Track Saws

[andy bessette]

I have watched 2 or 3 videos of people using the Festool 55 to rip hard wood 1"-2" thick and commeted that the saw struggled to make the cut One person keep stalling the saw out and went to a different saw to compleat the cut.
It didn't appear he was forcing the FT...

What you describe is clearly abuse of the tool. I rip thick hardwood on the proper tool--a 3 hp table saw with 10" carbide rip blade. However I straighten an edge of every piece of lumber I buy using the TS55 and long track. In the hardest mahogany it is wise to not force the saw faster than its cutting ability.

[Matthew Hills]

Do note that the TS75 and TS55 come with different blades.
I'm wondering if that could be a factor in the videos where the TS55 bogged down when cutting thick hardwoods.
(i have a TS55 and have been very happy using it with sheet goods.)

Matt

[Martin Wasner]

Upon brief reflection -- I had read many of these track saw threads, and don't remember anyone regretting their choice of brands.

I wish I would've bought a Mafell, but to be fair I don't regret the Makita.

[Edwin Santos]

Do note that the TS75 and TS55 come with different blades.
I'm wondering if that could be a factor in the videos where the TS55 bogged down when cutting thick hardwoods.
(i have a TS55 and have been very happy using it with sheet goods.)

Matt

I think you might be on to something. I'm in the satisfied Makita owners club and I notice the 6 1/2" blade that came with the saw is very good, but at 48T it was clearly intended for clean cuts in sheet goods. I feel the tooth count is way too high for ripping hardwood, especially thicker hardwood. Every time I do it I tell myself I need to look for a ripping blade and do what I've had to learn the hard way at the table saw, which is take the time to change the blade to the correct one for the job at hand.

I can't blame the track saw manufacturers. If I had to choose which blade to supply with the track saw, I'd go with a finishing blade too. I'm not sure anyone makes a ripping blade specifically for the Makita. It would need to be 6 1/2" with a 20mm arbor. Freud makes one for the Festool which also has a 20mm arbor, but at 160mm you would lose a little under 1/4" in cut capacity and the depth scale on the saw would no longer be accurate. However looking past this detail, I'll bet such a blade would make the saw seem much more "powerful" when ripping thicker hardwood.

[Peter Kuhlman]

No different than a table saw or miter saw - proper blade needed for the intended use.
My TS55 rips really well - with a rip blade! The supplied 48 tooth blade is not intended to rip in thick wood. A 40 tooth blade doesn't work that great on a table saw with a 10" blade and much larger gullets.
I have a variety of blades for my TS55 from Festool, Tenaru(so?), Freud.
I have not found my TS55 to struggle with any cuts as long as I use the appropriate blade.

[Robert Engel]

Ted, & for others looking, I've been doing some due diligence and thought I would share a few things.

First, if it hasn't already been mentioned, you have to look close at what's included, and its not always real obvious. For example, on Amazon the Makita is also sold as a Saw + Track connector - but no tracks. I bit misleading IMO.

Tracks and clamps can add another $150-200 to the cost.

These are all Amazon prices:

Makita: Saw $409 + (2) 55" tracks + connector = $626.91

Triton: Saw $309.72 + Track packs (99.97 + 84.99) + clamps 49.99 = $544.67. (I think the Makita tracks may work with the Triton).

There is a DW kit which includes (1) 59" + (1) 102" track for $629.99. Personally, I like the idea of 1 long track and no connectors to worry about.

I watch a review on the Triton the one thing I remember is it was heavy.

Spagnolo did a side by side comp with DW and Festool. The DW competed very well. It has a sliding plunge rather than a pivoting. Some people find the blade changing a bit cumbersome (but how many times do you change blades? no big deal to me)

Bottom line: For the price diff between Makita and DW, + the positive review by Spagnolo I would go with the DW kit

[Brian Holcombe]

I have ripped the full depth of cut with the 55 Festool. Trick is to use the correct blade, the standard blade is to fine for heavy ripping. Same reason that you don't resaw with a 14 tpi bandsaw blade.

edit: I see Peter beat me to it.

[Frankie Hunt]

The Makita comes with one 55 inch track at the 409 price.
so....

Makita: Saw (with 1 track) $409 + (1 additional) 55" track + connector = $509

I think the Makita is a GREAT saw, as a bonus it is the least costly of the 3 that I would consider. (Makita, Festool & DeWALT)

Ted, & for others looking, I've been doing some due diligence and thought I would share a few things.

First, if it hasn't already been mentioned, you have to look close at what's included, and its not always real obvious. For example, on Amazon the Makita is also sold as a Saw + Track connector - but no tracks. I bit misleading IMO.

Tracks and clamps can add another $150-200 to the cost.

These are all Amazon prices:

Makita: Saw $409 + (2) 55" tracks + connector = $626.91

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Today I used my ten years old 7 1/4" power hand saw and my faithful 25 years old straight aluminum L shaped bar to breakdown a 30mm thick panel.

I am sure a track saw could do it slightly faster and probably more precise but my results are consistently good enough... and I always have a table saw to use when it is more convenient.

I am a hobbyist and I breakdown panels just a couple of times, perhaps three times, at average, in each year, so by my book it isn't worth to upgrade my saw for a tracking model.

On the other hand, if I had no table saw, I would consider seriously a track saw and Makita would be my choice as I think it is the best bang for my bucks...

[Patrick Curry]

I have the Makita and have been happy with the purchase. I spent quite a bit of time reading reviews and borrowed by friend's TS75 a few times before my purchase.

I like the Makita for price and that it had a little more power than the others in it's price range. Didn't have as much power as the TS75 but more than it's smaller Festool sibling. I cut hardwood frequently

[Ted Baxter]

Thanks for all the comments. I am leaning towards the Makita even though it seems that their are some quality issues with their tracks. I was hoping to hear from some Trition owners also.

I am a hobbist and need to break down 4'X8' plywood only a few times a year. I have a difficult time doing it by myself on the table saw.

I am considering a project that will require 12 - 15 sheets of 3/4 plywood.

The main reason I would buy a track saw is safety.

[Randy Heinemann]

If you use a track saw so infrequently, have you considered trying to find a local lumber yard which would rough cut the sheets to your specs instead of buying the saw. When I buy plywood, I can generally get the sheets cut for a $1 a cut; sometimes for nothing if I buy where I buy a lot of stuff. Since I wouldn't count on them to cut it exactly the size I want, I have them cut just slightly more than measurements I need (a little bit of a problem if the project will use almost the entire sheet) and cut them to final size on my table saw. If your ending size sheets are going to be very large, though, I can understand the need for a track saw. Far be it from me, though, to discourage some one from buying a new tool.

[Robert Eckerle]

The guy from down under Jordie woodshop sure did criticize the Makita tracks for not being flat

you can find it on YouTube

jord's woodshop

i don't know anything about the saws, I just ran across the video while watching his workbench build series

[Jacob Barnhart]

I went with the Festool TS55 because I happened to have the money at the time and would like to get more of their stuff in the future. The included blade is great for crosscuts and working with sheet goods. I bought a freud rip blade for it for putting straight edges on hardwoods. Have used it on 8/4 Walnut with no problems and never really noticed it bogging down at all. I think sometimes people think it's bogging down when it's just the electronic controls for the motor adjusting the output to keep the speed constant. I will say the soft start feature is pretty extreme compared to the soft start on my table saw and my Bosch routers. It's slower to ramp up than any of them.

[Patrick Curry]

I'd go with the Makita over the Triton. it works well, my tracks were straight and affordable- and it will have a higher resale value if for some reason (sliding table saw) I decide to get rid of it one day.

Check Google for track saw reviews. I do like the Festool track saws but I didnt want to pay the price for the T75 and didn't feel the Makita was inferior to the T55 (but cost less)