Thread: Glens Workshop, Gadgets, and Product Reviews.

Originally Posted by riverbuilder

BTW, if there is anyone out there who has the Festool Track Saw system, including the Plunge Saw, i need to ask what the performance of the Saw is like, as i was reading a few articles that indicated this saw lacked grunt when cutting thicker and/or harder timber or sheet products.

I too have watched review videos and other articles that have also suggested that the 1200w Fesstool plunge saw does lack grunt when it comes to hardwoods and thicker sheet material.

This would be one of my main concerns if i was to outlay so much cash for their complete system, but i am yet to be remotely convinced that the Festool Saw Track is better than any of the much cheaper options, especially the Kreg track.

BTW, if there is anyone out there who has the Festool Track Saw system, including the Plunge Saw, i need to ask what the performance of the Saw is like, as i was reading a few articles that indicated this saw lacked grunt when cutting thicker and/or harder timber or sheet products.

You wrote this initially, I was just replying to it. I dont know how to put it in a box in different font though. I haven't watched reviews or videos I can only speak from personal experience of having owned two of these Festool saws. They work well, they cut accurately, and they do I for many years without issues. I haven't used or even seen the Kreg track I have no need to.

Originally Posted by riverbuilder

You wrote this initially, I was just replying to it. I dont know how to put it in a box in different font though. I haven't watched reviews or videos I can only speak from personal experience of having owned two of these Festool saws. They work well, they cut accurately, and they do I for many years without issues. I haven't used or even seen the Kreg track I have no need to.

Sorry i didn't even recognize my own comment.

As for Quoting someones comments, the following should explain how to do it.



I know that you say you have the Festool system and believe it to be the best you can buy, but are you not at least curious to even see the Kreg system, even just out of curiosity ?

I know i would be, just because i might own a product that i may think is better than anything else out there, i am always very keen to look at alternatives just to see what they offer compared to what i use.

Cheers

While i am still working on the new saw table (going slow right now) i thought i might add a bit of stuff about other things in my workshop.

To start off with, sadly this afternoon my old old circa 1970's 100mm Makita grinder decided to spit the dummy and die on me, had not used it for a year or so, and when i turned it on it sparked and smoke came out of it.
Not sure what happened, but it seems like then end of the long winding road for this old boy.



While talking about power tools, these are my current Makita power tools left in my collection, all of them except the black hammer drill and the power saw on the left were all bought back in the early to mid 70's when i finished my apprenticeship, the black drill was bought early last year to replace a similar green hammer drill that was also bought in the 70's, and that horrible new power saw is the one i bought just b4 xmas to replace the new DeWalt saw that i dropped and broke, and is the one that has the out of alignment base plate, which will now be used in my table saw.

The old power saw in the photo has been a brilliant little work horse, never missed a beat, it has been dropped many times, and for the past 10 years it has a slightly buckled base plate (made of steel not aluminium) but it is still properly aligned to the blade, unlike that other new one, which was out of alignment from brand new.



Now to my collection of Gap Fillers, Glues, Construction adhesives, Silicons etc.

These are what i have on my bench right now, the Parfix gap filler i buy because it is cheap ($1.50) but i only use it to fill wide or deep cracks as a first run just to fill the gap, and i wipe it out below the surface so i have enough gap left to finish with the Poly Filla or Selleys gap filler if i have that on hand.

The Parfix gap filler goes hard and is not very pliable or flexible when it dries, so that is why i only use it as a base filler first, the Polly Filla is used to finish off larger gaps, as well as used to fill narrow gaps as a first and final run.

The Parfix Maxi Nails is used for very rough work, and i only use it on raw timber to raw timber, and gluing timber to bricks or concrete, as it doesn't seem to bond other materials together very well, especially non porous materials, and i also find that it is thicker than other construction adhesives, and it seems to go off too quickly as well.

I love the Bostik No More Nails as it is a lot thinner than other brands, and i find it bonds very well to almost all surfaces that i have used it on.

The only issue i have with Bostik is that when the tube is new, when you press the glue onto your work surface and press the release button on the gun, heaps of the glue continues to bleed from the nozzle, and it is not just a bit, it is a lot, and i have always had a 3" gal nail on hand to plug the nozzle with as soon as i press the release button, but it usually has so much pressure that the nail will slide out too,.

I have learnt now to press the release button on the gun well before it gets to the end of a run, so the excess can flow out, and i finish the run by applying low pressure on the trigger to finish the run without much loss at the end.

The Poly Colored Gap Filler is used on cracks in Bricks and concrete, and for inside use where needed.

The Parfix Wood Glue is exactly what it is, i buy it simply because it is cheaper than the other more well known brands, and most likely is made in the same factory as all the others and Parfix just put it into their own plastic squeeze bottle, which all the other brands use as well.



Now, here is a shot of a small container of water that i keep on my shelf, i use this to store all my used nozzles in so i don't have to throw them away after each use.

There is one for the Parfix gap filler, one for the Parfix Maxi Nails, one for the Bostik No More Nails, there would usually be one for the Poly gap filler, and there is a small brush that i use for applying selleys contact glue to edge strips on lamiwood.

As soon as i finish using these gun nozzles, or the contact glue brush, i put them into the container so that they are completely immersed in water, and screw the top on and put the container away.

By doing this, the water prevents the air from getting to the adhesive of gap filler in the nozzles and prevents them from drying up and going off, the same for the small brush, after i have finished using it, i dip it in Turps and wipe off the excess contact glue and place it in the water (bristles down) and when i need to use it again, i simply wipe the water off with with a dry cloth and start gluing again.

I have a container full of unused gun nozzles on my shelf, and i usually throw these used nozzles away once a year and start using a new one.



The same thing applies when painting with enamel paints or clear coating (polyurethane etc) you just immerse the brushes in a bucket of clean water and when ready to use again, you simply wipe off the water and start using it again.

When i am using Water based paints, i always have 2 brushes at hand, and after 15 minutes with one brush i stand it in a bucket of warm water to soak, i then rinse the 2nd brush in warm water and start using that for the next 15 minutes or so, then i simply swap them over and repeat.

For rollers i simply leave some paint on the roller sleeve and remove it from the roller, and place it inside an old plastic bread bag and wrap it around so there is no air inside it, and i can sit that on my bench for weeks before using it again.

BTW here is a link to the Bostik No More Nails issue i have, i forgot to post it before.

Click the link and select to OPEN the file and the video should play.

I meant to mention before that this massive Oozing is worse when the tube is new, it isn't as bad as the tube gets lower in volume.

Sync.com | Control Panel

I have the Fe$tool TS55 and 75 and an assortment of tracks. The 55 is fine for chopping up sheet goods - MDF, PLY, red-tongue flooring. The 55mm (50mm on a track) plunge depth is a limiting factor, and at that depth it starts to struggle on harder woods. I built 6 sq m of flooring with 200x50 ironbark sleepers as the base - it managed with a rip blade, but it took a long time. When I got to the next 4.6x3m section, I made a few cuts in the ironbark, cursed the day I was born, and bought a TS75. It goes through them like a knife through butter.

If I did it again and was cash-strapped, I'd just get the 75. It'll do what the 55 does, but it's heavier (not a huge issue on a track), and it takes up more track length at the start and finish of the cut. The 55 is still the saw I have out of the box most of the time.

As for the cost of Fe$tool - there's endless debate about that, and whether it's worth it. For me, I know that when I buy one, it does what it says on the box. No doubt, no fuss. I've spent hours and hours fretting over spending the cash, but I've never been disappointed once I own the tool. And that goes for accessories like depth stop countersink bits etc. They just work. I also love the way everything works together. Simple things like a Sys1 being the same height as the Kapex base, so you always have an outfeed table for your mitre saw (if you have a sys1 of course!)