Any do’s or don’ts out there for the Fein Super Cut carpenters tool I just bought at a show?
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what yer lookin at is essentially a fein multimaster. I ain't sure yet of the differential in names...multimaster vs supercut...
Rest assured the blades is expensive. Real expensive.
They oscillate, so there is no sawdust clearance.
Ergo, if you set that blade in place, and let it oscillate, it will overheat and distort. Yep- certainly will, so you have to give it the wiggle to allow it to clear the sawdust. Do that and yer baldes last longer.
Where you use it, almost certianly is in cutting trim, plunge cuts in finished surfaces, many of which circumstamces involved fasteners which are equisitely hidden from view. They dull blades real quick too.
Watch for em.
The blades are brittle as all get out, Don't store the tool with a blade on it, especially the circular ones. I did once, and the blade broke in half. Nohow could I make two pieces of an 80 dollar blade work as a 40 dollar blade. Ultimate toast.
Folks will see it and want to borrow it. Say no, unless they pay for their own blades. Only then will they appreciate the investment you made. Be tought on this issue, or you'll end up payin for their learning curve mistakes over and over.
Undoubtedly they are equisite tools, just really expensive to operate, and blades easily damaged.
I cannot discern why there is no aftermarket company going after the users to supply blades somewhat cheaper.
Drawbacks. There are diamond blades available, but they are so expensive that most retialers don't stock em, nor can even source them.
the Carbide rasps are really bad. I still ain't found a use for em. The ones I got is really coarse, I could do as much with a cold chisel and hammer.
The sanding function is wimpy. Not a "feature" to my mind. 1/10th of the $ will get you a more productive and consumer supported ROS.
But the saw, that is the the raison d'etre for these devices.
And the scraper, well it has worked out quite well on stubborn flooring too.
These tools come to us via the automotive trade, where they find utility in cutting out wndshields and the like, but are they used their commonly? I doubt it. I had to show my glass guy how to use the multimaster to cut out the trim on one of them idiot made french doors where they forgot that panes can break, so the mouldings is solid on both sides......then he says " I got one of those tools somewhere...."
that's just my perspective. A good tool, but real expensive to maintain.
Eric in cowtown
I heard/read somewhere that they were originally invented for cutting plaster casts off of people.
<I cannot discern why there is no aftermarket company going after the users to supply blades somewhat cheaper.I've used these and they are better quality than the original i.m.h.o.http://cgi.ebay.com/Wide-cutting-BLADE-for-Fein-Multimaster-Free-Shipping_W0QQitemZ7618065755QQcategoryZ20797QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Good advice, mahalo.
As for the difference between the multi and the super it is mainly in the power, 180w vs 400w. I tried both at the show and the super was much better at cutting through things. A bit heavier also.
It does look like the cutter that was used on me years ago to remove a cast.
I'll keep an eye on that website for more blades, they are more expensive than I thought they would be.
Mahalo for the responses to my query.
When you say "expensive" that doesn't really give a clear picture. Say $45.00 per blade for steel blades that dull quickly, and die immediately if they hit metal. That said, they are irreplacable tools that everyone should have who does this for a living. You just have to factor blades into the job cost.
The Super cut tools is not the sander, but a more aggressive/faster cutter. The Multi tool is the sander, grout remover, saw, etc.
The guy at the show said that the super could use the tile blades, etc. but was just a stronger cutter also. Is this not true?
The reason I bought it was that on the last job I had to remove about a 1/4" of the rough framing in some small window areas to replace the windows with new ones, chiseling these areas out was very time consuming. I saw this and it seemed perfect for that type of job and easier for cutting off door jambs and for tile removal/repair jobs. Anyway, seems I got a good price on this at $700+tax at the show versus the $859 I found online. Now looking up the price of blades is scaring me, guess I'll just have to try it out and see.
If the guy at the show showed it to you working with the extra blades, then I would defer to him. Good luck. I could have misunderstood. Perhaps the only differences is the speed and the price.
45 is about the cheapest blade. 80-90 for for more elaborate, and as I said, I ain't been able to get a price on the diamond blades.As for factoring in the price of blades, well I guess I could locate every cut precisely in a quote and check and see if there's any nails there, even if they are hidden. Not something I is likely to do, but I do know guys who try to get that precise, alas to no avia, cause there's always the staple in the flooring underlay that is just in the wrong position. Oh, I got one of them multimasters in the truck, and I do use it, but only when I have to. I'd rather spend 5 minutes cutting 356 base with a utility knife than dig the sucker out and risk toasting even a 45 buck blade. And mine is variable speed, so I don't understand the single speed differentiation some folks has made. I agree that there are places nothing else will do, but if you used this beast for everything, you'd get closer to brokeness than you want to be. And I don't believe that theres any way any person can predict if that 80 dollar blade will last 5 minutes or 5 hours. Ergo, it becomes simply an "eatable cost" built into yer overhead. Just like yer lawyer- you hope you never have to use him, but know it will cost you a bundle if you do. Eric in Cowtown
I have one. It is different from the Multimaster in the motor and the way the blades attach to the head. That being said, if you wanted to use MM blades or attachments there is a kit that you can use to basically neck down the hex into the small round that the MM uses.
Advice, keep the speed on low for blades for the most part. They will cut better and last far longer.
Blades are expensive but like anything else, a little nosing around and you can find some savings. Just make sure what you get is made for the supercut and not the MM since the cutout is very different.
You might want to check out AEI - Abrasive Enterprises Inc. They're Canadian but pretty much the North American distrib for Supercut accessories. They have some kits of blades geared for various trades (as do others) that save you some over piece by piece pricing. And if you talk to them on the phone, always ask about closeouts.
Here, found a card. AEI, 149 Industrial Crescent, Summerside, PEI (Prince Edward Island) Canada C1N 5P8
http://www.abrasiveenterprises.com Tel 800 668 0664
"Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton
Mahalo for the address and website, I'll check them out! I checked my local lumberyard today, and Cheepo Depot, no luck on blades. They had not even heard of the tool!!! Mine should be here in about 2 weeks, I put it on a pallet with a lot of other mainland goodies and it shipped out last Fri. Anyway, I have a job to try it on already, some varnish removal on a set of French doors, then again, it may be too strong for this delicate job.
As a side item, I have a friend in the same line of work, he went to our LLY looking for an item he had seen there. The guy in there told him he did not have the item anymore because he could not "keep it in stock". So, he wasn't going to order it anymore!!!!!! That's the mentality here. Just a tidbit on life in the islands.
I've used a lot of blades from that guy on Ebay (link a few posts back), and they seem every bit as good as the OE stuff from Fein.EDIT: I have the regular Multimaster. does the Super Cut use the same blades?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Edited 5/16/2006 2:20 am by nikkiwood
RW says they use different size blades and there is an adapter to make the SC take the smaller MM blades. I need mine to get here to see what is what.
http://www.feinus.com/p/supercuts/supercut-blades.htm
It doesn't have the same attachment. You can look at a pic at the link. Basically, the MM uses an allen screw and a washer to hold the blade on via tension, the SC has a 6 sided "bolt" that the blade slips over, and a cap nut that screws on to hold it. But the blades themselves, pretty much the same thing, just a different hole. Few more options for the SC. Auto glass installers, for instance, use them.
I have found some of the caulk cutting blades make really slick work of caulking around tubs, counters, etc. And they dont muck up FG units if you watch how much pressure you use, which is to say they can, but it's very possible to de-caulk a FG tub in 2 minutes without damaging it. "Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton
I got one of those scraper blades for my Multimaster. Do you think it will work for that caulk thing you described?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Yeah, what is this caulk cutting blade? Is that the name, or is it using some other blade to cut caulk? I need to re-caulk our kitchen countertop and this sure would be handy!
The blade I'm referring to is made for cutting caulk and sealants. The specific one I have used for this looks kind of like a mushroom in shape.
View Image
well, lookit dat. They even call it a mushroom blade. Guess thats probably why I thought of it that way. "Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton
Thanks! But is that the opening for the super cut tool? I just have the single speed multimaster. I'll look for one that fits.
It is. I have a MM also. In a pinch, you could roughly center the blade over your hole and use the big washer and wrench it down good."Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton
RW, Is that the same star configuration that appeared in the Fein replacement blades maybe a yr or 2 ago? They self center (at least the ones I've been getting) on the raised shaft of the MM. Thanks for the tip on that blade, I've been using the straight scraper for door/window caulk removing with pleasure. What's the tag on that mushroom?A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I don't know about any configurations 2 years ago. Not that there isnt, or wasnt. I just dunno. I know the thing has slop though when I try to use a SC blade on a MM and you have to rely solely on the force of squashing it down. Kind of the big drawback to the MM is that little allen screw. Only so much force you can use and inevitably you round out the heads or snap them off.
Tag. I think you're asking what the watermark on the image is. Coastal Tool is where I downloaded the image file."Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton
Thanks man, I'll go to my toolstore and investigate. Haven't had any problem with these replacements:
View ImageA great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Check out woodcraft supply, they got em and the blades in stock if you need them now, little 'spensive though.On Oahu?from Nimitz, Waiakamilo mauka one block, right on Kalani, next to the sherwin willians store.Outer island? good luck!
Laters...!
Judo Chop!
Edited 5/17/2006 9:40 pm by LEMONJELLO
Mahalo, I'll give them ####call.