I think for a lot of people the game changer would have been watching your videos and seeing what can be achieved in a small workshop with these tools. Happy Christmas Peter.
I second that, absolutely. I watch a couple of channels regularly to learn and improve, but there is no one I've learned more from than you, Peter. For which I thank you!
I agree. I knew pretty much nothing when I started watching Peters videos several years ago. I was amazed to think that I could potentially build my own cabinets. Since then I've made several new cabinets for my kitchen whilst working on replacing the others. I've built units in my office and about to start a big built in in my little girls room. I'm just getting to a good level now and starting to replace Titan with Festool (domino the other day and had a TS55 delivered this morning). Hoping they will get my joints better and cuts just that little more accurate. Happy Christmas
Been dipping in and out of your channel for a while now - I didn't know that you'd made a transition from being a professional photographer to a cabinet maker. It was heart warming hearing you sum up that journey because I'm on a similar one. I used to be an art director for film and TV but several years ago, I saw the writing on the wall with regards to AI and budget squeezes. I've slowly but surely been building up my skills doing real world stuff - hopefully from handyman to one day a full blown craftsman. Thanks for putting all this information out for free from your years of experience. Much appreciated!
I am a Festool fan. As a hobby woodworker, I was never satisfied with the quality of my work around the home, UNTIL I went Festool. What a difference that made. Plunge Saw, Domino, Kapex, dust extraction, and all of a sudden I was performing like a semi professional. I am well and truly retired in my 8th decade, but enjoying my woodworking more than ever, and without question, it was Festool that was the game changer for me. I have all the tools you mentioned Peter, and thoroughly enjoy working with them. Any professional woodworker that doesn't have Festool is costing himself money. Thanks for the video Peter.
I'm a carpenter and joiner or over 32 years but have been shuttering a long long time. The last 18 months has seen me back to traditional new build house-bashing and renovation work. I'm too old for the harsh shuttering environment now! LOL! It was a big wake-up call to mix it with young joiners all of whom have this kit you use! I now have a Mafell tracksaw and numerous Dewalt battery tools. I'm re-learning my trade and I'm getting good stuff from you Peter! I appreciate it, Thank you!
Just a word of encouragement. I genuinely appreciate your level minded manor and easy to understand, to the point presentations. I have found a lot of value from your subjective perspectives. Always well thought through. Thank you for being a voice of grounding in a sea of whimsy buying trends and over extravagance.
cordless drill drivers changed working for me, putting thousands of screws in timber decks on landscape jobs, im grateful to the inventor because it saved me hours and hours of time wrangling cords and working in rainy conditions. in fact cordless tools in general have revolutionised carpentry jobs.
I envy those folks who are starting out in the construction business now! Being able to access the internet and learn about the trade they have selected from craftsmen like you. Especially TH-cam where all the details are available, from how to do something to what tools are valuable in your trade. When I started out, around 1973, you only knew that you needed a hammer and a skilsaw.
Me too, bought over 40 years ago and still used regularly. I have made new jaws from 18mm ply a couple of times but apart from that still original. Merry Christmas and stay safe all.
@@Tensquaremetreworkshop i've had a black & decker drill for over 25 years and only ever had 2 new brushes. Complete with keyless chuck! My b&d 4.5" grinder also has the plug in lead like festools and thats 20 years old!
Working tidy. So right! I spent almost forty years doing on site installs. Specifically pipe organs. Presenting a neat and professional attitude and work site is fundamental. My game changer goes way back. Working on site with cords and lights and power tools can be messy. The advent of good quality cordless tools changed my working life for the better.
@@10MinuteWorkshop 😂. Perhaps. Mostly a story of a feckless and rather lost 16 year old who found, much to his surprise, that he had a talent for working with his hands and assembling things. 47 years later, he still loves it. They’re just big musical machines made of wood leather glue and lead 😁.
More of this type of reflective piece please, Peter. I have lost count of the tools and techniques you have guided me to. Really grateful. And may I wish you and yours and all the community that gathers around folk like you and Andy Mac a safe and healthy Christmas and a good 2021
Morning Steve. Yes, absolutely; I couldn’t have built the business I had without them, and I’m sure many one-man designer/maker/installers are the same. 👍👍
The game changer for me in my respective trade was the introduction of electric pipe threading machines....... no longer would I have one arm like pop eyes from using a manual threader all day. Plus the speed and quality of the thread changed so much great video happy belated Christmas to you and yours peter
Just got a Rotex 90, which is a great bit of kit. Went for a Sealey 150 (Deros clone) for larger areas after watching one of your videos. Third of the price of a Mirka, which meant I could just afford the Festool sander plus Midi dust extraction.
I am deeply impressed by your story. It’s beautiful and what it makes it even more beautiful is how genuinely humble and generous are you in sharing it. You have made something only few brave visionaries have the guts to enterprise: first understanding and then investing an important amount in the INTRINSIC VALUE of what over time would have turned to be a great pay off. Great example not only for the woodworking community, but for everyone I would say. Certainly for me. Many many thanks. I saved this video to look at it as needed. Will come often handy. Thanks a lot and great compliments. Emanuele from Ancona, Italy.
Hi Peter, in the mid 1970's I bought a Shopsmith. That was a game changer and I built just about everything with it. I did add a Dewald crosscut saw in the 1980's but there Shopsmith was just my go-to tool until the time I was lured into the Festool stable.
I could not agree more with your first choice, the TS55. When I bought mine about my 10 years ago, I was considering a 3HP cabinet saw. I was tired of trying to break down plywood on my 1.75HP contractors saw. And using my old circular saw and a two-piece straight edge was a pain. Ripping thick hardwoods on the contractor saw was a nightmare. The track saw and rail was my first “Festool Game Changer”. I have since acquired a CT 26 dust extractor, the Domino, the Pro/5 sander (introductory specially priced version of the ETS125), and the Carvex jigsaw. I still have the old table saw, and a Forrest blade has helped, but still want that cabinet saw!
My favourite is the current crop of cordless tools, with interchangeable batteries. Which ever manufacturer you choose to use, love the portability of these systems, and not having to have loads of different chargers and batteries.
@@10MinuteWorkshop I’m really serious about that :) Once I came across your videos it just all clicked together how I could completely change the average US woodworking mindset of “the Tablesaw is the center of your workshop”. And so as hobbyists we end up “needing” a huge Tablesaw which takes up so much room in a space we share with family members, and here comes this small European tracksaw by a meticulous company, which after using has a small footprint of storage, and it just changes and seriously challenges the status quo of the hobbyists woodworker. But then you think to your self, am I nuts? Is this a “normal approach “ and then you watch Peter Millard videos, and he tells you not only are you not nuts, but I’m going to show how I do fantastic work with only three-five tools which can all be stored in your closet at the end of the day. So Peter, I make a New Years toast to you. And I hope everyone watching/reading this will join me in this virtual New Years toast 🥂🍻 to Peter.
I’m a over enthousiast diy-er🥳 Really felt uncomfortable and excited at the same time when I ordered my tracksaw many years ago. Every time festool gives me a smile from ear to ear when working with those tools. I always buy tools for a home job. Doing it myself saves money, from that money I can buy tools and still am cheaper. But I’m talking about my own kitchen, hanging my doors throughout the house and what not
My dad was a chippy and he always said his overarm desalt saw changed his life - for me it was the festool domino but I want to give a shout out to the. Safe sawstop
I’m a hobbyist woodworker and new to the Festool ecosystem. I find the tools you mentioned plus the 6” Sander and 1400 Router game changers for me too. What I like is the confidence gained in precision cutting. BTW: enjoy your channel. Blessings!
Thank you for your wonderful videos! I am only a little furniture refinished but honestly, the FESTOOL products have made my life so much easier with less frustration in my studio. Just the dust extractor alone is like a dream.I have a Rotex 90 and a RTS 400 - I couldn’t imagine reaching these awesome results without giving these tools the credit the truly deserve!
I appreciate your level of professionalism. You have upped your game and you have encouraged others to up their game. This is what it’s all about. A professional will always understand your level. Keep going!
Festool Domino-nce. is a term I hear people use in the local wood store. I trashed Festool when I got into woodworking because of the price. Then I used them at someone else's shop. I immediately began buying Festool and I have never looked back. If you have some woodworking skills, festool will make you better. If you have no skill and don't learn new skills, no tool will make you better. While the man may make the tool, the tool can't make the man. That being said, a man who is good with tools will inevitably do even better with better tools. Love the videos.
I do like your video and professional touch to tools So many times I do see those comments when people are writing how good their tool is but often they are not professionals as you and me. Often they have never ever tried the professional tools and they do not understand the small differences and what those mean when you are working, not playing, not a hobby. When I meet my client, they wants exact accuracy, good finishing. With cheap tools, you just can have a small mistake which do cost more than the professional tools do cost.
Fully agree on all the tools you showed in this video. Even if Festool is expensive, it also provides a great after sales service. I recently got contacted for a free refit of a tool I bought 12 years ago (potential security issue). This is why we pay so much (and this is also why you never lose time registering your tools). As always, great video! Many thanks!
Thank you! Yes, it really struck me as I was going through the timeline, just how expensive they seemed at the time, and how reasonable they seemed now! 🤷♂️👍👍
Hi Peter. Just found your ten minutes. It was nice to see you speak to the camera without any extra that can be seen on so many other chanels. I'm a professional restorer and working with the same principles as the Finnish National Bord of Antiquities. Just before Christmas my customer wanted all the entrepreneurs to take their tools from his the house so that he can have a decent Xmas with family and friends. I have a rather small shop for working with hand tools less than 50m² and carrying tools from the house I can see that I've bought rather many during the last 8months I've been working at his house. It's a 3floor 360m² house in jugend-style. The windows and doors inside the house are my gig. You asked about game changers. An absolute GC. for me has been Makitas multitool LXT DTM51. It's so impressing I couldn't believe my eyes. It cut the working time in some cases to 1/10 of my previous. A marvelous tool that can be used in various cutting jobs also. A real hand reach for a multitasker as I am but on a little heavy side in long phases. I might see for the 10,8v version but on the other side I just bought the Festool Rotex 90... 😁 Other GC's are Festool sanders. I have the Is 130 eq that is a linear sander that with I get the profiles sanded without damaging the profile or brake the glass in windows. I have also the random orbital sander ets ec125/3eq that is pure delight to use because it's effective and light. Just love it. But a real wonder machine is the Rotex 125 and now even the Rotex 90 I bought that one difficult window frame could be sanded in deasent time. Last in the list is the vacume cleaner CTL midi in L-class that prevents even the smallest ports of dust leaving the cleaner. It is rated to even clean asbest and lead particles. I like that I can hook my Makita or Festool toolboxes on it to become a moving unite. Normally I have so many tools on site that all table like surfaces are welcome.
Hi Esko, and welcome! Thank you for your kind comments - they are very much appreciated. I would love to have a shop as 'small' as 50 sq metres - mine is only around 30! I have the mains corded version of the Makita multi-tool, and it was incredibly useful when I was doing the install type of work, less so now that I'm workshop based. I had a Bosch 10.8v multitool before that, and found it to be a little under-powered, yet would still suck the life from a battery faster than any other tool I owned! That was before we started to get bigger batteries, of course, so perhaps they are better now. I also have the LS130 linear sander! Again, I used that - and the RO90 - a lot when I was doing sash window refurbishments, and they were the perfect combination of powerful aggressive sanding combined with control. And yes, the fact that you could clip all the systainers together into a stack on top of the Mini/Midi vac made the whole thing a pleasure to use. Thanks again, and best wishes from London! Peter
just got my first Festool product, a domino. Game changer is the only thing that describes it properly. Couldn't be happier with it. Thank you for the video. I always appreciate the opinions and feedback from those who use the tools everyday. It is always very helpful. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hoping 2021 is much better year for all! Cheers my friend!
Thank you! Yes, the domino is one of those tools you can never really appreciate until you get your hands on it and start using it. Don't know anyone who's bought one and regretted it. 👍👍
@@123hurst3 I've somehow managed to avoid the rest of the tools thus far. The Domino us still my only Festool item. But the temptation is always there! lol
I’m new to festool and slowly getting a few tools but as you said what a game changer they are. Merry Christmas and keep up the brilliant work and advice.
Great Video. When I had to retool my shop a few years ago because of a move, I brought in a MFT/3, a TS-55, and parts of the LR32 system. Definitely game changers. I adapted all of my power tools to use a short power cord, and a 1.25" vacuum hose. Not quite ready to give up my PC 890 Router (adapted to use the LR32 router plate and rail), and my PC 5" orbital sander. Still hoping for Santa to bring me a Domino 500 one day. With this setup and a TSO rail square, you can teach boy scouts with no wood working experience how to make cabinets for their eagle projects quite nicely. Enjoy your holiday and ope a banger for me.
Peter, nice work putting a video out on Christmas Eve. For me access to a mitre saw and table saw were "gamechangers". Have a great Christmas and New Year !
The impact in 2004 has totally how I work. And changed hardware stores,now they carry little tiny boxes of hand nails and large boxes of screws. 2007 I started using a Knipex plierwrench, no more adjustable wrenches,no regular wrenches (except in low clearance areas),and the best handtool I have ever used. 2015 the Makita cordless tracksaw was on clearance for $300 with a rail and 4 batteries ,so I gave it a chance. I occasionally help build cabinets ,but primarily install them. The tracksaw is at its best in the field, but is also a fantastic shop tool.
Hi Peter, hope you are well, you're so right , the rail/plunge saw was a game changer for me, as was the Kapex,as was the dust extraction and plug it, now added to many of my non Festool tools. Have a great Christmas take care and stay safe, look forward to seeing another quality vid in the new year, Many thanks and keep 'em coming!
Great video Peter, I have a few festool tools now, and ultimately my decision to buy these was swayed by your no nonsense reviews and insight on them. Here`s to a healthy and prosperous 2021 :)
Completely agree with you on the track saw. I haven't got a big work space so didn't have room for a proper table saw. Having got frustrated with some of the crap table saws out there so took a punt on a second hand TS-55. And I haven't looked back! Phenomenal bit of kit.
Hi Peter . Thank you for these videos . I’m a new and utterly useless woodworker wannabe . I’ve purchased cheap tools and crappy wood to practice and never progressed. My erbauer tracksaw may have died as it stops on contact with any sheet material . I have no clue how to use the gifted bosh 14 inch router I have a cheap table saw that’s certainly dangerous. I wish I’d found your videos before buying anything as they are fantastic. While I can’t justify festool just to practice and knock out stuff my garage and garden, I’d like to eventually get a place producing nicer things for the house or that others might pay for . So seeing these tools and the benefits is certainly interesting. Despite all the cheap options it does seem there is a certain amount of “you get what you pay for” still .
I remember being blown away by the saw running on a track in 2005, and once again six years later, when i found out that the splinterguard on the track was actually the cut line. As for the domino, i agree as well that it’s the most flexible, I don’t own, but use a zeta p2 regularly, and oftentimes ran into a situation where the connectors were just to large, but a domino would have done the trick. That said, I prefer the clamex to the screw-on dominos.
Great video! Back in 2003 the track saw was a game changer for me. It made me ‘think’ differently about how I did jobs (15 yrs experience at that time), and when I tried to explain that people didn’t get it. Even thinks like trimming the bottom of a door for someone became ridiculously easy and quick with quality going through the roof. Predominantly I was installing pretty expensive thin granite slabs over the top of kitchen worktops though, where edges were mitered. Arguably impossible without the festool system👍🏻 But boy can they charge! Only the jigsaw I’ve been disappointed with, no better ( maybe worse) than much cheaper others. Festool is an addiction though 😂
Couldn't agree more regarding the TS55, as a left hander I always struggled with circular saws, not only has the track saw improved my work no end, it doesn't frighten the life out of me like circular saws do. My biggest game changer has to be the systainers, especially the Tloc's. Just fantastic, I am slowly putting all my gear in them.
Damn - forgot about systainers! You're absolutely right though - changing all my toolboxes to systainers on roll-boards when I was running around in peoples houses made a huge difference to how I worked! Is it OK if I check with you before I post the next video, just in case I missed something?? 🙌 😆 Have a great Christmas Harvey! 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop To be fair to you, the Systainers aren't really a tool. They are bloody brilliant though. When I think back to all the blow moulded cases I used to have to carry and try to stack in the van. Merry Christmas to you Peter, thanks for all the videos, especially in this very odd year.
Great presentation, I have used Festool for a number of years but have treated myself to a couple of Mafell tools, the jigsaw and a little drill driver M10, both fantastic tools. My career was almost the reverse of yours from working with wood to phtography via the fire service, keep up the good work, job satisfaction guaranteed.
The true game changer is the Domino system. I puts a versatile, quick joinery tool in the hands of an individual and allows for works that previously would not have been possible on site or in a small shop (with speed and efficiency) to be carried out. That tool is truly revolutionary.
I have a VERY similar evolution in Festool acquisitions. Bought them just about similar times. I have the first generation ts55 that I just knocked of the table and broke the vacuum attachment. I am seriously thinking of going to the cordless format. I agree with you 100% about the domino. Best $1,000 +/- I ever spent. Loved the video. Merry Christmas. Cheers
My Gamechanger was the TS55 as well and a proper Tablesaw. What i use and love a lot is the Bosch Oszillating Sander with Antivibration this is realy great. Thanks for your videos. I wish a healthy 2021.
My first jaw on the floor moment watching these carpentry videos was seeing the TS-55 in action and indeed it was my first Festool purchase as well. Personally the tool I coveted most was the Kapex and by the grace of the Lord I was able to buy one recently - absolutely love it! Would sleep with it next to my bed! Currently waiting for my Rotex-150 and OF-1010 router to arrive - counting down the days. And I have to agree - knowing what I know now - I would have bought the CTL-26 the day I did my first project. Absolutely life changing to have adequate dust extraction! (Also marriage saving to not have dust all over myself and the garage 😝) Thanks for the video Peter! I’ll be looking for a MFT table in the new year! God bless and take care! Have a great Christmas! 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
I love this. I have drooled over the Domino for over 5 years. And back in May I finally bought one. Of course.... my one regret was that I waited so long. I LOVE IT! It was a game changer in my work. My next item I want is the track saw. And I do really want an MFT table. I think the MFT3. And i guess with just one festool in my shop I didn't think about the advantage of switching out tools with one cord and dust collector. That would be amazing. Actually... I don't know if the track saw or one of the sanders would be my next item. Seems like the dust collection for those are amazing. And I don't have their dust collection yet. That's on my list as well.Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for the great comment! I genuinely don’t know anyone who’s bought a domino and regretted it. Or the sander. Or the tracksaw... 🤷♂️😆 Best wishes for the New Year! 👍👍
Thank you for a interesting upload. My first Festool purchase was also the TS 55, with a rail and the CTL 26 shopvac. Fantastic stuff. But the one Festool that would cause me to break out in a hysterical nervous sweat if I could not have it anymore, would be my DF 700 Domino.
The Festool tracksaw and plug-it cable was an absolute godsend when I was learning carpentry. I got to work for someone who did yacht interior and most of the time it was working in very tight spaces.
@@10MinuteWorkshop Absolutely! I was very fortunate in my study period. First year in a very well kitted out one man shop with a throughfeed moulder, woodmizer and the standard equipment making pretty much anything possible and when he moved out of the country for a year he send me to his neighbor and old classmate who did the yachts. The one technique that stood out the most for me was the transference of, say, hull shapes or planks for cabinets with a slanted or skewed inside with just some plywood, a slat ending in a point and a pencil. I recently even used it for placing drywall in an attic. (a bit like a stair spider I guess)
Spookily, my festool journey pretty much matches yours....I suppose it's the natural progression once you begin to realise the value of the systematic approach to working that festool encourages. I think the real advantage with festool is the way that everything works together - systainers, plug it cords, dust ports and hoses, guide rails etc. For me the real 'game changer' was the domino - apart from the speed of making the joints, there is the improved accuracy because all the components are cut to finished lengths....no need to cut over length for the tenons and finding that you've cut the shoulders a smidge too long or short ( not that I've ever done that! )
Hello Peter, in Germany we would say "I pull my hat!". Interesting to see your evolution in building furnitures. Working with good tools is the half job ;-) All the best for you! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Stay healthy!
Whether you like to admit it or not, they are on top of the leader board for a reason. You cannot fault them for their innovative ideas and uniqueness that no other tools have. 👍🏽 Way out of my price range, but I'm not a tradesman, just a home DIY'er. Best game changer for me was, buying new glasses so I could see my mistakes better! 😳😆
There have been many game changers in my career as a carpenter, from mitre saws to air nailers to lasers, and yes, Festool, but I'd have to say my first real game changer is much simpler. It was a set of good Japanese waterstones. THere's nothing quite like finding out how sharp a chisel or plane iron can actually be.
I got a diamond stone last week from axminster. I'm annoyed as I had to japanse stones and the shop worker convinced me to get the diamond. Even though I was unsure to agree I just did. To much harshness I think the diamond stone.
@@xxyxnxwxaxx9724 Hmmm. What grit did you get? You can't expect to get a mirror finish with a coarse stone. Conversely, you shouldn't expect to get nicks out with a very fine grit.
@@olafbigandglad 400 and 1000. I didn't want a mirror finnish as such. I had a trend stone witch was brilliant that's warn away now. This stone has line through the metal block. My old trend one was solid block no Groves. I think I felt I had to purchase it after him talking to me. But deep down I knew my chose of the Japanese stone was Wright for a sharp finnish.
Peter - thank you for all your videos this year - haven’t managed any Festool investments yet, but have bought into Makita track-saw - great machine👍. Best wishes & stay safe in 2021 - will look to developing my own CNC designed MFT next year
Hi there,i was just going through the comments ahd i see u have a makita track saw, i presumably you do not mean the plunge saw? Well if u do have a track saw and finding itva issue for the cut to be very very close to an right angle and you are loosening the bottom plate then using a right angles square of some kind and still you can't get it right , well you may not be the only one. I have been trying for a long time,until last week i resolved it. First get it close ascu can with tilting the bottom plate as you do,then under the plate you will find a tiny black grub screw its directly under the zero degree stop ,if you get a hex driver and ajust it only a fraction at a time it will alter the stop height,ps make sure you first slacken the 2 bolts for the bottom plate and but to a few degrees so the grub screw can move freely, then once done drop to the zero and recut and see if u have 90 degree cut, hope this piece of information helps
Hi Peter, just popped in to wish you a very merry Christmas, a safe Newyears eve and a prosperous 2021. Keep enjoying yourself, keep making these great video's and hope to meet you somewhere next year !
Another great video. Only started to get into the festool stuff. The kapex and extractors are great. The sanders are in a different league to any other and I’m now hooked on the brand. The tools are expensive without a doubt but there’s nothing like opening the workshop door and knowing you are going into total enjoyment
This is the first video I've viewed of yours, I found it interesting, informative and quite watchable ... enough so that I'm now a sub. I look forward to viewing more of your content. Cheers ... dave
Nice Christmas Eve video. I have a slot-mortiser (origonally from a multi-tool combi) which enabled/enables me much like the Domino machine did Peter. Best wishes to everyone for happiness over the festive period.
Thank you Peter. Best wishes to you & yours for Christmas and 2021. Game changers? A £10 vernier that I could afford to put in my toolbox and not be afraid of damaging or losing. It's still intact and has upped my speed and accuracy whilst adding a great deal of convenience.
Just happened upon your site, and it was nice to see another Festooliac. In addition to the T55 track saw and 500 Dominatrix, I'm very happy with my ET 150 sander, my delta pad details sander, and my Carvex jig saw with all the bases and gizmos. I use the CT22 vacuum, and have been impressed with it for maybe 18 years. Bought it with my track saw. I bought a Kapex new several years ago and like it very much, but for the price I could have bought two Bosch articulating sliding compound miter saws. And my 1400 router is very nice but I got it used, so cost/benefit analysis is skewed. I no longer go on job sites ("retirement" means having a great new shop where I still do cabinet work) so the portability once so important is not so much anymore. Thanks for the review. I'll be subscribing to your channel from now on!
I *must* be a little *off topic* today. *Merry, merry Christmas to you Peter, and a happy new year* . You're one of my favorite channels. 03:38 It's worth *every* dime.
For me commercially the lamello bj and pocket hole. I tried the domino when it was first released but didn’t get on with it for cabinet making, I find biscuits or duo dowel more suited to cabinet/ panel work though the domino does lead the way with joinery which I think was it’s original intended purpose. I suppose that makes sense given they are essentially mortise and tenon joints. Peter, have you tried the Hoffman dovetail system, again an excellent system. I think for most the biggest game changers have been the now ubiquitous track saw and drill driver. Most of us wouldn’t have had to pump endless screws in with a Yankee so don’t realise what a game changer the cordless drill driver was. I remember my father putting a Yankee bit in an electric drill back in the late 70’s.
I bet there will be plenty of festool products under Christmas trees tomorrow, couldn’t agree more they are game changers no doubt about it. Have a great Christmas Peter 🎉👍🎄🎅🏻
Peter, thanks for the well done vid! While I don’t exactly make a living as a builder/woodworker, I do a lot of what you pursue and got pretty deep into it at about the same time as you, and I concur with your game changers except I find that the 12v impact driver (Milwaukee in my case) is a far more important tool than the Festool cord. Please don’t get me wrong here, that cord is a very elegant solution to an every day mini-task, but I’ve driven way too many screws by hand and with impact drills, that the impact driver is even more important than my track saw, which is quite a feat. Because I’ve had a Fein Turbo-II auto-start vac for close to 25 years, I concur with your affection for a quality vac and recently updated my Turbo-II with a CT36 E AC for the exact reasons you note, and yes, it took me 3 full years to swallow my discomfort over spending $700 for a fancy pants vac. Thankfully, I am duly impressed with the improved performance, however a major disappointment is that the old Turbo-II allowed me to plug in my tool to it and use the tool without activating the vacuum which is often needed when working somewhere without a close by electrical outlet and the tool produces little to no dust. The mighty Domino or the Dominator, as I call it, is a mind bendingly useful/important tool for any of us who create wooden objects of almost any kind. Speed, precision, repeatability, ease of use all miraculously come together in a single tool that makes it possible to construct structurally sound and correct joints, both in small versions like picture frames and in large ones like big gates or beds. As you noted, the Domino works out to be a free tool after a single project: I built a pair of 1.75m wide gates, which would have cost me upwards of $2000 in labor, yet I bought a 2nd hand Domino XL for $1,800 and have gone on to produce another gate for no additional tool cost, and I have several more Domino projects lined up that I probably would have not even considered until I got the Domino. The MFT really completes the beauty of the tracksaw system. I use a MF Slab instead of the full table because it’s much easier to move and maneuver indoors, and by using Parf dogs and clips I don’t really need the frame rail. One MFT suggestion: One can extend the surface quality of the MFT by laying an appropriately sized scrap of 1/4” (6mm) hardboard/Masonite under the cut-zone and cut into that instead of the MFT top.
@@10MinuteWorkshop Duh, one of your vids showing your strip floated to the top AFTER I posted my comment. I don’t like being publicly a step behind 😕. I have debated doing that, particularly because it coincides with the place where the cuts naturally want to be made. Such a consistent location is good for consistent work flows and set ups, which equals more efficiency and better results, but it wrecks hell on the sacrificial cutting surface that is integral to the great track saw method, and the spoil strip solves that. My only concern has been the removal of 1/3 of the tabletop’s thickness across its full width - a full perimeter support ledger is needed to prevent sagging and/or breakage at the dadoed insert.
I enjoy the same setup and am also really fond of it. As you illustrated, you can challenge industrial machinery that costs many multiples of these tools. And even stronger, I have never seen a cut better than the ones my TS55 produces.
Recently I discovered there are two types of power cords for the tools. The end fitting is different for the TS 55 saw that requires a 16 gauge wire and there is also some Festool tools that require less power and only use 18guage wire such as the Domino. To prevent the wrong gauge power cord being used the 18 gauge has a small fin that stick up preventing it from being plugged into the saws that draw more power.
Yes, but it only applies to the US where the low voltage changes the typical current draw. Rest of world has just the one cable, though the plug-it’s still have the notch.
I agree with all, but I would add the Vacuum Sys Set. now to me this is a gamer changer in my shop as it is quite the time saver in regards to all the time saved not having to constantly set and re-set clamps! I need to look into how to use the Vacuum for Vacuuming bagging veneers.
Great stuff Peter. I love the 'what are your game changer tools' conversation! I totally second the rail saw (Mafell in my case) and the Domino. On my very first wardrobe build (for my own home, before I was doing it professionally) I spent a day being driven crazy wrestling with large boards trying hold them in place while I aligned them to screw them together to form the main carcass. Went out that evening and bought a domino and my mind was blown by how that impossible job became the easiest thing in the world. The other game changers I can think of for me would be: 1) a really good random orbital sander. I still can't quite believe how good the finish is from my Mirka Deros (and I'm sure the festool equivalent is the same). Embarrassed to say I was just using a multitool or hand sanding to sand things and I can't believe I held off from buying a decent sander for as long as I did. 2) my home made cyclone. Have to say this has been massive for me. Especially in the early days when I was using a pretty crappy shop vac which would just stop every other day when the filter got clogged. And even once I bought a festool vac, being able to work week after week without ever changing a bag is a total luxury. 3) the Bluetooth connection on festool vacs. Oh my god how did I cope without this in the past?! There might be some vacs out there that are better than the festool ones, but they'd have to be WAY better to make me give up this element of functionality. Whether just quickly firing it up with the remote for a quick clean up, or anything involving battery powertools this has been such a gamechanger for my workflow. 4) a more general one - buying tools with an eye toward really good dust collection. I can spend most days in the workshop using nothing but an Mft, the Mafell rail saw, the Mirka Deros, the Domino, and the occasional bit of electric planing and pretty much never have to clean up (or, more importantly, breathe in) excess dust. Working in a v similar size shop to you, that has been absolutely huge for me. Thanks, as ever, for your wonderful channel. Not sure I'd have bought any of those gamechangers without your vids (even if I did ignore your warnings on the Mirka. Fingers crossed I'm one of those who gets years of problem free use from it. It's such a glorious machine if so...) Merry Christmas to you!
(Of course, thinking about it, many game changers are just pretty much 'any tool I didn't already have'. I remember having my mind blown by my electric planer having struggled without one. And a decent nail gun would be right up there too for making fiddly time-consuming jobs effortless...)
Thanks Alastair! Yes! All my vacs are pretty old now, and I’m so close to buying a Bluetooth-enabled one because I know how useful it’ll be! And great to hear you got a good Deros! Great sanders, I just know too many who have had issues 🤷♂️👍. And yes, cyclone is a good shout if you’re just using a basic shop vac. Great input, thanks for taking the time to put the comment together so clearly, for everyone to read! Merry Christmas from London! Peter
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I think for a lot of people the game changer would have been watching your videos and seeing what can be achieved in a small workshop with these tools. Happy Christmas Peter.
Haha, thanks Colin, and same to you too! 👍👍
I second that, absolutely. I watch a couple of channels regularly to learn and improve, but there is no one I've learned more from than you, Peter. For which I thank you!
@@casparvanderburgh Seconded
Hear! Hear!
I agree. I knew pretty much nothing when I started watching Peters videos several years ago. I was amazed to think that I could potentially build my own cabinets. Since then I've made several new cabinets for my kitchen whilst working on replacing the others. I've built units in my office and about to start a big built in in my little girls room. I'm just getting to a good level now and starting to replace Titan with Festool (domino the other day and had a TS55 delivered this morning). Hoping they will get my joints better and cuts just that little more accurate.
Happy Christmas
Been dipping in and out of your channel for a while now - I didn't know that you'd made a transition from being a professional photographer to a cabinet maker. It was heart warming hearing you sum up that journey because I'm on a similar one. I used to be an art director for film and TV but several years ago, I saw the writing on the wall with regards to AI and budget squeezes. I've slowly but surely been building up my skills doing real world stuff - hopefully from handyman to one day a full blown craftsman. Thanks for putting all this information out for free from your years of experience. Much appreciated!
Thank you! Very best of luck with it! 👍
I am a Festool fan. As a hobby woodworker, I was never satisfied with the quality of my work around the home, UNTIL I went Festool. What a difference that made. Plunge Saw, Domino, Kapex, dust extraction, and all of a sudden I was performing like a semi professional. I am well and truly retired in my 8th decade, but enjoying my woodworking more than ever, and without question, it was Festool that was the game changer for me. I have all the tools you mentioned Peter, and thoroughly enjoy working with them. Any professional woodworker that doesn't have Festool is costing himself money. Thanks for the video Peter.
Thanks Sam! That was my take on it as well, when I first made the purchases! 👍👍
Festools removeable power cord is so underrated. It's probably one of my favorite features of my Festool tools.
Yes, definitely! 👍
I'm a carpenter and joiner or over 32 years but have been shuttering a long long time. The last 18 months has seen me back to traditional new build house-bashing and renovation work. I'm too old for the harsh shuttering environment now! LOL! It was a big wake-up call to mix it with young joiners all of whom have this kit you use! I now have a Mafell tracksaw and numerous Dewalt battery tools. I'm re-learning my trade and I'm getting good stuff from you Peter! I appreciate it, Thank you!
Beers Kevin! Yeah, shuttering is a much younger mans game I think! Good for you for re-learning though! Mafell make a great saw 👌👍
Just a word of encouragement. I genuinely appreciate your level minded manor and easy to understand, to the point presentations. I have found a lot of value from your subjective perspectives. Always well thought through. Thank you for being a voice of grounding in a sea of whimsy buying trends and over extravagance.
Thank you very much - very kind of you to say so, and very much appreciated! 👍👍
I agree!
“I’ve dropped this down the stairs several times.” Sold! That’s the kind of equipment for me. ;)
cordless drill drivers changed working for me, putting thousands of screws in timber decks on landscape jobs, im grateful to the inventor because it saved me hours and hours of time wrangling cords and working in rainy conditions. in fact cordless tools in general have revolutionised carpentry jobs.
Yes! Easy to forget lifer before cordless tools. 👍👍
I envy those folks who are starting out in the construction business now! Being able to access the internet and learn about the trade they have selected from craftsmen like you. Especially TH-cam where all the details are available, from how to do something to what tools are valuable in your trade. When I started out, around 1973, you only knew that you needed a hammer and a skilsaw.
And the irony is, you got the job done - with a hammer and a skilsaw! 👍
Merry Christmas Peter - the game changer for me was a Black and Decker Workmate.
Newly married in our first home it got me off the kitchen floor !
Thanks Fraser - same to you too! Yes! I have my first workmate, still! Hasn't been used in a while, but yes, absolutely got me started. 👍
Me too, bought over 40 years ago and still used regularly. I have made new jaws from 18mm ply a couple of times but apart from that still original. Merry Christmas and stay safe all.
Great information! The longevity of the tools under use does speak for itself!
Thanks! 👍
@@Tensquaremetreworkshop i've had a black & decker drill for over 25 years and only ever had 2 new brushes. Complete with keyless chuck! My b&d 4.5" grinder also has the plug in lead like festools and thats 20 years old!
Working tidy. So right! I spent almost forty years doing on site installs. Specifically pipe organs. Presenting a neat and professional attitude and work site is fundamental.
My game changer goes way back. Working on site with cords and lights and power tools can be messy. The advent of good quality cordless tools changed my working life for the better.
Great comment, thanks! Wow, pipe organs! I’ll bet there’s a story to tell there! 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop 😂. Perhaps. Mostly a story of a feckless and rather lost 16 year old who found, much to his surprise, that he had a talent for working with his hands and assembling things. 47 years later, he still loves it. They’re just big musical machines made of wood leather glue and lead 😁.
More of this type of reflective piece please, Peter. I have lost count of the tools and techniques you have guided me to. Really grateful. And may I wish you and yours and all the community that gathers around folk like you and Andy Mac a safe and healthy Christmas and a good 2021
Thanks David! That's very kind of you to say, and much appreciated. Very best wishes to you and yours, too! 👍👍
The Domino and the TS55 are revolutionary in my opinion. Essential.
Morning Steve. Yes, absolutely; I couldn’t have built the business I had without them, and I’m sure many one-man designer/maker/installers are the same. 👍👍
The game changer for me in my respective trade was the introduction of electric pipe threading machines....... no longer would I have one arm like pop eyes from using a manual threader all day. Plus the speed and quality of the thread changed so much great video happy belated Christmas to you and yours peter
Thanks! And same to you too! 👍👍
Just got a Rotex 90, which is a great bit of kit. Went for a Sealey 150 (Deros clone) for larger areas after watching one of your videos. Third of the price of a Mirka, which meant I could just afford the Festool sander plus Midi dust extraction.
I am deeply impressed by your story. It’s beautiful and what it makes it even more beautiful is how genuinely humble and generous are you in sharing it. You have made something only few brave visionaries have the guts to enterprise: first understanding and then investing an important amount in the INTRINSIC VALUE of what over time would have turned to be a great pay off. Great example not only for the woodworking community, but for everyone I would say. Certainly for me. Many many thanks. I saved this video to look at it as needed. Will come often handy. Thanks a lot and great compliments. Emanuele from Ancona, Italy.
Hi Peter, in the mid 1970's I bought a Shopsmith. That was a game changer and I built just about everything with it. I did add a Dewald crosscut saw in the 1980's but there Shopsmith was just my go-to tool until the time I was lured into the Festool stable.
I could not agree more with your first choice, the TS55. When I bought mine about my 10 years ago, I was considering a 3HP cabinet saw. I was tired of trying to break down plywood on my 1.75HP contractors saw. And using my old circular saw and a two-piece straight edge was a pain. Ripping thick hardwoods on the contractor saw was a nightmare. The track saw and rail was my first “Festool Game Changer”. I have since acquired a CT 26 dust extractor, the Domino, the Pro/5 sander (introductory specially priced version of the ETS125), and the Carvex jigsaw. I still have the old table saw, and a Forrest blade has helped, but still want that cabinet saw!
My favourite is the current crop of cordless tools, with interchangeable batteries. Which ever manufacturer you choose to use, love the portability of these systems, and not having to have loads of different chargers and batteries.
Yes, absolutely! Good shout! 🙌 👍👍
A game changer for me: switching from a Tablesaw to the TS55 and then finding your videos, just brought it all together for me. Thanks Peter.
Haha, thank you! 🙌 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop I’m really serious about that :) Once I came across your videos it just all clicked together how I could completely change the average US woodworking mindset of “the Tablesaw is the center of your workshop”. And so as hobbyists we end up “needing” a huge Tablesaw which takes up so much room in a space we share with family members, and here comes this small European tracksaw by a meticulous company, which after using has a small footprint of storage, and it just changes and seriously challenges the status quo of the hobbyists woodworker. But then you think to your self, am I nuts? Is this a “normal approach “ and then you watch Peter Millard videos, and he tells you not only are you not nuts, but I’m going to show how I do fantastic work with only three-five tools which can all be stored in your closet at the end of the day. So Peter, I make a New Years toast to you. And I hope everyone watching/reading this will join me in this virtual New Years toast 🥂🍻 to Peter.
Well, thank you, again! That's very kind of you to say, and very much appreciated; I'll raise my virtual glass with you, thanks! 🥂🍻
I’m a over enthousiast diy-er🥳 Really felt uncomfortable and excited at the same time when I ordered my tracksaw many years ago. Every time festool gives me a smile from ear to ear when working with those tools. I always buy tools for a home job. Doing it myself saves money, from that money I can buy tools and still am cheaper. But I’m talking about my own kitchen, hanging my doors throughout the house and what not
My dad was a chippy and he always said his overarm desalt saw changed his life - for me it was the festool domino but I want to give a shout out to the. Safe sawstop
Yeah, good shout on both of those. 👍👍
I’m a hobbyist woodworker and new to the Festool ecosystem. I find the tools you mentioned plus the 6” Sander and 1400 Router game changers for me too. What I like is the confidence gained in precision cutting. BTW: enjoy your channel. Blessings!
Thank you! Just bought an OF1400 myself - never had one before, so looking forwards to using it! 👍
Thank you for your wonderful videos! I am only a little furniture refinished but honestly, the FESTOOL products have made my life so much easier with less frustration in my studio. Just the dust extractor alone is like a dream.I have a Rotex 90 and a RTS 400 - I couldn’t imagine reaching these awesome results without giving these tools the credit the truly deserve!
I appreciate your level of professionalism. You have upped your game and you have encouraged others to up their game. This is what it’s all about. A professional will always understand your level. Keep going!
Thank you! 👍
For me the gamechanger was and it still is the mafell track saw. Different tracks , connecting the trails and accuracy is brilliant.
Festool Domino-nce. is a term I hear people use in the local wood store. I trashed Festool when I got into woodworking because of the price. Then I used them at someone else's shop. I immediately began buying Festool and I have never looked back. If you have some woodworking skills, festool will make you better. If you have no skill and don't learn new skills, no tool will make you better. While the man may make the tool, the tool can't make the man. That being said, a man who is good with tools will inevitably do even better with better tools. Love the videos.
Thanks! 👍
I do like your video and professional touch to tools
So many times I do see those comments when people are writing how good their tool is but often they are not professionals as you and me. Often they have never ever tried the professional tools and they do not understand the small differences and what those mean when you are working, not playing, not a hobby. When I meet my client, they wants exact accuracy, good finishing. With cheap tools, you just can have a small mistake which do cost more than the professional tools do cost.
Thanks! Yes, makes a big difference when you use tools to make your living; small differences can become huge benefits! 👍👍
Fully agree on all the tools you showed in this video. Even if Festool is expensive, it also provides a great after sales service. I recently got contacted for a free refit of a tool I bought 12 years ago (potential security issue). This is why we pay so much (and this is also why you never lose time registering your tools). As always, great video! Many thanks!
Thank you! Yes, it really struck me as I was going through the timeline, just how expensive they seemed at the time, and how reasonable they seemed now! 🤷♂️👍👍
That's an interesting tale of your journey from handy man to cabinet maker.
Thanks Benedict! 👍
Hi Peter. Just found your ten minutes. It was nice to see you speak to the camera without any extra that can be seen on so many other chanels.
I'm a professional restorer and working with the same principles as the Finnish National Bord of Antiquities. Just before Christmas my customer wanted all the entrepreneurs to take their tools from his the house so that he can have a decent Xmas with family and friends. I have a rather small shop for working with hand tools less than 50m² and carrying tools from the house I can see that I've bought rather many during the last 8months I've been working at his house. It's a 3floor 360m² house in jugend-style. The windows and doors inside the house are my gig.
You asked about game changers. An absolute GC. for me has been Makitas multitool LXT DTM51. It's so impressing I couldn't believe my eyes. It cut the working time in some cases to 1/10 of my previous. A marvelous tool that can be used in various cutting jobs also. A real hand reach for a multitasker as I am but on a little heavy side in long phases. I might see for the 10,8v version but on the other side I just bought the Festool Rotex 90... 😁
Other GC's are Festool sanders. I have the Is 130 eq that is a linear sander that with I get the profiles sanded without damaging the profile or brake the glass in windows. I have also the random orbital sander ets ec125/3eq that is pure delight to use because it's effective and light. Just love it. But a real wonder machine is the Rotex 125 and now even the Rotex 90 I bought that one difficult window frame could be sanded in deasent time. Last in the list is the vacume cleaner CTL midi in L-class that prevents even the smallest ports of dust leaving the cleaner. It is rated to even clean asbest and lead particles. I like that I can hook my Makita or Festool toolboxes on it to become a moving unite. Normally I have so many tools on site that all table like surfaces are welcome.
Hi Esko, and welcome! Thank you for your kind comments - they are very much appreciated. I would love to have a shop as 'small' as 50 sq metres - mine is only around 30! I have the mains corded version of the Makita multi-tool, and it was incredibly useful when I was doing the install type of work, less so now that I'm workshop based. I had a Bosch 10.8v multitool before that, and found it to be a little under-powered, yet would still suck the life from a battery faster than any other tool I owned! That was before we started to get bigger batteries, of course, so perhaps they are better now.
I also have the LS130 linear sander! Again, I used that - and the RO90 - a lot when I was doing sash window refurbishments, and they were the perfect combination of powerful aggressive sanding combined with control. And yes, the fact that you could clip all the systainers together into a stack on top of the Mini/Midi vac made the whole thing a pleasure to use.
Thanks again, and best wishes from London! Peter
just got my first Festool product, a domino. Game changer is the only thing that describes it properly. Couldn't be happier with it. Thank you for the video. I always appreciate the opinions and feedback from those who use the tools everyday. It is always very helpful. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hoping 2021 is much better year for all! Cheers my friend!
Thank you! Yes, the domino is one of those tools you can never really appreciate until you get your hands on it and start using it. Don't know anyone who's bought one and regretted it. 👍👍
I also have a domino, it's the gateway drug into the Festool system.
@@123hurst3 I've somehow managed to avoid the rest of the tools thus far. The Domino us still my only Festool item. But the temptation is always there! lol
I’m new to festool and slowly getting a few tools but as you said what a game changer they are. Merry Christmas and keep up the brilliant work and advice.
Thank you! Best wishes to you too! 👍
Great Video. When I had to retool my shop a few years ago because of a move, I brought in a MFT/3, a TS-55, and parts of the LR32 system. Definitely game changers. I adapted all of my power tools to use a short power cord, and a 1.25" vacuum hose. Not quite ready to give up my PC 890 Router (adapted to use the LR32 router plate and rail), and my PC 5" orbital sander. Still hoping for Santa to bring me a Domino 500 one day. With this setup and a TSO rail square, you can teach boy scouts with no wood working experience how to make cabinets for their eagle projects quite nicely. Enjoy your holiday and ope a banger for me.
Thanks Warren! Yeah, good point about the accessibility of these tools, too; ease of use is a huge benefit! 👍
Peter, nice work putting a video out on Christmas Eve. For me access to a mitre saw and table saw were "gamechangers". Have a great Christmas and New Year !
The way I see it, Festool is basically the Mercedes of handheld power tools. Felder is the Rolls-Royce of stationary woodworking equipment.
The impact in 2004 has totally how I work.
And changed hardware stores,now they carry little tiny boxes of hand nails and large boxes of screws.
2007 I started using a Knipex plierwrench, no more adjustable wrenches,no regular wrenches (except in low clearance areas),and the best handtool I have ever used.
2015 the Makita cordless tracksaw was on clearance for $300 with a rail and 4 batteries ,so I gave it a chance.
I occasionally help build cabinets ,but primarily install them.
The tracksaw is at its best in the field, but is also a fantastic shop tool.
Absolutely. And you’re dead right about the nails vs screws thing, too! 👍👍
Hi Peter, hope you are well, you're so right , the rail/plunge saw was a game changer for me, as was the Kapex,as was the dust extraction and plug it, now added to many of my non Festool tools. Have a great Christmas take care and stay safe, look forward to seeing another quality vid in the new year, Many thanks and keep 'em coming!
Thanks Paul! Same to you too! 👍👍
Great video Peter, I have a few festool tools now, and ultimately my decision to buy these was swayed by your no nonsense reviews and insight on them. Here`s to a healthy and prosperous 2021 :)
Thank you! And same to you too! 👍
Completely agree with you on the track saw. I haven't got a big work space so didn't have room for a proper table saw. Having got frustrated with some of the crap table saws out there so took a punt on a second hand TS-55. And I haven't looked back! Phenomenal bit of kit.
👍👍
Hi Peter . Thank you for these videos . I’m a new and utterly useless woodworker wannabe . I’ve purchased cheap tools and crappy wood to practice and never progressed. My erbauer tracksaw may have died as it stops on contact with any sheet material . I have no clue how to use the gifted bosh 14 inch router I have a cheap table saw that’s certainly dangerous.
I wish I’d found your videos before buying anything as they are fantastic. While I can’t justify festool just to practice and knock out stuff my garage and garden, I’d like to eventually get a place producing nicer things for the house or that others might pay for . So seeing these tools and the benefits is certainly interesting. Despite all the cheap options it does seem there is a certain amount of “you get what you pay for” still .
Thank you for the informative video.
Best wishes for you and your loved ones Peter. Highly inspired by your videos and way of communicating. Love from the Netherlands. William
Thanks William! All the best best to you and yours too! Peter.
Wonderful video, thanks very much!
Thank you too! 👍
I remember being blown away by the saw running on a track in 2005, and once again six years later, when i found out that the splinterguard on the track was actually the cut line. As for the domino, i agree as well that it’s the most flexible, I don’t own, but use a zeta p2 regularly, and oftentimes ran into a situation where the connectors were just to large, but a domino would have done the trick. That said, I prefer the clamex to the screw-on dominos.
Yes! And totally agree re Clamex vs connect - the connect fittings are such an afterthought for the df500 🤷♂️👍
How could you not like this? Great stuff, Peter! Your TH-cam videos excel. Happy New Year.
Thanks Chris! And happy new year to you too! 👍👍
My game changing tools are going to be the square enough squares made in London 😃. Have a merry Christmas.
Haha, thanks Dafydd! And happy Christmas to you and yours! 👍
Great video! Back in 2003 the track saw was a game changer for me.
It made me ‘think’ differently about how I did jobs (15 yrs experience at that time), and when I tried to explain that people didn’t get it.
Even thinks like trimming the bottom of a door for someone became ridiculously easy and quick with quality going through the roof.
Predominantly I was installing pretty expensive thin granite slabs over the top of kitchen worktops though, where edges were mitered. Arguably impossible without the festool system👍🏻
But boy can they charge! Only the jigsaw I’ve been disappointed with, no better ( maybe worse) than much cheaper others.
Festool is an addiction though 😂
Thanks! And yes, they're not backward about charging up-front! Carvex jigsaw, by any chance?? 😬 But yea, like pokemon - got to get them all! 😂
Couldn't agree more regarding the TS55, as a left hander I always struggled with circular saws, not only has the track saw improved my work no end, it doesn't frighten the life out of me like circular saws do.
My biggest game changer has to be the systainers, especially the Tloc's. Just fantastic, I am slowly putting all my gear in them.
Damn - forgot about systainers! You're absolutely right though - changing all my toolboxes to systainers on roll-boards when I was running around in peoples houses made a huge difference to how I worked! Is it OK if I check with you before I post the next video, just in case I missed something?? 🙌 😆 Have a great Christmas Harvey! 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop To be fair to you, the Systainers aren't really a tool. They are bloody brilliant though. When I think back to all the blow moulded cases I used to have to carry and try to stack in the van.
Merry Christmas to you Peter, thanks for all the videos, especially in this very odd year.
Great presentation, I have used Festool for a number of years but have treated myself to a couple of Mafell tools, the jigsaw and a little drill driver M10, both fantastic tools. My career was almost the reverse of yours from working with wood to phtography via the fire service, keep up the good work, job satisfaction guaranteed.
Thanks! Yes, Mafell make great tools, no question. 👍👍
Peter I’m finally following your channel after having watched all the sanding videos over many months ..Love all your videos , keep it up!
Thanks, and welcome! 👍
Now Festool is launching a 'game change' in their own words - portable power station
I’ve heard the rumours - is it an actual product yet? 👍👍
I've seen a promo video of it this week, don't recall if it is actually available but would imagine so
The true game changer is the Domino system. I puts a versatile, quick joinery tool in the hands of an individual and allows for works that previously would not have been possible on site or in a small shop (with speed and efficiency) to be carried out. That tool is truly revolutionary.
Yep. A precision tool that lets you work loosely. 👌👍👍
Merry Christmas Peter. Appreciate the videos you have shared over the years.
Thanks Andrew, same to you too! 👍👍
I have a VERY similar evolution in Festool acquisitions. Bought them just about similar times. I have the first generation ts55 that I just knocked of the table and broke the vacuum attachment. I am seriously thinking of going to the cordless format. I agree with you 100% about the domino. Best $1,000 +/- I ever spent. Loved the video. Merry Christmas. Cheers
Thank you, and very best wishes! 🎄👍👍
My Gamechanger was the TS55 as well and a proper Tablesaw. What i use and love a lot is the Bosch Oszillating Sander with Antivibration this is realy great. Thanks for your videos. I wish a healthy 2021.
Thanks, same to you too! 👍👍
My first jaw on the floor moment watching these carpentry videos was seeing the TS-55 in action and indeed it was my first Festool purchase as well. Personally the tool I coveted most was the Kapex and by the grace of the Lord I was able to buy one recently - absolutely love it! Would sleep with it next to my bed! Currently waiting for my Rotex-150 and OF-1010 router to arrive - counting down the days. And I have to agree - knowing what I know now - I would have bought the CTL-26 the day I did my first project. Absolutely life changing to have adequate dust extraction! (Also marriage saving to not have dust all over myself and the garage 😝)
Thanks for the video Peter! I’ll be looking for a MFT table in the new year!
God bless and take care! Have a great Christmas! 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
Thanks Johannes! Best wishes you you and your family! 👍👍
Thanks Peter! You and yours have a VERY merry Christmas and a much better 2021! Happy Christmas everyone on the channel! 👍
Thank you - same to you and yours, too! 👍👍
I love this. I have drooled over the Domino for over 5 years. And back in May I finally bought one. Of course.... my one regret was that I waited so long. I LOVE IT! It was a game changer in my work. My next item I want is the track saw. And I do really want an MFT table. I think the MFT3. And i guess with just one festool in my shop I didn't think about the advantage of switching out tools with one cord and dust collector. That would be amazing. Actually... I don't know if the track saw or one of the sanders would be my next item. Seems like the dust collection for those are amazing. And I don't have their dust collection yet. That's on my list as well.Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for the great comment! I genuinely don’t know anyone who’s bought a domino and regretted it. Or the sander. Or the tracksaw... 🤷♂️😆 Best wishes for the New Year! 👍👍
I have just lost my list.Dang,lol!
Thank you for a interesting upload. My first Festool purchase was also the TS 55, with a rail and the CTL 26 shopvac. Fantastic stuff. But the one Festool that would cause me to break out in a hysterical nervous sweat if I could not have it anymore, would be my DF 700 Domino.
Thanks! Don’t own a. 700, but I’ve used one and definitely see the appeal, if I were making larger items. Great tools! 👍
The Festool tracksaw and plug-it cable was an absolute godsend when I was learning carpentry. I got to work for someone who did yacht interior and most of the time it was working in very tight spaces.
Wow, I’d love to have the experience of yacht fit-outs - so many challenges! Great for learning though! 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Absolutely! I was very fortunate in my study period. First year in a very well kitted out one man shop with a throughfeed moulder, woodmizer and the standard equipment making pretty much anything possible and when he moved out of the country for a year he send me to his neighbor and old classmate who did the yachts.
The one technique that stood out the most for me was the transference of, say, hull shapes or planks for cabinets with a slanted or skewed inside with just some plywood, a slat ending in a point and a pencil. I recently even used it for placing drywall in an attic. (a bit like a stair spider I guess)
Sounds fantastic! I’ve also used that template here technique for fit-outs I’ve tight areas! Works great. 👍👍
Spookily, my festool journey pretty much matches yours....I suppose it's the natural progression once you begin to realise the value of the systematic approach to working that festool encourages. I think the real advantage with festool is the way that everything works together - systainers, plug it cords, dust ports and hoses, guide rails etc. For me the real 'game changer' was the domino - apart from the speed of making the joints, there is the improved accuracy because all the components are cut to finished lengths....no need to cut over length for the tenons and finding that you've cut the shoulders a smidge too long or short ( not that I've ever done that! )
Yes, exactly that - The system approach works well, but also encourages you to stay within the system! 👌👍
Thanks for all your videos this year Peter, they are all very inspiring. Merry Christmas to you and all your family.
Thanks John, same to you and your family too! 👍
Hello Peter, in Germany we would say "I pull my hat!". Interesting to see your evolution in building furnitures. Working with good tools is the half job ;-) All the best for you! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Stay healthy!
Thank you! And best wishes to you too. Stay safe & well. 👍👍
Whether you like to admit it or not, they are on top of the leader board for a reason. You cannot fault them for their innovative ideas and uniqueness that no other tools have. 👍🏽
Way out of my price range, but I'm not a tradesman, just a home DIY'er.
Best game changer for me was, buying new glasses so I could see my mistakes better! 😳😆
Thanks Bill! Ha - yes! I need new glasses, just so I can get better at covering my mistakes! 😂👍
my best tool was a pocket hlole jig made joining mdf so much better happy christmas to you and yor family
Thanks Matthew! Good shout - and same to you and yours, too! 👍
Great video, cheers from Nebraska!
Thanks! Best wishes from London! 👍
Just picked up my first festool tool, df500. After been a festool doubter, must say. The quality if awesome.
Yeah, never met anyone who bought a Domino and regretted it. Enjoy! 👍👍
There have been many game changers in my career as a carpenter, from mitre saws to air nailers to lasers, and yes, Festool, but I'd have to say my first real game changer is much simpler. It was a set of good Japanese waterstones. THere's nothing quite like finding out how sharp a chisel or plane iron can actually be.
Yeah, good shout, thanks! 🙌 👍👍
I got a diamond stone last week from axminster. I'm annoyed as I had to japanse stones and the shop worker convinced me to get the diamond. Even though I was unsure to agree I just did. To much harshness I think the diamond stone.
@@xxyxnxwxaxx9724 Hmmm. What grit did you get? You can't expect to get a mirror finish with a coarse stone. Conversely, you shouldn't expect to get nicks out with a very fine grit.
@@olafbigandglad
400 and 1000.
I didn't want a mirror finnish as such. I had a trend stone witch was brilliant that's warn away now. This stone has line through the metal block. My old trend one was solid block no Groves. I think I felt I had to purchase it after him talking to me. But deep down I knew my chose of the Japanese stone was Wright for a sharp finnish.
Right tools for the job, for sure.
Hope you're doing well too.
Thanks! Yes, all well here, hope you are too! 👍
Both confidence building and inspirational. Thank you for sharing
Tony in Venice Florida
Thank you! 👍👍
Peter - thank you for all your videos this year - haven’t managed any Festool investments yet, but have bought into Makita track-saw - great machine👍. Best wishes & stay safe in 2021 - will look to developing my own CNC designed MFT next year
Hi there,i was just going through the comments ahd i see u have a makita track saw, i presumably you do not mean the plunge saw? Well if u do have a track saw and finding itva issue for the cut to be very very close to an right angle and you are loosening the bottom plate then using a right angles square of some kind and still you can't get it right , well you may not be the only one. I have been trying for a long time,until last week i resolved it. First get it close ascu can with tilting the bottom plate as you do,then under the plate you will find a tiny black grub screw its directly under the zero degree stop ,if you get a hex driver and ajust it only a fraction at a time it will alter the stop height,ps make sure you first slacken the 2 bolts for the bottom plate and but to a few degrees so the grub screw can move freely, then once done drop to the zero and recut and see if u have 90 degree cut, hope this piece of information helps
Thanks Pat! Same to you too!👍👍
Hi Peter, just popped in to wish you a very merry Christmas, a safe Newyears eve and a prosperous 2021. Keep enjoying yourself, keep making these great video's and hope to meet you somewhere next year !
Thank you! Same to you too! 👍👍
Another great video. Only started to get into the festool stuff. The kapex and extractors are great. The sanders are in a different league to any other and I’m now hooked on the brand.
The tools are expensive without a doubt but there’s nothing like opening the workshop door and knowing you are going into total enjoyment
This is the first video I've viewed of yours, I found it interesting, informative and quite watchable ... enough so that I'm now a sub. I look forward to viewing more of your content. Cheers ... dave
Thanks, and welcome. 👍
My first bosch professional miter saw was a game change and a dust extractor made it even better.
👍💪
Great video Peter. Just like you, my game changing first pieces- ts55 and ctl midi. i really have no idea how i ever managed without before.
Thanks Chris. Yes, total change of approach when I had those available to me. Changes how I worked completely. 🙌👍
Great video Peter, Merry Christmas thanks for the video
Thanks Michael! Same to you too! 👍
Nice Christmas Eve video. I have a slot-mortiser (origonally from a multi-tool combi) which enabled/enables me much like the Domino machine did Peter. Best wishes to everyone for happiness over the festive period.
Thanks Colin! Same to you too! 👍👍
Thank you Peter. Best wishes to you & yours for Christmas and 2021. Game changers? A £10 vernier that I could afford to put in my toolbox and not be afraid of damaging or losing. It's still intact and has upped my speed and accuracy whilst adding a great deal of convenience.
Thanks Bryan , same to you and yours, too! 👍👍
Just happened upon your site, and it was nice to see another Festooliac. In addition to the T55 track saw and 500 Dominatrix, I'm very happy with my ET 150 sander, my delta pad details sander, and my Carvex jig saw with all the bases and gizmos. I use the CT22 vacuum, and have been impressed with it for maybe 18 years. Bought it with my track saw.
I bought a Kapex new several years ago and like it very much, but for the price I could have bought two Bosch articulating sliding compound miter saws. And my 1400 router is very nice but I got it used, so cost/benefit analysis is skewed. I no longer go on job sites ("retirement" means having a great new shop where I still do cabinet work) so the portability once so important is not so much anymore. Thanks for the review. I'll be subscribing to your channel from now on!
Thanks, and welcome! 👍
I was expecting the dream music as we went back in time hahaha.
Greetings from Ohio. It was very helpful to see you revisit tools that had such a positive impact on your impressive work.
Thanks Mark, and best wishes from London! 👍👍
Love watching your context, Just wanna say Happy Holidays. Blessings & Good Health .
Thank you! Same to you too, and best wishes from London! 👍👍
I *must* be a little *off topic* today. *Merry, merry Christmas to you Peter, and a happy new year* . You're one of my favorite channels.
03:38 It's worth *every* dime.
Thank you Frits - same to you too! 🙌 And yes, absolutely! 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop I think it's rather *Fritz* , Peter ;-)
For me commercially the lamello bj and pocket hole. I tried the domino when it was first released but didn’t get on with it for cabinet making, I find biscuits or duo dowel more suited to cabinet/ panel work though the domino does lead the way with joinery which I think was it’s original intended purpose. I suppose that makes sense given they are essentially mortise and tenon joints. Peter, have you tried the Hoffman dovetail system, again an excellent system. I think for most the biggest game changers have been the now ubiquitous track saw and drill driver. Most of us wouldn’t have had to pump endless screws in with a Yankee so don’t realise what a game changer the cordless drill driver was. I remember my father putting a Yankee bit in an electric drill back in the late 70’s.
I bet there will be plenty of festool products under Christmas trees tomorrow, couldn’t agree more they are game changers no doubt about it. Have a great Christmas Peter 🎉👍🎄🎅🏻
Thanks Ross - and I'm sure you're right! Best wishes to you and your family, too! 👍👍
Thanks a lot for your videos, they always are inspiring. Have a good time and a happy new year, stay healthy.
Thank you, and the same to you! 👍
I'm a newcomer to your channel, but I just wanted to say thank you for putting out such great content. Merry Christmas, sir!
Thank you! Merry Christmas! 👍👍
Peter, thanks for the well done vid! While I don’t exactly make a living as a builder/woodworker, I do a lot of what you pursue and got pretty deep into it at about the same time as you, and I concur with your game changers except I find that the 12v impact driver (Milwaukee in my case) is a far more important tool than the Festool cord. Please don’t get me wrong here, that cord is a very elegant solution to an every day mini-task, but I’ve driven way too many screws by hand and with impact drills, that the impact driver is even more important than my track saw, which is quite a feat.
Because I’ve had a Fein Turbo-II auto-start vac for close to 25 years, I concur with your affection for a quality vac and recently updated my Turbo-II with a CT36 E AC for the exact reasons you note, and yes, it took me 3 full years to swallow my discomfort over spending $700 for a fancy pants vac. Thankfully, I am duly impressed with the improved performance, however a major disappointment is that the old Turbo-II allowed me to plug in my tool to it and use the tool without activating the vacuum which is often needed when working somewhere without a close by electrical outlet and the tool produces little to no dust.
The mighty Domino or the Dominator, as I call it, is a mind bendingly useful/important tool for any of us who create wooden objects of almost any kind. Speed, precision, repeatability, ease of use all miraculously come together in a single tool that makes it possible to construct structurally sound and correct joints, both in small versions like picture frames and in large ones like big gates or beds. As you noted, the Domino works out to be a free tool after a single project: I built a pair of 1.75m wide gates, which would have cost me upwards of $2000 in labor, yet I bought a 2nd hand Domino XL for $1,800 and have gone on to produce another gate for no additional tool cost, and I have several more Domino projects lined up that I probably would have not even considered until I got the Domino.
The MFT really completes the beauty of the tracksaw system. I use a MF Slab instead of the full table because it’s much easier to move and maneuver indoors, and by using Parf dogs and clips I don’t really need the frame rail. One MFT suggestion: One can extend the surface quality of the MFT by laying an appropriately sized scrap of 1/4” (6mm) hardboard/Masonite under the cut-zone and cut into that instead of the MFT top.
Thanks! Yes, I do a ‘sacrificial strip’ in every MFT too, makes a big difference. 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Duh, one of your vids showing your strip floated to the top AFTER I posted my comment. I don’t like being publicly a step behind 😕.
I have debated doing that, particularly because it coincides with the place where the cuts naturally want to be made. Such a consistent location is good for consistent work flows and set ups, which equals more efficiency and better results, but it wrecks hell on the sacrificial cutting surface that is integral to the great track saw method, and the spoil strip solves that. My only concern has been the removal of 1/3 of the tabletop’s thickness across its full width - a full perimeter support ledger is needed to prevent sagging and/or breakage at the dadoed insert.
Great video thanks Peter. Merry Christmas to you and the family and all the best for 2021.
Thanks Simon, same to you and yours! 👍👍🎄👌
Recently got a Carvex jigsaw, and now use it in many more situations than I would my previous one. No longer a blunt instrument.
That was to bring some more facts into the discussion. In any case carry on with yr fine stuff . Yr vids are among the best 😀👍👌
I enjoy the same setup and am also really fond of it. As you illustrated, you can challenge industrial machinery that costs many multiples of these tools. And even stronger, I have never seen a cut better than the ones my TS55 produces.
Thanks Nico! I Totally agree about the quality of cut from the TS55! 🙌👍
Recently I discovered there are two types of power cords for the tools. The end fitting is different for the TS 55 saw that requires a 16 gauge wire and there is also some Festool tools that require less power and only use 18guage wire such as the Domino. To prevent the wrong gauge power cord being used the 18 gauge has a small fin that stick up preventing it from being plugged into the saws that draw more power.
Yes, but it only applies to the US where the low voltage changes the typical current draw. Rest of world has just the one cable, though the plug-it’s still have the notch.
Ok that makes total sense since it is 240 v thus less amperage for same power. Thanks for clarification.
I'd never heard of festool until lockdown. 😀
😂🙌👍
I agree with all, but I would add the Vacuum Sys Set. now to me this is a gamer changer in my shop as it is quite the time saver in regards to all the time saved not having to constantly set and re-set clamps! I need to look into how to use the Vacuum for Vacuuming bagging veneers.
I don't have one - but maybe I should! Good shout, thanks! 👍👍
18v suits perfectly with jigsaws, especially when you change cut direction, and vacuuming is not necessary because there's no fine dust.
Great stuff Peter. I love the 'what are your game changer tools' conversation! I totally second the rail saw (Mafell in my case) and the Domino. On my very first wardrobe build (for my own home, before I was doing it professionally) I spent a day being driven crazy wrestling with large boards trying hold them in place while I aligned them to screw them together to form the main carcass. Went out that evening and bought a domino and my mind was blown by how that impossible job became the easiest thing in the world.
The other game changers I can think of for me would be:
1) a really good random orbital sander. I still can't quite believe how good the finish is from my Mirka Deros (and I'm sure the festool equivalent is the same). Embarrassed to say I was just using a multitool or hand sanding to sand things and I can't believe I held off from buying a decent sander for as long as I did.
2) my home made cyclone. Have to say this has been massive for me. Especially in the early days when I was using a pretty crappy shop vac which would just stop every other day when the filter got clogged. And even once I bought a festool vac, being able to work week after week without ever changing a bag is a total luxury.
3) the Bluetooth connection on festool vacs. Oh my god how did I cope without this in the past?! There might be some vacs out there that are better than the festool ones, but they'd have to be WAY better to make me give up this element of functionality. Whether just quickly firing it up with the remote for a quick clean up, or anything involving battery powertools this has been such a gamechanger for my workflow.
4) a more general one - buying tools with an eye toward really good dust collection. I can spend most days in the workshop using nothing but an Mft, the Mafell rail saw, the Mirka Deros, the Domino, and the occasional bit of electric planing and pretty much never have to clean up (or, more importantly, breathe in) excess dust. Working in a v similar size shop to you, that has been absolutely huge for me.
Thanks, as ever, for your wonderful channel. Not sure I'd have bought any of those gamechangers without your vids (even if I did ignore your warnings on the Mirka. Fingers crossed I'm one of those who gets years of problem free use from it. It's such a glorious machine if so...)
Merry Christmas to you!
(Of course, thinking about it, many game changers are just pretty much 'any tool I didn't already have'. I remember having my mind blown by my electric planer having struggled without one. And a decent nail gun would be right up there too for making fiddly time-consuming jobs effortless...)
Thanks Alastair! Yes! All my vacs are pretty old now, and I’m so close to buying a Bluetooth-enabled one because I know how useful it’ll be! And great to hear you got a good Deros! Great sanders, I just know too many who have had issues 🤷♂️👍. And yes, cyclone is a good shout if you’re just using a basic shop vac. Great input, thanks for taking the time to put the comment together so clearly, for everyone to read! Merry Christmas from London! Peter