the Festool MFK 700 Set,
Festool OF 2200 Router and Base Sets (Festool OF 2200 Metric Base Set, and Festool OF 2200 Imperial
Base Set), and of course, The all new Festool MFT/3 Multifunction Table.

Despite pre-selling many of these items to get an accurate count on “first round distribution.” Festool Junkie went against the grain (as usual) and took on extra inventory for those who remained on the fence regarding ordering these items. I am amazed with the excitement over the MFK 700 and it’s versatility, the OF 2200 and it’s “Mamba-Jamba-ness” and it’s incredible nimbleness for it’s size, and of course the greatly anticipated MFT/3 has been huge!!! I kinda thought the MFT/3 would be a strong seller after the MFT 1080 went out of production.

Solid Surface fabricators are actually drooling over the 2200. With a significant price tag, I was unsure about how sales would be. When a SS guy gets this router in front of them, many were indifferent regarding the price, and once they saw the end-product…price really wasn’t relevant. One of our clients in KC said it best; “Timmy, it really doesn’t matter what you are going to charge me for these routers (they bought both the MFK and OF 2200). What I know is that there is not another product that will let me do this type of work with the dust control and the time involved. Dude, just make sure they are on their way May 1 and it’s all good!.”