My Festool family has grown

[Frank Pellow]

Yesterday, I picked up a number of additional tools and accessories and they are now at home in my shop with their older brethren. I am attaching a family photo. Altogether there are 8 new systainers (some with very interesting contents), a systainer port, and last (but not least) a hook to hang up the shop-vac hose.

As I use things, I will report my opinions about them in this thread.

So far, the only thing that I have used is the hook for the shop-vac hose (part number 487 072 costing $23.25). The hook appears to be quite durable, it fastens easily to the vacuum. It takes me between 3 to 5 seconds to wrap the hose around the hook. It used to take me from 30 seconds to a minute to pack away the hose in a systainer, so this is a big improvment.

[Jack Hogoboom]

Holy cow Frank!!! That is quite a stash you have. Uncle Bob is going to have a great Christmas thanks to you!!!

Jack

[Jim Becker]

Looks like you're going to have some "fine surfaces" before finishing there with some of that new gear, Frank! Nice gloat!! I really like the idea of the hose clip, too...might have to buy that one of these days.

[Frank Pellow]

Holy cow Frank!!! That is quite a stash you have. Uncle Bob is going to have a great Christmas thanks to you!!!

Jack
And, it seems that Christmas has come early for me. Also, I hope to make use of some of my new stuff to make presents for others this Christmas. So, a good Christmas is in store for all. :)

[Christopher Pine]

A virtual cornocopia of festool desire!

[Christian Aufreiter]

Congrats, Frank!
I’m looking forward to your comments on the new tools.
I didn’t see the TDK Systainer in your pic. Is it in your living room? :D
What is that black thing on top of the Deltex Systainer?

Regards,

Christian

[Rich Konopka]

Congrats, Frank!
I’m looking forward to your comments on the new tools.
I didn’t see the TDK Systainer in your pic. Is it in your living room? :D

He had to leave something for Santa to put under the tree.

[Frank Pellow]

Congrats, Frank!
I’m looking forward to your comments on the new tools.
Don't hold your breath. It is going to be a little while before I get around to using some of them.



I didn’t see the TDK Systainer in your pic. Is it in your living room? :D
Right now, the drill is at the home of a friend. I haven't used it yet.



What is that black thing on top of the Deltex Systainer?
It is a flask for holding hot and cold drinks. See the thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=11786

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Wow, looks like you have most of the catalog....congrats!

[Tyler Howell]

Go Frank!

You have reached the ranks of "Mega Tool Snob".
When (and if) I grow up I want to be just Like you!:cool:

[QUOTE=Frank Pellow]

Right now, the drill is at the home of a friend. I haven't used it yet.

Don't know if I have any friends that good! Festool never made it to the tool loaner list.

[Christian Aufreiter]

Thanks for your reply.


It is a flask for holding hot and cold drinks. See the thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=1178

Maybe I didn't get enough sleep at night ... but I can't figure out what the flask has to do with a thread about Limiting door swing .

Regards,

Christian

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks for your reply.



Maybe I didn't get enough sleep at night ... but I can't figure out what the flask has to do with a thread about Limiting door swing .

Regards,

Christian
Sorry Christian, A digit got truncated from the reference. I have now corrected it in the above post.

[Karl Laustrup]

Frank, I am green with envy. Or maybe it's just mold. :D

[Frank Pellow]

I said that I would record a few comments about my new Festool "toys" once I have had sufficient experience with them. I have now reached that point with the systainer port.

The systainer port is simply a roll-around tool cart that holds Festool systainers.

The port by itself (see photo #1) comes with 5 locking drawer slides but no systainers. It costs $390 (quite a hefty price for a roll around cart with 5 drawer slides but no drawers). It weighs about 75 pounds, it is 43.5 inches high (with the wheels installed), 20 inches wide, and 16" deep.

Festool also sells a 3 drawer systainer port without wheels for $312 (but I doubt that they sell very many of them).

My unit came very well packed and completely assembled except for the wheels. There are 2 locking wheels and 2 "regular" wheels. I had some difficultly securing the wheels, because the wheel bolt is recessed into the wheel support (see photo #2) and I could not find a wrench to fit into the recess (the bolt is metric, of course, but that was not the problem). I finally managed to tighten the bolts using needle nose vice-grips.

Once assembled, the unit moves easily and stops securely. The unit seems to be quite durable and portable. Two weeks ago, I took a 250 mile trip with the filled systainer in the back of my Audi. Last week, I took the (differently) filled systainer port packed into my small trailer on a 450 mile round trip; and I used the tools at two different stops on the trip.

The cart comes configured to hold the following systainer sizes: one Sys4, one Sys3, and three Sys1s (see photo #3). Other configurations are possible and extra drawer slides can be purchased (at $62 a crack). I experimented with removing then re-installing a drawer slide and the operation took me 7 minutes. I expect that I will cut that time at least in half the next time that I do it.

The locking mechanism works well. A push of the button causes one drawer to be released. That drawer must subsequently be relocked before a different drawer can be released.

The top of the unit has a sturdy rubberized pad and I find it quite useful for temporarily laying out tools (such as the chisels you can see in photo #4).

One could build a roll-around cart upon which to stack a number of systainers for a LOT less money than the cost of a systainer port and, thus, achieve many of the same benefits. One can also stack systainers on the Festool vacuum and move some tools around that away. However, in both these cases, it is necessary to "unstuck" all but the top systainer in order to gain access to a tool. The biggest advantage of a systainer port is that every systainer is readily accessible without unstacking.

In conclusion, the systainer port helps to organize tools and to move them around for ready access. As with all Festool products, it is well designed, well built, and expensive. It is surely a niche item for Festool "addicts" such as myself. I really like mine and will probably, eventually, purchase a second one.

[Phil Winn]

Question, when attaching the wheel assembly, could you remove the wheel's
axle, then put the unit on-then put the wheel and axle back on?
Phil

[Frank Pellow]

The wheel comes without an axel. See the attached photo.

To attach a wheel. first a washer is placed between the bottom of th systainer port and the top of the wheel unit, then a bolt is screwed into a threaded opening in the systainer port from underneath.

[John Petsche]

Great ideas and pics, thanks.

[Alan Lightstone]

I've really liked mine, but can't find a place for a second one. The horror - Festools without a permanent home.

[James Baker SD]

Frank,

what is the long thing in the very front of the picture?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Frank,

what is the long thing in the very front of the picture?
Frank (the OP) last posted here in 2006 & this thread is from 2004 - so - I don't think he's going to answer.

However - I have a sort of educated guess since I happened to have a similar long gray thing in my shop!
I made a case to store the extra rails for my track saw in.
I painted it a sort of Festool gray and one of these days when I get around to it and get the money for it, I'll add some dayglow green strpipes :D.