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This is my birthday month so I had a 10% off postcard to use from Woodcraft. The store is in a direction I don't normally go but it was 61 degrees out in my neck of the woods. Remember this is only February 19th.

I haven't been there in a few years, the last time there was road construction on part of my route and lots and lots of snarled up traffic. It has to have been nearly 8 or 10 years ago. I don't know how it got to be so long.

I walked the store taking mental notes on what all they had. It is not a huge store but still it took me at least 45 minutes to walk it and touch stuff. So many things I had to leave behind and I was pretty tempted by a lot of them.

One of the things I wanted to look at was the Festool track saw stuff. I was impressed by how well they are made and how smooth they track. This was my first hands on with them. You can also think of this as a practice buy. BTW the 10% off is not good on Festool products. The bad news is that this is going to cost even more then I first expected. The saw and "started kit" give you pretty limited equipment. Add on a longer track so you can do 8' plywood...... then what about that cross cut arrangement..... so I'm rethinking this. I can see this being $1400 with no problems.

Well I didn't come home empty handed but we will talk about that another time.

In case your wondering, I just turned 38 again this year and no today is not my birthday. I always heard it best to stop when you are ahead so now I have a sons that are older then I am.

Ed

Ed:

I have a track saw and use it a lot; but you are correct, the Festool slid is a slippery slope. It can add up quickly. If you do a lot of sheet goods it works very well.

Jack

reible wrote:This is my birthday month so I had a 10% off postcard to use from Woodcraft. The store is in a direction I don't normally go but it was 61 degrees out in my neck of the woods. Remember this is only February 19th.

I haven't been there in a few years, the last time there was road construction on part of my route and lots and lots of snarled up traffic. It has to have been nearly 8 or 10 years ago. I don't know how it got to be so long.

I walked the store taking mental notes on what all they had. It is not a huge store but still it took me at least 45 minutes to walk it and touch stuff. So many things I had to leave behind and I was pretty tempted by a lot of them.

One of the things I wanted to look at was the Festool track saw stuff. I was impressed by how well they are made and how smooth they track. This was my first hands on with them. You can also think of this as a practice buy. BTW the 10% off is not good on Festool products. The bad news is that this is going to cost even more then I first expected. The saw and "started kit" give you pretty limited equipment. Add on a longer track so you can do 8' plywood...... then what about that cross cut arrangement..... so I'm rethinking this. I can see this being $1400 with no problems.

Well I didn't come home empty handed but we will talk about that another time.

In case your wondering, I just turned 38 again this year and no today is not my birthday. I always heard it best to stop when you are ahead so now I have a sons that are older then I am.

Ed

Wow. I think Festool has good products but one has to have a GOOD need to pay that much for that. That is almost as much as I paid for my 52" Powermatic table saw.

I too, was in a woodcraft today and inquired about the Festool TS 55 plunge cut saw (this is the smaller saw). It comes with a 55" track; I priced it with a second 55" track plus connectors so I can saw 8 ft+. The price quoted was $805 plus tax for that set up. If you want the dust extractor $$$$$$.

I'm not sure if I really figured out what I want yet out of a Festool setup. I was looking at the model 75 which is the larger saw but I really don't know if I need that.

For sure I want to be able to cut the length of a sheet of plywood so 55" will not cut it no really it will not cut it. They have another option with a 100+ cut capacity or you can join the shorter rails. The sales person would like to sell me the longer track because it is handy but that was over $300 alone.

Then if you want clamps they are extra, not sure if you need them but maybe I do??? But to save me some money they have accessory kit for like $220 that has the clamps and some other stuff and I think a container for something or other.

The other thing is the parallel guide system. If you want to be able to cut the whole range of up to 25" then you need the set of guides and the extensions for $330+

Mental math made that out at something over $1400 but less then $1500. This is an approximation:

ts75 $750
extra 55" track $130
accessory kit $220
Parallel guide set $335
==========================

$1435 which to me sound a lot like $1400

Now I want to go to their site and see more detail and see if I can get by for less. My opinion hasn't changed, they are expensive but sometimes that is the best way to go. Something more for the kids to fight over when I'm gone.

I only budgeted about $1000 thinking the saw and the extra rail...... yea I should have seen this coming.

Ed

Wouldn't the track saw combo offered by Shopsmith be a better deal?
BPR

The parallel guides look nice; but I don't think they are absolutely necessary. The whole idea of the Festool is you drop the rail on your cut line and cut. If you discover you "need" them they could always be added later.

I also think two 55" rails and connectors is a better option than a single 8' rail. Easier to store and transport. And you definitely want at least one 55" rail so you don't have to drag an 8' rail around to make cross cuts.

ryanbp01 wrote:Wouldn't the track saw combo offered by Shopsmith be a better deal?
BPR

Definitely less expensive! Better deal? Depends. Even assuming the tracks are equivalent, the Shopsmith works with your circular saw. My circular saw doesn't have a soft start, variable speed, easy plunge cutting or accurate bevel cutting or good dust collection, which the Festool provides.

algale wrote:The parallel guides look nice; but I don't think they are absolutely necessary. The whole idea of the Festool is you drop the rail on your cut line and cut. If you discover you "need" them they could always be added later.

I also think two 55" rails and connectors is a better option than a single 8' rail. Easier to store and transport. And you definitely want at least one 55" rail so you don't have to drag an 8' rail around to make cross cuts.

The parallel guides were new to me and I liked what I saw.

My initial thought were just the two rails and the saw. But I can see the project I have in mind as being done really quickly with the addition of the parallel guide system.

Even when you buy these shorter rails you still need connectors which are like $20 each and you need two of them, and then if you want clamps (I don't know do I?) over $40 for them. I forgot what was in the kit that they thought was a better deal, too much information to remember.

BTW what they wanted to sell me was a 55" rail and then the 100+" one. I guess that is a deal that people like to buy???? Contractors? But then the longer rail is like $320! I don't think I'll go that way.

I plan to go back in another month or so and revisit the subject. I still have a lot of planning to do so I may even decide I can't afford the project and go a total different way.

Ed

Prices from Festoolusa.com
TS 55 req. $640. It comes with a 55 inch guide rail
Second 55 inch guide rail. 129
Connector $18.
Total. $787
Add dust vac $475 for the small one. But it will work with most any dust vac and the Shopsmith dust collector.


With this you can cut up anything shorter than 110 inches it will do a 4x8 sheet of ply.