I'm trying to buy a Festool TS75 *without* the 75 inch guide *but* with two
55" guides. Seems they don't sell it thataway. If I use the 75" plus a 55" connected I get a 130 inch guide which is way more than I want. But I want the 55" for cross cutting a 4X8 panel.What kinda deal is that!!!
Max
What's keeping you from buying it with the 55" guide and then getting a second 55" rail and rail connector separately?
McFeeley's has an interesting note about the TS75. Apparently they recommend the 118" guide rail for ripping sheet goods because two 55" rails connected together mean that you need to plunge into the workpiece rather than being able to start off the end.
I suspect the same would hold true for using the 55" for crosscutting a
48" panel...which is probably why they want to sell you the 75" rail.Chris
Hey Max, At about the time I bought my 75, Festool allowed their dealers the option of upgrading the supplied rail with a longer rail ( and the customer paying the difference). I declined because I would use the rail from my MFT witht the supplied rail to cut 8 foot sheets but I do agree with Chris' comments from Mcfeely's; it is a lot easier to plunge prior to the cut than into the board itself. I don't know if that offer is current but I would check with Festool themselves. It seems that if they have a special their dealers would abide by that even if they are unaware (as my delear was) when it was running. One other thing; Are all Festool dealers offering 10% off saws and blades or just Woodcraft?
=20 Marc
If you are going to use the tool with sheetgood's in mind, the 75" and
55" are an ideal combination, for the reason in Chris' post.Plus it keeps you from needing to install a rear stop on the guide rail when making the initial plunge ... a step not needed if the plunge is made before the blade engages the stock.
So, if I understand you correctly, for the system to work properly, I need a guide that will give me more length than 110" to properly use it to cut a
96" long panel.Max
Not what I said ... if your depth of cut is such that a 9" overhang is sufficient to fully plunge before pushing the blade into the stock, fine. If not, you will want to put a "stop" on the guide rail, a ten second operation.
These are PLUNGE saws ... you are plunging a spinning blade into a stationary object ... common sense dictates that you do that in a reasonable and safe manner by using a "stop" on the guide rail to keep the saw from kicking back toward you.
Once again whatever kind of deal you make, you want to end up with a minimum of one 75", and one 55".
Go ahead, ignore this advice, but trust me, if you don't do it upfront, and you are going to use the tool for what it excels at, cutting sheet goods, you eventually will.
I'm not about to ignore your advice as an experienced user but I think I may be missing something. Let me describe my present operation. I have a guide that's 108" long. I use a left blade saw. The shoe/foot of the saw goes against the guide and on *top* of a 1/2" piece of BB Ply. (The portion of the shoe that runs *on* the plywood is 4-9/16" wide) Here's the set-up:
Max (in appreciation for your patience) {:-)
Well, I think this has somehow gotten blown out of proportion with regard to the real world.
If you put a stop on one end of the guide rail and just leave it there, it becomes a moot point and you can indeed use two 55" guide rails to cut a full sheet easily.
My personal preference is to not keep a stop on all the time and the only way to get away with that, with full regard for safety, is to let a bit of the guide rail hang over the workpiece and plunge the saw before moving it forward.
In practice I don't think you will have a problem doing it either way.
It is really not a problem to leave the stop on.
"Swingman" wrote
Many thanks, Karl. The 55" vs 75" is a moot point anyway because I want the TS75 and it comes with the 75".
Max
Yep, that was my plan ... just talking about it makes me want to go out and find something to play with it on ... and it's not like I haven't already used the hell out of it almost daily since I got it. :)
Further clarification on the stop issue, if you'll notice on the multitude of videos on youtube and Rockler, etc, on almost all the full length "rip" type cuts you can see a stop being used; on almost all the shorter crosscuts, like cutting the bottom off a door, you almost always see the saw used without a stop.
BTW, did you see the link I posted last night? It says it all:
"Swingman" wrote
I *saw* that. But I didn't really pay that much attention to the "stop". I always set my depth of cut to accommodate the material anyway. Now I'm beginning to think "beyond" the saw. I retired as Fire Chief when I was 54. I started a business doing insurance inspections and recently turned it over to my son. But when I get the urge to splurge I do a few of those inspections. The CFO here lets me spend that money any way I want. I can see it now................inspect, buy a Festool vac. Inspect, buy a Festool tool. Damn!! What have I gotten into...............
Max
You will love the ease of setting 'depth of cut' ... a piece of cake after years of struggling with setting 'depth of cut' with the usual circular saw.
Even though the scale increments are in millimeters, don't even pay attention to that ... simply put the saw and guide overhanging slightly the edge of the piece on a table/bench top, plunge the saw down to the table surface, set the the depth stop with the other hand, release and add 1 mm to the scale ... you will therefore cut a slight, 1mm groove into your "throw-away" table/bench top, in less time than it takes to tell.
LOL ... it is a slippery slope, but one you love sliding down. Leon and I met an older retired guy at Rockler one day who professed to having one of every Festool tool made, and probably every accessory to go with each tool.
That's what I like about Festool ... full of products that you can use to scratch a couple of itches: tool collector who simple appreciates well engineered tools, or making a living with a tool that allows you to do the best work you can, in the shop, or on the job site.
On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:02:11 -0500, the infamous Swingman scrawled the following:
Have you tried it at trimming tubasix (or composite) deck ends straight?
-- It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin
Not personally ... but in a video there is a shot of a Festool plunge saw being used to trim composite decking ... it looked like "ChoiceDek", but could have been Trex.
That would be a function of the blade, and Festool has appears to have blades for most any material, from wood to metal.
Lets see here, 2, 55" rails = 110". Sheeeto of plywood 96"- 110" =14".. I dont think you will have to plunge cut using 2 55" rails. Cutting from corner to corner to corner you need 107", maybe a little plunging needed but then the saw was made to plunge..
Good point considering your comment above but I would assume the 55" which comes with the smaller TS 55 saw may not need to be as long to not require plunging.
Look at it this way. With the 75" guide it will only over hang 13.5" on both sides if making a 90 degree cut. if you make an angle cut you will need more guide on the table. It would not concern me in the slightest. I would rather be a little long than short.
I can't imagine a 75" guide being any more difficult (knocking over beer) to handle than a 55". So for me, a long one ( 105?) and a 75 would be perfect.
On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:39:17 -0500, the infamous Swingman scrawled the following:
Stop it, ya bloody PUSHER!
-- It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin
Hold on a sec! Do you have to buy Special blades?
Would you use a good wood cutting blade to cut aluminum? Some are designed to rip, crosscut, general combo blades, etc., the blade that comes with it will take care of 99% of your neeeds if only cutting wood.
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