As A perspective first time buyer --- ???

[billlbee]

I am on the verge of taking the plunge into the world of Festool. I have been wanting to start my Festool collection for a very long time, but have been holding off on investing the $$$.
I would like to purchase the TS55 with guide rail kit.

I came across the TS55R in my research and see that it is not yet available for sale in the USA. I have waited years to buy my first Festool, so I am not rushing into this. With that said, is there any projected release of the new 'R' model, to the US market. Should I wait ?

 

[Peter James]

I'm sure Shane can chime in on that. As a dealer, I've not heard anything official from Festool USA yet. From what I've read, adn what people have told me, the TS55R allows for a more flush cut against a surface and a better depth of cut adjustment. I'm sure our European members can also chime in as well. That being said, the current TS55 is a great saw as is. Your decision on what and when to purchase would ultimately come down to how important these two improvements are to you and the work that you do....

 

[mouppe]

Nothing has been announced about the 55R's release date in North America, so you can safely assume that it is a minimum of several months away- it it is coming at all (which it presumably is).

If you are not in a hurry and can wait six months or so, maybe it would be best to wait. You could get a sander, Domino or CT dust extractor instead and still start your Festool collection.

The original TS55 is still a great saw, however, so don't assume there is a massive improvement from the 55 to the 55R.

Either way you're not really losing out. I would be willing to bet that the current 55 is discounted prior to the launch of the 55R, although probably not by much.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Currently, we will not see the TS55R this year in the US/Canada. Beyond that, I don't have a definitive time frame for its introduction.

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance.

Shane Holland
Festool USA

 

[Kev]

I'm in Oz. I have a TS55 and the "R" is round the corner ... but as desperate as I normally am for the latest of everything, I'm not intending of casting aside the TS55 for in next generation cousin. There's not enough change for me to worry.
If the wait was 6 weeks - sure, but based on the relative releases for the 110v's my crystal balls say Q1~Q2/2013 for NA.

 

[ccarrolladams]

I am on the verge of taking the plunge into the world of Festool. I have been wanting to start my Festool collection for a very long time, but have been holding off on investing the $$$.
I would like to purchase the TS55 with guide rail kit.

I came across the TS55R in my research and see that it is not yet available for sale in the USA. I have waited years to buy my first Festool, so I am not rushing into this. With that said, is there any projected release of the new 'R' model, to the US market. Should I wait ?

First of all  [welcome] to The FOG, Bill,

Most Festools go many years without a need for a remodel.

Back in January 2006 when I purchased my first TS55, a few of the predecessor ATF55 were still available new. My local dealer no longer had those, so I bought the TS55. Some of my friends, including a cabinet maker working for me, are still using ATF55. Those make the same high-quality glue-ready cuts as do any of my TS55s. Bottom line is that if you decide you cannot wait, an investment in the TS55 will pay off well for you.

The same guide rails and blades will continue to be used with the TS55R. So will the clamps for the guide rails.

Right now what do you use as a circular saw? If that is working okay for you, or if you do not have a deadline to learn to use a Festool plunge track saw, then maybe in your case there is no harm waiting. Based upon the product release history of Festool over the past several years, given there are no plans for the TS55R to be sold in North America during 2012, my own guess is it will not be released here until after July 2013. By coincidence the big-deal AWFS International woodworking show will be in Las Vegas 31 July to 3 August 2013, so using that to launch the TS55R 110v version for NA would make sense.

Fond as I am of all things Festool, and I own virtually all of them sold in NA, you will find few active in FOG recommending the guide rail accessory kit. What you need are a few guide rail clamps. A 1400mm/55" rail is included in the price of a TS55 saw, so we assume the same will be true of the TS55R. That will cross-cut 4x8' sheet material. To make 8' rips, you either need to connect 2 of the 1400mm rails, or better if you can transport it, a 3000mm rail. To connect 2 rails you need 2 of the connector bars. Most dealers will allow you to pay the difference and buy the 1400mm rail with holes for the LR32 system. A lot of people looking ahead buy a pair of those. But even if you do buy a long 3000mm rail, you will still need at least one 1400mm rail for the cross cuts.

The accessory you do not mention is a Festool dust extractor, or vac. Currently all from the small CT Mini to the CT48 suck the same volume. All the CT include a 27mm Anti-Static hose, which can be used with virtually all Festools. However, the TS55, TS55R and the TS75 saws all extract dust better with the larger 36mm AS hose, so while planning consider not only a CT dust extractor but also a 36mm hose as an extra accessory.

 

[sancho57]

My TS55 cuts as good or better then my table saw.

I wont up grade it to the "R" until this one dies.

So I guess it boils down to personal preferance.

If ya have to have the latest and greatest then wait for who knows how long for it to be into'd in the US.

If ya have a job that needs to be done then buy the current version.

Either way ya wont go wrong.

But you will need a dust collector, a shop vac will work, if ya can stand the noise or you can buy a adapter for your current DC.

Festools dust control was the deciding factor for me to go down this path.

Yes youwill need to get the larger 36mm hose.

 

[semenza]

Hi Billlbee,

Welcome to the FOG!  [smile]

I think it is unlikely that you will be wishing you waited for the 'R' version.

I would skip the guide rail kit and get a second rail ( 1900 to join with thw 1400) or  a long rail  (2700 or 3000), and a pair of the clamps.

A CT would be really good to get but a standard shop vac will do the job  for the saw  with no need for modification  for the Festool hose to fit the vac.

The D36 hose does collect somewhat better from the saw but the D27 does the  job perfectly well (you won't be disapointed with the D27 hose on the TS55) in fact I have both hoses and still choose the D27 on for the TS55 saw 90% + of the time.  If you are getting a CT I would hold off on the D36 hose until you need for one of the other tools that truly performs significantly better with it (router, planer, Kapex). If you are not getting a CT I would buy the D36 hose to use with a shop vac.  You will want the D27 if you get a festool sander, but in that case you will also want a Festool CT which comes with the D27 hose anyway.

Seth

 

[Roseland]

Be careful; be very careful.  Three years ago I looked at Festool kit and struggled with justifying the prices because for me it's only a hobby.

But I too fell for the TS55.  It's a great saw and the quality of cut, lack of dust created and quietness I appreciate every time I pull the trigger.

But I needed a better extractor, so I got the CTL26; a great extractor.  And then I needed an MFT/3.  Since then I've fallen for a couple of sanders (RS-100 and ETS125) - how do they make the paper last so well and make almost no dust?

And of course when I saw the CXS drill/driver I knew I had to have one.  Then an OF-1400, which is just a joy to use.  But the edging plate kit doesn't accept the chip deflector, so this week I committed to an OF-1010.  And these two routers would be wasted without an MFS...

People joke about the green Koolaid, but believe me, it's every bit as addictive as they say.  And I don't regret a penny I've spent on Festool stuff.

Have fun; it will make your work so much cleaner, more accurate, quicker and easier.

 

[Johncarlo]

My TS55 cuts as good or better then my table saw.

I wont up grade it to the "R" until this one dies.

So I guess it boils down to personal preferance.

If ya have to have the latest and greatest then wait for who knows how long for it to be into'd in the US.

If ya have a job that needs to be done then buy the current version.

Either way ya wont go wrong.

But you will need a dust collector, a shop vac will work, if ya can stand the noise or you can buy a adapter for your current DC.

Festools dust control was the deciding factor for me to go down this path.

Yes youwill need to get the larger 36mm hose.

Really guys, better then a table saw. With all this talk about the TS 55 I might have to buy one.  ???

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Really guys, better then a table saw. With all this talk about the TS 55 I might have to buy one.  ???

30-day money back guarantee. Get one and see for yourself. You'll be blown away at the cut quality.  [wink]

If it doesn't live up to the claims, get your money back.

 

[Steve R]

Really guys, better then a table saw. With all this talk about the TS 55 I might have to buy one.  ???

30-day money back guarantee. Get one and see for yourself. You'll be blown away at the cut quality.  [wink]

If it doesn't live up to the claims, get your money back.

Shane works for Festool...so you might think his comment is "Company boiler plate"....  it is not!!!  Festool flat out, out performs other tools. Are they expensive? No, as they last, do the job better, keeps the site cleaner so less time is spent cleaning up, they hold their value. Then only problem I have with my Festool tools is, I should have bought them sooner and I would have saved money as I would not be on my 3rd saw, drill, etc... I would be on my first one....

Johncarlo, you will never regret purchasing Festool tools.... What you will regret is... all the tools you that don't come in a systainer...

Cheers,
Steve 

 

[Johncarlo]

Thanks for the input guys! Would the TS55 do both duties as a rough and finish saw with no problems as I do a lot of framing, floor installs and build in cabinets?

I just started with Festool and can't stop buying them. I just bought a 1400 and was blow away at the lack of dust! The same goes for the Planex and RO90.

 

[peter halle]

I will always have another saw for framing, but other than that the TS series of saws rock.  Since 1964 the rest of the world has been waiting for patents to expire and now they are trying to catch up.  Good luck world!

Peter

 

[dltflt]

I have the TS75 and I can tell you it cuts better than my 3hp cabinet table saw.  You will not be disappointed.

 

[andvari]

I wouldn't use the TS55 as a framing saw. It really isn't designed to work well in that application. It's prime mission is cutting down sheets goods.

As a finish saw it is awesome. It let me get rid of my full size table saw and just have a portable now, making lots of room for other things in my shop. I used to hate cutting sheet goods on my table saw - scared me to no end. Now it's no sweat. Just set the rail move the saw...

Like others here have said the accessory kit isn't the best choice. Get clamps and another rail, either the 1900 or 3000 depending on whether or not you plan to bring rails on site and what kind of transport you have.

 

[sancho57]

My TS55 cuts as good or better then my table saw.

I wont up grade it to the "R" until this one dies.

So I guess it boils down to personal preferance.

If ya have to have the latest and greatest then wait for who knows how long for it to be into'd in the US.

If ya have a job that needs to be done then buy the current version.

Either way ya wont go wrong.

But you will need a dust collector, a shop vac will work, if ya can stand the noise or you can buy a adapter for your current DC.

Festools dust control was the deciding factor for me to go down this path.

Yes youwill need to get the larger 36mm hose.

Really guys, better then a table saw. With all this talk about the TS 55 I might have to buy one.  ???

maybe you saw this before. If not this will be like a epiphany

go here and look for

"Chaostherorie"

you'l be impressed

and while yer there check out these videos

http://www.holzwerken.net/video/index.cfm?id=6&eventfilter=1#1

 

[ccarrolladams]

Before I purchased my first TS55 with a CT22 in January 2006, I had owned many large table saws, including a massive European sliding table cabinet saw. Then I sold that shop in 1996.

By the time I decided to get back into woodworking I had moved to a 4 bedroom condo and did not have a private garage. The same woodworking machinery dealer who had sold me a bunch of fixed equipment over the years explained that with the guide rails and Festool plunge saws I only needed the space for a stack of 4x8' sheets and a little room to walk around that stack. It was not like needed 8' to the left behind and in front of the blade of a table saw. At his store I tried a TS55 and was delighted the cut was as glue-ready as I remembered with the sliding table saw. That was the start of my Festool life.

Soon after I did start renting space in various shops on a project by project basis. Some had slider-table saws. With a little care those made excellent cuts, but not any better than I could make using a TS55. In some cases the slider saw made more parts per hour, but often I could make parts as accurately with guide rails and a TS55 as rapidly.

When I built my current large shop in 2010 a key machine is my pressure beam CNC saw. Those were invented to allow firms to cut vast quantities of cheap sheet material with a minimum of tear-out. With the appropriate blade, beam saws produce great cuts. They repeat parts accurately and very fast. I am proud of the cut quality from my beam saw. However, it is not any better than the cuts I make with a TS55. The competitive difference is the beam saw will reduce a 4x10' sheet of high quality plywood to a stack of precision finished parts in less than 90 seconds. Let me say it takes somewhat longer to make those parts with just guide rails and a TS55. On the other hand, several guide rails, a TS55 and a CT22 cost under USA$2,000 vs the USA$125,000 for the beam saw. The TS55 can do its thing with 4x8' sheets with less than 2' of access all the way around. The beam saw requires a dedicated 25' square area, a lot of dust collection and 480v 3-phase power.

Sure, it is possible to make slightly better cuts than you can get from a TS55, but the investment to do so is at least 200x. You need to make a lot of cabinets to justify the added investment.

 

[semenza]

Thanks for the input guys! Would the TS55 do both duties as a rough and finish saw with no problems as I do a lot of framing, floor installs and build in cabinets?

I just started with Festool and can't stop buying them. I just bought a 1400 and was blow away at the lack of dust! The same goes for the Planex and RO90.

The TS 55 / 75 do not make good framing saws. They are circular saws but not really the same animal.  TS55 / 75 ... sheet goods, straight line ripping boards,  ripping and crosscutting  solid wood for furniture parts, trimmig doors, various special cuts that turn up from time to time.

Seth

 

[Ken Nagrod]

The closest I came to using my TS 55 for framing recently was when a guy accidently bought a 2x10 instead of 2x8 and wasn't confident about ripping it down on his portable jobsite saw.  I laid the 3000mm guide rail on it and with the 28 tooth blade, gave him a glue ready cut on framing lumber.  He was a little amazed and happy.  I had a good laugh.  That's the straightest 2x8 to ever come out of Home Depot.  [wink]