Morning All,

I have started to populate FJ with Walko products and will have some numbers on the site later. Are we the exclusive dealer in the U.S?....Yes. Might this sound like marketing?...Kind Of. I joined this site to talk Festool and woodworking, to be part of an amicable community, and it just so happens that I am a Festool dealer as well. However, this Walko project is pretty exciting. The table will be a great addition to an "in the field guy"...as Per said on the other thread....paraphrasing "...take the tools to the site and build there..."; this is what, in part, Walko will facilitate. I will be posting on this thread regarding the Walko specs, and try to answer questions about the table as they come in...more of an informational thread. I will probably NOT know all the detailed specs as I climb that learning curve; however, I do know where to get the info that you desire. I am sure the Walko gentlemen (I would normally say "dudes" but hey, it's early in the morning) will join in as well.

More to follow today!

t

Are you going to be able to supply our Canadian friends?

Absolutely! We have no restriction with regards to where we can sell and ship. There would be some additional shipping cost, but no sweat!

Thanks for the question Michael,

t

Hello, my name is Bart Groot and I am President of WALKO-Tools BV (Europe, The Netherlands)

I will join this forum to answer your questions concerning the WALKO as good as I can.
I am not a native English speaker so please forgive possible mistakes.

First a brief history about the WALKO Workbench:

The WALKO principle is in use for many years already. The system was build out of frustration on the work spot.
The inventor was completely rebuilding a house once again but did not have enough space. Also he was frustrated about al the different “helps” he needed to do his job; beams to saw platters on, a workmate, a kind of work table, an old chair, two stands with a old door on it, and so on. Al these “helps” are fine but they do not do the job like he wanted to: Fast and easy.

Some people around him told him that he should do something with it. Beginning 2003 he signed up for an innovation contest with it and became one of the winners. He started the development of the WALKO together with a technical university and several engineers.

In June 2005 the WALKO Workbench was technically finalised and ready for the “proof of the pudding”. Thoughtful and calm the WALKO was tested on the local market to get reactions from end-users. Reactions were very good and in 2006 we started to gain more and more dealers. Now the WALKO is a big success here.

We experienced three important suggestions from our end-users;
1. It would be nice if there was also a smaller version
2. It would be very nice if it was completely water resistant
3. It would be better if it was lighter in weight

The smaller version, the WALKO-3 was launched early 2007 and is now sold in almost the same quantities as the original WALKO-4.
The water problem is solved by using bamboo table tops, and the whole construction was re-engineered to make it lighter. The WALKO-4 Frame was 24 Kg or 55 LBS, now 19 Kg or 41.8 LBS. These new models will be available in the States soon.

The WALKO Team

Kind regards,

Thanks for the background info, and welcome to tF Bart.
It's nice to know the interesting story behind the Walko,
that it was designed by one of us for problems we face.

Yes! Welcome Bart. We've been anxiously awaiting receiving your product the U.S.

Thanks for joining the site and offering to answer our questions about the product. Of course on a new product launch like this, most of us are usually very hungry for all the information we can get. The video that Timmy posted shows many uses of the Walko. I'd like to see more. Are there real job site pictures showing the unit's setup (large and small) for doing different kinds of work? They don't have to be the pretty marketing type pictures, just plain ol' pictures.

I look forward to getting a preview of your product at the end of August and learning more about it here and at the festooljunkie.com website.

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Chris...

Welcome Bart, glad to see your product is doing well and will be here shortly.

The bamboo table tops, how thick are they and will they have the same bench dogs holes in them?

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Steve Adams, Qwas Products

Bart,

Welcome aboard! It's great to see you here!

The Walko has been talked about a lot in the last year. When I first saw one, I realized that it would be a great addition to my tool set. While quality and reliability are important, the Festool system and the Walko share two other key characteristics that appeal to me - the ability to:

• Move the "shop" to where the work is, and

• the flexibility to custom-configure the components to meet your specific task needs.

I have a whole series of house remodeling projects that I'm working on now. Yesterday, I was sealing tile and needed a place to stack the tile. Next week, I'm finishing off the tub frame and then tiling. Then it's on to installing the cabinets. Then there is installing a door and finish carpentry. And I have a project to build a large (40' long) storage rack. And storage cabinets for the garage. And re-tiling the front entry.

What do these have in common? Not a whole lot. And that's the point...

Each project, job, and task will probably be unique - different location and/or need. And they involve cutting, pounding, clamping, and a whole range of other activities including the need for a nice place to set down a tool for a minute.

To me, this is just what Festool's system and the Walko are made for. I can have all the tools and accessories close to the task, grab the right components for the job, set up quickly, get it done, and then store or move my tools quickly.

I see the Walko as a natural extension to my Festool system. I am VERY happy to see the Walko coming to the US and to see you here.

Best regards,

Dan.

The Bamboo table tops are 25 millimeters thick. The holes are 20 millimeters. A lot of other brands use these 20 mm holes. It looks like it is a kind of standard.

Note that the tables are hanging freely on two supports. There are no steel or other objects on all sides. (Except there where the hinges are). This means that there is no danger for you saw blade (Circular or Jig-saw) when you hit (by accident) the tables with it. The reason the tables are quite thick is because a lot of professionals just saw in them. If your saw is adjusted nicely there is no problem, you only get "saw stripes" in the tables.

Thanks. Most of are use to this idea since this is how the Festool tables are designed; cutting into the table top.

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Steve Adams, Qwas Products