Festool tracks?

[Larry Edgerton]

Do Festool routers and saws use the same track? It will make a difference to me whether I buy a couple of Festool routers to replace aging PC's

Thanks, Larry

[Dan Clark]

Larry,

Yes, Festool routers and saws use the same Festool track. And their jig saws. And they have several clamps that work with the guide rails.

Micro Fence makes interfaces that allowing mixing several router brands with several guide rail brands. Festool to Festool. Bosch to Festool, Dewalt to All-in-One, etc. Micro Fence products are reported to be very good, but they are very pricey.

Regards,

Dan.

[Mike Henderson]

Larry,

Yes, Festool routers and saws use the same Festool track. And their jig saws. And they have several clamps that work with the guide rails.

Micro Fence makes interfaces that allowing mixing several router brands with several guide rail brands. Festool to Festool. Bosch to Festool, Dewalt to All-in-One, etc. Micro Fence products are reported to be very good, but they are very pricey.

Regards,

Dan.

I bought the MicroFence "interface" to use a non-Festool router with the Festool fence and it doesn't work very well. It doesn't hold the router securely - that is, the router will swing through an arc without the "interface" moving on the fence. Also, the interface is waaay too tight on the fence which makes it difficult to slide along the track smoothly. I gave up trying to use it. I did report the problem to MicroFence but they didn't offer any solution or alternatives.

I haven't tried a Festool router on the Festool fence so I can't comment on how they work, but it has to be better than what MicroFence sells.

Mike

[I have other MicroFence tools and like them.]

[Greg R Bradley]

I haven't tried them but Makita Router guides will also fit Festool since the tracks are 99% the same. Makita just has an extra slice in track for the anti tip feature of their tracksaws.

[Van Huskey]

As the others said all Festool routers and plunge saws use the same tracks, it is part of their system approach.

[Victor Robinson]

Just for completeness' sake, it should be noted that the Festool track saws and routers use the FS tracks. There is now a set of shorter 'FSK' tracks that are meant only for the HK55 and do not work with the track saws or routers.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

I use our 1400 Festool router quite often, with the 8' and 4' tracks. Very versatile tool in the shop. Very easy to set up, adjust for a zero play setup. I love it for fabrication of solid surface counter tops (a game changer IMO if you do a lot of these).

I got set up with Festool tracks and a track saw not really intending to do so (bought in a package deal of used equipment) - but after several years, and the addition to the router - it is a very handy thing to have on hand.

[Andy Giddings]

Larry, have both the saw and the 1400 using the same track as others have stated. Regardless of the tracks, switching to the 1400 from my old PC plunge router was like night and day difference. The 1400 is one sweet plunge router with a quality fit and finish, much smoother plunge motion, good ergonomics and superb dust collection

[Larry Edgerton]

Did some more reading an you can use the Festool saw on the Makita track but not the Festool router. I was looking at options to get rid of my panel router to free up space. Don't really need a plunge saw much, but occasionally it would be the ticket. Its just the price of the Festool tracks kind of makes you feel like you are being taken advantage of, no?

Andy, I have a 1010 and a 1400, was looking at the bigger 2200. As far as ergonomics, I will take the big 3 1/4 PC plunge over any I have used, the controls are perfect as far as I am concerned, but..... I did buy a couple of smaller PC plunges to try and I gave them away because they were just clumsy to me. On the big one the handles are at the right angle, the switch is in the perfect position, and the depth control lever is easy to use while in a cut. Besides, with a big bit, hard to beat heavy.

[Van Huskey]

Did some more reading an you can use the Festool saw on the Makita track but not the Festool router. I was looking at options to get rid of my panel router to free up space. Don't really need a plunge saw much, but occasionally it would be the ticket. Its just the price of the Festool tracks kind of makes you feel like you are being taken advantage of, no?

Andy, I have a 1010 and a 1400, was looking at the bigger 2200. As far as ergonomics, I will take the big 3 1/4 PC plunge over any I have used, the controls are perfect as far as I am concerned, but..... I did buy a couple of smaller PC plunges to try and I gave them away because they were just clumsy to me. On the big one the handles are at the right angle, the switch is in the perfect position, and the depth control lever is easy to use while in a cut. Besides, with a big bit, hard to beat heavy.

The 2200 is the best example of good engineering in all of routerdom. I just don't need that big a router for anything I do freehand but for those that do it is an expensive but as close to perfect as I have seen router.

The tracks are indeed expensive especially the long ones but they are shipped free and are "over-long" so they are expensive to ship and the Festool tracks are packed to survive a nuclear explosion, nothing like the other brands and while you saw lots of issues with the Dewalt long tracks showing up damaged when 3-4 years ago they had the great deals on them. I have never heard of it with Festool tracks.

The other thing is the more you get sucked into their ecosystem the more the value of many of the accessories multiply say if you use the tracks for the routers as well as the jig and plunge saws. Once you get the tracks you see how easy setting up crosscuts on a MFT is with the lift up track. At least you can set up any bench with the proper hole grid either with CNC or Peter Parfitt's UJK Parf guide system that lets you make a "perfect" grid of 20mm holes well enough to please anyone checking them with the 5 cut method.

[Andy Giddings]

Larry, have never had a need to use that big a router for plunge work so will defer to your experience. I do have the same 3 1/4 PC but its been permanently mounted in the router table. My comparison was with the mid-range plunge routers (1400 and the PC 2 1/4HP). Those two are night and day

[Larry Edgerton]

Anyone know where I can buy a TS 75 with just a 118" track? Period.

[Van Huskey]

The only way the TS 75 is available in the US at least is with the 75" rail, it might be possible to find a dealer that would switch them out, but from Festool it is just with the 75" rail, as you probably know the TS 55 is available w/o a rail.

[Larry Edgerton]

I really do not like festools business model. Its basically extortion. You can't buy what you need because we don't make enough that way. This saw rail combination is just one example. Little plastic parts that if you bought them from Kmart would be $1.00, like their plastic router adapter. Junk. But its $55 without the rods you need to make it work.

I guess if I can't find the combination I want I'll just save some money and buy the Makita. They will sell me what I want.

[Brian Holcombe]

I really do not like festools business model. Its basically extortion.

Seems a little excessive...