I'll admit I've never used one but my curiosity is if it's the blade not necessarily the saw. I'd like to use one to see.
Non Festool track saws
- Thread starter chris_goris
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I'll admit I've never used one but my curiosity is if it's the blade not necessarily the saw. I'd like to use one to see.
Having used both, its mostly the blade that makes a difference. Day 1, i put a diablo blade in mine and it cuts the exact same as my father in laws festool
No disrespect to festool, but other products seem to be doing the same thing at a better price.Having used both, its mostly the blade that makes a difference. Day 1, i put a diablo blade in mine and it cuts the exact same as my father in laws festool
This is basically my question. Having used the Festool, with exceptional results, Im wondering if the other brands can maintain such a perfect cutline. Im not sure if the others have zero clearance to the track as the festool seems to and will the others stay that way over time. Will the Festool for that matter?. I was able to create a glue edge joint on several pieces of maple 2.25 thick x 9 feet long and glue them up with no glue line. Im not sure I couldve done this on a long bed jointer even. The cut was not only straight and smooth, it was dead on perpendicular to the top face so my glue up was dead flat. Very impressive!!
Sounds like you're in love with the festool and getting a different system, no matter the quality is going to leave you wondering if you should have just gone with the festool. If that's the case, get the festool and enjoy
Everyone's here to enjoy the craft, so if the festool is going to give you that enjoyment, go for it. I love my dewalt and would have regretted getting the festool since i have so many large batteries for the dewalt system. Others may disagree, but to me the right tool is the tool that makes you feel confident in the work you're doing, not necessarily what is the most or least economical.Oh trust me, Im well aware that the most expensive is not always the best, thats why Im asking for alternate opinions.Sounds like you're in love with the festool and getting a different system, no matter the quality is going to leave you wondering if you should have just gone with the festool. If that's the case, get the festool and enjoy
Sorry i think my previous statement came out the wrong way. I was trying to say the best option is the one that makes you feel like you have the right tool in your hand! its why i picked the dewalt, but why others stick with festool. Nothing to do with price
just trying to help you factor price less into the equation than getting the right tool.
Chris, I understand how you feel about [FONT=&]selecting a track saw. I was in a similar dilemma when researching which track saw to buy, although I was somewhat predisposed to buy a Makita because of the other Makita cordless tools I own. In researching my purchase I found many reviews and comparisons, several of which were biased for a specific brand. A comparison I found from the fall edition of Woodworker's Journal appears to be a fair comparison of six popular track saw brands. This may help in making your decision: http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/track-saw-review/[/FONT]
Chris, your claims and experience with the Festool is very impressive. I've never heard tell of using their track saw to cut that thick of material, let alone Maple. This is abuse and not what it's designed for but now my curiosity is peaked as to what other manufacturers can do the same.
The quality of the track is critical for the operation that Chris has described. I used my festool tracksaw to put a straight edge on a panel for breadboard ends. Once I went to fit the breadboard end, I found there was some curvature in the cut. I contacted Festool and they sent me a new track. It had the same issue. I don't know of any others that have experienced this issue.
Also it sounds like you used the TS75 with a larger depth of cut compared to the TS55. Do the other brands offer something like the TS75?
Also it sounds like you used the TS75 with a larger depth of cut compared to the TS55. Do the other brands offer something like the TS75?
Why do you say this is abuse and not what it is designed for?
I also have the Scheppach and it's worked great for me. Only twice I've wished I had a longer track, but I've always made do. I got mine on one of the Woot deals years ago and I've only seen a similar deal for it once on Woot since then. I've never seen a sale price on it anywhere else.
Tom
Tom
The only track saw I have ever used is the Festool, but have seen the others in use and could see their limitations.
I use mine for cutting openings in commercial doors when installing glass inserts. The Festool works great for that.
Plunges smoothly and repeatably, which is important when plunging through a 1 3/4 thick door. Plus the dust collection is great, also important when working in an office.
But most important to me is the Festool track never needs to be clamped or secured before you make the cut. Just set the track down, align with your layout marks and cut. I have never had it slip on hundreds of cuts and it works on finished or unfinished wood.
I use mine for cutting openings in commercial doors when installing glass inserts. The Festool works great for that.
Plunges smoothly and repeatably, which is important when plunging through a 1 3/4 thick door. Plus the dust collection is great, also important when working in an office.
But most important to me is the Festool track never needs to be clamped or secured before you make the cut. Just set the track down, align with your layout marks and cut. I have never had it slip on hundreds of cuts and it works on finished or unfinished wood.
I have the Grizzly track saw. It works well but is not the most ergonomic. It works with Festool tracks. Dust collection is pretty good. It started to make some noise like a dry bushing so I looked to a replacement. I found a reconditioned Festool and bought that. The chip guard on the Festool tracks is much stiffer and more effective. The saw is easier to use and has better dust collection. I've ehard that it will do flawless bevel cuts along the same cut line as the 90° setting. I have not tried bevel cuts with either saw though.
I've used a TS55 in the shop for almost 9 years. Even thought I have a straight line rip saw, for precision edges the Festool is my preferred tool - especially with long (12'+) rips. Surprisingly, It still has the original blade on it....
The cut quality is unequaled. I've found that it is as good as any edge jointer (and better on long, thick heavy boards which are difficult to feed accurately across a jointer table). The dust collection is just plane awesome.
No issues whatsoever with receiving a clean, tear-out and fuzz free cut.
It's good to have options with respect to other saws that are now on the market. In my instance, when I need to straight line rip a pair of bookmatched $2,000+ slabs for as close to a perfect glue-up as possible, it's not a priority to me to save a couple of hundred bucks on a track saw. What is a priority is to have an exceptional quality rip the first time. That's what I get from the Festool track saw with an experienced operator.
The cut quality is unequaled. I've found that it is as good as any edge jointer (and better on long, thick heavy boards which are difficult to feed accurately across a jointer table). The dust collection is just plane awesome.
No issues whatsoever with receiving a clean, tear-out and fuzz free cut.
It's good to have options with respect to other saws that are now on the market. In my instance, when I need to straight line rip a pair of bookmatched $2,000+ slabs for as close to a perfect glue-up as possible, it's not a priority to me to save a couple of hundred bucks on a track saw. What is a priority is to have an exceptional quality rip the first time. That's what I get from the Festool track saw with an experienced operator.
Thanks Scott, that was my experience as well. And I am in the same camp, Its not about spending a couple hundred more dollars, its about getting the desired results reliably. I was mainly trying to find out if anyone else had similar success with other products. Ill probably end with the Festool in the end because I have little tolerance for inadequate tools.
Not sure if this is too late for someone making a decision, but I would highly recommend EZSmart stuff from EurekaZone. However, they are more than just a track and a saw. They have a philosophy and a system. At least give them a look. I like mine.
http://www.eurekazone.com/
http://www.eurekazone.com/
This may be a little repetitive but I don't think a Festool will give better cut quality than I get with my DeWalt. I think it has more accessories available, however, and I am pretty sure the blade changes are easier.
With respect to price, I think it's important to price WITH TRACK. I've seen articles that claimed the Makita was less than the DeWalt but every time I've looked, with a long and short track the DeWalt is less. Makita may be less if you only want 55 inch tracks, however.
I cut my outside skirt boards with my DeWalt. I under cut them at 46 degrees so the miters fit nice and tight. I glued with construction adhesive which fills the small gap on the inside. It worked well but I had to keep a hand on the saw base to keep it firmly on the track. Made me think about the little lip the Makita track has for this.
DeWalt track doesn't move as long as my technique is OK (even when unclamped, clamped it doesn't matter what I do it doesn't move). I suspect even the Grizzly would do good work with a Freud blade and good technique.
With respect to price, I think it's important to price WITH TRACK. I've seen articles that claimed the Makita was less than the DeWalt but every time I've looked, with a long and short track the DeWalt is less. Makita may be less if you only want 55 inch tracks, however.
I cut my outside skirt boards with my DeWalt. I under cut them at 46 degrees so the miters fit nice and tight. I glued with construction adhesive which fills the small gap on the inside. It worked well but I had to keep a hand on the saw base to keep it firmly on the track. Made me think about the little lip the Makita track has for this.
DeWalt track doesn't move as long as my technique is OK (even when unclamped, clamped it doesn't matter what I do it doesn't move). I suspect even the Grizzly would do good work with a Freud blade and good technique.
Jim, as with any purchase, the bottom line price is often determined by when and where the item is bought. I bought the Makita track saw with "free" 55" track and two additional batteries in February of this year (here) for $499.00. The comparable DeWalt kit with one battery and a 59" track (here) now sells for $579.99. The Makita 118" track is normally priced at $198.99 and the DeWalt 102" track is normally $177.99. Next month the prices may be reversed.
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