Popular Woodworking 2005-04 № 147, страница 63
A chip collection hood that snaps into the base of the router connects the tool with Festool's dust collectors. Turning on the router activates the vacuum. The dust collector is quiet and moderately effective when used with the routers. r \ Uniformly sized storage containers reduce clutter and keep easy-to-lose parts in one place. Containers snap together, making it easy to move several tools at once. 55"-long rail, a carbide-tipped blade and a case. That makes it about twice as expensive as any professional quality 71/4" circular saw now on the market. The larger capacity Festool saw is an additional $110. A 2,700mm guide rail, which you'll need to rip full-sized sheets of plywood, costs $167. Price tags on the rest of the Festool line are equally eye-popping. Nor are these tools a realistic substitute for all of your stationary power tools. You'll still need a j ointer and thicknes s planer for milling solid material, for example. And although some users have found a way to make Festool's tool line take the place of a table saw, I'm not ready to give up mine just yet. One final gripe: the instruction manuals that come with some of the more complicated accesso- ries. Reading them several times may not really explain what you're looking at. More illustrations and reader-friendly text would help. Quibbles aside, and assuming you're willing to invest in improved shop efficiency, these tools are a real departure from what you're used to. Someone at Festool has been thinking about the particular needs of cabinetmakers, especially those who work in smaller shops. The tools also will shine for the person who work s on a j ob site, away from the convenience of a shop. There, these tools will perform as nicely as all that cast iron you left at home. PW CORDLESS DRILLS WITH QUICK-CHANGE CHUCKS Festool makes two cordless drills, the conventional-looking TDK (in 12- and 15.6-volt models) and the more unusual CDD 12. Both use an innovative chuck system that is head and shoulders above anything else I've seen. The standard keyless chuck can be loosened and tightened with one hand, and removed from the tool in seconds by sliding back a spring-loaded collar. It can be replaced with either a right-angle chuck, which can be locked in one of a number of positions, or Cordless drills come in two styles. The ergonomics are different but both use an innovative chuck system. an eccentric (off-center) chuck for drilling or driving screws straight into a corner without marring the work. Yet another quick-change chuck, the Centrotec, is for hex-drive drill bits. Although the chuck system is versatile, a standard hex-drive bit also can be inserted directly into the drill without using a chuck at all. This reduces the overall length of the CDD 12 to less than 7". I didn'tappreciatethat feature until I had to install drawer slides in an opening that was only 73/4" wide and 22" deep. I was able to drive screws all the way at the back of the drawer opening with the drill, saving what would have been the cumbersome task of using a gimlet or awl to start the holes and a hand-held screwdriver to drive the screws. The CDD comes with two 12-volt nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, a Centrotec chuck and a straight chuck ($325). The 12-volt TDK model costs $325, the 15.6-volt model $375. Accessory chucks are $73 each. Although versatile and compact, the CDD felt out of balance to me, probably because of its unusually shaped handle and weight distribution. I found the familiar T-handle drill, the TDK, better balanced. But with either one, the chuck system makes the tool. - SG Interchangeable chucks made the drills more versatile than standard cordless drills. Choices include eccentric and right-angle chucks, as well as a quick-change chuck for hex-shaped drivers. A hex driver can be inserted directly into the drill's drive mechanism, allowing the drill to squeeze into very small spaces. popwood.com 61 |
