Don
01-20-2009, 05:05 PM
Okay, Guys (and gals) have you bought your oscillating tool yet?
A bit of history on this. Fein has held the original patent on these for the last 20+ years and their patent ran out last September I think. Many of the major tool manufacturers, Porter Cable, Bosch, Dremel, Chicago Tools, etc. positioned themselves to have a tool available when that happened.
The Fein tool was a beautiful thing, but the price was nuts, over $400. You may have seen their last ditch efforts at selling them to civilians on TV. They are an amazing tool and it's the standard by which all others are judged. But now that everyone is onboard and selling them the prices of competitors products is more inline with a reasonable price. Complete kits can be had from makers like Bosch for $150+, Dremel kits around $100 and you can get a good machine from Harbor Freight for as low as $49 on sale. I've already verified that tooling from Dremel will fit the Chicago piece so that leads me to believe that most of it might cross over different brands.
For those that don't know about these tools, they work in a similar manner to a cast saw. The saws look like the circular blade rotates but they don't. They actually "oscillate" back and forth about 3 degrees, but extremely fast. This means that they won't cut soft objects (flesh) but will cut through rigid material just fine.
So, what can you do with one. The TV will show you using it for solving all manner of household issues, and you can use it in many places. But for the woodworker, you will use it anytime you need to make a completely blind cut, i.e. you need to cut door casing off (in place) to allow for new flooring. Or make an access hole for electrical in an awkward position. The uses are endless, but you won't use it in place of most of your other power tools, only in special situations. Plus, they're simply just fun to use.
I bought mine, (Chicago brand) placed the small end saw on it and expertly removed an heavy bead of expanded foam from a joint in the new addition. As you may know, this stuff simply does not cut cleanly with a razor knife or anything else. The resulting cut looked like a laser and was ready for a coat of house paint immediately.
I'm glad the patent finally ran out and made these available for cheap. Its a tool you will most likely want to have, but like a sawzall, when you need it you need it. Most other times it will sit in its case waiting patiently.
http://www.internetcp.com/gallery/data/503/Chicago.JPG http://www.internetcp.com/gallery/data/503/Rockwell.jpg http://www.internetcp.com/gallery/data/503/Bosch.jpg http://www.internetcp.com/gallery/data/503/Dremel.jpg
Check them out or tell us your thought and story with these.
All the best, Don
A bit of history on this. Fein has held the original patent on these for the last 20+ years and their patent ran out last September I think. Many of the major tool manufacturers, Porter Cable, Bosch, Dremel, Chicago Tools, etc. positioned themselves to have a tool available when that happened.
The Fein tool was a beautiful thing, but the price was nuts, over $400. You may have seen their last ditch efforts at selling them to civilians on TV. They are an amazing tool and it's the standard by which all others are judged. But now that everyone is onboard and selling them the prices of competitors products is more inline with a reasonable price. Complete kits can be had from makers like Bosch for $150+, Dremel kits around $100 and you can get a good machine from Harbor Freight for as low as $49 on sale. I've already verified that tooling from Dremel will fit the Chicago piece so that leads me to believe that most of it might cross over different brands.
For those that don't know about these tools, they work in a similar manner to a cast saw. The saws look like the circular blade rotates but they don't. They actually "oscillate" back and forth about 3 degrees, but extremely fast. This means that they won't cut soft objects (flesh) but will cut through rigid material just fine.
So, what can you do with one. The TV will show you using it for solving all manner of household issues, and you can use it in many places. But for the woodworker, you will use it anytime you need to make a completely blind cut, i.e. you need to cut door casing off (in place) to allow for new flooring. Or make an access hole for electrical in an awkward position. The uses are endless, but you won't use it in place of most of your other power tools, only in special situations. Plus, they're simply just fun to use.
I bought mine, (Chicago brand) placed the small end saw on it and expertly removed an heavy bead of expanded foam from a joint in the new addition. As you may know, this stuff simply does not cut cleanly with a razor knife or anything else. The resulting cut looked like a laser and was ready for a coat of house paint immediately.
I'm glad the patent finally ran out and made these available for cheap. Its a tool you will most likely want to have, but like a sawzall, when you need it you need it. Most other times it will sit in its case waiting patiently.
http://www.internetcp.com/gallery/data/503/Chicago.JPG http://www.internetcp.com/gallery/data/503/Rockwell.jpg http://www.internetcp.com/gallery/data/503/Bosch.jpg http://www.internetcp.com/gallery/data/503/Dremel.jpg
Check them out or tell us your thought and story with these.
All the best, Don