Festool VS-600 Instruction Manual
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Festool VS-600 Instruction Manual

Jointing system
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  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Getting The Most From The Festool VS-600 Jointing System By: Jerry Work Table of Contents Page Anatomy of a Dovetail Joint The desired outcome – a perfect drawer every time How the VS-600 system works A perfect drawer using half blind dovetail joints...

  • Page 3: Anatomy Of A Dovetail Joint

    Getting The Most From The Festool VS-600 Jointing System By: Jerry Work Few things in woodworking invoke the image of quality more than well cut dovetails joining the sides of a drawer, box or cabinet. For thousands of years this simple, elegant joint has been employed by the finest craftsmen for its inherent strength as well as for its pleasing aesthetics.
  • Page 4 If these are both cut with exactly the same slope on the sides and to the same depth the two pieces can slide together to form a very strong, Before we start learning to use self-locking joint called a dovetail joints to build perfect “sliding dovetail”...
  • Page 5 The pictures above and below show a side slat assembly for a large bookcase that is held together with sliding dovetails. Once you start using sliding dovetails you will rarely revert to simple dados again.
  • Page 6 The manual for work piece and only part way the Festool VS-600 refers to through the thickness of that this as simply a “dovetail work piece forming a socket joint”.
  • Page 7 “half pins”. It is are cut in the ends of two work hard, especially at first, to keep In Festool speak, the template pieces they can be joined flat, straight which work piece is for cutting the male fan shape...
  • Page 8 Festool VS-600 dovetail jig to make perfect drawers, boxes Given the requirements for and cabinets every time with Since these are self-aligning, perfection in cutting these little or no “relearning”...
  • Page 9 A “perfect” drawer is also one Most manufacturers manuals, to do besides the dovetailed you can make day-in and day- including the Festool VS-600 side joints that differentiate out with beautifully cut half manual, tell you a lot about one from another. And, still...

  • Page 10: How The Vs-600 System Works

    I strongly recommend the use right places, One of the beauties of the of Festool guide bushings and Festool VS-600 system is that cutters to be sure these match you only need to do your set the templates properly.
  • Page 11 But, to decode the Festool The 600 refers to the maximum catalog you will need to at width of work piece that you least understand that one inch can mount into the VS-600.
  • Page 12 I find ideal. It is much The proper guide bushing stiffer than the ¼” shank bits Do NOT try to use any cutter (designed to fit only on Festool you might have used before, other than the one specified. If routers) comes with each...
  • Page 13 All the rest of the templates and cutters are designed for Don’t make this either box joints or dowel mistake joints. We will cover these later in the manual. Just don’t make the mistake I see first time users of dovetail jigs For now, let’s concentrate make all the time.

  • Page 14: A Perfect Drawer Using Half Blind Dovetail Joints

    Festool VS-600 templates, bows across its width guide bushings and cutters somewhere along the length.
  • Page 15 All fixed template half blind dovetail jigs, including the Festool VS-600, are inherently designed around drawers of a If you joint one face flat first, height that is an even you will take out the warp, increment of twice the finger cup or twist.
  • Page 16 This is the most pleasing So, the actual inside depth of Drawer height for arrangement to the eye and your perfect drawer cut with template SZ-14 = 44 x t also the strongest joint. the SZ-14 template will be If your drawer height is not an 11mm plus one half of the Drawer height for even increment of twice the jig...
  • Page 17 15-20mm range. A five minutes every time is very pleasing drawer to the really simple. With the Festool eye, and also a very common VS-600 you only need to size, is one where front and mount the work pieces into the back are 19mm (about ¾”) and...
  • Page 18 Start by ignoring the drawings “D” shaped hole cut in each and piece numbering text on side of the template. page 21 of the Festool VS-600 manual. I will show you a much simpler method that you All of the cuts will take place can far more easily remember.
  • Page 19 is not important so long as the 600 with this template) and vertical work pieces are flush inside face is away from the slide it vertically under the with the top edge of the VS-600 and the top edge is front clamp and clamp it horizontal work pieces as against a side stop.
  • Page 20 the upper clamp bar with their wanted and will be square, bottom can slide in from the top edges against the side stop and the piece will be ready to back side and can be held in and the inside face is away receive the admiring looks place by a screw through a slot from the VS-600 and pointing...
  • Page 21 If your drawer components are all made from man-made materials which move either not at all or far less than solid woods, you can safely glue the drawer bottom in place if you wish.
  • Page 22 2mm to 4mm smaller drawer using the the width you want the than the opening from Festool VS-600 finished drawer to be. the bottom of the dados Cut the side both side to side and One time only for each...
  • Page 23 As discussed earlier, I strongly vertically. female recesses there are in the recommend the use of Festool drawer side. If you get an router bits and guide bushings equal sized half pin top and when cutting through bottom, you will automatically dovetails on this jig.
  • Page 25 pieces, you need to make sure the front and back. From the they are within the thickness sides it will look like a simple range of the SZO-14 (10mm to box joint. 14mm) or the SZO-20 (14mm to 25mm). Be sure the front You will always cut the male and back pieces are the SAME fan shaped tail pieces held...
  • Page 26 female recesses cut in them receive the female recesses. end flush with the top of the (usually the front and back Since the scrap is at least 5mm scrap piece. components) horizontally thicker, this will allow your under the top clamp bar router bit to miss the ou are finished with the male against the side stops and snug...
  • Page 27 Cut the Female Recesses The very first time you use either the SZO-14-Z or SZO- or Pins (normally in the 20-Z you will make a test cut front & back pieces of to set the proper in/out setting your drawer)– on the two depth setting wheels on either end of the Remove the SZO-14-S or SZO-...
  • Page 28 A perfect drawer with through dovetails in under fifteen minutes. Because you have to use two different templates, two different guide bushings, two different router bits and do two set-ups to make through dovetail joints, it will take about fifteen minutes per drawer instead of the five minutes per drawer required for half blind dovetail joints.

  • Page 29: Perfect Finger Joints

    A finger joint is simply a series Festool sells two different Two corners can be cut with of male fingers and female finger joint templates, FZ-6 each set up (so long as the recesses of the same size and and FZ-10.
  • Page 30 pieces will be clamped on top clamp bar and flush with the number of whole fingers on of each other with their top of a scrap piece that is at each side. On one side there OUTSIDE faces TOGETHER least 5mm thicker than the will be a half finger at the top and what will be the TOP edge router bit depth of cut, rotate...

  • Page 31: Conclusion

    Whether you make your living doing so, as I do, or whether you build furniture for family and friends just because you love to, adding a Festool VS-600 jointing system to your shop or studio will prove to be one of the best investments you can make in working faster, better and more efficiently.

  • Page 32: One Time Setup

    One-Time Set-Up All four of the Festool VS-600 dovetail templates require a one time set-up to make sure the in/out adjustment wheels are set to cut a perfectly flush joint and to establish a router Loosen the holding screw to...
  • Page 33 SZ-14 and 15mm for the produce a properly tight fit, It is a good idea to do one SZ-20. Festool routers are easy but if it is off a bit lower the bit more test cut if you needed to...
  • Page 34 overly tight and requires proud from the end of your heavy blows to get it together drawer front/back (the piece then the glue will either get you cut with the angled finger scraped off when you template), loosen the securing assemble, or will get trapped screws and turn the two in the bottom of the female...
  • Page 35 You are done with set up and your templates are all ready to use at a moment’s notice. Just mount the template making sure the cam on the bottom of the black in/out adjustment wheels is against the VS-600 when you tighten the two rotary knobs to secure the template in place.

  • Page 36: Using The Metric System

    Using the door to be 19 3/8” wide. My Take On The rail and stile pieces are 2 5/8” wide by ¾” thick and all the Metric System the groves are 3/8” deep. You want to know how long to cut Most of the tools we use every the top rail piece.
  • Page 37 In this manual I am using the metric units of measure as those are the markings on the Festool VS- 600 and routers. It is not important that you can visualize the length of say, 300mm, only that you know it is twice 150mm or ten times as much as 30mm.
  • Page 38 Not very can quickly and accurately continuous improvement. elegant, not very flexible, but affix whichever template you Both are evident in the Festool certainly precise and very need. VS-600 and in their routers. repeatable to use once properly set up.
  • Page 39 The router to the left in Festool also looked to the the picture above shows the routers and guide bushings new VS-600 guide bushing and which would be used with the cutter while the router to the VS-600.

  • Page 40: Continuous Improvement

    OF-1400 with .25”, adjusted. 8mm and .5” collets and the large OF-2000 production The base appears unchanged router Festool has covered the so all the same great field. It would be hard to attachments and fixtures fit imagine a routing situation in either.

  • Page 41: What You Need To Know About The Festool Templates

    What You Need to Know About the Festool Templates Joint Template Thickness Template Side Router Orientation One Time Type Range Spacing Length Depth While Setup? of Cut Cutting Half SZ-14 15 – 20 DDL - 2 x Inside Out Blind...

  • Page 44: Meet The Author

    Meet the Author the commerce followed the Then, I design the piece for railroad and Kerby faded aesthetics taking design from prominence. queues from many periods and styles and bring them During it’s heyday as the into a modern decorating county seat for Josephine idiom.
  • Page 45 Thanks to Festool Multi My studio is organized are 20mm thick by either Function Tables and rail around what I do the most...
  • Page 46 16” open end wide belt To one side is a Festool Under the sanding, polishing sander. multi-function table on and assembly station is a...
  • Page 47 Festool and those I make myself. Seldom a day goes by that both the Festool work surfaces are not in use. To the front of the studio is a small gallery where a few...

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