A friend of mine recently acquired the Scheppach CS55 track saw, and he brought it by my shop yesterday in order to compare it to my Festool TS55.

At first glance, it appears that the Scheppach system is a clone of the Festool , with enough modifications to the design to prevent them from running afoul of copyright laws.

The tracks – although similar, are not compatible. The Scheppach track is about ¼” wider between the guide rail and the edge of the track, which means that a Festool saw will not work at all on the Scheppach track. Additionally, the spacing is different between the two guide ridges, preventing one track from being attached to the other.

The Scheppach saw will glide down the Festool track; however it overhangs the side of the track by ¼”, negating the benefits of the rubber strip that reduces tear-out.

From a size and handling perspective, the two saws are very similar. They both cut through a 6/4 white oak board w/o any problems; however there was a noticeable difference in the smoothness of the cut between the two saws. While neither saw left any kerf marks, the surface left by the Festool saw was noticeably smoother than the cut left by the Scheppach.

The price of the Scheppach is fantastic though, and unless you need the utmost in quality on your cut it is a worthwhile track saw to consider.


Side by side 3.jpgSide by side 1.jpgSide by side 2.jpg

Rail comparison 1.jpg Rail misalignment.jpg

In the photo below you can see where the Scheppach track is about 1/4" wider than the Festool

Rail comparison 2.JPG



The photo below shows the Scheppach saw sitting on the Festool guide rail. Note that there is about 1/4" distance between the blade and the rubber anti-tear out strip on the Festool rail.

Scheppach on Festool rail.jpg

Oak strip.JPG