Podcast – Stu's Shed

This is the AGP 125, in the Protool range, as seen at the Festool Media event.

Never really felt any real interest in working with concrete/tile etc, or owning a tool capable of doing so….until now that is.

This tool has two setups – a shrouding for cutting, and a second for grinding/smoothing. Both lend two significant advantages: dust control and operation control.

Tile/Concrete Cutter

For cutting/grout-line grinding etc, the tool is held on a sled that can also engage the Festool/Protool rails and controls the depth-of-cut.  The orange-shield can be flicked open during grinding to see the end of the blade so you can stop right on a point when needed.  The orange shield is just that – extra shielding, and improves the dust collection.  The dust control doesn’t need much discussion – you cut, and the dust goes away.  What is normally a very dusty operation (dry cutting) is instead rendered dust-free.  The use of the Autoclean Vac is a particularly good idea – the amount of concrete dust the system collects would completely block a filter with a thick crust very quickly.

Dust-Free Concrete Cutting

From this angle, you can see the grinder component, and that the guide/shield is an attachment.

Blades

Some of the blades available – check out the kerf on the bottom one!

Grinding the Groutline

It will cut pretty straight when used hand-held, or dead straight when used with the Festool/Protool rail.

The Big Brother

And if you need more than the standard unit, there is also a big brother on its way.

Polisher

If you’ve finished with cutting, perhaps a polished finish would be in order.  Once again dust free, and where it comes to control, the last thing you want is the edge of the surface grinding blade digging into the surface. (The equivalent of a belt sander doing damage if not controlled properly.)

Surface Treatment

Other than the powerful surface polisher blade visible here, there is the disk around the outside that can be set to a specific height to prevent edge dig-ins. Just inside that ring is a ring of brushes to control dust leak.

Real Smooth Shave

Grinding, polishing dust free – sounds like the way to do these jobs!

Festool Grinder

SSYTC041 The Angle Grinder Grows Up

If I had one of these, I’d have a very smooth/shiny shed floor!!

Jumping straight into the demos, the first item we looked at was the new Autoclean Cleantex.  Looking very much like the CT36 with the extra dimension that it can put itself through a filter cleaning cycle.

The Autoclean (with superflex hose)

Demoing the Machine

The cleaning cycle can be dialed in so it happens at a frequency that suits the job being done.  If doing a lot of heavy sanding of a powdery surface, you want a very frequent cleaning cycle, and it can become as infrequent as once every 2 1/2 minutes, or off altogether.

Festool Autoclean

SSYTC040 Well that sucks

The cleaning cycle does disrupt the suction, but it is very quick so it is not an issue.  There are a couple of parts to the cleaning.  The airflow is momentarily reversed to blow through the filter, and at the same time there is a valve that literally thumps directly above the filter.

That is the theory – in practice I almost jumped out of my skin the first time the cleaning cycle activated! It is surprisingly violent (although it makes sense when you normally see a filter covered in caked plaster, MDF dust etc, just how hard it would be to get it off by being gentle). Given the airflow does reverse, it is more effective if the air doesn’t flow back up the tube, and as such there is a manually operated valve that can be attached to the front of the vac, so at the end of a dusty session, you can close the valve then activate the cleaning cycle to leave the vac ready to go the next time.

The first time I saw it activate, the vac had the new super-flexible hose that Festool have also just released, and seeing it jump significantly when the cleaning cycle hit is probably what added to the surprise just how violent the cycle is!  I am very curious just how much wear and tear it places on the machine and the components.  The filter is unique to the Autoclean as well – very flexible to get the maximum benefit from the heavy thump the Autoclean cycle imparts.

Flexible Filter

I did come away with two thoughts: first, the autoclean is impressive for those that need it – especially those doing sanding of plaster for example, and second, when I heard there was an Autoclean version (and not that long after I got the CT36), I thought it was a shame to miss out on that. Not any more – I don’t need that sort of self-cleaning vac for the work that happens in my workshop.  The CT36, which is still one of the very latest models, is still my ideal solution.  If I was doing concrete grinding or cutting, plaster work etc, then sure – the Autoclean would be invaluable.

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Episode 79 Wagon Wheel Manufacture

Stusshed-SSYTC028Episode028SlabMaster378

Hmm – perhaps I should put one in my backyard and really demonstrate what it can do!  All it needs is a slabbing capability, and we would be rockin’!

Depth-of-Cut

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Episode 78 Using the Copy Attachment

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Episode 76 Resawing for Hidden Treasures

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Episode 75 Wood River Spokeshave

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Episode 74 Flai U Blade

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Episode 73 Crosscutting on the TWC

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Episode 72 Feel the Burn