Festool TS-75

[Jake Elkins]

Sorry for another track-saw thread. Thanks to a better-than-usual tax return, I just got the green light (pun intended) to proceed with a Festool TS 75 purchase. This would be my first Festool, and given the current financial situation, probably my last for a while. While I have wanted a track saw for years, I have a special application: I just got a good deal on about 40 oak planks, average size 5-6ft by 2ft, and most are at 10/4 or somewhat thicker. And I have a lot of chairs and doors to make. Too heavy for the bandsaw and tablesaw, and too thick for my current Makita 7.25" saw. It also seems to be too thick for the average 'other' track saw such as the Dewalt or Makita.

My questions - is there a version of a track saw with this cutting capacity (2.5+") that is not Festool? Seems like everyone else is about 2 1/8". Any reason to still go with the cheaper, smaller Festool? Any "must-have" additional tracks that I should budget in? Is this enough saw to cut through the oak?

Thanks for they help spending money. This just seems like a large purchase for a circular saw.

[Sam Murdoch]

You might look into Timber Wolf offerings - http://www.timberwolftools.com/tools/kind/beamsaws.html

Actually you make the offering to them - they are very pricey but also exceptional tools. Check out their saws!

[Mac Cambra]

What kind of table saw or bandsaw do you have that the stock would be too heavy for and not to heavy for the TS75? Or do you mean too heavy for you to manipulate safely on the table saw or band saw.

I have the TS55, great product, but Festool is a needy mistress, you will need the dust extractor and tracks that are pretty pricey. I spent $300 on the 118" track, I don't regret it because when I needed it it did a wonderful job. Just awful spendy.

[Rich Riddle]

I purchased the TS75 a few years ago and have no regrets at all. It's a bit heavier than the smaller version but works great.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I'm in the same situation and I only found the TS75 to have a cutting depth greater than 2 1/8". I am saving now for one. I buy rough sawn lumber and as you said, it is too unwieldy for the table saw. Currently I am using a Porter-Cable circular saw and battens clamped to the board as guides. It is time consuming but it does work.

[Allan Speers]

My questions - is there a version of a track saw with this cutting capacity (2.5+") that is not Festool? Seems like everyone else is about 2 1/8". Any reason to still go with the cheaper, smaller Festool? Any "must-have" additional tracks that I should budget in? Is this enough saw to cut through the oak?

You bet: Makita 5104 on a Eurekazone rail system. (It uses the medium sized "Moduni" base.)

Pluses:
A little less expensive than the Festool, given the same track length.
A little more power and a LOT more torque.
Slightly MORE cutting depth: Almost 3" actual cut when on the track.
A much larger choice of blades. (Festool's blades are extremely high quality, though.)
IMO, a superior track design, and MUCH better clamps.
Some very nice accesories, should you later want to expand your system.

Negatives: (compared to the TS75)

Not as good dust collection, unless you make your own shroud.
No riving knife, though EZ does now sell a simple splitter for the base. ## This is an important difference, IMO.
No plunge cuts. (unless you get an EZ-ONE table, see below.)
No Soft-Start. You have to get you to a rather significant jump every time you start it.
No clutch for if you hit a knot, but it does have an anti-kickback feature for if the blade jams, called "SJS." Actually, this might be a clutch just like Festool's, but Makita doesn't describe it as such, so I can't say. I've yet to need it.

The Makita is heavier. 18 lbs vs 13.6 lbs. - I personally prefer the extra weight on a track-only saw and consider this an advantage. You may not.


The Festool is very, very nice, and has great resale value. I dunno which way I'd go if I had to do it again. I really do love some of the EZ add-ons, like the T-square guide and the router sled. I also VASTLY prefer working on an EZ Smart-table with its raised supports, vs the typical tracksaw's piece of sacrificial foam. (I have worked with both systems a lot.) And the EZ-One table is in another league altogether.

However, I prefer the Festool's accuracy. (primarliy with angled cuts) - Although I typically cut large and re-mill later, so that's not a huge deal for me. I'd also LOVE to have the Festool's riving knife, since you can't use the EZ splitter on (again) angled cuts. I sort of have an idea on how to make my own riving knife for the Makita, but it will be VERY tricky. Time will tell on that. The Festool's clutch, again, may or may not be superior to Makita's "SJS, whatever that is. I just don't know. Anyway, kickback is not a huge danger on a track system. (especially on my modified Eurekazone base, which locks into the track.) As far as dust collection, my custom shroud works better than the stock TS75, so that's a non-factor for me.


If you think you'll be cutting a lot of angles, then the Festool's ease of adjustment + riving knife might make it a winner. If you need the extra depth, then the Makita is a no-brainer. ( - remember you must factor in depth of angle cuts as well.)

One more factor, which is very important when using a tracksaw on hardwood: POWER. It's pretty easy to burn your stock if you aren't careful to keep a constant speed. Cutting 8/4 hard maple, I want that Makita, not the Festool. (Again, I have compared them.) The Festool is resonably powerful, but the Makita has crazy amounts of torque. Something about the gearing, I guess. It's still not going to do what a 3 HP tablesaw can do, but it's not bad. With a very good blade, you can safely cut that Maple without burning it.

Final Thought: If you can also afford an EZ-ONE table, then fawgeddaboudit. IMO that's the ultimate, and yes I've worked on the Festool table as well. No competition. Fast, accurate, repeatable... lovely. Also you can use the "bridge" to do plunge cuts, though that's not as easy as with the Festool.
I'm not going to sat that the EZ-ONE can replace a tablesaw, (it can, sort of) but only because of the limitations of the circular saw itself. If there were a 3 HP. 10" version of the Festool, and you put THAT on an EZ-ONE table, it would IMO blow the doors off of any tablesaw available. Maybe someday this will be possible, with new motor designs. for now there are still trade-offs.


Tha's all I got.

[Ruhi Arslan]

I just got a good deal on about 40 oak planks, average size 5-6ft by 2ft, and most are at 10/4 or somewhat thicker.

I cleaned up about 700bf of walnut slabs, 8-10' long about 10/4 thick with TS75. Keep in mind, if you get inpatient and start moving too fast, it bogs down and stalls at that thickness.

[Robert LaPlaca]

I cleaned up about 700bf of walnut slabs, 8-10' long about 10/4 thick with TS75. Keep in mind, if you get inpatient and start moving too fast, it bogs down and stalls at that thickness.

This pretty much echoes my experience with my TS75, although my struggles was edge trimming 2" thick MDF (yeah yuck), the best advise might be to ditch the 36 tooth blade for a nice Festool rip blade..

[Mike Cutler]

Jake

I own the TS75, like others, and will tell you that it is one very nice tool. I needed to cut a 17'x3'x2 1/2" thick slab of Padauk, which is how I ended up with a TS75.
I waffled back and forth over the exact saw/setup that Allan Speers refers to in his post, and having already had experience with the EZ system, it was literally a flip of the coin. That 5104 is one powerful little beast, if you decide to go that route. In the end it was the loss of cutting depth with an EZ base and rail, about 3/4" total, the plunge offered by the Festool, and that I actually got my TS75 for a lower price simply because it was in the old style Systainer.

If you're looking to just break those slabs down into more manageable pieces, than there are other less costly option. They would involve you making your own straight edge, but that is pretty easy, and given the lengths of the slabs you have, could be done very accurately on a table saw. Any option that involves a track is going to cause the cost to go up for the rails, and you'll need either two of the lengths generally supplied, or one longer one, which if ordered has an oversized shipping cost that will come along with it. Either EZ, or Festool.

To rip those slabs with a Festool you'll need a Festool "Panther" blade, or an equivalent third party blade, of which there are a few available now. Blades for the Makita will still be costly, but can be sourced at many places.

A word of advice no matter which way you go. Circular saws this big are beginning to push it on a 120vac circuit, so if you need to use an extension cord of any length, make sure it sized appropriately, at minimum it needs to be larger than the gauge of the wire in the saw' OEM supplied cord.
That slab of Padauk I had to cut, was actually cut on the Car Carrier I rented to pick it up. The closest I could get the trailer to a duplex receptacle was about 60', and there was a performance difference in extension cord wire gauge. I had a little 50', 16, or 18 awg cord,( don't remember which now) and the saw bogged down. I put it on the 100' 10awg, I use for trough heaters in the winter, and there was a marked improvement in performance.

[Erik Christensen]

I have the TS75 and like it. One factor to consider is do you expect to ever buy a Festool router - if yes the rail system for the saw also fits router attachments and adds a lot to the tool's capability.

[Allan Speers]

I have the TS75 and like it. One factor to consider is do you expect to ever buy a Festool router - if yes the rail system for the saw also fits router attachments and adds a lot to the tool's capability.

Indeed. One of the best things about a tracksaw is the ability to then get a router track sled. This does NOT completely take the place of a router table, since it can't do curves, but IMO for straight cuts it's the only way to go.

I haven't used the Festool's router system, so I can't compare them. Maybe someone else can?

[Peter Kelly]

My questions - is there a version of a track saw with this cutting capacity (2.5+") that is not Festool?

There's this but it's also Festool: https://www.festool.com/Products/Pag...SU-200-EB-Plus
Rides on a conventional Festool guide rail. Must be ordered from Germany though.

There's also the Prazi beam cutter which is fairly similar: http://www.amazon.com/Prazi-USA-PR70.../dp/B0000224SA
$150 but you'd need a worm or hypoid drive saw and a guide rail of some sort. Considerably less than the F-Tool.

You could also go the Beam Machine route if you've got a chainsaw: http://www.baileysonline.com/Forestr...ine.axd?catID=
$49 + one really straight 2x4.

All that said, I've had no regrets with my TS75. Highly recommended.

[Jake Elkins]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions and guidance. Think I will still lean toward the TS-75, but I will give the EZ system a look. However, I am seeing that Makita running around 400 or so. For previous questions - my tablesaw is a small but respectable JET hybrid saw (110V), and a 14" powermatic bandsaw. Both would make running these slabs difficult and probably dangerous.

Thanks again everyone.

[mreza Salav]

I have had the TS55 and now have TS75. The 55 is lighter and easier to carry one handed but unsuitable for cutting thick lumber. It is more suited for sheet goods and 4/4 lumber. The 75 is heavier but I used it a lot to get a straight edge on 8/4 maple 8' boards that were heavy to handled on jointer (for the volume I had to deal with). I am happy with it.