Kidding aside, the box contained the Festool WCR-1000 workcenter. This little diddy fits on top of your dust extractor and gives you a platform for stuff. It has peg-board-like surfaces for more stuff. It has a shelf for (wait for it...) stuff. It has dual sander hooks for stu... er, sanders. It has a drill hook for your drill.
In this video playlist, I unbox and assemble. I show off some of the build details of the WCR-1000 as well as some considerations for installation (and there are some!) If you plan on getting this for an older model dust extractor, I think you should watch this clip first. It won't detract you from the WCR-1000, but at least you'll know a couple installation options.
The final part of the video playlist is a tour of my installation, which is much different than the one shown in the promo videos. I also go through some nice uses. I haven't used this at all yet -- I just got it! -- so this is definitely a preview. Give me a month or so for a more detailed review.
Keep an eye, too, on the 'WCR-1000' label on the sidebar of my blog. I fully expect it to start filling up with blog postings with more ideas you can apply to yours.
Popcorn? Okay, hit it...
Naturally, I like woodworking as a hobby, but an ice hockey tournament will easily get me out of the shop :)
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Nice Preview Paul, been watching videos for while, nicely done and informative. One burning question...
Am I just seeing things or is there a Canadian connection here; Labbat Blue, Veritas planes, Alberta licence plate, hockey...
Being a Canuck it's hard to miss, but keep up the good work.
John
I've been rooted out!
I'm from a Canadian family but popped out in California. I think the latest WCR-1000 video will make it clearer :)
To funny! Now I know I wasn't just seeing things. I think you might have topped the "One Time Mug" video with the latest WCR-1000 video!
Cheers
John
I liked this review and many other videos you have posted. What is the cover I see protecting the surface of your Sawstop as you unpack your WCR 1000?
I also remember seeing a Peruvian T-Shirt in one video. I loved a beautiful house we stayed in in Urubamba which had nice woodwork throughout. We made a 15 day trip squeezing in Macchu Picchu and Cuzco, Lake Titicaca and Tiwanaku (Bolivia) and an Amazon River jungle lodge. I think the only way to take in Peru would be to move there for a few years! I also lived in Quebec for a year but never saw a hockey game. I do love sirop d'erable though.
Cal
Hi, Cal,
What's on the SawStop is just a black moving blanket. Since I pile things up there sometimes, I wanted them on a blanket plus, surprising as it may seem from the desert, sometimes we get rain, I don't know it, I open the door, and water drips through the door segments onto the saw (yes, happened a few times!) so this was my solution of sorts.
Ooh, you had a good Péruvian vacation. So weird, I found a forgotten box of pictures from Péru last night, then got your comment, then talked to another friend about Péru tonight. Always in threes, I tell ya. We went for 3 weeks with Gap Adventures and did about the same locations as you. All the stops were so different. Lima to Cuzco to Arequipa to the jungle... all so different. And a different latin culture than many other countries down there.
Thanks, now I want to go back ;)
Paul,
If you had to pick one, which would you choose, the boom arm set or the work center? It looks like you can suspend the hose fairly well from a hook on the Wcr but what do you think?
That's a good question, Garnet...
You are correct that you could hang the hose from a hook on the WCR, but it would be pretty low. The boom arm is about 7' in the air and swings over you.
My WCR has a tape measure, pencils, and some bits on the swing out tray; two drills on the drill holder, and a set of hand sanding blocks on the shelf.
If you've seen more recent videos, you'll see that I have a 5-drawer Sortainer from Tanos on the CT-22 with the WCR mounted on that using the "landing pad" I talked about in my video (that pad has always been super useful). In the Sortainer drawers are pliers, drill bits, drivers, contour sanding pads, Centrotec chucks, digital caliper, and some Domino accessories. It is amazingly useful as well as getting the landing pad to a nice height (I used to store it on a Sys-4 Installers Cleaning Kit) and also boosting the WCR to a more useful height.
If I had to let someone take one away (boom arm kit or WCR), the decision would take a second: take the WCR. It is very useful, but is a luxury. The boom arm could be considered a luxury, too, but once you use it, you realize how much hassle it removes from hose management. Without the WCR, I'd still have 5-drawer Sortainer and the landing pad that has been there since day 1 of getting the CT-22. The boom arm set comes with a "sander hanger" where the drills could hang (I only need 1 handy, but have room for 2 on the WCR...) The bits, tape, and pencil would simply move to one of the Sortainer drawers. The Domino accessories aren't used that often; they could go on a shelf and put the hand sanding pads in that drawer. Done.
The WCR is a "nice to have". The boom arm kit looks like a nice-to-have until you use it a lot then you find it eliminates a lot of hose frustration.
Paul,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply (as usual). It sounds like you think they both perform needed functions but the boom arm cannot be replicated while there are other ways to achieve the benefits of storage, organization and transportation supplied by the WCR. I wonder what Brice would say. Thank you Paul.