Festool Contractor Track Saw Question

So Festool came out with their "contractor" track saw.

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It works with all their tracks which is very cool. This saw is priced where I am actually pretty tempted to buy one. For you Festool track saw guys, let me ask you a question.

Is a table saw better for repetitive cuts? I have to imagine it is. I'm making 24 cable bins for a pro sound company and I'll be cutting up

54 sheets of plywood at mostly the same dimensions. I'm guessing the table saw is better suited to this. Am I right?
Reply to
-MIKE-
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Is cordless a better option than corded?

Sonny

Reply to
Sonny

Now see, I wasn't even looking at that one. Here's the correct link.

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Reply to
-MIKE-

I think it depends on how big the pieces are. IME, moosing panels around, alone, on the TS doesn't make for accurate cuts. The track saw would be better, IMO. For pieces that are easier to handle, I use the table saw. I cut panels down with the track saw down to an easily manageable size, then use the table saw to cut smaller pieces.

Reply to
krw

Is your table saw big enough to support a sheet of ply? If it's a little fold-up jobsite saw the track saw might be a better option. If it's a Unisaw not so much.

And how thick is the ply? 1/4 inch ply is no trouble to handle, 3/4 in quantity you really want to have a helper. Big benefit of the track saw, you take the saw to the plywood, not the plywood to the saw.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Not necessarily. With the parallel guide system, it's a tossup.

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If I'm in the shop I'll usually rough cut the plywood, out of habit, and final cut on the table say, but onsite.... nother story.

I did two baths and two kitchens out of town using just the Festool/parallel guides and didn't miss the table saw as far as accuracy goes.

Setup is not as quick for each cut, but once that's over, Bob's your uncle.

You will want to do the modification you see here on the two stops for a bit more stability when using the guides, but that is a no brainer:

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Here's what it takes ... made this "kit" for Leon. If he can do it ... LOL

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Reply to
Swingman

The track saw is great for cutting up one sheet of plywood. Or maybe two o r three. But 54 sheets? You really need a European sliding table saw. Al tendorf, Martin, SCMI. If you had the Festool 75 saw, you could maybe stac k three of the sheets and cut them at once. So instead of 54 sheets, you w ould have 18 sheets, sort of. For cutting small pieces, the table saw wins . Repetitive cuts. In your case maybe the best choice other than the slid ing table saw, is to use the track saw to quarter the plywood. Then make t he final cuts on the table saw once the plywood is a small easy to handle s ize. Imagine cutting the plywood into 6" strips four feet long. Easiest m ight be to cut the plywood in half with the track saw. Then rip the 6" str ips on the table saw. A 4'x4' piece can be handled without too much troubl e.

Reply to
russellseaton1

The one in the link is not the new "carpentry" saw, the new saw attaches to a short track and is NOT a plunge cut saw like the on in the link.

If you can handle the goods a TS is better, marginally, but much more incontinent.

With my Festool TS75 I no longer cut up full 3/4" sheets on the TS, I use the track saw. BUT for repeated cuts I strongly suggest a parallel guide, you don't want to have to measure both ends of the track over and over and over and over. AFWIW the Festool brand parallel guides are not ideal.

Reply to
Leon

There you go. :~) I would be interested in the quality of cut, the TS series track saws make Table Saw quality cuts. I think the one pictured above is more for rough carpentry. I would not buy it until I saw the quality of cut.

Something else to consider, you will have to buy longer tracks to cut up sheet goods. I found that to rip a sheet of plywood that it was less expensive, when I bought, to buy the TS75 which included the more expensive longer track than the TS55 which included the less expensive shorter track. You will need the 75 inch and the 55 inch track. Again, at the time, buying the 75 inch track and the TS55 and included track was more expensive than buying the TS75 and included track and the 55" track. If you are going to rip sheets of plywood you will likely have to buy the 75" and 55" tracks. Two 55" tracks is not quite long enough to be able to start the saw on the edge of the plywood and make a through cut.

Reply to
Leon

Did you catch that, incontinent. LOL Farkin spell checker.

Inconvenient.

Reply to
Leon

Good info, thanks. I did see some other, 3rd party rip guides like this one using Incra t-track. goo.gl/Gm2E7n

Reply to
-MIKE-

I'm starting the job as soon as I hit send on this post and I don't think I have time to buy and learn a new tool. I was thinking this job might justify the expense, but with the outfeed table on my good quality TS I think I'm in good shape.

The bins are all 8ft. long so most of my cutting is going to be full rips. It's only 1/2 pine plywood so maneuvering won't be as difficult it would be with 3/4" sheet goods.

Reply to
-MIKE-

Incontinence IS inconvenient.

Reply to
G. Ross

With 1/2" plywood and full length cuts, it sounds like the tablesaw might b e the best way to do this job even if you already owned the track saws and guide rails. Measuring and moving and aligning the tracks for every single cut on every single piece of plywood is not good. Best to set a fence on the tablesaw once and lock it in place and then cut forever.

Reply to
russellseaton1

Yes, you were smart. I bought the TS44, which came with a 55" track and I bought another to cut sheets. I didn't find that very satisfactory so also bought a 108" track. I now have a 55" that isn't of much use.

Reply to
krw

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