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Tool talk


slaterturf

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  Hey Slaterturf,

  if you type "Fein" into the search box at the top right of the screen there are several threads to read.  I have never been in the same room as one of these tools so I have no constructive input beyond that.

  The Moccasin is looking great!  Keep posting pictures  :-)

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Try a "mouse" sander. They are available from $30 on up, just make sure the place that sells the sanders has plenty of hook&loop paper in stock so you don't have to cut triangular pieces out of circular sandpaper. The pointy end of the mouse sander can get into fairly tight corners.

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I have a "Fein Multimaster" and love it.  I agree with Dave.  I have used it very little in boat building.  However, it is wonderful for cutting the grout out of tile  and cuts into hardwood floors to replace boards.  I have not used it much for sanding.  I don't think it would work well as a substitute jig saw.

If you are having trouble with vibration when cutting usually where you are cutting needs to be moved very close to a support board or table under the board you are cutting.  Also clamping might help.

Dale

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Fein with profile sander rubber attachment is invaluable for cleaning up fillets.

It is a must have tool for my shop.

Ray,  I'm shocked.  Your filets need cleaning up?

I have a Multimaster and find that there are jobs that it can do that nothing else does as well.  It does not get a lot of use though and the cost of accessories is ridiculous.  The base plate is aluminum and bends at the corners too easily. 

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What about that Dremel brand?  I have seen it in the stores and on line.  It appears very small.  As I look around my new canoe I find some small areas needing TLC with a sander, areas of epoxy.  Up under the breasthooks is one example.  It is tight and narrow.  I was looking at the Dremel in Lowe's the other day.  It appears smaller that the Fein, so maybe I could get to those small, tight areas to smooth them out properly. 

Have you guys used one of those?  It seems an array of tools is necessary to reach all parts of a boat.  I started this canoe with the determination that I would only buy the tools necessary to get this one boat done, just in case I did not like boat building.  Well, so far I like it plenty.  I am already planning my next boat.  I realize the finish work is a huge part of the task.  Building a shop for a beginner like me is fun, but I want to be careful about jumping into tools that might be unnecessary. 

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A Riffler Rasp Set looks like what I am looking for.  I have been wondering what I could use to get into tight places, such as the bow and stern.  The multitools really look to big and bulky for fine work and to expensive for the minimal needs I have right now.  These riffler rasps appear to be small, curved, and have a long reach.  They may be just right for cleaning up dried epoxy in tight areas.

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My wife bought me a fein multimaster not long ago for a kitchen remodeling job we were doing. Its a wonderful tool for certain jobs but unlike the advertisements ,it shouldn't be the only power tool in your box. The tools you normally use for jobs do better. But there are some jobs I have found that I don't know how else I could have easily acomplished without it. I am installing laminate flooring for a customer and have 22 door jams to cut. The fein will save me a lot of time. I cut wall laminate from between the cabinets with ease instead of removing the upper cabinets.

I can see the uses in boat building could be endless. I wish I would have had it when we built our Belhaven. The sanding attachments, and being able to make a cut in a tight spot would have made a nicer job. But I wouldn't have sanded the whole boat with it :lol:. I think every tool has a job it does well, but no tool does everything great.

I also found on ebay a package of 15 blades that are suppose to fit the fein, craftman and other multitools for a third of the price of fein blades.

Scott

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I have used riffler rasps quite a bit for tidying up fillets in tight spots. They fit nicely in the "U" shape of a fillet. Another hand tool I use a lot for smoothing epoxy is the a carbide scraper.  Prefer that to sanding.  I use the the triangular sanding attachment of the feinmaster for working on the edges of fibreglass tape after scraping them and applying fairing compound.

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The best tool I've found for sanding in really tight places is sandpaper wrapped around my index finger.  If the place is too tight to fit that tool I've generally made the executive decision that sanding isn't necessary in that particular spot.

Then again I'm not known for attention to detail when it comes to the finer points of finishing :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here are photos of the rifflers I ordered.  They are like small rasps of different shapes, angles, and sizes.  They work great for cleaning tight or small areas.  I found a few cavities and bubbles under the epoxy.  I used the riffler to excavate the cavity, smooth it down, and refill the cavity with more epoxy.  post-0-129497639507_thumb.jpg

post-1865-129497694756_thumb.jpg

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I have the Fein Multimaster, with the dust collector accessory, and I used the heck out of it building my CS17.  Mostly as a detail sander in those tough to reach spaces, but also for a few occasions where I just couldn't get a decent cutting approach with any other tool.  If I had been an experienced boat builder most of that sanding wouldn't have been needed (because I'd have the skills to work clean, or the foresight to pre-cut the tough spots.) However, I do recall several occasions where after putting it down, I said, "If only for that little impossible job, this thing just paid for itself".

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