woodhack Posted August 3, 2013 Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 OK, after an unfortunate moving accident, my table saw is now inoperable. After receiving my insurance check I'm trying to figure out whether I should buy a new one or invest in a Festool MFT. To tell you the truth the only thing I really used my TS for was making rabbets and dadoes and occasionally sweetening the edge of plywood after I broke it down with the TS-55. I figure if I start buying high quality blades for the TS-55 I won't have the slight tear-out problem I get now. Now that I think about it I do occasionally rip boards with the TS but I figure I could start doing that just as easily with the Festool. So, opinions please table saw or MFT. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted August 3, 2013 Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 I remember two very long and complete threads on this -- one here on WTO and one over on FOG... Check them out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted August 3, 2013 Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 I don't have a tracksaw, so I haven't tried one for rip cuts and so on. That said, I use my table saw a lot. I am wondering if you would start to miss it when want to cut 2" wide, or narrower, boards. With push sticks, it is safe and easy to do on a table saw. I would wonder if the track saw would be able to handle those narrow boards well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 I'm actually wondering why you are having tear-out problems. If you use the green splinter guard up near the front, the cuts should be clean. Be sure to press it down on the stock in case you've retracted it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 I remember two very long and complete threads on this -- one here on WTO and one over on FOG... Check them out... Here's the Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Might make sense, really depends on how you like to play with your wood .. Err... I mean what kind of things you enjoy building .... Personally the TS is the workhorse of my shop... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmaichel Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 I would say that you could but I honestly like having the ability to use both. The table saw is just too darn convenient for rip cuts, dados and whenever I have to batch out a lot of the same size pieces. I do use the MFT/3 a bit too but more as a work surface then a cutting surface. Not sure what your budget is but you could consider getting the MFT/3 and a smaller 1.75 HP contractor or hybrid saw, that is what I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 +1 James - it would be life on another planet without a Table saw. Just throw my sled on it and make any number of cuts. Batching with a track saw...no. Like others have said, we've spent many Wood Talk Congressional sessions batting this around. BESIDES...where would you do your glue ups??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 OK, after an unfortunate moving accident, my table saw is now inoperable. After receiving my insurance check I'm trying to figure out whether I should buy a new one or invest in a Festool MFT. To tell you the truth the only thing I really used my TS for was making rabbets and dadoes and occasionally sweetening the edge of plywood after I broke it down with the TS-55. Reading between the lines, it sounds like you're almost there and, if you're seriously asking the question, I think you should go for it. That said, here's a few questions that jump to mind: What's the next project you have in the lineup and do you need a table saw for it? What projects would you like to see in the lineup and do you need a table saw for them? Do you want to make a major change to your workflow right now? (And, short of moving to a new shop, ditching the TS is perhaps the biggest change you can make!) During the adjustment period after you swear off the TS, can you beg/borrow access to one just in case you get stranded in the middle of a project? If you don't have a TS, how do you intend to make rabbets? With a router? How big is your router fleet and how much mileage do you typically get with a rabbeting bit? How about joinery? When I was considering ditching my TS, tenons turned out to be the major sticking point for me. How about small pieces? As Tim says, I couldn't imagine life without my crosscut sled. As James says, can you do both and get an inexpensive TS and the MFT? Table saws, unlike band saws, can go fairly far down the price curve and still be respectable. If, after time, it then turns out that you really do want to ditch the TS, you can sell it with a clear conscience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 It's all about personal workflow... I do a lot more than crosscut and rip on my table saw. For example: - Tenons - Tapered legs - Dovetail tail boards - Splines - Dados, grooves, & rabbets - Cove moldings - Mitered box batches All of these things can be done using other tools, but I like doing them in my table saw the best, especially if I need more than one copy of a part. Sleds aren't just for crosscutting. With just a few scrap blocks and screws, and a few minutes, you can have instant appliances to do all of the above, and more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 IMO, a table saw is a necessity. The only way I would not have a TS is if I went the 100% hand tool route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 I was able to make do without a table saw for years. Now that I have a moderately decent one, I can't see ever going back to that way of doing things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 A friend of mine doesn't have a table saw; he has an LT-14SUV bandsaw and a TS-55/MFT pair. He builds a lot of everything. He has no space for a table saw. While the LT-14SUV is a new upgrade to a previously not-so-great bandsaw, he's used this combo for probably a decade as he originally started on the ATF-55. So you can do it, no doubt about it. In fact he made a 12-sided tapered column to act as an umbrella stand. There had to be some genius in clamping to pull that off (compound angles were cut exclusively with the TS-55). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieboy Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 Why is your table saw not running anymore? It sounds like you're more convenient doing your job in your shop with your table saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodhack Posted August 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 Thanks for the responses guys. I really appreciate it. Here are some answers to your questions. While moving my saw from a truck the cable for the cherry picker snapped and my saw fell from a height of about 6 feet. It landed on its side and actually cracked the trunion on impact. Fortunately the guy had insurance. My original thought was similar to many other posters in that I was going to get the MFT and a smaller footprint table saw, probably the Jet. However, I have a 7 year old son who is VERY interested in helping me when I'm making stuff in the garage so the boss has insisted that if I buy another table saw it's a SawStop or nothing. (oh, the power of chopped off fingers in advertising). Actually, I can't argue with her logic, I just don't want to spend that much extra for the SawStop. At least not right now. In response to Cessna Pilot Barry, I've discovered the joy of loose tenon joinery, specifically the Festool Domino. I have a kick-ass bandsaw that I practically stole from a fellow poster on this thread. (Thanks again P-M!) with that I'm able to do every other task with that baby and a router. The only thing that won't be convenient is repetitive rip cuts. Thanks again for the input, everyone. I'm going to give the MFT a shot and if I find I'm really missing a table saw, I'll know what to save up for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.