Festool Track Saw Questions


Firehawk

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I am getting close to purchasing a Festool Track Saw and have a few questions.

1. Other than blade size are there appreciable differences between the TS 55 and TS 75?

2. Does anyone know the weight difference?

3. If anyone has both, do you use one more than the other?

4. From what I can tell they both come with one 55 inch track, is that correct?

5. I understand that there is a cost advantage if you buy one with a dust collector over buying them separately. Is there a cost advantage if you buy one with a MFT?

6. I would also appreciate any comments from MFT users, are they worth the money?

Sorry for all the questions, I did a lot of searching and did not find many answers.

Thanks,

Mark

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I am getting close to purchasing a Festool Track Saw and have a few questions.

1. Other than blade size are there appreciable differences between the TS 55 and TS 75?

Weight, plunge depth (the reason to get it over a TS55), but that goes with having a larger blade. Less teeth on the TS75 blade, but I hear it still cuts clean.

2. Does anyone know the weight difference?

Not off the top of my head, nope. FWIW, I thought the TS55 felt better in the hand when I was comparing them.

4. From what I can tell they both come with one 55 inch track, is that correct?

The TS55 it certainly does, my memory is foggy but I could have sworn the TS75 came with a longer one. One thing I was told was that you could swap the track for a larger one on purchase if you paid the dealer the difference. My Rockler didn't seem to be aware of this at first, but they didn't dismiss it either (said they'd check with their rep). I ended up sticking with the 55", so I don't know if this is right or not. Worth asking.

5. I understand that there is a cost advantage if you buy one with a dust collector over buying them separately. Is there a cost advantage if you buy one with a MFT?

Yes, there is always a packaged deal with the CT dust collectors and other Festool items (like their routers). I'm fairly certain there is a TS / MFT combo deal.

6. I would also appreciate any comments from MFT users, are they worth the money?

Of people who have them, I've all heard they love them, me, I don't buy it being a 'complete' table saw replacement but it all depends on how YOU work. If I ever had to move and had to get rid of my table saw due to losing my shop space, I would probably buy an MFT as they fold away nicely and you can still do much on them (especially within the Festool ecosystem). But I'm not an MFT owner, so don't take that as the gospel, just something to think about.

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Mark,

A an owner and user of Festool I can tell you what I think/feel and why I picked what I picked.

  1. TS75 or TS55 - When looking for a new saw I had to decide between the 55 and 75. I breakdown a fair amount of rough cut 8/4 and 12/4 lumber so I went with the 75 for the depth of cut. If you primarily deal with sheet goods and 6/4 or thinner hardwood I would choose the 55.

  2. Weight - I have used both and I believe (not an exact measure) that the 55 is about 40 - 50% lighter.

  3. Package Deal - I have never seen the saw and MFT offered as a package.

  4. Is the MFT worth it? - Keep in mind the following when reading my comments. I do not own an assembly bench, I do not own a standard workbench and I do not own a Miter/Chop saw. So, for me yes the MFT is totally worth it setup in the middle of the shop and use it for many things not the least of which is Stock prep and cross cutting. Just this weekend I used it with the clamping elements to hold all the shelves and sides for 4 book cases as I was edge banding them. Not to mention it is portable.
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I have the 75 and am happy with it. It weighs more, but I use it with larger stock. If you're going to use it only with sheet goods, the 55 is fine.

The 75 comes with the 1900 rail vs the 1400 for the 55. You can trade up to a larger rail when you buy and just pay the difference in rails. 1900 is great for crosscutting sheet goods. You can always use the connectors to tack on another rail later.

There is no package deal with the saw and MFT. Any tool can be a package with a dust extractor; it gets you 10% off the extractor.

I have an assembly table and another bench besides the MFT. I use the MFT a lot. 27" cross cut capacity is really nice. As are the clamping options. I think arguments that you can use it to replace a table saw are all pretty case-specific. For what I do, no. If you built cabinet boxes of sheet goods, maybe (track to rip then MFT to crosscut).

I'll plug my blog since I use a lot of Festools in my podcast and blog. If you visit the site, there's a label cloud to the right of the main text. Click on MFT and you'll get all the articles and videos focusing on the MFT. Same with the TS-75. I'll apologize up front for the video reviews cuz I was only starting to tinker with video at the time... lots has changed since those reviews. The MFT video series better explains the functionality of the table. It is based on the MFT-1080 (discontinued) but it carries over to the MFT/3. I thought it wasn't a big deal before; now I'd get rid of other stuff before the MFT if I needed bench space.

If you work with hardwoods, look at some of the project videos under the TS-75 label; they'll show you how to edge joint with the tracksaw. I use it for panels, too, but don't believe I've recorded that yet... might be in one of the reviews.

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Have both. 55 is smoother and 'feels better'. The 55 leaves cleaner cuts -- there is less play in the plunge mechanism. If you are looking at a sheet goods saw, you can't do better then the 55. If you need to cut 8/4 on a regular basis, then the 75 is the way to go.

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Pauls-Marcel said: “The 75 comes with the 1900 rail vs the 1400 for the 55.” A trivia question: Since the 1900 mm & 1400 mm length of these guide rails converts to 75” and 55” respectively, can I assume that’s where Festool got the TS model numbers from?

I've always thought the MFT looks like a card table with holes in the top. ;)

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Ha, an interesting note, Dean. Originally the TS-75 shipped with the 1400 guiderail, which is too short for crosscutting standard ply so they changed the package to include the 1900. The numbers come from plunge depth. TS-55 plunges 55mm, TS-75 plunges 75mm. The discontinued ATF-65 does... wait for it... 65mm.

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You can get any rail you want and pay the difference. If you go with the standard 55", you might want to pay the extra $30 or so to get the rail that is perforated with the 32mm holes. It works with the 32mm cabinet system + router - may never need it, but not much more to get up front. At least, that's what I remember.

I agree with all the other comments. The 55 is just a lot easier to use around the shop since it's smaller/lighter. Although I do rip a fair amount of 8/4, I'm still happy with my TS55 (sometimes I flip the stock and finish from the other side which gets me a good-enough cut to finish on the tablesaw.

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As Mark also confirmed with the Amazon listing, I *knew* I had seen an MFT package somewhere. In the Festool 2011/2012 catalog, page 5 at the bottom left, packages for both the TS 55 and TS 75. (And only those two items, unlike the CT dust collector(s), which has a plethora of package combinations.) However, I only have a 2011 master price list and Festool bumped their prices back in the spring on some stuff, so I would have the dealer check on current prices (since dealers can't discount themselves, the Amazon prices are probably correct).

Now that I'm looking at it, some other specs (some mentioned already):

Weight:

TS55: 9.92 lbs

TS75: 13.6 lbs

Depth of cut:

TS55: 1 15/16" (50mm) straight and 1 7/16" (37mm) at 45deg (on guide rail)

TS75: 2 3/4" (70mm) straight and 2 1/8" (55mm) at 45deg (on guide rail)

Power:

TS55: 1200 watts / 10 amps

TS75: 1600 watts / 13 amps

Blade:

TS55: 48 tooth

TS75: 36 tooth

Guide Rail:

TS55: 55"

TS75: 75"

Blade Speed:

TS55: 2,000 - 5,200 rpm

TS75: 1,350 - 3,550 rpm

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Paul-Marcel,

In reference to this quote from a post in this thread: "Originally the TS-75 shipped with the 1400 guiderail, which is too short for crosscutting standard ply" Can you please explain how 55" rails are too short for crosscutting 48" ply? Is it because you need X amount of inches on either side to clamp, start the cut, etc?

Adam

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You need room before the cut and at least a little beyond the cut to stay on the track when the blade finishes the cut. When I got my TS-75, it came with a 1400 (55") track. Yes, you can do the cross cut, but it's obviously too short... you waste time fussing with placement to get enough space to start and finish the cut. Usually I'd err on the side of more on the start since at the end, you could press on the saw baseplate to keep it level as you rode off the end, which while it works isn't ideal. If you start with less lead space, part of the cut is a plunge, which makes a messy cut at the start.

For clamping, the clamps slide into the center rib of the track from the underside so you don't need any track over the edge for the clamps to work, just for the saw to ride.

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I'm actually replaying to a Festool topic, neat !

I'm a hobbiest and I've asked the same questions as you so I'll give my take.

I got the TS75 because I won't use it everyday, long hours so I don't mind lifting a heavier saw. I figure I'm only ever getting the 1 and it was a one shot deal since my tool budget is tight. I never wanted to wish I had the extra cutting depth so I went with the TS75. No regrets, the first thing I cut was something just over 8/4 stock and I was glad I had it.

I also liked getting the longer rail, I knew I'd be using it to break down 8x4 plywood so I got the extra 55" rail with router guide holes and joiners to hook them together. I think the longer rail paid for some of the upgrade to the bigger saw right there.

I also got the discount (10% I think) and got the CT36 dust collector, Festool is known for its dust collection which is why I got it for my basement shop, I think if you're investing with Festool you owe it to yourself to get the dust collector too. I got the CT36 because for not much more money you get larger capacity, less bad changing. No regrets there either.

Good luck, tell us what you get and how you like it.

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