Best Tablesaw for Festoolians

[Eli]

Eli, I appreciate the Rousseau endorsement you gave me long ago.  This particular model DW 745 appears that they attempted to put the least amount of plastic they could on it, but roll cage much like there radios is strong and easy to hold on to.  The Dust cutter bag never seems to be full.  The majority of dust/shrapnel ends up in front of the user?  I'm not sure if I can do anything about that?

If you mean that there is dust/shrapnel being ejected towards your face, that often means the teeth at the back of the blade are engaging the piece being cut. The teeth at the back should just be brushing the kerf sides of the cut (IOW, not touching much), so this means either the fence or blade is slightly misaligned, or the workpiece is binding a little as you cut. A splitter/riving knife should solve a lot of that, but there are also hood dust covers you can get. Something like the Excalibur but cheaper maybe?

Yeah, the rousseau is sweet.

 

[Steveo48]

I enjoy reading posts like this because the question is so very open.  It's like asking your preference for toilet paper or how much salt you put on your french fries.  It depends on various factors like budget, space, habits and personal preference.

I would love to have a humongus table saw to work with (the flat steel table is a great assembly surface) and had a chance to buy a commercial gang saw 15 years ago at a school shop auction.  It had a massive sliding table, 8" arbor and a ton of accessories.  It sold for $550.00, an incredible bargain IF you had the ability to move this saw and the space to use it.  Alas, I had the cash but couldn't put it in my tiny shop even if a millwright would have moved it for me. :-[

We all stood around and watched the guys from the cabinet shop scratch their head and try to decide how to move it out of the shop!  Then they had to try and get it onto a truck, then get it off again!

 

[johnrichardson]

I have the  Cs 50  Precisio  Its  lightweight has a safety riving Knife . I was considering the CMS but couldn't imagine having to swap out  the
TS55 every time..  As the  Cs is the same height as my Mft3 they work  nicely together.. outfeed table etc  The CS motor is very quiet much quieter than Ts55 . The  precisio is good for light rip  cuts/trimming cuts/mitre cuts . I wouldn't recommend it for breaking down large  sheets eg 4x8 ft boards I use the ts55 and guide rails for this.  The precisio is ideal for squaring and trimming cabinet doors/rails/floorboards/framing etc I also use it for repeat cutting of long strips of mdf/timber eg 50mm battening with the ripping fence option. The angle fence it comes with is best used for mitres/angles though it can at a push be used for ripping short2/3ft lengths. The quality of the  cut is  great as is the cut when used in a bevel position.The dust extraction is very good there are two hoses one takes dust from a transparent shroud over the exposed blade 27mmdia  and another fatter hose extracts the dust from below the blade.
A unique feature of this saw is that the blade can be used in two modes one as a standard stationary table saw  and two as a pull saw.
In pull saw mode the spinning blade can be drawn towards the user whilst the workpiece is kept safely clamped in a stationary position.
Recommended

 

[Gene Howerton]

Another product Not Available here in the US.  I am hoping they bring the CMS here, that would work great for my shop.

 

[kave]

I have read the whole thread here now. Thank you Henrik R for switching saws ten times so I don't have to go through the same experience
I am going for a Dewalt DW744 tomorrow. It has the best side fence of all the table saws in it's price range. What can be more important then the side fence? Just set it to whatever cm's you like, lock it and there you go.

I have had a look at the CS50 and CS70 in a shop but the side fences where all rubbish. You need to measure by yourself, the fence is not 0 degrees to the blade unless you fiddle with it etc etc. It's almost the same as the cranky fence on the MFT/3 table which also flexes and bends when using it.

 

[johnrichardson]

yes the fence  supplied with the  cs50 is the same  angle adjustable one you get with the mft3 only it has a short angled extrusion instead of a long extrusion as a workpiece guide. I use that fence for  angle cuts and have the optional fence- Rip cutting fence 492095- pic below
which has a micro adjustable feature and is a lot chunkier, longer and locks onto the table top far more securely.

 

[kave]

I know, I tried that one as well. Still the micro adjuster is unbelievable expensive and that is not 0 degrees either without checking it up carefully for each new measurement.
When adjusting micrometers with it in only adjusts on one side so that will make it even less straight.
The DeWalt also has a "micro adjuster" but that works in both front and back so it is always straight.

Don't misunderstand me, I love my other Festools, but the MFT/3 or the CS50 and CS70 saws seems to require too much control of parts being actually straight etc etc.

 

[johnrichardson]

Yes.. I see know what you mean I would prefer it if the fence had some kind of rack and pinion parallel  motion too! That dewalt machine looks ideal as it is portable too.
The festool fence doesnt seem to slide very smoothly on the table  especially if the extension table has not been set up to
be perfectly horizontal.
  Anyway  I will persevere because it took me a few months of  cutting with the mft3 till I found out
how to use it  efficiently, now its in use all the time.

At the moment the cs50 only comes out if unavoidable, Im pretty sure
on my next flooring job it will be indispensable!