Festool Germany Media Event Day 4: Current Tools and a Great Finish
Day 4 was all about the tools again. While there are some I can’t talk about yet, there are some I can. I’m going to be going into much greater detail about each of these, but here’s a quick breakdown for you.
If you haven’t seen the Festool HK55 and HKC55 saws, it’s time to come out from under the rock. These tools are circular saws by nature and are also capable of attaching to your TS55 track. They go a step further with the FSK 420 track which allows them to miter both left and right 60 degrees. Accurate, repeatable miter cuts are now possible with a circular saw. We’ll be doing plenty of testing with these to figure out just how much miter saw work can be replaced with these hand held tools.
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The Festool Drywall Screwgun is another compelling product that has a lot of user-friendly features. The most exciting is an auto feature. Other screwguns have this as well, but it usually works by keeping the motor under a constant spin while a spring pushed the tip away from the collated screws. Festool created a mechanism that senses pressure against the screw and begins to rotate the tip on contact so battery power isn’t wasted between drives. The pressure sensitive motor is also variable speed – the more you press into the fastener, the more power from the tool you deliver.
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We covered the launch of the Festool Vac Sys vacuum clamping system when it first came out. Looking like more of a meat scale than a tool at first, we discovered just how tight the vacuum pump holds material. It’s very impressive despite my initial skepticism. With the ability to hold up to 90 kilos, spin, and pivot, this is going to be a dream come true in shops that work with material that’s easily marred.
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The Festool CT Sys is a portable dust extractor built into a Systainer. Designed to be carried on small jobs where the bigger units are inconvenient, it pulls roughly 90% the same suction power of the other CT dust extractors. Admittedly, the Systainer shaping does make for an awkward carry, but it does beat pulling our CT 36 up to the third floor.
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Last but not least is the new Festool Domino XL. If you haven’t seen what the Domino is capable of, check out Matt Kent’s review of the smaller model. There’s a leaning curve that goes along with this mortise and tenon joiner, but once you have the process dialed in, you’ll be creating professional level results even as a novice. There’s more new to go along with the larger model to share in the coming months that will have furniture makers really excited.
After lunch, we hit a Kruger, a local clothing store known for its lederhosen and dirndl – the traditional Bavarian dress that goes along with formal events and celebrations (like beer festivals). Lederhosen (leather pants) started around $150 and ran up to around $1000. You’ll still need a dress shirt, coat, hat, and socks that come up to your knees to complete the look. It’s not unusual for an entire outfit to be four figures, but you can find them cheaper.
Dirndl are the traditional Bavarian dresses you picture the attractive beer tender wearing (or from The Sound of Music if you’re into to that sort of thing) and find a nice balance between modest and pleasing to the eye. My Bride brought one home – sorry guys, I’m not sharing the photos. :-)
From there, Rob Robillard, my wife, and I wandered around town for a few hours. We found an excellent little coffee shop after exploring a couple of incredible churches (family owned cafes and intricately designed churches are a major highlight of European travel).
We climbed what seemed like forever up the stairs to the old city wall and discovered a gorgeous view of the city along with a well-maintained park area and other fun. There was even a sighting of old Napoleon and one of his faithful artillery gunners.
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We wrapped up with a dinner at one of the best Mexican restaurants I’ve had the pleasure of entering. Joe Penas served up some of the best nachos served up with guacamole made table side. Add in a wonderfully marinated beef filet cooked just right (that would be medium for me) and I don’t know that we could have ended on a much better note.
Even though we each had to be up early the next morning for our respective flights home, the laughing and story telling lasted well past midnight. The tools we were able to see and use were the purpose of our trip to Germany, but really being immersed in the German culture while we were there has made it one of the highlights of my year.
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