SetBuilder

I see the whole dual battery thing good for miter saws and table saws, but thats about it. After that you are just adding unnecessary weight. I'm a milwaukee fan boy and I can't see myself ever using a 9.0 battery on a "handheld" tool. I recently ran a cordless Ridgid laminate router with a 4.0 battery and it was just top heavy and was almost as heavy as a Porter Cable 690 with half the power. So it was kind of a pointless cordless tool in my eyes.

I have never had good luck with my diesels and Dodge dealers. When I bought a new one in 97, I took it to the dealer for its first oil and fuel filter change. When I picked it up, I checked the oil and it didn't register on the stick. The mechanic only put 5qts in not knowing it took 3gallons. They said the fuel filter was in the tank, so I pointed to the big canister on the side of the motor containing the fuel filter and said "what is that"? It was the first diesel the mechanic ever opened the hood on. A few months ago I took my truck to the Dealer because I was having an issue passing smog. One of the computer monitors kept coming up saying "Misfire monitor not ready" Which is a known issue with 04 / 05 dodge cummins trucks. Dealer said code was coming up for fan clutch. Its a funky fan clutch controlled by the computer. Even if I replaced it myself I would need computer flashed. $1200.00 later I still have the same issue. I took it to a state referee center and it passed smog fine.... They said its a federal truck not a CA truck so it only has to meet federal smog regulations not CA regulations. The technical bulletins say to ignore "Misfire monitor not ready" issue. So how come the dealer did not know this?

This was taken from the FOG forum comparing the Maffel track saw to Festool: "There is only ONE feature about the MT55 that SOME users MAY need, but can't get---the riving knife. Apparently, it's very difficult to get permission in Germany ( or the EU) to even make a saw WITHOUT a riving knife... but Mafell jumped through those legal hoops to make it happen. WHY? Because they know the riving knife on a small circular saw is USUALLY superfluous. The only time we really need that riving knife is when we rip solid timber, especially if it is not properly dried. You'll note that ALL the BIG timber-framing saws Mafell makes DO have riving knives for that reason. The Makita also has no riving knife. Since I use that at home for plywood or KD only, I have only had one instance of kickback, and that was because the tracks were dusty and I didn’t use the clamps. Keep clean tracks and use clamps, you’ll never have a kickback with plywood or engineered lumber. So long as we are cutting sheet goods or good dry solid lumber, you don't need a riving knife. As soon as we start cutting BIG TIMBERS, or wet wood, then that riving knife is a good thing!Therefore, If I was doing timber framing anymore, I'd go with the Festool TS75 ( at the bare minimum) or one of the other Mafell LARGE saws with riving knives."

Thanks its a nice looking knife. I have been carrying a Benchmade for years now. I feel lost when I don't have it with me.

I have 3 2.0 and 4 5.0 batteries in my box at work. My impacts only see 2.0 batteries to keep the weight down as we use them constantly and since I'm in a shop its no big deal to have a charger handy. The bigger batteries I use on my circular saw, sawzall. grinder, or drill. At home I have 1 2.0 and 2 4.0s.

Who makes the knife in the top pic?

Define big...

Before I purchased the Dust Right hose kit, I used a pool filter hose to connect my sander to the shop vac. I just made my own adapters. The dust right kit is a nice set up though.

I bought the 16gal when the on/off switch broke on my old Ridgid shop vac at about 13 years. Ridgid sent me a switch for free.

Its ok, not great. It fills up pretty quick as the fill line is about 2/3rds of the way up. if it goes past that, the shop vac begins to fill up. I got it one sale, if I had to do it again I would just try and make one.

I just use a Ridgid shop vac through a Dust Right separator for my Table saw and Jointer. http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-16-Gal-6-5-Peak-HP-Wet-Dry-Vac-WD1851/100638360 http://www.rockler.com/dust-right-dust-separator and I have a Dust Right hose kit to hook my sanders up to the shop vac. http://www.rockler.com/dust-right-universal-small-port-hose-kit With routers and chop saws I just let the dust fly...

My buddy purchased the soft impact. He and I put in a few screws with it then it sat in his box as he was stuck in the office designing builds. He told me something was wrong and was sending it back, we will see if the new one is different or not. I have a Surge so I am familiar with how it operates.

Well now we know why it was so quiet. There is something wrong with the gun When he tried to drive bigger lags the gun would just stop and it never made an impact sound. He will be turning it through Amazon and buy another one at HD.

With certain tools I would stick with cords over batteries especially if you are not a pro user. A lot of my corded circular saws, drills, sawzalls, routers, miter saws etc are over 15 years old. Most battery platforms will change in that time frame. So I would not want to be stuck with an unusable tool or searching for usable batteries to keep my tools working. When I have a lot of cuts to make with a festool track saw I just tape the cord to the vacuum hose to keep it at bay. The hose cord combo would be nice but that is a pricy option. One of the things I love about festool is the ability to use the same cord with all their tools. I wish their was a standard between manufacturers, but that will never happen. I do not own a track saw but we have a Festool track saw at work that I use often, and love it. Sometimes the extra weight of the battery negates the pluses IMO. I recently ran a Ridgid Cordless laminate router and was not thrilled with it. With a 4 amp battery on it, it felt top heavy and was about as heavy as a PC 690. It was nice not having to worry about a cord, but meh... I have the same router in the corded version and prefer that one.

Thanks, that's exactly how I was doing it. Trial and error lead me there.

What are the advantages of the 700?

I have a bunch of boxes to make out of Baltic Birch plywood and they are to have no nails, staples or screws in them. So I have been using the Domino machine. Yesterday and today have been my first time using it. Very user friendly tool and the learning curve is not too bad. One question I have is is there a simpler may to add dominoes mid board? I'm kept making plunges on a line and figured out some reference points, but its kind of a pain doing it free hand with out a guide. Its working fine, but it seems there must be a simper way. Does my question make sense?

A buddy of mine just picked this up. I'm really not sure what to make yet... I drove in about 6 2in drywall screws into a bunch of stacked 1 x3s. I never heard it "impact" It just drive them in like I was using a drill. It was kind of weird as depending on the setting it would just stop when the torque was met. It is a sweet gun compared to a regular 1/4 in impact gun. It id definitely quieter that the Milwaukee Surge.

Thanks Rich I appreciate the info. I'll have to go through his videos when I get some time.

I guess this is what happens when you work an 82 hour week followed by an 86 hour week... I went to take close up pics of the blade to send to the manufacturer and I realized it was a wood blade, not an aluminum cutting blade. My apologies...

The OSH store near me has really upped their game regarding tools since they renovated. I picked up this set of Irwin chisels on sale for 19.10. The Rockler down the street wants 19.99 for just one. I may have to go back and buy more

I'm also considering putting a small Rolair or Senco compressor into the 22 in cart box.

My next little side project is to make an organizer to fit into the 22in Ridgid box similar to the festool version.

I started this thread about a month before you I agree they should make the system more compatible with their own products.

Rich I know next to nothing about hand planes. If I was going to purchase my first hand plane what would you suggest, or do you know of a hand plane 101 buyers guide? Thanks