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DDF 40
Dec 11, 2018 17:29:13 GMT -5
Post by huntsgemein on Dec 11, 2018 17:29:13 GMT -5
It's pretty weird that such a simple switch type has been the cause of premature failure. I would've thought it a remarkably foolproof & reliable design.
Certainly it's a mature design now. I first came across this type of slide-to-lock-on, push-to-release switch type in Elu's grinders & jigsaws in the early 80s. Virtually every other reputable manufacturer has reproduced this design in at least some of their range ever since (& possibly before) Elu ever did. Virtually all mini grinders (excluding safety paddle equipped models) use this switch type with (I assume) consistently reliable results.
I would expect a prompt, urgent redesign from Mafell. Yes, It's a silly oversight on their part, but I'm guessing more a product of hasty product development & maybe some uncharacteristic inadequacy in "torture testing". Uncharacteristic as other German mnfr's pride themselves on their torture torture testing to failure program. I can recall seeing Metabo factory videos of their tools being used, misused & abused by robots in artificially reproduced Saharan heat & sandstorms & polar blizzard conditions.
Today's expectation of early & rapid new product development flies counter to the adequacy of long-term reliability testing. For those of you clamouring for a cordless version of the super-duty high quality P1cc saw, remember that this tool will by necessity have a similar switch type to the dodgy Duo-Dubler's. As a "remote" user without any convenient service or warranty backup, give me exhaustive torture testing, long product development cycles & glacially slow reliability development any day. I'm happy to wait.
It's just a silly, albeit unnecessary & unprofessional, glitch. Mafell R&D I'm sure are working overtime to fix it for all existing & future users as we speak.
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DDF 40
Dec 11, 2018 18:17:15 GMT -5
Post by huntsgemein on Dec 11, 2018 18:17:15 GMT -5
Apologies. I though it was the former. That's a bugger. Quite complicated as you've described it. Not such an easy fix, either.
What seems to be the cause? Ingress of swarf? Plastic flex? Premature wear?
Maybe they've simply attempted to design in too much "action" from such a short on/off switch excursion.
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Post by huntsgemein on Dec 11, 2018 20:58:57 GMT -5
Of all the "artificial" board joining methods available for quick, economical use the dowel is probably still supreme. Loose tenons, loose tongues, biscuits etc. may indeed have their place: knock-down fittings for one. Yet the only "scientifically" verifiable, presumably repeatable & exhaustively reviewed test that I've ever seen still has the (well-glued) multi-dowel joint comprehensively on top for shear, tension and racking resistance & strength.
The fact that the "software" for dowelling is so damned cheap is merely icing on the cake. Many people still, quickly, relatively easily & (using offcuts) ludicrously cheaply, make their own. Yes, in theory any of the other commercially available mechanical fasteners could also be home-made, but realistically none too easily or effectively. Many rely on compressed short-fiber composites expanding when whetted with adhesive; not easily replicated.
Whilst I've struggled on with such primitive aids as dowel "points" & crude jigs from Haron I'd frankly love a Duo-Dubler too. It would surely enhance my sheet material productivity a quantum leap. I also utterly loathe & detest the local Tooltechnic franchise here in Australia, & won't so much as consider any of their product were I even paid to do so.
As a non-professional, I still have a rather medieval preference for traditional jointing methodology in hardwood: dovetails, bridle joints, stopped trenches, M&T et. al. For me, dowels are more the province of sheet materials. For a professional, time is money!
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Post by chippy1970 on Dec 12, 2018 13:36:04 GMT -5
Credit where credit is due, I have just had a phone call from a representative of Mafell UK who offered to travel from the south of England to my home in Mid Wales to inspect my DDF as there has been one other reported problem of a sticking switch. The problem is caused by the position of the wires going into the switch which should be flat and which, if slightly upturned, can cause the switch to fail to lock on.
It is a one minute check and though I truly appreciated the offer to travel, I asked for instructions to be sent so that I could check it myself. This was done immediately with a text and a photo and indeed, on opening the main body, the wiring to the switch push connectors were not flat. A quick push down and the DDF was working to spec. It is being addressed back at the factory as it is a human error on the production line. I have been using the DDF all afternoon and continue to be astounded at its versatility and accuracy. It is a keeper. I must admit to a bit more than dissappointment at the premature failing of the switch, but the immediate response by Mafell and their representative, Jody Knight, has more than impressed me. Professional, courteous and very concerned to remedy the problem to my complete satisfaction, Jody has demonstrated the ethos of NMA in the most practical of ways.
In addition, Ian Thacker of Anglia Tools has been superb throughout. It has been a pleasure to know that the immediate acceptance of responsibility, and old fashioned customer service and attention, is still out there and is in marked contrast to the dismissive and arrogant manner in which a problem with one of my Green and Blue tools was handled. Off to dowel! Yeah Jody's a very helpful guy I know him quite well now
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DDF 40
Dec 12, 2018 13:42:08 GMT -5
patr likes this
Post by henrun on Dec 12, 2018 13:42:08 GMT -5
Patr: good to hear!
In a way it is shame the switch is so easily fouled by the wiring, on the other hand I am glad it was also an easy fix! It does make me feel a little more at ease with my purchase too - that's for sure.
Dowel away with both barrels blazing!
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DDF 40
Dec 13, 2018 6:26:19 GMT -5
Post by kraftt on Dec 13, 2018 6:26:19 GMT -5
... bought a rather expensive KSS battery saw about a year ago that lasted me about a month... I'll assume you've already opened it up for an inspection ?
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DDF 40
Dec 13, 2018 16:58:44 GMT -5
Post by huntsgemein on Dec 13, 2018 16:58:44 GMT -5
No. Not really game. I still have a Bosch AKE30 Li 36v Chainsaw in pieces on the kitchen table with similar symptoms (beeps but nothing else). To dissect a tool with the complexity & miniaturisation of a KSS50 BL is well beyond my personal comfort zone. I'm struggling to correctly reassemble the Chainsaw: it's not at all similar to the electric & 2-stroke saws I've previously owned & serviced.
I've been considering purchase of another, maybe corded, saw as an alternative. The Bosch GKS 65 GCE seems a reasonable construction-grade saw that at least will utilise the majority of the Mafell/FSN rail system & accessories I've purchased. I lose the Mafell's marvellous x-cut capabilities, but I have an old Radial Arm & both battery & corded SCMS to cover that base.
I'd love another Mafell. The new KSS 60 BL is sorely tempting. But the consequences of failure are just so financially punishing to be logistically unrealistic. I have little confidence in the longevity & reliability of Mafell's products at the moment.
The 2 similar faults in the 2 tools developed independently. The chainsaw died as a consequence of being left outside overnight, or to paraphrase, my own idiocy. The Mafell saw stopped working by.... being left inside a metal trunk in a warm, dry shed.
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DDF 40
Dec 13, 2018 17:19:19 GMT -5
Post by henrun on Dec 13, 2018 17:19:19 GMT -5
No. Not really game. I still have a Bosch AKE30 Li 36v Chainsaw in pieces on the kitchen table with similar symptoms (beeps but nothing else). To dissect a tool with the complexity & miniaturisation of a KSS50 BL is well beyond my personal comfort zone. I'm struggling to correctly reassemble the Chainsaw: it's not at all similar to the electric & 2-stroke saws I've previously owned & serviced. I've been considering purchase of another, maybe corded, saw as an alternative. The Bosch GKS 65 GCE seems a reasonable construction-grade saw that at least will utilise the majority of the Mafell/FSN rail system & accessories I've purchased. I lose the Mafell's marvellous x-cut capabilities, but I have an old Radial Arm & both battery & corded SCMS to cover that base. I'd love another Mafell. The new KSS 60 BL is sorely tempting. But the consequences of failure are just so financially punishing to be logistically unrealistic. I have little confidence in the longevity & reliability of Mafell's products at the moment. The 2 similar faults in the 2 tools developed independently. The chainsaw died as a consequence of being left outside overnight, or to paraphrase, my own idiocy. The Mafell saw stopped working by.... being left inside a metal trunk in a warm, dry shed. Have you perhaps tried another battery? That sounds like a fairly strange way to give up the ghost for a machine though your climate is pretty taxing I venture to guess. If the battery went bad it could account for the bleeps though. I am certainly hoping that is the case!
That bleep bleep was in my case with my smaller KSS 40 a blown/fried motor unit (!) and though I have rarely or perhaps never heard of a corded Mafell gone bad like that there seems to me like the battery operated and newer iterations are an order of a magnitude much more likely to fail. If that is due to overly sensitive electronics or simply poor design, I don't know. But I am not overly impressed. I will be very careful with ordering battery products from Mafell from now on.
On a side note I picked up a P1cc on sale at a 25% discount (!) in a Classic Systainer. The rep told me the tiltable base was literally impossible to sell without the machine so he marked it down all the way to a mere 2 $ profit - which was too good an offer to pass up. I sold off my old P1cc a few years back as I hardly ever used it but I have missed it at times. It feels good to have it back in the stable.
Back on Topic:
I worked the DDF40 today and it is a precision instrument for sure and there is very little room for error. I did a straight comparison assembling two similar boxes with internal baffles and chambers and I'd have to say my old Domino DF500 was swifter in action and more forgiving to assemble. In fairness the DDF40 did come together really well though it took a while longer and the fit was pretty much perfect. With the DF500 the wiggle room helps the assembly and allows for a sloppier technique - which the DDF40 simply does not allow for.
The DDF 40 produces a more sturdy box unglued, with literally zero wiggle though the difference is gone after glue up of course.
All in all I must say I still prefer the Domino but I am hoping the DDF 40 will impress me further down the line doing cabinets and maybe some LR 32 hole rows for a suitable project.
I've been a busy bee this year and that allowed me to splurge out on the DDF40 on a whim. The older model has gained traction with some colleagues so I am going to give the DDF40 some more time as I do think it feels like an improvement of sorts though not necessarily when it comes to the general build quality. The older model is a great tool.
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DDF 40
Dec 13, 2018 18:36:20 GMT -5
Post by huntsgemein on Dec 13, 2018 18:36:20 GMT -5
Climatically, Tas. is as mild & moderated as it's likely to get. 42 degrees south places it closer to the equator than the pole, but given that the Southern ocean, arguably the world's biggest, means there's essentially no terra firma intervening between me & the pole! Well, there's Antarctica a few thousand km. south!
The dominant moderating influence of all that ocean means an extraordinary limited climatic range: from about zero celsius through to about 30 degrees C. That's Winter & Summer minima & maxima I'm talking of here, not means. Thus a 30 degree C annual temp range (locally) makes for a boringly stable climate. The rest of Tas. has a higher diurnal & seasonal variation in temp., but as I live at/on the beach there's a local micro, macro & continental/oceanic tempering influence of immense warm water bodies (the East Aust. Current) interacting with the big Australian north island, which is just staggeringly big, life-threateningly dry & in summer furnace-hot. Just ask Holmz. He lives about as far away from any body of water as it's just about possible to be, maybe with the exception of the Taklamakan desert of central Asia.
It's the Bosch chainsaw that beeps, not the Mafell. All the poor Mafell can manage is to light its LEDs. Nary so much as a squeak, fizz or moan, & def. no beeps. Irrespective of the battery fitted. I once had 4 big/ger (only 6.2s) Li-HDs & one littl'un (3.5). I've recently sold a drill with a big & the sole small Li-HDs, so I only have the 3 x 6.2s left. Shared between Metabo 2 x 18v 9" & 5" grinders, a multi-LED flood, SCMS & Tapping Drill & of course the errant Mafell. Everything else works fine, perfectly within specification & expectations & ridiculously glitch-free. It's only the bloody red saw that's fucked!
I think it's called Murphy's law. Not that I'm complaining... don't want to piss off the Mother-Goddess of fortune. I hear she's a capricious & spiteful bitch!
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Post by Eoj on Dec 13, 2018 21:23:38 GMT -5
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DDF 40
Dec 20, 2018 19:29:12 GMT -5
Post by Eoj on Dec 20, 2018 19:29:12 GMT -5
The “K” plastic stop for drilling a row of holes is undersized to the 5 mm drill bits.After screwing up 2 practice panels ,will be buying the 800 and 1600 template guides for shelf holes in a production setting.The cumulative effect of the undersized stop used incorrectly was bad.Total user error on my part .
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DDF 40
Dec 23, 2018 8:13:24 GMT -5
Post by henrun on Dec 23, 2018 8:13:24 GMT -5
Eoj: too bad!
Good to know, I did get the 800mm template guide for a great price and I have access to the 1600mm through my colleague.
The DDF40 is really a precision instrument and keeps me on my toes - not as forgiving as the Domino but on the other hand capable of a little higher precision from the get go.
I am on the fence about my unit, I feel I have been drifting back to my old Domino as I am so used to it. Just have to keep working the DDF40 and see if I warm up to it eventually.
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DDF 40
Dec 23, 2018 10:27:24 GMT -5
Post by matchesder on Dec 23, 2018 10:27:24 GMT -5
Hi Chippy1970 I have been looking at the DDF40 and am sorely tempted to get one. What has put a slight spanner in the works has been the cost of the Mafell dowel bits as they make Festool prices look decidedly cheap and I am struggling to see how two 5mm bits can be over £80 which I need for shelf pins as the LR32 drives me to distraction. A bit of research on the net suggests that CMT make the bits for Mafell but I do not know if this is true. However, as Mafell jiggy blades are made by Bosch/Scintilla, rebranded and then and doubled in price I would not be at all surprised. If the same happens with the DDF bits and CMT do make them then Scott and Sergeant have them on sale at the mo and even at full price they undercut Mafell by a fair bit. My other self-inflicted problem is that I have both Domino’s and I am desperately trying to convince my wife that she really wants a DDF for Xmas, a mission which has received more than a cursory raised eyebrow and a blank expression. Hopefully a current user can come to the rescue regarding the CMT bits. Read this: mafell-users-forum.freeforums.net/post/17287/threadCMT makes lot of bits. I have some of the exact same overall length but less usable length for less and equal to 8 mm diameter. Regards
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Post by Eoj on Jan 2, 2019 21:39:35 GMT -5
The template guides worked great for 8 foot panels ,the accuracy is spot on .
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DDF 40
Jan 2, 2019 22:13:24 GMT -5
Post by kraftt on Jan 2, 2019 22:13:24 GMT -5
Did the hose snap-bands come with it ?
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