I haven’t been blogging much lately. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that my favorite blogs are about the results of research or a project I am working on. Late last year, I sort of took off my history hat and put on my engineering hat to work on the design of new tools. Right now I have a desk full of 3D printed models, factory quotes, back-of-the-envelope sketches and ideas, along with a huge learning curve with technologies that we are pushing to the limit. I just wasted an hour looking in vain for a book that would really help me design some detail but I can’t find it. So I haven’t spent nearly as much time in the library as I would like, and I have a ton of half-baked articles just sitting around.
The second thing is that I am spending more time than ever with customers. This is a good thing. I like our customers. But chewing the fat with them, answering their very good questions and so on means I haven’t been writing much.
I have been preparing for a visit to the North Jersey Woodworkers Association this coming Monday (March 16). I have demos to organize, a presentation to outline, and door prizes to remember to pack. North Jersey Woodworkers Association is a great club, very worthwhile to join if you’re in the area.
This visit conveniently comes just after Festool Fest on Friday and Saturday.
Festool Fest is an event we like to hold in our Brooklyn showroom twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, that gives our customers a chance to check out new Festool tools and get their questions answered by Festool staff. It’s also an opportunity to snack and get some Festool swag. The seeds for Festool Fest were planted when we hosted the Festool Roadshow a few years ago. Festool isn’t bringing the Roadshow to NYC anymore, so we continued with our own version. Just about the only thing missing is the Festool truck - we have the staff (both Festool staff and our own Festool-using professional woodworker experts), the demos, the expertise, the swag, the snacks, etc. of the Roadshow.
A couple of things make the Fest very timely now.
First, Festool prices are going up on April 1st. If you’re considering buying, don’t dither (unless you enjoy paying more). If you’re in the NY area, come and see the tools in action. If you’re not, use the Fest as an opportunity to consider your purchase. Remember, Festool costs the same no matter where you buy it, so you don’t save any money by buying without expertise. And delivery of Festool purchases is free when your Festool items are over $50 -- and we typically let your other purchases ride along for free. Finally, depending upon your location, delivery will likely be faster or as fast as from other websites.
Next, Festool has some exciting new products and deals.
Festool has announced its most affordable vacuum, the new CT 15. The CT 15 can be used for dust, dirt and water clean-up and shares Festool’s valuable standards for its vacs: auto-start tool-triggered activation, full HEPA unit certification, variable suction, touch control panel and 36 month warranty for all its vacs. The vac, which retails for $349, is now available for pre-ordering and will ship on April 1st. If you’re asking, “Why so cheap (by Festool standards, anyway)? What’s missing?” The main differences between the CT 15 and other CT vacs is that the 15 doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity -- and you can’t add it on or retrofit the capacity. Also, its design doesn’t allow systainers to be stacked on top. These are not deal killers for most people and Festool expects the CT 15 to be very popular.
Festool is also offering a great package deal targeted to customers who want a Kapex mitre saw complete with stand but have been dissuaded by the price. Also shipping April 1st is a money-saving combo deal on the saw with stand-with-extension wings. This special deal offers a savings of $440 - a tidy sum that makes it easier to justify the purchase of a superior tool.
Finally, you’ll get the inside scoop on Festool’s Mobile Sawing Table that allows you to cut sheet goods as a one-person operation. The table also lets you easily set up an assembly bench where you need it - at the job site or in your workshop. The table will be available for delivery on October 1st as a one-time purchase only. You must have your order placed by the first week of April so we can get our one-time order in. (In other words, ya snooze, ya lose.)
This product is available for pickup in-store only; we cannot ship it. We do not have a display model in our showroom - I don’t think there are any in the US yet. But word of mouth has been great. It’s on wheels, folds up small but opens big and is easy for one person to set up and get working. Check it out if you think it could work for you. While the advantages of the mobile table are pretty obvious for anyone working on site I think the table is also a perfect solution for someone who has a shop but not a lot of space for sawing full boards. Setting up horses and a platform for sawing up large panels is time consuming and the makes you want to put it off. With this tgizmo on wheels you can keep it folded up in your garage and roll it out and set up instantly to get your boards safely and quickly cut. It's a real stress reducer.
See the Mobile Sawing Table in action here:
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