Festool's new hybrid sanders were being demonstrated and garnere…
Festool's new hybrid sanders were being demonstrated and garnered a lot of attetion. There are three units in the new sander line: a detail sander, a rectangular shaped, and a 5" random orbital, shown here. The units work with an 18V battery OR a cord via the battery-shaped cord connector pack (shown on the sander here). The batteries are a new platform, though they work with existing slide-style chargers.
Festool USA
SawStop has a new router table extension coming out in early 201…
SawStop has a new router table extension coming out in early 2018 that will work with its cast-iron-topped table saws. The router table has an integral router lift and dedicated cabinet to help manage dust. The fence is fussy to get started in the slots on the table top, but all-in-all this appears to be a solid and well-machined addition to the SawStop line. Given the new partnership with Festool, and SawStop's president saying on NPR recently that there are "new tools" coming – we have to assume that a RouterStop is on the horizon. Purely speculation on our part as SawStop noted that there are "no new tools to announce at this time."
Festool USA
We've been seeing this router table in Europe for a long time no…
We've been seeing this router table in Europe for a long time now. It's got some cool features, including a slide table and it's portability (all-aluminum, it's extremely lightweight yet stable). Dust collection is reported to be solid-to-excellent here. It should be for $1750.
Festool USA
We hadn't seen or heard anything about this light until seei…
We hadn't seen or heard anything about this light until seeing it at the evvent. It's about 24" long and has a 16' long cord with integral cord-wrap. The light produces 1500 Lumens at 5000 K. You can hold it in your hand for inspecting drywall and paint finish, or mount it on a tripod using a dedicated tripod accessory. Cost: $300
Sawstop
ToolBoxBuzz (aka a Concord Carpenter) Rob Robillard took the Saw…
ToolBoxBuzz (aka a Concord Carpenter) Rob Robillard took the SawStop jobsite saw for a quick spin. We were both impressed with the set-up and knock-down functionality of the saw's stand, as well as the single-spin motion of the blade-raise and lower. Dave Frane reviewed this saw for us a while back. We're looking into any new features to see if we should review it again.
Festool USA
The Planex EZ Drywall Sander LHS-E 225 EQ was on demonstration a…
The Planex EZ Drywall Sander LHS-E 225 EQ was on demonstration at the event as well. Several of us got to see this in Germany last year, but were embargoed to reveal its arrival in the states until recently. The plug-and-go design is aimed at remodelers and anyone else looking for the functionality of the Planex without the robust features. Cost: $750
Chris Ermides
A hand-held CNC machine from Shaper – another Festool partner (t…
A hand-held CNC machine from Shaper – another Festool partner (the spindal is a Festool-made part). The unit sells for $1899, which sounds like a lot until you see what you can do with it – which is more than can be described here. Look for a larger article and review on this unitl coming soon. For now: the Shaper allows you to cut any image or shape into wood that you can put on a flashdrive. The features on this are incredible – not the least of which is the fact that you can't screw up the pattern because it'll pull the bit up immediately once you "color outside the lines".
Chris Ermides
You've probably never heard of Bott, but you'll likely start see…
You've probably never heard of Bott, but you'll likely start seeing their name more often. They're a German-base company that offers a customizable storage system that you upfit yourself. Here, a Mercedes sprinter van is equipped with systainer …
Last year, a group of us visited the Festool headquarters in Germany, where we were shown a few products that weren’t on the U.S. market yet. Two of those products were at the Festool Connect event this past month, along with 10 demo stations. Most who attended live relatively close-by – and that proximity varies by individual (one guy drove over 10 hours), and several members of the media flew in from around the U.S. and Canada. The big draw was Festool’s new hybrid-powered cordless sanders, and a new router table that has yet to be released here in the U.S. SawStop had an area of the floor as well, which wasn’t surprising given that Festool’s parent company bought SawStop about a month ago. The tool that got the most attention? Hands down, it was the Shaper Tools Origin – a high-tech hand-held CNC machine that we can’t wait to get our hands on to try out. Stay tuned for more on that – for now, flip through the slideshow to learn more.
Before joining Tools of the Trade as an editor, Chris Ermides was a project manager for a custom home builder, a carpenter and remodeler. These days when he’s not writing or editing, he’s testing tools as he renovates his 1850 farmhouse in upstate New York.
