The Festool PLUNGE: is it worth it?

[Paul Johnstone]

Two real issues, here. I have a small shop and am in dire need of a good workbench. I also need a circular saw and mitersaw. I saw the Festool MFT 3 and Plunge saw(either model) and have been wondering if it would be worth the money to bypass the miter, circ, and "made" table and get the festool combo. Suggestions? I figure it will cost twice as much for the festool combo (I forgot to mention that the portablilty is something I might need down the road).

Tim

That's a question only you can answer. I thought about it, and decided against it.

The circular saw and MFT will not replace a tablesaw (at least in terms of easily being able to make repeatable cuts, especially rip cuts).

Another thing that annoyed me was that Festool uses propetary blades which are a lot more expensive than standard circular saw blades.

I decided to go with a tablesaw and Jessem MiterRSlide for crosscuts.
That's a very efficient way, IMO to cut sheet goods. I only have to deal with the circular saw and straight edge if I want to do a crosscut greater than the Jessem allows (which is something like 32" or 35").. basically only when I do a crosscut across an entire sheet of plywood.

For a home shop, Jessem + tablesaw is much more efficent and versatile. Put the saw on a mobile base if you have to. Make a router table that can double as an infeed or outfeed table (put that on wheels too).. Or use one of the plans for a fold down outfeed table. There's lots of clever ways to save space.

I think the real value of the Festool system would be on a job site, where you don't want to lug around a contractor's saw.. But I know some people love their circular saw systems.. Just giving my opinion, not bashing Festool.. didn't make sense for me but you may have other needs.

[Paul Johnstone]

Okay so expensive or not I am dropping the coin on table, saw and dust extractor. Questions is which saw the 55 or 75 (for general uses only) and the dust extractor the 22 or 33? Worth the extra money for both or go the cheapest route?

Ok, if you have your mind made up.

The 33 is basically the same as the 22, only with a bigger bag (IIRC).

I think the 75 has a deeper plunge depth. I guess you'll have to decide if you need that or not. If you are just going to do sheet goods, I think the 55 is adequate. I'm not an expert though.

[Chris Padilla]

Tim,

I just reread your intial post and you mentioned portability. Well, you can hardly go wrong with the MFT in that case. It folds up rather nicely. In fact, you can fold it up and still use it in its folded-up state as it has little "mini-supports" that it rests on.

I love the fact that I can fold it up and put it out of the way when I don't need it (which doesn't happen often but a good option nonetheless).

[Dave Falkenstein]

Okay so expensive or not I am dropping the coin on table, saw and dust extractor. Questions is which saw the 55 or 75 (for general uses only) and the dust extractor the 22 or 33? Worth the extra money for both or go the cheapest route?

I agree with Paul's reply, and will add some details.

The TS75 has more power, is a bit heavier and has a deeper cutting capacity. I use a TS55 and cut mostly sheet goods, so I have never been disappointed that I did not get the TS75.

The CT22 and CT33 have the same specs. The CT33 has a bigger base and bag. I use a CT22 in a home shop, and change the bag once or twice a year.

I suspect you would be happy with a TS55 and CT22.

[Tim Allaire]

Altought I can use my Proshop as a center piece, the main idea here was that I needed both a semi-portable table and something that I can use as a workbench (for the time being). The MTF is really kind of useless without the plunge saw, so the idea was to use both. (not to mention that I can put into the back of the truck and use it wherever).

That being said the Jessem miterslide would be a future added benefit to my small shop. Did I misconstrue your conception?

Tim

[Tim Allaire]

I am going to get the ts 55 but was thinking about the MIDI instead of the ct22. Any suggestions? Ideas?

Tim

[chris dub]

If cost is an issue, I just ordered a Fein Trubo I Demo off ebay for $185+Shipping. I think they have a couple more. I figured I would want a little more capacity than a 3 gallon Midi vac but didn't want to spend $500 for a CT22. I also saw the Porter Cable 7812 Recon at Tool King for ~$200.00. Which has more capacity, but is a little louder. But if I were to have gone the Festool road I would have saved up for the CT22. Unless portabililty was my primary concern I think I would have been disapointed with the fewer CFM and smaller capcity of the Midi/Mini. And at $400 for a vac I wouldn't want to risk being disapointed.

[Chris Padilla]

I am going to get the ts 55 but was thinking about the MIDI instead of the ct22. Any suggestions? Ideas?

Tim

Tim,

I actually have a CT11 (no longer available...I got a good price on the closeout)!! Now I do not know how that compares to the MIDI in terms of bag capacity, but it does take me several months to fill it up. It all really depends on how much you use it. Some may fill up a CT33 in a month. I think it would take me 24 months to fill up a CT33's bag!!

One thing is for sure, the full capacity of the bag is used. I just changed my bag on my CT11 a couple weeks ago because I noticed the suction decreasing. When I check the bag, it had filled right the connection point and was so packed and dense, I had a bit of a go getting it out to replace it!!