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[woodchucker]

Kind of a motley crew ;-)

[woodchucker]

+2

[woodchucker]

My biggest problem with Shopsmith is:

1) being lazy (not totally) but if I want to do something I want to do it without a lot of trouble... And for the shopsmith you have to take it apart and put it together. 2) it's not a real table saw. 3) you can't do two things at once, you need to take it apart to do something. So if you need to redo something you are up the creek. 4) expense.. 5) everything is a compromise.. so it's not really good at any of them.

[Leon]

No one needs to, ;~)

Well actually he said,

Are there any modern tools, new ones that are new to the marketplace that are must-haves or really-great-to-haves? Sawstop comes to mind as a good example, IMO. Others?

[Leon]

No one needs to, ;~)

Well actually he said,

Are there any modern tools, new ones that are new to the marketplace that are must-haves or really-great-to-haves? Sawstop comes to mind as a good example, IMO. Others?

[Leon]

The Domino, CT22 Dust Extractor, and Domino tennon assortment were my first Festool purchases, all at one time. I got squat too.

The Rotex was next, with the free stuff.

Festool finish sander was next, Track saw was next, Drill was next. And nothing. ;~)

[Leon]

OBTW! Kim is good for cooking on one of the nights that Nailshooter and his, wonderful other, come to town!

[Swingman]

It if turns out to be an issue, I'll be there any way. When it comes to Kim's cooking it's everyman for himself. ;)

[Ed Pawlowski]

Sure you can. "Buying a Festool will make a lot of free space in you wallet"

[woodchucker]

[krw]

OK, I think I got it, now.

"Festool will free you of paying the rent." ...or maybe... "If you want a money-free life, buy Festools." ...or... "After that Festool purchase, you're free to live in the garage."

Like that?

[none]

You should feel cheated. The last time I visited my tool dealer, he gave me a Festool t-shirt.

[none]

On Fri, 06 Dec 2013 19:09:19 -0600, Leon

Exactly the same as my first Festool purchase too. Although, my purchase was awhile after yours. Did you get the pins model or the paddles model?

[Jeff Mazur]

Weighing in on the runaway Festool train:

I did indeed NOT ask for the most *expensive* tools specifically, BUT if so me of the desirable tools that I was asking about happen to be expensive, t hat's fine, so be it. I'm a big boy and can make sound decisions for mysel f. I weigh every purchase in the context of what it give me, what it will cost me, and the relative worth of each to me, given my situation and my go als. So if someone says to me, "hey Jeff, you gotta get one of these $1900 routers, they're the cat's ass," I just file it away in the back of my mi nd as something to check out when I get to the point where I've got $1900 b urning a hole in my pocket and I'm feeling I could use a router upgrade.

I'm learning from (most of) this back-and-forth, so hey, carry on and have fun with it!

[Leon]

I got the pins model, in fact I bought early enough to get the introductory price during the first 90 days.

[Leon]

Certainly the more expensive tools are not for every one. Festool is near the top of available and affordable tools. Yes there are more expensive tools and probably better quality too but for the most part Festool offers a higher quality tool that is also aimed at the general public. What Festool does offer, over most other brands that you would find at the big box, are tools that are quite unique and in general will deliver better results faster and safer. I mentioned Festool for the same reason Harbor Freight was mentioned. I felt that you wanted to know which tools we were using and recommending.

But seriously, if you really get into this craft, the Festool Domino will make your plate joiner AKA biscuit cutter, should you buy one of those first, into a paper weight. It is a tool that you will/can use on most every project.

[Mike]

Yeah, it is a half day trek from where I live south of Atlanta. I got spoiled in Dallas because I drove by Woodcraft every day on the way to work. I will say the Atlanta store seems nicer and better stocked, but I guess it ought to be since it is the only one in GA.

[krw]

Pins? Paddles?

[krw]

We just moved to the SW edge of Atlanta a year or two ago (me, two years - wife, last year) from Auburn Al. We used to do weekends in Perimeter about four times a year. Now it's maybe a once-a-month trip up there. There is a big gun show at the North Atlanta Trade Center next weekend, so it'll be twice this month. ;-)

[krw]

Actually, I think we're all like that. We just have different lines we draw and, of course, different resources available. I can't see Festering drills or even sanders (yet) but didn't even have (much) pain with the $500 saw or router or $900 Domino. Those I could *see* what I was trading for that cash.

One hard lesson I learned some time ago[*] was that I won't settle for a second-rate tool. It's difficult to justify a new tool if I already have one. If I can't afford the "best" today, I can wait until tomorrow. I'd rather wait than spend a decade regretting my decision every time I pick up the tool.

[*] Lived with Crapsman tools for decades.