Track Saw Purchase

[Joe Adams]

Just for the record there is no need to use a Festool vacuum with a Festool track saw. I used an industrial Shop Vac for years and more recently a Fein Turbo 2. Both worked great with it.

I do have a Festool CT36 that I use with Festool sanders because the ability to reduce suction is a necessity for their operation.

[Mike Henderson]

Just for the record there is no need to use a Festool vacuum with a Festool track saw. I used an industrial Shop Vac for years and more recently a Fein Turbo 2. Both worked great with it.

I do have a Festool CT36 that I use with Festool sanders because the ability to reduce suction is a necessity for their operation.

+1 I use a Ridgid vacuum with all my Festool tools. I put a router control on it so that I can slow it down when I want to. The Festool vac, while nice, are just too expensive.

Mike

P.S. I have the Festool track saw - the 55 - and have been very satisfied. But I haven't used any other brand of track saw.

[Mark Blatter]

I bought the Makita about five months ago and have been amazed how much I have used it. It came in very handy when I was building a shed in my back yard last Sep. After I broke my humerus, I had some friends & neighbors come over to help me get the siding on before winter. We used the Makita to cut it to size and they kept saying, "Don't you need to clamp the track down?" They were amazed at how well it stayed in place and cut.

I have been very pleased with it. It was very close in price to the DeWalt and believe it is a better saw. Would not make a change now after using it. I bought the DeWalt clamps and they work great, though I have only used them a few times. Even cutting laminate, I didn't use them. I cut it face down using just the scoring function and the amount of chipping was almost zero.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Aren't the 1&2 the same on the festool, and the Festool track is the most expensive of the bunch

1) Was not the same, the scoring stop did not have to be disabled for each use on the Festool
2) I didn't notice that on the Festool, but you are probably right.
3) Yes the Festool track is the most expensive, but when I added the saw, short, and long track together (like Frank did), I had them ranked Dewalt-Festool-Makita ($ to $$$). Like Frank, this is what mattered to me.

[scott stoner]

I'm also ready to purchase a track saw debating between the Festool and Makita.
If two short Festool tracks at 110" are barely long enough to cut a 8ft board
Then how do you crosscut a 4ft board with the 55" rail
would seem a long rail is a pain to crosscut a 4 x 8 foot sheet of plywood

thanks
Scott

[Peter Quinn]

I'm also ready to purchase a track saw debating between the Festool and Makita.
If two short Festool tracks at 110" are barely long enough to cut a 8ft board
Then how do you crosscut a 4ft board with the 55" rail
would seem a long rail is a pain to crosscut a 4 x 8 foot sheet of plywood

thanks
Scott

You can definitely cut 8' material with two 55" rails joined, and a single 55"rail is fine or cross cutting 48", I was doing it today. I got the track saw to break down full sheets of plywood before cutting to final dimension on the cabinet saw. It really makes life easier for me. Today I was cutting 15" widths for pantry cabinets, I cut an 8' rip from a sheet, a bit over width, then cut off the factor edge on the cabinet saw. Its so much easier than pushing 4X8 sheets over the saw to take a narrow rip, gets rid of that ratty factory edge as a reference edge. For that alone its worth it to me.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I love my Grizzly bandsaw and jointer. Both did well in the reviews. I can't saw so for their tracksaw, albeit I have only seen one tracksaw review. Fine Homebuilding concluded "For occasionaluse, this tool will get the job done, but ifyou plan on using your track saw often, it’s worth upgrading." and "the Grizzly costs roughly a quarter of the most expensive saw, so it’s no surprise that it lacks the features of the other saws and has poor ergonomics."

I hope to see some more tracksaw tool tests in 2016. They seem to be coming very popular.

[Floyd Mah]

Take a look at the reviews on Amazon for the Shop Fox W1835. It's the same as the Grizzly. The 55" track is about $54. The accessories kit (essential) is $35. A new blade can be purchased for about $50 (same as the others). It does have some flaws, but all of these can be overcome with a little tweaking. The reviews identify the problems. The only feature not easily solved is the splintering on the off-guard side, but various remedies have been posted here. Don't know if the DeWalt or Makita have a solution like the Festool. Total initial cost would be a bit over $300 for the whole kit. Worth trying if you don't want to spend a lot of money. I have nothing against the Fe$tool (I bought a Domino this year), but the high cost is not justified when others make comparable offerings.

[Alan Lightstone]

FWIW, I use the clamps with my TS55 almost all the time if possible for that cut. I have had a few occasions where the track slipped on the surface without them. Not totally necessary, but I would purchase them.

I don't have experience with the other saws, but you'll love the Festool.

The Mafell is tool porn. Anyone still have the link to their track saw that moves itself on the track?

[Frank Yacone]

Thanks for all of the replies. Am I the only one that finds this research a bit overwhelming?

Someone asked about how long it will take to get save for one. Currently, I will put $100 a month to it, plus $100 in April for my birthday. So it will take some time. I plan on getting the track saw and short rail as soon as I have the money, and buying the long track later.

I have narrowed my choices down to the following:

Makita: Total = $740
-track saw and short rail (55") - $440
-long rail (118") - $260
-pair of track clamps (Makita) - $40

Festool TS55 REQ: Total = $1025
-track saw and short rail (55") - $640
-pair of track clamps (Festool screw type) - $40
-Festool long rail (118") - $345

A couple of more questions. Someone mentioned that the Makita could not handle 8/4 stock, but the specs say it has a 2 3/16" depth, so I'm confused on this.

For those that have the TS75, will the stock blade provide splinter free cuts on plywood, or did you have to buy another blade? I understand the blades are different between the TS55 and TS75.

[scott stoner]

The Makita doesn't have a riving knife so I would remove that from your list based upon your interest in ripping rough lumber.

The only place I've really noticed the Makita having more power than the Festool is cutting 3 sheets of 3/4" plywood at a time. I have zero experience using them on rough lumber but understand the TS75 does that better. It comes with a 75" rail in the price.

I personally wouldn't want a Dewalt. It uses a weird track that doesn't allow parallel guides, being squared with a big framing square, and only has 55" and 102" tracks available. Dewalt doesn't make it but buys it from another company. Stanley Black and Decker has a history of abandoning every single product that they have ever handled this way.

Joining tracks is better than nothing but a poor substitute for a longer track. Plan on having a long straight edge and being very careful if you have to move it to another sheet of plywood.

In my case I would be buying it to primarily break down plywood, but occasionally may want to straight line some lumber .
With a wedge in the kerf I don't see the riving knife as a deal breaker. I'm more concerned about the Makita not having the splinter guard for the off cut side.
Is there a work around for that on the Makita?
Thanks
Scott

[Greg R Bradley]

The cut depth of the Festool TS55 and Makita SP6000 is exactly the same: 55mm or 2-3/16". They both leave exactly the same line in foam when used at max depth to cut 3 sheets of 18mm BB.

Makita does not have a riving knife.

Other info:
Joe Adams is exactly right about no need for any specific Vac. Nice to have one turn on with the tool but lots do that or add a iSwitch. If you have a normal shop vac, just add a Bosch VAC005 hose and you are all set.

Someone stated that it works great with a Fein Turbo II, which is does. Those definitely don't have any less suction than a Festool Vac and are quieter. The Fein with the Fein hose does work a bit better than the Festool because the hose is a bit bigger. The Bosch 35mm or Festool 36mm works just a bit better again.

Someone added up that the Makita is more than Festool, which is crazy. Makita and Dewalt have always been less. I've seen both with short track at a bit over $300. Current price on Makita at HD is $405.72 and they were 20% off about a year ago.

Also, any Festool tool always includes freight to you at no charge, 30 day no-question return, and 3 year warranty. That is worth something. Also, if you don't want the T-lock systainer they are sellable for $70 or so.

Festool screw type clamps and Makita ones are almost identical, as are the new Bessey version. You don't need clamps for plywood, even melamine, if you are working on top of horizontal material.

You will need a second blade for the TS55 where the TS75 comes with a blade and the power to do your hardwood ripping. I have no personal experience with that but know someone well that does.

[Jamie Buxton]

..For those that have the TS75, will the stock blade provide splinter free cuts on plywood, or did you have to buy another blade? I understand the blades are different between the TS55 and TS75..

The 55 is currently shipped with a blade optimized for plywood. It has lots of teeth, and a negative hook angle. That means it has little chip-out on cross-cuts in veneer-face plywood. But it doesn't rip hardwood very well. The 75 ships with a blade optimized for ripping hardwood. It has fewer teeth, and a positive hook angle. It rips like crazy, but chips out on cross cuts in plywood. Of course, you can buy a plywood blade for your 75, and you can buy a rip blade for your 55. There are also intermediate blades available that do an okay job of both kinds of cuts.

These decisions will be the same for other tracks saws, and indeed for any saw.

I'm pretty sure the Festool blades fit the Makita and the DeWalt. I've seen blades for the Festool from Freud, CMT, and Amana.

[Greg R Bradley]

Scott,
Didn't see your post while I was typing mine.

Makita has no offside anti-splinter.

My TS 55 has an anti-splinter that you attach as needed. I rarely remove it. The newer model has one that that stays attached and can be parked if you need to cut really close to a wall.

[Joe Adams]

You can occasionally find good deals on used Festool although they usually hold their value fairly well (70-80%). They also tend to have annul "Recon" sales with discounts of 10 to 30%.