TS 55 EQ Plunge Cut Circular Saw OR Bosch 4100-09 10-Inch Worksite Table Saw

[ryandetzel]

My table saw sucks...it's an old crafstman and it's missing all the safety features and bogs down on maple so I started looking into new ones. I don't have the money to purchase a nice one so I was settled on the Bosch worksite since it's received such great reviews but then I read an article about how this guy never uses his TS anymore since he got his FS saw with the tracks. That got me thinking and I started looking more into this and it seems like a reasonable alternative. So, the question is if I have around $600 should I go with the contractor table saw for now or get the FS track saw and assume that will cover me until I can afford a nice cabinet TS?

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-4100-09-10-Inch-Worksite-Gravity-Rise/dp/B000S5S5CW

http://www.amazon.com/Festool-TS-55-EQ-Circular/dp/B002UJOKD2/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1322433898&sr=1-1

[Beechwood Chip]

I'd go with the track saw. Both the track saw and a worksite table saw can make fairly accurate cuts, and the track saw can cut sheet goods more safely and easily. So, you will still use your track saw after you get a good quality table saw.

[Texfire]

For once I feel qualified to answer a question, I have both the TS55 and the Bosch 4100. The answer is..... it depends.

Let me start off by saying that they are both fine pieces of equipment that I'm very happy with. Depending on the task, they have different areas they shine in. For sheet goods, the TS55 wins hands down. It's just too hard to safely balance a sheet of plywood on the Bosch to my satisfaction, with the TS55 I made a cutting grid I can set on sawhorses for breaking down sheet goods. However, once the sheet goods are broken down, the Bosch gains an advantage on repetitive cuts. If you're going to cut 10 4" strips, the Bosch will be faster with more ease of repetition since you're not having to reset for each cut. The Bosch shines with dadoes, as you can't mount a stack to the Festool, however if you have another method of cutting dadoes and grooves (router) this may not be important.

If you're going to want more TS in the future, and have access to a router and bandsaw to cover the areas where the Festool falls short, you'll should consider the TS55. If you don't have the other capabilities, the Bosch is a solid tool that does several things well, and breaking down sheet goods can be achieved with a straight edge and a circular saw with final cuts on the TS.

[ryandetzel]

I have routers and a circular saw now and a small bandsaw so i have alternative ways. I would love a cabinet TS but I'm not sure which one I want and I don't have 220v so until I get that my choices are limited. The Bosch looks like a great saw and it would help out since my current TS sucks and since I have a circual saw the Festool would be much better but it wont give me anything really new. I'm conflicted.

[Texfire]

The Bosch is a great saw but it has three major compromises, all steming from its size and price. The motor is powerful enough for a thin kerf blade or 6" dado stack, but I'd hesitate to try and run an 8" stack. That's going to be a potential issue with any 110v motor. The table is nice for smaller rips, but to get the full fence extension you have to expand the table, leaving a gap between the blade and fence to negotiate. Finally weight is an issue, the table is aluminum, no magnetic jigs there, and the body light so it can be portable. But this makes it tippy if you wrestle heavy and/or bulky goods up on it.

It's a great job site saw, but in retrospect I would have held off and gotten a bandsaw first and saved for a real cabinet saw later.

The reason why I'm comfortable telling you to consider the TS55 instead of a TS is cut quality, which is great with the Festool blade and the track leads to very little tear out that you would get with a regular circular saw.

[Beechwood Chip]

I also had the Bosch 4100 and it's a great saw for it's size and price.

[PaulMarcel]

Given the choices you've given, I'd get the TS-55 and skip that table saw. Especially since you have a bandsaw. Keep those funds for other stuff.

The TS-55 plus an MFT/3 makes accurate square cutting/cross-cutting pretty easy even repetitively. The key isn't so much the MFT/3 although the tilting guide helps a lot. The key is the accurately CNCed top. I cut all my miters on the MFT without using the protractor (which is in a box, somewhere, i forget...). So, the TS-55 and an MFT-like top will let you do a lot.

I did a review of the MFT system a long time ago (before I had decent lighting, decent lens, decent software... uhm, okay, you get the idea). If you watch the video, you'll get the point of the MFT system. The third video in particular covers using Qwas dogs on the surface and points out ways to do repetitive cuts, rips, rise-run cuts, etc. accurately. I do think you'd get better ideas on how to use an MFT-like top if you watched all three videos, so make popcorn.

So use the video to see how it would work in a number of scenarios then get a sheet of 3/4" MDF drilled like an MFT (grid of 20mm holes, 96mm on center).

A short answer would be no that the TS-55 won't make all the same cuts as a table saw as easily. Ripping a 1" wide rail board might take more thinking than setting the fence and pushing, but I have a friend with a bandsaw and TS-55 and he makes a lot of very very nice stuff (no sheetgoods).

Review of the Festool MFT System

[davestanton]

Get the TS-55. I made a few guides for my cordless saw and it works very well but it needs to be clamped down and also adjusting the blade height can be dangerous. It was a very cheap alternative. In the future I will get a TS 55 but as yet, don't have enough work to justify the cost of it. I will try to throw a video of it on youtube.

A great table saw would also be nice, but not for large sheet goods.

[dwacker]

Id say wait and get a bigger tablesaw. But if all you do is casework with s4s lumber then the tracksaw would be a good choice. A good table saw will cut anything that a tracksaw will cut and more with exception of angles on sheet goods. The tracksaw is a serious pain with actual wood. Think about ripping a 1x6 with a track saw, its just not easy, a table on the other hand is made for the job. Alot of folks claim that a track makes sheet goods easier. I tend to say "learn to cut full sheets on the table saw". Its not hard to cut full sheets on a table saw and take much less time. If you decide to go for the track saw the Id get the bigger ts75. The ts55 is lacking power and is good for plywood but will not tear through 8/4 material without screaming for mercy.

Don

[wgeils]

for your budget you might think about getting the Ridgid R4512 from HD. I has done well for me and was worth the price as an entry cabinet TS.

Wayne

[ryandetzel]

for your budget you might think about getting the Ridgid R4512 from HD. I has done well for me and was worth the price as an entry cabinet TS.

Wayne

Hmm, that seems like a better deal. Back to the research board....

[jbruett]

I am gonna have to side with texfire. I also have the 4100 with the extension wings, gravity rise stand and an 8" Freud dado stack. I haven't done a lot but I have cut down 2x4ft ply and cut 5/8 dadoes 3/4 inch deep in construction grade 2x4s. It almost stopped the blade in a dry piece of Doug fir but as soon as I dropped the blade to 1/2 in or lower it was fine.

If I had to say anything it would be that the extension bars are a waste for furniture grade accuracy as they don't align flush to the table. Also I wish that the contractor saws had a similar length arbor like the cabinet saws, cutting a natural 3/4 in dado would be nice. If you do go with the bosch do yourself an immediate favor and upgrade the miter gauge, the stock one is ok but it doesn't have the ability to attach anything to its face.

If you have a serviceable circ saw the get yourself some mdf and clamps and do a DIY circ saw straight edge guide.

[bladerunner]

^{I recently picked up the TS55 as I needed it to rip the bench top I am replacing on my new SawStop. I found that the TS55 is just incredible for sheet goods. I can't imagine cutting larger goods on even the SawStop. In hindsight, I started to wonder if the Festool table and the TS55 don't make a combination that can really replace the TS. I was getting too concerned about making cuts on the TS and keeping my fingers. Not that I am careless. I take every precaution but accidents do happen. And I type a lot for a living.}

^{If you were in Kansas City I would make you a great deal on a slightly used Dewalt contractor saw with stand, outfeed table, and router table attached. That's sitting in my storage room.}

^{Start looking at the TS55 in combination with the Festool cutting table and see if that doesn't solve your needs. I have watched some youtubes where a guy was using that combination and it's pretty impressive.}