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Thread: My first (and probably last) drink from the green well

  1. #76
    Quote Originally Posted by Edwin Santos View Post
    How's the dust situation with that set up? Seriously, I did the same as you for years, and you're quite right, no issues with quality of cut or performance. I upgraded to a track saw mainly because the dust collection is so good and if you're working in the field (or even in the shop) in enclosed conditions, keeping dust down can be an important factor.

    Hi Edwin

    I just use the Fein Vacuum. I think it's the original one, not the Fein II.

    I've had it for a long time, no issues at all. The vacuum that keeps on sucking and won't die, ever. I rigged a little box behind with the hose in the back. It works great. In someone's house, I'd be cutting in the garage or basement...but have never had an issue with dust spewing all over the place. I made the box out of luan and put a magnet on the bottom of the box to attach it to the saw base. The dust go right in. I don't think I'm a genius or overly bright, but I learned a thing or two in the last 15 years---how to attach "this or that" to something to get the desired outcome

    There a lot of people on this site with some serious cash, that's not me (I'm in the middle). For me to spend that much money, I have to ask myself if I really need it or is there another way to do it and save the cash for the item that I can't do without.

    Example: I posted about the DeWalt cordless tablesaw at Home Depot (I don't think anyone responded). I bought it for $350 clearanced at my particular Home Depot. They even threw in an extra battery. Some would say why? I've been on more than one job where the power goes out and I can't cut filler strips or toe kicks. It sucks big time and has costed me the time of leaving and having to come back.

    My point, that saw and the price I paid justified the purchase 3 times already since I bought it. The track saw and the price of it simply aren't justified for my particular position. Not trying to go on and on, but I sincerely hope that makes sense...even though you only asked about dust collection

    David
    Life is a gift, not a guarantee.

  2. #77
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    N Illinois
    Posts
    4,602
    AS said before: Sigh and go have a BEER,,,,
    Jerry

  3. #78
    Quote Originally Posted by David Cramer View Post
    Hi Edwin

    I just use the Fein Vacuum. I think it's the original one, not the Fein II.

    I've had it for a long time, no issues at all. The vacuum that keeps on sucking and won't die, ever. I rigged a little box behind with the hose in the back. It works great. In someone's house, I'd be cutting in the garage or basement...but have never had an issue with dust spewing all over the place. I made the box out of luan and put a magnet on the bottom of the box to attach it to the saw base. The dust go right in. I don't think I'm a genius or overly bright, but I learned a thing or two in the last 15 years---how to attach "this or that" to something to get the desired outcome

    There a lot of people on this site with some serious cash, that's not me (I'm in the middle). For me to spend that much money, I have to ask myself if I really need it or is there another way to do it and save the cash for the item that I can't do without.

    Example: I posted about the DeWalt cordless tablesaw at Home Depot (I don't think anyone responded). I bought it for $350 clearanced at my particular Home Depot. They even threw in an extra battery. Some would say why? I've been on more than one job where the power goes out and I can't cut filler strips or toe kicks. It sucks big time and has costed me the time of leaving and having to come back.

    My point, that saw and the price I paid justified the purchase 3 times already since I bought it. The track saw and the price of it simply aren't justified for my particular position. Not trying to go on and on, but I sincerely hope that makes sense...even though you only asked about dust collection

    David
    David,
    I like your practical thinking! Track saws are very nice, and I think the Makita I bought is a good tool, but it's no more accurate than the inexpensive DeWalt circular saw and the home made saw guide I used for many years. If I had had your ingenuity I might have rigged up a dust collection solution like you did and never bought a track saw.

  4. #79
    I use a DeWalt track saw and have never used anything but a 48 tooth blade on it. It's motor pulls 12A, I think the 55 pulls 9A, might be 10A. But a bit less. I've cut construction lumber with my DeWalt with the stock blade with zero problems. It was plugged into an extension cord. I've also ripped well over 4 feet in hardwood, oak, with the same setup with no issues. If I had to slow down cutting 2 inch hardwood, I would get the rip blade, probably Freud. But no reputable tool in good condition with any blade should bog down in 1 inch softwood (including poplar which is technically a hardwood). Sounds like an issue with the tool, which Festool should have said from the start.

    I see this experience as related but skip it if you do not. My table saw is a Ryobi BT3100. I've ripped over 3 inches in hardwood with it. But only with a clean ripping blade. With the 50 tooth Freud combination blade it normally wears, it will require a very slow cut and still will probably trip a breaker or the thermal overload on the saw. But with a clean and sharp ripping blade, it does fine. Despite the 15A universal motor.

    So I understand the blade arguments. But I respectfully totally disagree that they apply to ripping 1 inch softwood. Any decent tool should do that.

    Last point, price is generally a decent indicator of which tool is best but not always. Festool track saws have track options not available for other saws and I have no doubt their blade change setup is far better than the DeWalt but I'm still not sure the Festool is the best tool in this category. I read the reviews, then decide for myself.
    Last edited by Jim Dwight; 10-25-2017 at 3:49 PM.

  5. #80
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
    Posts
    81
    if this thread was good for anything, I realized the reason my Porter Cable circular saw is so horrible at cutting is that it has a finishing blade on it. Why they would sell a carpentry tool with a finishing blade, I don't know. I mean, a 24 tooth blade has got to be cheaper than a 48 tooth blade, doesn't it? Anyway, I got a new blade for it yesterday, I'm sure that will help its performance quite a bit.

  6. #81
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Kansas City
    Posts
    42
    This guy's not a rocket surgeon, but he's funny and does a thorough look-see of that exact saw:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oezp-_DcUgg (Part 1)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mo2L_jFKmc (Part 2)

  7. #82
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Northern Michigan
    Posts
    4,973
    What exactly is a rocket surgeon?

  8. #83
    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Edgerton View Post
    What exactly is a rocket surgeon?
    Larry a rocket surgeon is a brain surgeon that works on the brains of Rocket scientists . It’s a bit of a one up From saying there not a “rocket scientist” or that it’s not “brain surgery” . Your going to love “Fabracobel”
    jack
    English machines

  9. #84
    If you are looking for a slick blade change setup, the Mafell MT55 is a cinch vs. the Festool... best of all the track saws IMO...

    BTW - with stock 48 tooth blade, plugged into a vacuum - up to 2" hardwood, construction lumber, sheet goods are all a cinch, as fast as I want to push through it...

  10. #85
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Pleasant Grove, UT
    Posts
    1,503
    Extension cords.... sigh.

    Just save yourselves grief. Never get anything smaller than 12g for tool use. Heck, I'll opt for 10g if I can. 100ft of 10g will handle ANY portable power tool. Is it more expensive? Yes. Is it heavier and takes up more space? Yes. But if the smoke escapes from your tool, it won't be the cord's fault.
    It came to pass...
    "Curiosity is the ultimate power tool." - Roy Underhill
    The road IS the destination.

  11. #86
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    lost in the NW Atlanta 'burbs
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    163
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Dowell View Post
    Well, I've taken a lot of lashings here over the blade thing. So, I will buy a couple more blades.
    The thing most people that buy the TS55 miss is that it's basically a 6" circ saw that pulls only 10 amps. It doesn't have a lot of torque so blade choice is critical if you're going to be using the saw for anything other than what it was designed for: cutting sheet goods up to 3/4" thick and the occasional short plunge rip into installed flooring. It doesn't have the muscle to power through tasks like ripping hardwood with a general-purpose blade that your average 15 amp 7-1/4 circ saw wouldn't balk at.

    Obviously there was something wrong with your saw, it should have kicked the protection and reset after it cooled down. Forget that BS about only plugging it into an outlet, the saw only pulls 10 amps and comes with an 18-gauge cord set. According to the manual you should be safe running it on a 25' 16AWG extension cord or a 12AWG cord at 50'. Which is just common sense, anyway(or it should be). Interestingly, the manual for my OF2200 15A router says I can run it at 50' on a 14AWG cord and 100' on 12 AWG. But my TS75 manual(a 13A tool) says the same as the 10A TS55. Consistency doesn't seem to be a major concern at Festool, does it?

    Anyway, I'm glad to hear Festool took care of you(hopefully) and you've realized that you need to match the blade to the work if you want to use it as an all-around tool. It's really a nice saw when used with their track system, I've been whaling away with mine on sheet goods for 7 years now with no problems. But I have a Makita 5007 for when I want to rip 8/4 slabs or build houses. Horses for courses, one size doesn't fit all, etc..

    Best,
    Bill

    P.S. Please don't think of this post as a "thrashing from the loyal Festool enthusiasts". Festool is just another tool manufacturer and, like all of them they have their diamonds and their stones. I have a lot of their tools, the track saw and the Domino are definitely diamonds. Except for the OF2200, the routers are stones for what you mostly use a router for. But if you combine the OF1010 with their LR32 system for Euro cabinets you get a diamond. I've never been a fan of their sanders, I prefer my Mirkas but the Granat paper is nice in the lower grits. I like my Fein and Mirka vacs a lot more than the CTs, they aren't appreciably quieter but the noise from them doesn't have the annoying edge that the Festool vacs have. I've not used their cordless tools, my Makitas work fine at half the price and they all use the same battery. I like the MFT, wouldn't part with it.

    I guess I'm saying that I really like some of their products, could take or leave others and consider some overpriced junk. Pretty much what I think of any tool manufacturer.
    Last edited by Bill Graham; 11-03-2017 at 9:22 PM.

  12. #87
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Graham View Post
    The thing most people that buy the TS55 miss is that it's basically a 6" circ saw that pulls only 10 amps.
    FWIW, Fine Woodworking did a tool test on track saws. They gave the top award to Mafell and Festool 75, in a tie, citing the Festool 55 bogged down in some of the tests.

    Freud makes narrow kerf blades designed for Festool, which is slightly smaller in diameter that what you find in Dewalt's TS. I bought three of the Freud blades for my Dewalt and they allow the saw to handle jobs more easily than the stock blade. Maybe Festool TS owners will find the same.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  13. #88
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    West Granby CT
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    777
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Dowell View Post
    **update** - The saw has returned to me.

    Well, I can't be sure what makes one of these a "lemon". But, unless it is the armature and bearings, pretty sure it's more of the same.
    Attachment 368740
    Mike, have you had a chance to try it since it has been back? If so did the repairs do the trick or are you chalking it up to blade choice, or something else?

  14. #89
    Hmmmm....now, I don't feel any regret for my Makita Tracksaw--it's more beefy than my Sawstop JSS.
    While I currently have a bunch of systainers, the only festool stuff I have is:
    -MFT systainer (mdf top).
    -1 festool clamp
    -Used Festool ct36 hepa...i don't like it as much as my Fein or Nilfisk because of the high pitched whine.
    But stacking systainers on it is nice. I'll likely make my own boom arm...wood.

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