Just a short post to let you know that after over 10 years as Festool specialist at Just Tools, I’ve moved to a new position at Sydney Tools at their Blackburn. It’s great to be finally working for a company that appreciates your knowledge and abilities.
For the service, you’re used to, and the knowledge to help you get the best from your tools call me at the Blackburn branch or email me directly on bryans@sydneytools.com.au
Recently released in Europe Festool’s new sanders the ETS EC 150/5 and ETS 150/3 are sure to be a hit when they reach the Australian market. With the latest in EC brushless motors these sanders have a host of new features to make the onerous task of sanding quicker and easier.
Some of the new features are a vibration sensor which automatically adjusts the sander speed when not under load to protect the user from excess vibration, constant speed under load, and a suction detection system which stops the sander if the dust extractor hose comes out, (this feature can be deactivated if you’re using a dust bag).
The new sanders have a height of 113mm including pad, compared to 185mm on the old ETS sanders and a weight of 1.2 kg which is 600 grams lighter than the old ETS sanders
Have a look at the video below to see the ETS EC 150 in action and watch for a cameo appearance by Blair, one of the principals of Festool Australia
Please watch this space and as more information comes to hand I’ll post it here
Another new tool to the Festool cordless line up is the new BHC 18 rotary hammer drill. This 2 mode rotary teams a festool brushless motor, with a 4.2ah battery which produces 1.8 Joule of power and has the capacity to drill 18mm in concrete, 13mm in steel and 25mm in wood.
The first video is from Festool and even though it’s in German, it’s one of the first videos i’ve seen that clearly shows the piston and hammer action which gives the rotary hammer drill its power. Try to pause the video at about the 33 second mark to get a good look at the guts of the tool.
Also worth noting is the anti vibration system which is essential for continual and safe use of this style of tool.
The next video is from Peter Parfitt’s New Brit Workshop and gives a really good overview of the tool including demonstrating the interconnect ability of the BHC 18v batteries with the 15.6 batteries from the standard Festool range. Make sure you pause the video around the 10min 40 second mark so you can have a look at new dust adapter which fits on a standard Festool hose and will give you dust free drilling for rotary hammer drilling for holes up to 12mm in diameter
I haven’t got a firm release date for this yet but anticipate it being released around August 1 to coincide with the release of the TSC 55.
As more info comes to hand I’ll post it here to keep you up to date.
Following a random post, by Blair Brydon, one of the heads of Festool Australia, on the woodwork forum website, it’s now confirmed that the Australian release for the TSC 55 is August 1 2014.
I’ve found a couple of new videos which you may of may not of seen which will give you a bit more info on the new Cordless TSC 55 prior to its arrival.
The first video is from Festool USA’s connect 2014 event which was held in March this year and features Festool USA Application Trainer Brian Sedgeley demonstrating the TSC 55
The second is from ITS in the UK and is an in depth look at the tool, covering battery compatibility. accessories, the new Fastfix 2 mechanism reveals that the TSC55 is a brushless saw .
As more information becomes available closer to the release date, particularly the shelf price, I’ll post it here.
I’ve finally had a chance to put pen to paper and complete my write up of the new CT 17E extractor.
It’s one of the Protool to Festool conversions and has evolved from the Protool VCP 170E. I found to be an excellent and highly efficient machine and to date has performed all the work I’ve expected of it with no hiccups at all.
Click on this link The CT17E Extractor to read my full review of this awesome little machine.
One of the best features of this machine is the price. at under $450 (AUD) with a 36mm hose and cleaning set it’s an absolute bargain. Click Here to check out the CT 17 on the Just Tools website.
In all honesty, if you’re on a budget an want a small fully featured extractor for under $500 you cant go past this!
As always, thanks for reading and feel free to post any questions of comments.
I recently came across a new You Tube video from Festool in Germany which I thought you all might find interesting. Titled “Festool Rhythm & Tools (gb)” its a marketing video to promote the Festool brand in a very interesting way. The link to the video is here,
and while is a little bit cheesy in parts, I’d recommend you have a look as it has some particularly good vision of the inside of the Festool factory.
I was intrigued the first time i watched the video as there were some tantalising glimpses of what looked like new Festool product and what got me really curious was that they looked like crossover products from the Protool range.
Have a look at some screen grabs from the video here:
Now due to some commission work over the last couple of weeks I hadn’t had a lot of time to investigate this further but thanks to a dose of the flu courtesy of my 10 year old, Im off work for a couple of days and have managed to do a bit more research.
On the Slingers Ironmongers website, ( a UK based Festool Dealer)
I found a listing of New Festool Tools which are due out in the UK this September. Here’s some photos to wet you’re appetite!
Festool Duradrive Collated Screw gun 769205
Festool Sword Saw 769211
Festool MFT SYS 500076
Festool C17 Extractor 768472
Festool Quad Drive 769202
Festool Quadrill 769198
All bar the MFT SYS box appear to be direct crossovers from the Protool range so question now is Why?
Is the Protool range going to disappear, or are Festool, Festoolising Protool products so our Festool brothers and sisters in the North American can finally get their hands on these fantastic products. Only time will tell.
As always, your questions and comments are appreciated.
The opportunity came up last week for me to fit a IAS module to a CT26 extractor so I thought, as it’s a very uncommon request i’d take some photos to show you how it’s done. For those of you who are scratching their heads and wondering what the hell i’m talking about, let me take a moment to explain.
The IAS, (integrated air supply) module is part of Festool’s pneumatic sanding system and allows you to hook up a air operated sander to your CT 26 or 36 extractor for tool actuated pneumatic sanding. Once the module is installed you can decide on wether you go the hole hog and use the Festool IAS adapters and hoses which connect to the LEX range of Festool Pneumatic sanders or simply connect an airline to the port on the extractor and use the the standard CT hose to connect to your non Festool air sander.
The beauty of the Festool system lies in the IAS hose. It is a complete unit which incorporates a central air line in which is surrounded by another hose which removes the excess air. Both of these hoses are encased in a 36mm antistatic hose which removes the sanding dust from the sander.
My client had been given a LEX 150/7 sander so he opted for the whole Festool setup.
Have a look at the photos for the set up process.
Whilst primarily designed for the automotive industry my client, who’s a furniture finisher is using the sander with a great deal of success as a coarse sander to cut back rough surfaces on timber slabs prior to finishing with his electric sanders.
If you’re thinking of going this way just keep two thing in mind; firstly, for air sanding operations you need a big air compressor. The module does not turn the extractor into an air compressor, (and yes i’ve been asked on more than one occasion). The second thing to take into consideration is the cost. it’s bloody expensive.
As always guys, thanks for reading. Your questions and comments are always appreciated.
Today we’re going to have a look at a relatively new tool from Festool’s sister company Protool. The SSP 200 EB is a bit of an unusual beastie and I remember the the first time saw it I was a bit perplexed by it.
The SSP is in essence, a chain saw that’s mounted onto a circular saw base. It has a maximum cutting depth of 200mm (about 8 inches) and it runs along standard Festool or Protool, guide rails for accuracy and ease of cut.
Its not a tool that you have to have but if you’re regularly cutting sleepers, timber beams, or LVL, (laminated veneered lumber) boards or girders, the SSP is guaranteed to make your life easier
Designed for cutting large beams the SSP which weighs in at only 6.5 KG ( 14 Pound) is a lot easier and safer option than circular saws with a comparable cutting depth such as the Protool CSP 165 which weighs in at 22kg, (48 pounds)
The CSP 165E
I’ve used both the CSP 165 and the SSP extensively and, personally i’d now always choose the SSP over a large and heavy circular saw.
When docking beams to length with the SSP you can tilt the blade forwards at a 10 degree angle which exposes more blade to the timber and gives you a proportionately faster cut. The maximum mitre angle on the SSP is 60 degrees and when used on a guide rail will pivot on the scribe line in the same manner as a TS 55 or TS 75 will.
Lets have a look at the features of the SSP;
1, Blade,
2, Fast Fix Blade Changing
3, Guide Slot for Guide Rail
4, Mitre Angle indicator
5, Tool less chain tension adjustment
6,Tool Less chain lubrication
7,MMC, (constant speed under load) electronics
8, Bar oil level indicator
9, Dust Extractor Connection
10, Auxiliary Handle
11, Clearly visible cut indicator.
Not being a major fan of chainsaws, I must admit to being a bit nervous when using the SSP for the first time but, within 5 minutes I was as happy as a pig in …….., and had chopped up a large beam into small pieces before I realised it. When connected to a CT26 dust extractor, with the 36mm hose about 2 thirds of the dust was collected leaving only a relatively small amount to clean up.
Click below to watch a video of the SSP in action.
As you can see from the video there is plenty of different applications for the SSP. Ive used it on both softwoods an Australian Hardwoods and found that it didn’t struggle with either of them.
No review of the SSP would be complete without giving you the chance to watch the Official Protool film on the SSP. Its the first Big Budget advert for a power tool that I can remember seeing in a long time.
Enjoy !!!!!
Well I hope you enjoyed that.
As always, your comments and questions are appreciated.
Just a short post to remind you all that the National Tradesman’s Expo is on in Melbourne this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, (the 25th to 27th of May) at the Melbourne Show grounds.
The Melbourne show grounds are located on the cnr of Epsom and Lange roads in Ascot Vale and the show is open on Friday 10 to 6, Saturday 10 to 5 and on Sunday from 10 till 4.
This is the major show of big boys toys in Melbourne for 2012 so if you need to stock up on power tools it’ll be well worth a look.
There will be specialson tools for all brands and i know that there will be some extra special deals on the whole Festool and Protool range.
Please click here to go to the National Tradesman’s Expo Website
I’ll be there with Just Tools on the Festool stand so don’t be a stranger, pop in and say hello. For those who can’t get to the how i’ll post some photos of and new releases I can find
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