Festool Junkie Blog

Good News for a dreary day here in Nebraska.  The Walko Tables are ready to be picked up.  This weekend we will be diligently packing and repacking and palletizing the newest, most innovative Work Table on the market.

Just incase you have forgotten what the Walko Table is, Check the video below.

Stay Tuned, and keep the comments coming.

Timmy

We are proud to introduce and sell Qwas Dogs, the first precision bench dog. Why a precision bench dog? If you look at the Festool and Walko work tables, you will notice the holes are set in a precise grid. With Qwas Dogs you can take advantage of that grid to make perfect cuts, whether cross cuts, rip cuts, or 45 degree cuts (Festool MFT only). 2 pairs of Qwas Dogs allows you test the squareness of work pieces, squares, or help in glueing up your projects. Qwas Dogs are great for holding a workpiece while sanding, sawing, planing, or glueing up a project. Anything that requires holding your workpiece still or requires a perfect 90 degree angle, Qwas Dogs will work.

Qwas Dogs are sold as a matched pair. Each pair is inspected to assure diameters within .001 (1 thousandths) of an inch. Are you planning on using 2 pairs or more? All Qwas Dogs  pairs are tested to be within 3 thousandths of an inch to each other (+.001, -002).

Qwas Dogs are designed to utilized the full depth of the holes for proper alignment. Qwas Dogs tapered shoulders are designed to fit the holes perfectly. The small shoulders assures the dogs are aligned with the hole rather than inaccuracies in the table surface from glue, saw kerfs, or water spillage.

Qwas Dogs sit less than 7/16 inch above the table top allowing you to work on anything from 1/2 plywood to 12/4 hardwood. Perfect for sanding and sawing 1/2 inch plywood. If you regularly work on thinner material, we can special order a thinner head to accommodate.

When you understand the precise grid CNC layout on these great work tables have, why use anything less than a precision bench dog, the Qwas Dog.

Bench Dogs for your MFT

Festool Junkie is honored to announce the roll-out for the Qwas Dogs (kwas dogs).  They are now being offered exclusively through Festool Junkie for $29.95.  Made in Valdosta, Georgia, these little “pups” are an essential for those of us doing bench work on the MFT’s, or needing to reference the hole patterns for squaring panels.

Buy your Qwas Dogs Here!!!  BUY QWAS DOGS

Timmy C

When we had the Kapex in the shop last week, the one thing I wanted to see above all other features was the dust collection capability of the highly acclaimed Festool Kapex KS 120 Sliding Compound Miter Saw. We did a little test with me and my camera behind the Kapex. We then cut some 6/4 Alder board both with the hose on, and with the hose off. Here is what the camera saw:

Amazingly, whether the saw was bevelled or at a ninety, the dust extraction capabilities were the same. Festool recommends that you hook up a D36 hose on the machine and vacuum to get airflow to a maximum. We have indeed tried it on your midi in the shop, and it certainly works, but the increased diameter of a D36, and the CFM of the CT22 or CT 33 do make a difference.

Stay up to date with the RSS feed; there is much more to come as we get closer and closer to July 1st.

Have a great weekend,

Timmy C

Be the first to own a Festool Kapex KS 120 Sliding Compound Miter Saw! Pre-Order Today

Yesterday we had the privilege of having a Festool Kapex KS 120 Sliding Compound Miter Saw
in our shop. There was a bit of video going on, and we got some great footage. The video
below shows off the Kapexs’ hold-down, and the Kapex laser. I apologize for the lack of
audio as this was my first attempt to edit with Adobe Premiere CS3; I’ll get it soon enough.

Notice the beginning of the video where Randy adjusts the hold-down; this was a honkin’
piece of 8/4 Hard Maple that extended well past the saw’s bed on the left side…it didn’t
budge after we adjusted it to the right.

I spliced in the second clip after the cut. I really couldn’t believe that the “laser-beam” (a
person must say that in their best Dr. Evil voice) was that DEAD-ON…right out of the box! This
is one killer saw! Click the RSS feed and subscribe to the Festool Junkie Blog. Now that
we have some kewl tools for video you won’t want to miss out as we begin posting.

Timmy C

I am just gonna pass this one on. I could watch it over and over again just for the graphics at the beginning.

The New MFT/3 has been by far the most awaited replacement / improved tool since we have become a dealer. The world about came to an end late last year when Festool announced the “second generation MFT” the MFT 1080 was being put out to pasture. Stability, height and weight are a couple of noticeable features of the MFT/3.

The most improved aspect of the Festool Multi-Function Table, MFT/3 is the angle gage and the rail profiles. Both of these items are greatly improved. The angle gage actually moves front to back, and the profiles will allow for more accessories in the future.

Enjoy the show,

Timmy C

July 1st, 2008 is yet another monumental day in the United States woodworking and light construction community; this is the day that the Festool Kapex KS 120 Sliding Compound Miter Saw will be available to ship. Not since the Festool Domino have we seen such anticipatory anxiety over a tool.

The Festool Kapex is truly a revolutionary machine. It took quite a while for the engineers at Festool to develop a miter saw that was indeed worthy of the Festool name. For example, one of the challenges was to keep the saw as light and mobile as possible; the answer is a magnesium base with rubber feet. The saw weighs in at a mere 47 lbs. Closing the saw up to transport is a snap as well; locking the head to the side makes the saw very easy to load-in.

On the job-site, with the exact height of the bed of the saw the same as Systainer 1, more than likely if you are a Festool Junkie, you already have extension wings to support your longer trim or boards. If you are truly looking for the Ultimate Fence Systerm made right here in America, with brackets specifically engineered for the Festool Kapex, read on.

Festool Junkie has teamed up with Sawhelper. There is not a better combination than Festool / Sawhelper if you want to make the ultimate job site system. Portability, Precision and Value are the hallmarks of Sawhelper; add the Kapex, and you have one sexy set-up! The Festool Sawhelper combo will be AWESOME, keep your eyes peeled on the junk for pricing! Tim M. up at Sawhelper has designed special brackets for the Kapex whereby you will not need to cringe and drill holes to mount the UltraFence. In just a few days, Festool Junkie will announce the Pimped out Kapex that will be ready to ship on July 1st, 2008.

We are very proud to announce this alliance between Sawhelper and Festool Junkie, so eep an eye out for the Timmy C. n Tim M (TnT) ’s Pimped out Kapex / Sawhelper Custom Bundle.

If you have never seen the Sawhelper in action. Watch the video by clicking this link. Sawhelper Ultrafence Video

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

Festool Junkie is now offering Pre-Ordering for the 3 New Festool Tools available for distribution May 1, 2008. Festool has just announced the new products available. Festool Junkie is committed to providing the best service available. We pride ourselves in product knowledge and ease of ordering. We are based out of Lincoln, NE at Lincoln Hardwood and Tool Company, www.lhtcinc.com. Phone calls are always welcome during business hours, and Timmy C’s e-mail is ALWAYS quick with replies. Check out the website for LiveChat, and a fresh approach to selling fine German Tools!
Festool MFK 700 Set - Pre-Order for only $102.00

Festool OF 2200 Router - Pre-Order for only $160.00

Festool MFT/3 Multi-Function Table - Pre-Order for only $115.00

Click the links for details on these fine Festool Products. Terms are described on the catalog pages.

Have Fun Looking at the tool candy!!!
Timmy C

President

Lincoln Hardwood and Tool Company, Inc.

Home of: www.FestoolJunkie.com

The New MFT/3 has been priced at $575.00 and is scheduled to be available for distribution May 1st. Festool Junkie is offering a deposit with payment plan on this new Festool product. To See details of the product visit the web-site page created just for you!

Festool MFT/3 Multi-Function Table

Timmy C

CAUTIONS: Using Planer with Rustic Cutting Drums

The Festool HL 850 E planer is capable of doing more than ordinary flat planing. Various decorative patterns can be produced when using the special rustic drums or Festool Ungulating / Adz style Planer Head. The cutting blades on these drums are fully exposed below the foot of the planer when the depth control is set at “zero”, and special attention is needed when operating the machine with these drums in place.

When removing the normal drum from the planer, be sure to transfer all of the fastening hardware over to the rustic drum.
This includes a screw, a small washer AND a larger keyed metal disk a little bigger than a quarter. This disk is keyed to the arbor shaft when installed and is the only thing that will secure the drum to the shaft properly.

When the rustic drum is installed, there is a chance that a loose piece of material can be forced up into the planer and crack the housing.
Please use the following guidelines to lessen the possibility of damage to the planer:
Set the depth of cut at “P” to “0”…. Never any deeper. The rustic drum is now packaged with a special bracket that mounts to the side of the front foot to prevent the foot from moving beyond the zero point. This should always be installed when using the rustic drum. Be careful at knots… either avoid altogether or cut across them very slowly. Ideally, the knots should be ground down with a 4” grinder before using the planer. The Festool RAS115 is well suited for this.

Avoid cutting directly across the grain… especially off the edge of the beam.
Avoid cutting beyond the edge of the beam at all, either with or against the grain.
Don’t let the machine bog down… cut slowly enough so that the machine runs well.

USE A SHARP BLADE!
A dull blade greatly increases the potential for trouble. Imagine how new Douglas fir does not split cleanly, but tears with long, tough, tenacious fibers still attached to both pieces. A dull blade that is not cutting well will grab these fibers and pull them into the machine.