Vlog #62: The F Word

Video Notes:

  • Never say “Festool” in public. You will be stoned. Can’t we all be friends?
  • If you drill a hole too large to be used with a guide bushing on a router you can use tape to make up the space around the bushing….or push the router to one side in each hole. Either seems to work just fine.
  • Pre-cut dominos are not that expensive in the grand scheme of things. Personally I’d rather save my time and purchase them but lots of other people make their own stock. Both options work.
  • I use SketchUp 8. It’s free. Download links can be found on my SketchUp page.
  • This Thursday’s tool talk will be on my SawStop table saw.
  • Maybe some type of coat rack for behind my door for this week’s project. That’s been on the bucket list for a while. If I do a SketchUp video as well it will be on Friday.
  • 16 days until Star Wars VII.

featured-image-vlog-62

42 COMMENTS

  1. Fes%%%l seems to me to be the Apple of woodworking (especially when compared in the cell phone segment). Die hard fans and absolute hatred.Everyone pretty much agrees on quality, some people just hate them. I don’t really get it either. C’est la vie, haters gonna hate.
    (I’ve proudly never owned any Apple product, so maybe I do kind of get it) lol

  2. I’m a huge f- word fan ha lol this video was really funny. I don’t get it either if you don’t like them fine. But do people just hate them cause their stuff is expensive???! It’s actually not as expensive as you would think if there was a way to find out how much $ went towards getting it shipped over cause it’s all imported from Germany. If that was able to be factored out it would be a little different ballgame. If you ever get a chance to try some of their other stuff the cut quality and dust collection is 2nd to none. That’s why fine, custom woodworkers like me who work on expensive houses love that brand allows me to work inside and not make a mess and the quality is a huge step up. my customers almost demand it at a certain level. You work on or in a million dollar + home and trust me with that customer looking and watching your every move. They love the systainers, clean portability, love the dust collection and work quality. Trust me you wouldn’t be the same results with a skil saw

  3. I can only say that festool may make good tools but it’s the price three times more then anyone else and plastic even thought they do what they say. You asked and for me that is it just crazy prices

  4. i did think of tape but you are a smart guy i fig you probably thought about it sooner or later keep up great work jay dont get discouraged over someone that just likes to cause arguments lol

  5. The problem with “F” “P” “S” “J ” other higher priced tools I can’t afford them, you and many others on YouTube who are very skilled in woodworking I’m am not , I’m having fun at learning. I look at getting the best that I can afford and be able to add future tools I need or want. If I can learn on what I can afford I’m cool with that. Thanks for making learning fun Jay you do awesome work

  6. Ha you think the Festool hate is bad watch people come out of the woodwork when you talk about your SawStop, Something about people “wasting” their money on new tools really churns up the blood pressure.

  7. People think too much about what the other guy is doing Jay. Keep on keepin on the way you like and they will visit your site and give you money! Lol

  8. An angry view is still a view. Keep up the good work. I enjoy all your videos regardless the topic or tool. Thanks again!

  9. Festool. I don’t hate the company or the tools. I have never used the tools. I can’t afford the tools. I would expect them to be excellent considering the price. I suppose if someone gave me some I would use them. I will never buy them because the tools I have that I use the most are between 30 and 40 years old, still work great and are mostly Makita. If I am not going to use a tool a lot (hello biscuit joiner) I will buy the best quality I can for the money. Usually that means the cheapest available. I learned this the hard way. I bought my first reciprocating saw in 1980. It lasted exactly one job because I was asking a cheap tool to do the work of a good tool. I replaced it at the end of that summer with the Makita I still use to this day because I knew I would always want it handy. For the past two Christmas’ my kids have purchased gifts for me from one of the Lee valley Stores in Toronto. I received a set of drill bits two years ago that are so incredibly beautiful I take them out once in a while just to look at them. Last year I got a set of perfect brass and stainless center punches and three perfect tiny Japanese saws. I would never buy any of these things myself because I would rather use the money to get a tree trunk milled, or hit the auctions and pick up a five gallon bucket of old hammers or nuts and bolts or lathe tools.
    I would rather buy five sets of pipe clamp hardware than one Bessey bar clamp. But then I slop green paint on the handles of my tools so I know they are mine. I never know where they will end up. I won’t do that with my Lee valley stuff. Nobody touches that stuff. Otherwise, the code for my garage is community knowledge.

  10. Thanks for the update. I don’t have any Festools because I can’t afford them. The only one I would like, would be the Domino cutter, but not at $1000, not even at $500. Keep the good work up.
    Duffy

  11. In the mid to late 60’s I was into muscle cars. Had a few with really huge engines. I hated all foreign cars, as did most of my muscle car buddies. Festool is the foreign car. The company some people love to hate. It’s expensive but from what I can tell very high quality. I have two festool items. They are both clamps. $40 each. Crazy expensive for their size but they work like none of my other 50 or so clamps, except may be the Besseys. I plan on getting a domino machine like yours as well as a dust extractor as soon as I can click the button. No reason why I don’t click the button just haven’t done it yet. I still like muscle cars and now I don’t hate foreign cars or Festool. The way I see it, you have all tools in a pile and then you have Festool. Most people have that pile like me. Sooner or later the will see over the pile and get a Festool when they can justify it. Of all the Festool tools I have seen demonstrated there is nothing else that compares to their precision and quality. Don’t need a Festool to make quality furniture, but sure do want one.

  12. I did not know there was such animosity toward Festool. I like my Festool tools because of the dust collection system…it works well for my shop. I have several Dewalt tools and they work great as well. Seems to me it’s like the way bass fishermen look at fly fisherman… Does it really matter… If we do what we love and are willing to share that with others why get so hung up on these things. Every time I watch a YouTube video I’m more concerned about learning something new, and did the equipment work efficiently, than what brand tool to buy. If you review the tool and say it works well then I’ll research it further to see if it’s worth the money no matter what the cost.
    Should I be concerned someone is going to knock the windows out of my car because I have a Festool sticker on it?

  13. Personally I was just jealous you bought the Ftool domino. I wish I could afford it. I would rather have that vs a biscuit joiner. But the price is so high. Somebody has to be the most expensive in the tool business, right? Sorry about all the haters. People can not just kindly agree to disagree on tool choices. Keep up the great work. I enjoy the videos and the info. I am always trying to learn from those that have already been doing.

  14. Trying to justify the cost because Festool has to ship from Germany is pure BS. My $300 (all in) track saw from Grizzly is shipped from Germany. Not to mention quality tools imported from Japan that sell at half or less the price of Festool, and “decent” tools imported from China (DeWalt, etc.).

    Really the only issue I have with Festool is the cost. I find it insulting that they think I should be willing to pay two to three times the price for something that is only slightly better. There is a point of diminishing returns and Festool is way beyond it.

    Sawstop on the other hand is absolutely evil and I won’t own one of their saws if they are the last table saw maker on earth. They have tried, and are still trying, to use the force of government to limit their competition. If they have a better product the market will decide. Then there’s the scare tactic marketing. It’s about like saying that if you don’t have a car with 18 air bags you will surely die in a horrific accident, while neglecting the fact that most people are never in more than a fender bender with no injuries their entire lives. Yes, there is a such a thing as a “fender bender” with a table saw. I’ve had a couple of minor incidents that drew blood, but all my fingers are intact. They also conveniently ignore kickback, which can be pretty dangerous too and their system does nothing about that. Oh well, what do you expect from a lawyer.

  15. Are the Festool tools really great? I think yes. I’ve used several and all performed well.

    Are Festool tools overpriced? Yes, probably. For most of the ones I’ve tried, I wouldn’t pay the extra $ when there are lots of great tools out there.

    That said, I did spring for the Domino tool when it came out, not because it as so much better than the competition, but because there really wasn’t a direct competitor. And I have to say I use it ALL the time. Pocket screws may be just as quick, but I believe the domino is much stronger and very quick to use.

    My only regret is that Festool never mentioned they were bringing out a larger model. I’d have waited if I had known. After the money spent on the smaller unit, so far I can’t justify the big one.

    By the way, the 8mm and 10mm domino stock can be ordered in 30″ lengths which can be cut to size and lower the cost. Of course you can make your own on the router table too.

  16. I think it’s all about the cost. People just don’t like being treated like chumps when the product is based around a simple and well established technique (using guides to cut a straight line). This stuff doesn’t have to be this expensive.

  17. … of course that’s no excuse for taking it out on you. You produce first rate videos and I love the development of your video editing and presentation skills. Keep it up Jay :-)

Comments are closed.