May the Force be with you

While I may now ply trade by tapping away at a keyboard, and the biggest physical challenge I face daily is negotiating the terror of the tea round, times used to be different. My misty memory recalls a fit and strong 17 year old setting out on his gap year to live with my big brother Nick in the wilds of Scotland and help him as slave labour for his new carpentry and house renovation business Chameleon Wood-works. While I did almost every job conceivable, my core occupation was laying and sanding solid oak floors.  What stands out crystal clear is the anguish and intense frustration I had every time the bog standard orbital power sander I was using went up in smoke, our internet-bought chop saw ripped up yet another board edge, or the batteries on my cordless drill ran out after a couple of hours.

On my first job in the town of Linlithgow we made no less than three trips out to the local power tools wholesaler in the same number of weeks to cash in guarantees. But after being confronted with yet another smouldering wreck of a sander on a critical deadline and batteries that refused to hold a charge for more than an hour after just a few weeks work, we decided something had to be done.

We scoured the trade journals and online reviews and decided we would invest once and for all in a new arsenal of power tools that would simply do the job they were designed for. The results were a complete epiphany for Nick, who had been just using and replacing cheap power tools for his then 20 year career in joinery, shop fitting, and furniture making. And ten months down the line we were using the same power tools without issue. They key was that the tools actually lived up to the title of ‘power tools’ and did their jobs precisely, cleanly, and productively, while making my life as building site skivvy a far less painful experience. The result was that as a company we got the job done more professionally and quickly, without all those workarounds and bodges due to failed equipment that many trade professionals just resign themselves too. And giving Nick a bell to check, he is using the same equipment with just one battery replacement and the one free manufacturers’ service ten years later.

Powering through

One of the oldest and best regarded names in the power tools sector is Festool, which was founded by Gottlieb Stoll and Albert Fezer in 1925 under the name Fezer and Stoll to manufacture woodworking machinery. The company would go on to invent the first portable chainsaw, orbital sander, portable circular saw with a guide rail, and a number of other power tool systems.



“The idea from the beginning was to produce portable power tools that did the job they were designed for and aimed at a section of the market that use them every day and realise the long-term economy of quality,” says Philip Beckley, technical trainer UK, Festool.


He continues: “One of the other key innovations came with joining a sander to an extractor in 1952. This meant you had the perfect working machine setup in a system where you extracted the waste, you improved the quality of the surface finish, but you also protected the sander and your own working health.

O Factoid: An average non-tradesman UK power tool owner uses his equipment for no more than eight minutes a year (Source B and Q). O

“The argument for investing top quality tools is simply that the higher investment will pay back in terms of vastly improved reliability, short-term efficiency gains through performance, and thus together much better productivity in the long-term.”



Beckley is also keen to explain that high-quality power tools will see you will spend far less time doing re-working, as you can go straight from the finished cut. A good illustration is the Festool TS55 circular saw, which can work with planks or laminated boards and, according to Beckley, really does give a cut you can use without any other finishing.



“If you then add extraction cap-ability to your power tools such as sanders, saws, and jigsaws, you are saving a lot of time at the end of the job in clean up, and further increases productivity and reduces overall turnarounds,” says Beckley.


 
This latter point is a key competitive cornerstone for Festool, as despite its almost mythic reputation for build quality, it really accelerates away when it comes to extracting waste. Any sign-maker will know the repeated hassle of having to clean up one job before starting another, so just imagine how productive you could be if there was no downtime to carry out this chore. Festool also offer a three year standard warranty, and the option of insurance which will replace the tools with their latest version if they fail or are stolen.



A tricky balance

Coming back to this point about buying ‘the right tool for the job’, it is far trickier than I ever imagined. One company that has dedicated a core part of its product and services offering to this conundrum is Force Sign Making Supplies. Listening to the company’s sales director John Cornwell, he agrees with Beckley whole heartedly: “If it looks too good to be true second hand and sold as seen, then steer a wide birth from it. It really is a false economy. You really have got to bite the bullet, speak to your distributor and even negotiate paying the cost of the tools back over a number of payments.”


Cornwell has more than 20 years’ experience in the power tools sector and is a qualified engineer and has extensive knowledge around electronics, hydraulics, and mechanical design. With that under his belt, he tells an all too common story that have seen customers turn away from buying budget bargains and invest for the future: “The guys get to site, the access equipment is on a day’s hire, and then when they are up at height to put the letters on a wall something goes wrong with their tools and the job can’t continue. The result is often a massive cost implication for the project.”

Workshop tales

Festool’s Beckley cut his teeth as an apprentice carpenter, before moving on to start his own cabinet making and joinery business and then being recruited by Festool. A key labour process was cutting on a circular saw and then finishing boards using a spindle. Looking back across the years, he has some firm regrets when it comes to his choice of kit: “The amount of labour time it took to do that process was ridiculous. And when I had my own business, if I had looked further forward in terms of paying more for my tools, then I really would have achieved a lot more.”



That very fact is at the core of Festool’s offering, as the company wants to get people to think about how they work and where the company’s technology can provide productivity, efficiency, and quality gains—much in the same way major manufacturers of automated machinery like wide-format printers and CNC flatbed routers do.
Beckley continues; “I am a ‘woody’ through and through, and as I was in the trade for 25 years it means that I can use my background to explain the value of looking further forward and how to avoid running into the same problems I did.”



This is very much the philosophy of Force’s Cornwell: “We supply sign-makers on a daily basis, and our experience is a real advantage. Knowledge is power, and we can always recommend the right tool for what it will be used for.



“You don’t necessarily need to buy the most expensive power tools on the market, but you should buy a robust and well-respected technology, use it for what is was designed for, and take care of it.”



Founded in 2009, the company has made its mark by being able to supply sign-makers with everything from LEDs to orbital sanders on a same-day delivery basis. In addition to daily supply work, a key challenge they address is that if you are out on site then the tools or supplies will come out to you, rather than having to down tools and venture out to get them.


Cornwell continues: “I have dealt with off-shore oil and aerospace, and I can put my hand on heart and say that the sign industry is the most demanding sector I have ever come across. The tools will get dragged to some-times three jobs in one day. They are also working across multiple types of media and in often tough outdoor conditions.”



Cornwell also advises that a daily service with an airline, or even a good hoover, to remove particulates—especially with sanders—will prolong the life of tools by years.



Cornwell continues: “In addition to that, just don’t throw your tools down, the shock is not good for the hundreds of small parts or the batteries. I remember one funny case where I got a complaint about the battery life of some DeWalt combidrills. When I went down to the customer I spoke to some of the lads and watched them at work. They were using the face of the battery as a hammer to start off screws and bolts.”

Cleaner profits

Looking back to Festool, dust extraction is a key strength of its technology and an area that any sign-maker should seriously consider—just think how long it takes you to clean up every day and multiply that across the year. Those who own a flatbed cutter or router expect all the dust and waste to be vacuumed off instantly to preserve the quality of the cut, why should your router, jigsaw, circular saw, or sander be any different?



“The main benefits are that if you work in a clean and clear environment, the individual will be more productive. This is because you can concentrate on the work in hand rather than it being obscured by all the dust. The most vital point here though is that you can have extraction technology that suits the dust being produced,” says Beckley.


Another issue that could have a big impact on the productivity and effi-ciency of power tools is the banning of nicad batteries from 2016. Jon Hall, B and Q’s senior buyer, power tools, advises that it will make the switch fully in 2015, and explains the change will see all the top brands move to improve the voltage (v) and endurance in amp hours (ah) of lithium ion batteries to differentiate themselves from entry-level competitors and in-store brands.



This is also a key area that must be considered when buying tools now and in the future. An 18v cordless drill is at the top of the power spectrum, but if it has a 1.3ah rating then it will run down more quickly. Alternatively, a 10v drill has enough punch for most tasks, and if it comes with a 3ah rating then the batteries will last a lot longer. Currently the top specification system sees the cordless products of players such as Festool produce 18v at 4.2ah, providing punch and longevity.

Mega-store equations

Founded in Southampton by Richard Block and David Quail, B and Q started out in 1969 and now has some 360 stores across the UK.  Doing a degree in building before working his way up through the company, Hall heads up B and Q’s ‘brand architecture’ design among a range of duties. One of his clearest pieces of advice to sign-makers looking to invest in new technology echoes that of both Festool’s Beckley and Force’s Cornwell: “If you have the budget spend it. It’s about performance, what you want out of a product, and satisfaction going forward.”

Hall continues: “I love what I do every day, the process of discovering, evaluating, and bringing new technology to market is very rewarding.  Creating the brand architecture is also a very interesting job.”



Hall explains that B and Q’s range starts with its own private label Performance Power brand, soon to be replaced by some of its Mac Allister label. It then moves up to Black and Decker, Ryobi, Bosch, and JCB, before topping out at DeWalt and Makita. At each stage are improvements in power, durability, accessories, and durability.

“Buy cheap and buy twice is a mistake for trade customers,” continues Hall, adding: “The more expensive tools and drills are a classic example. They are built to last and have to undergo much more rigorous testing and perform to much higher levels of criteria. For example, the motors will have more copper rotations, better insulation, and higher quality ball bearings, all applied to give better run time and performance.”

In the know

Hall outlines another key trend, again with battery technology its motivating factor, seeing brands continue development of modular battery systems that allow the purchase to of ‘bare tool’ options. This means you can buy your charger and batteries once, and then by subsequent tools for a lower cost without batteries included.
Hall concludes: “What a sign-maker needs to think about is when they are on site time is always against them. He wants a product that is going to provide reliable performance and longevity, and not one that will see tools have to go down and a trip to the local supplier.

“Tradesmen really need to be looking above our entry-level and private label products, and begin their consideration at brand level. If they were bought by the general consumer they would last a life-time, but because of their heritage and performance tradesmen do buy these products as well. Unfortunately because they are often used in dusty, damp and challenging conditions for several hours a day, then it degrades them more quickly.”

Speaking to Hall, he singles out Makita and DeWalt as key trade products to consider, each with its own good, better, best option. Makita for instance goes from £99 products up to those that use brushless motors and retail for more than £300. This latter level of tool will not only provide bullet-proof reliability, but also give a three year warranty with online registration in case of manufacturing faults.



“You have got to look deeper at the tools you are buying,” concludes Force’s Cornwell, adding: “Compare the volts it generates to the amp hours it will last, and don’t get conned by seemingly good deals on big name brand that looks the business, only to find out it is the bottom of their range in terms of power and battery life. There is unfortunately no way round the fact that if you don’t buy a product that is fit for purpose, it will let you down when you need it most.”

I can testify to those sage words myself. Back to 17-year-old Brendan, I remember all too clearly the details of that final night on the Linlithgow house refurbishment project. It was 10pm and my sander had just gone pop.

With nowhere open and a deadline looming my brother uttered the immortal words, ‘sorry, but this is called a sanding block, and this is called a hand, get going’. Suffice to say we embarked on project ‘quality tool’ the very next day.

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