Lamello Zeta P2 system

[Richard Coers]

Anyone have one of these? First I was impressed with the mechanics of the machine and then impressed with the connectors that don't require clamping while the glue sets. Of course money will be a big part of the discussion.
https://www.csaw.com/lamello-zeta-p2/#professional

[Scott Bernstein]

I am a hobby woodworker and purchased one about 3 years ago. I also have a Festool Domino. In my estimation - and others may differ - the Domino is very well suited to dimensional lumber and the Lamello system excels at flat stock. They are of course adaptable and either could be used in one or the other scenario, but I use my Lamello primarily for flat stock. It is, as you would expect, a very high-quality and well built machine. The dust collection is excellent. I used the knockdown connectors (Clamex) for a large freestanding wardrobe build - primarily to so I could carry it up to it's permanent location one piece at a time. This was my first use of the tool and I found easy to use. For my kitchen cabinet project, which I completed about 6 months ago I used the Tenso self-locking connectors. I wanted to use solid Birch for the edge banding of my Baltic Birch plywood cabinet boxes. The edge banding was to be 1" wide. Each strip of edge banding was connected with glue and self-clamping Tenso connectors. The edge banding came together great with even squeeze-out and no visible gaps. Once the connectors snapped together I just wiped off the excess glue and moved onto the next one - did not have to bother with normal clamps and getting things lined up - the Lamello connectors took care of this for me. Definitely saved me hours and hours of time. So...if you don't mind the money it is very useful. For me, it was worth it.

[John Pendery]

I’ve had one for a little over a year. I think of it as a specialized tool, but when you need it I haven’t found a better solution (a more convenient solution might be a better way to put it). For certain shop built millwork and cabinetry destined for a field/job site installation I have found it well worth it. The tenso connectors don’t bring two pieces together with quite as much pressure as I wish, but they work. The clamex connectors offer quite a bit more clamping pressure. It’s a very well thought out system of great quality, but I don’t know if it is a tool that has mass appeal and utility. If you want to make anything that breaks down and can be flat packed it’s a no brainer.

[Jim Becker]

Keith Johnson Woodworking on YouTube and instagram has made good use of this system, sometimes even alongside of Domino and other methods so that the best joinery method for the specific task in a project gets employed.

[Bryan Hall]

I have one and very quickly found it to be irreplaceable for my work. Spencer Lewis of Insider Carpentry on YouTube has done a few projects/tests with it recently to show its strengths and utility. He’s similar to me in the sense that we both haven’t found much utility for the domino but saw the lamello as an excellent addition to the tool kit.

I just picked up 1000 clamex and 1000 tenso connectors. I think I paid around $2250 for them together, so be aware of the additional costs.

[Jonathan Jung]

I have one and very quickly found it to be irreplaceable for my work. Spencer Lewis of Insider Carpentry on YouTube has done a few projects/tests with it recently to show its strengths and utility. He’s similar to me in the sense that we both haven’t found much utility for the domino but saw the lamello as an excellent addition to the tool kit.

I just picked up 1000 clamex and 1000 tenso connectors. I think I paid around $2250 for them together, so be aware of the additional costs.

Bryan, where are you using the clamex and where are you using the tenso?

[Bryan Hall]

Bryan, where are you using the clamex and where are you using the tenso?

I like the tenso for face frames, vertical supports, and I'm playing with them in situations where I'd like to allow for wood movement (you can shift boards side to side if you don't glue them with the tenso). I never use the "pre-load" clips, am a little surprised that people advocate them. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing, but the added time and cost seems silly to make it slightly easier to snap on. I've had no issues clipping things together.

The clamex is nice for splicing plywood together for longer sheets as well as for knockdown assemblies that can quickly be re-assembled with glue at the clients home. I also trust it more for stability points (hinge side of face frames) but haven't had the tenso fail anywhere yet.

I just built this project (not fully oiled yet) and was excessive by going full lamello joinery, but I wanted to test it out and see how it worked in a variety of situations. I was quite pleased with it.

500186

[David Zaret]

i have had one for years, and it's indispensable in my shop. i use it on nearly every project i do. there are a few places where it really shines - long miters are trivial with the zeta, and providing onsite side panels that require scribing. wrapping columns, mitered joints, island ends... it's a fantastic tool.

[Jonathan Jung]

I like the tenso for face frames, vertical supports, and I'm playing with them in situations where I'd like to allow for wood movement (you can shift boards side to side if you don't glue them with the tenso). I never use the "pre-load" clips, am a little surprised that people advocate them. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing, but the added time and cost seems silly to make it slightly easier to snap on. I've had no issues clipping things together.

The clamex is nice for splicing plywood together for longer sheets as well as for knockdown assemblies that can quickly be re-assembled with glue at the clients home. I also trust it more for stability points (hinge side of face frames) but haven't had the tenso fail anywhere yet.

I just built this project (not fully oiled yet) and was excessive by going full lamello joinery, but I wanted to test it out and see how it worked in a variety of situations. I was quite pleased with it.

500186

Cool, that's good feedback. thank you