Have A Few Minutes To Spare?

We want to get to know you better. If you have 10-15 minutes to spare, we'll try to make it worth your while. Visit our online questionnaire, hosted through Zoomerang, for your chance to win 1 of 20 exclusive Festool bags. These bags are not normally available to customers and feature multiple storage compartments for handling all of your gear. A removable backpack zips onto the end of the tote and can be used separately or as an additional storage pouch.

We will randomly select twenty participants from those who complete our questionnaire no later than November 30th, 2008 to receive this exclusive Festool product.

Must be a resident of the United States or Canada and over the age of 18. Employees and dealers of Tooltechnic Systems are not eligible to enter. Winners will be selected randomly from completed surveys on November 30th, 2008.

Your Festool power tool is trying to tell you something! Following our motto of making your work faster, easier and smarter, your tool has important information that can help you become more efficient.

Before we start looking at some of the information you can find on your Festool power tools, have you ever noticed that most of the buttons, dials and triggers used to operate and adjust your tools are all green? That makes it easy to find when you need to make an adjustment. Pretty smart, huh?

In the photos above, you can see that the Festool TS plunge saw (left) has information about the blade diameter and arbor bore size. Additionally, there are several blocks of colors with icons that represent different types of materials including wood, plastic, non-ferrous metals and steel. We incorporate a technology we call MMC Electronics which, among other things, gives you the ability to match motor speed to a given application and material. The numbers represent the setting recommended for the variable speed control that should be used for each type of material.

The saw blade (right) has a matching color code, in this case yellow which means it is designed for wood, on the blade itself and on the packaging. That makes it easy to determine the best blade for the job at hand. Information about the kerf and tooth configuration are also shown. In the case of this blade coded with yellow, you can see on the saw that you would use a speed setting between three and six (3...6).

The two photos above are from the Festool OF 2200 router. The micro adjustment knob (left) allows you to adjust the depth of the router bit in increments of 1/256 of an inch (or 1/10 of a millimeter). An icon below the knob shows that to increase the bit depth you would turn the knob clockwise and to decrease depth you would turn it counter-clockwise. This may seem insignificant at first glance but it's intended to make operation of the tool quick and simple.

The variable speed dial (right) is used in conjunction with MMC Electronics on the OF 2200 to set the speed of the router bit in RPM. A convenient reference shows you which speed setting on the dial correlates to what speed in RPM. Festool router bits are engraved with information about the appropriate speed for safe operation as well as a line indicating how far the bit should be inserted into the collet.

The photo above of the systainer lid (left) shows information about compatible accessories, storage locations for the various tool accessories, and part numbers for consumables to make replenishment easy.

Our tools have a label (right) with the toll-free phone numbers for Festool USA sales and service. You will also find the part number and serial numbers on the tool. We want to make sure that you can get in touch with us easily should you need our assistance. When you have a question about how to operate your tool, the last thing you want to do is to hunt for a support phone number. That would only make the situation more frustrating. No digging for the manual, calling directory assistance or getting on your computer to find our phone number. Just look on your tool

These are just some of the things you will find that your Festool power tools are trying to tell you. Take a moment to look at your tools and accessories and discover how much attention to detail is given to make sure your experience is unsurpassed when using our products.

We do things to our tools that you would probably never dream of doing to them!

I'm always amazed to see the abuse that our tools are put through to ensure their durability. Here you see the Kapex sliding compound miter saw getting put through it's paces. The saw is running while it is blasted with Arizona sand, considered by most scientists to be the most abrasive sand on Earth. Coated in more than an inch of sand, the Kapex continues to operate.

So if you're worried that the Kapex can't take the abuse of the jobsite, think again. It's been there and done that already.

We understand that you can't affort to have a tool fail while on the jobsite.  Festool power tools are built using tight tolerances and the best materials available, so you can purchase with confidence.  Designed and tested to stand the rigors of the jobsite, Festool power tools are made for the toughest demands!

A special thank you to Charles Wilson for sharing his Writing Desk project in this edition of SysNotes. While Charles has a rather innovative use of the Domino as a locking mechanism in his desks, the tools he used most during the construction were the Festool 1400 EQ Router and MFS Multi-Routing Template System.

We are including links to Charles' complete commentary about the project as well as an appendix he prepared about the use of the MFS system as more detailed references about the project. This is certainly an example of how Festool power tools can be used for fine woodworking.

	The Evolution Of A Writing Desk Project (1.4MB)
	Charles' Appendix - Using The MFS Multi-Routing Template (1MB)
	Jerry Work's Festool MFS Template Guide Supplemental Manual (3.4MB)

"This project is based upon a writing desk originally designed by Thomas Jefferson, on which he is reputed to have written the Declaration of Independence. There is an article written for Fine Woodworking that covers it in reasonable detail (requires membership to view).

I started constructing it from walnut that was left over after finishing a Media Cabinet that I built. I decided to use solid wood, and arrange the grain so that it wouldn’t suffer damage from seasonal humidity changes. In 50 years or so, we will see if I succeeded or not.

When the front board is opened, the writing surface is revealed. I made a pencil tray insert for the drawer (with a hidden recess underneath for concealing diamonds and other treasures). I made this piece as a gift for a friend, so I don’t have pictures of it with the protective writing surface and drawer pull.

This project is entitled 'The Evolution of a Writing Desk' because there is now a second generation design intended to address some weaknesses of the initial design. This item is intended to be traveled with, and the drawer should have some sort of latching mechanism. I wasn’t completely satisfied with having a crease in the covering used as a writing surface. And, though walnut is beautiful, I wondered how the desk would look in other woods.

Generation one went from outside to inside, with the case being constructed first, followed by the drawer being constructed to fit inside the opening. Generation two began with the drawer being constructed first. I had decided to make six units, two of each species (oak, cherry and walnut).

Drawer front bottom and back were joined with box joints with grain going from front to back of drawer. Drawer sides were sliding dovetails, again with grain going from front to back. The box joints and sliding dovetails were glued. Wood thickness was a little less than 3/8 inch.

The drawer sides were also dovetailed at the ends, but not glued to front and back pieces. A drawer face was glued onto the front of the drawer.

A slightly modified domino on the side of the drawer, with a notch cut on the lip of the bottom will provide the latching action. The spring is just a length of wood screwed into the side.The circular button, made with a plug cutter, pushes the end of the domino back into the slot to allow the drawer to open. A keyhole router bit is used to make the channel for the plunger.

Below are the components of the 6 drawers. The case into which the drawer slips had all of its grain lengthwise, and the sides fit inside rabbets in the top and bottom pieces. The grain of the closed end of the case is horizontal, and it floats in dados between the two sides of the case. A small rabbet is made into the top of the open end of the case to stop the travel of the drawer into the case. The writing surfaces were cut to uniform size, as were the spacers."