I received the TS 55 track saw on March 16 and it is my first Festool. This is my 2nd track saw; my first track saw purchase was a Makita and I returned it without making a cut because the track was not flat to the work surface. The Festool track is a little better but not what I expected for this price. The Makita definitely had a hard plastic base. The Festool appears to also have a plastic base but painted to look like aluminum [mad]; is this true. The whole time I was reading the instruction manual, I was grousing about the postage stamp size drawings. Only later did I discover there is a Supplemental User's Manual on the web; shame on Festool for not telling me where to find this document. I have yet to make a cut with the track saw since when I turn on the saw it sounds gravelly (not a very technical term) and there appears to be some vibration. Do I have a defective track saw? In the process of inspecting the track saw, a small metal clip fell out of the dust collection port. Can anyone identify the clip shown in the attachment? The scale is in inches. I don't feel like I am getting off to a good start as a Festool owner.
Brand New TS 55 REQ F PLUS
- Thread starter bfblack66
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Brice Burrell
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Welcome to the FOG. Sorry to hear you're having issue with your first tool.
The gravelly sound is normal. As for vibration, that's harder to say. There will always be some vibration in any tool, but there shouldn't be an excessive amount. Oh, the base is cast metal, might be aluminum or maybe magnesium.
I'm not sure what the metal piece is. It might be one of the clips for the green plastic pieces on the saw's base where the base rides on the rail.
You could call Festool, they have people to help with these kinds of issues. That said, if ultimately you aren't comfortable with the condition of the saw take back to the dealer to look at, or return it outright. Good luck.
The gravelly sound is normal. As for vibration, that's harder to say. There will always be some vibration in any tool, but there shouldn't be an excessive amount. Oh, the base is cast metal, might be aluminum or maybe magnesium.
I'm not sure what the metal piece is. It might be one of the clips for the green plastic pieces on the saw's base where the base rides on the rail.
You could call Festool, they have people to help with these kinds of issues. That said, if ultimately you aren't comfortable with the condition of the saw take back to the dealer to look at, or return it outright. Good luck.
ear3
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As Brice said the growl is perfectly normal. The electronic control of the motor adjusts the speed so that it cuts consistently under load.
Festool manuals are notoriously laconic. If you read closely you'll see they are directly translated from the German with minimal correction for native English usage.
I would say take it for a spin and see how it performs. You have a 30 day return window if you don't like it.
Festool manuals are notoriously laconic. If you read closely you'll see they are directly translated from the German with minimal correction for native English usage.
I would say take it for a spin and see how it performs. You have a 30 day return window if you don't like it.
I think that part is the spring for the splinter guard. Why it was loose is a puzzle, but it often pops out when opening the side cover on those saws.
You can see it in this instagram video:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZVpVhpnNYY/?hl=en&taken-by=festoolsedge
Peter
You can see it in this instagram video:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZVpVhpnNYY/?hl=en&taken-by=festoolsedge
Peter
Brice Burrell
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Peter Halle said:
Good call Peter. [thumbs up]
I am mostly satisfied with all of my Festool’s, but if I could start over I would buy the Mafell track saw and tracks. Sure the cost is more but the quality is not in question. I feel as though my TS55R is not as well built as my TS75, and that makes me wonder if the quality of Festool is slipping. Even though I am heavily invested in the Festool system, I still consider purchasing more of the Mafell line of tools, especially if I build a custom home with some timber framing elements.
You do have the 30days to return the saw and the 3years warranty if you need it. For the cost of these tools, you should feel completely satisfied with your purchase. Mafell is even more expensive and they only have one dealer in the US (that I know of), so service and support would be limited. I bought a few Mafell items when they were sold by the Tool Nut, but they no longer sell them, which is unfortunate.
Anyway, try using the saw within your 30days and see if your satisfied, if not return it. I personally like my TS75 better, but it depends on what type of projects that you will be doing.
Good luck!
You do have the 30days to return the saw and the 3years warranty if you need it. For the cost of these tools, you should feel completely satisfied with your purchase. Mafell is even more expensive and they only have one dealer in the US (that I know of), so service and support would be limited. I bought a few Mafell items when they were sold by the Tool Nut, but they no longer sell them, which is unfortunate.
Anyway, try using the saw within your 30days and see if your satisfied, if not return it. I personally like my TS75 better, but it depends on what type of projects that you will be doing.
Good luck!
mwbrewster
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Peter Halle said:
Does anyone have a part number for that spring? I now realize that mine has been missing for a while. thanks.
mwbrewster said:
466084 I believe. Ninety-one cents I believe.
Peter
mwbrewster
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thanks Peter
I have both the Makita (corded--given to my father and now the cordless) and the Mafell corded track saws. The Makita definitely has a metal base. FWIW I like it a lot. The Mafell is nice and has a lot of nice touches/refinements, but keep in mind that as great as it and it's track is, the track does not lend itself well to a Parf dog/MFT system. The base of the saw is slightly wider than the track on the non-cut side, so using Parf style dogs is problematic. Even if you work out a dog that meets the about 1/8'' height of the track (or with a spacer b/w the dog and the track that clears the saw base) about half the 1/8" of the height of the side of the track is beveled, so you are working with about 1/16" of a perpendicular surface against a dog. This is probably fine if you can work it, but in a Parf dog system it will most likely work best if you go with the dogs on the bottom of the rail in the t-slot. And that t-slot is shallower than Festool type rails so you would need a shallower T-bolt to make that work. Of course if you are not using Parf-style dogs in a MFT-style bench this is not a problem. My point is that while the Mafell/Bosch rails are great in many ways, they are not nearly as versatile as the Festool-type rails.
Thanks to those that helped identify the clip. I think you were correct. It is now back to where it should be. Still concerned about what I think is excessive noise. Will call customer service on Monday as well as visit a friend that has a similar saw.
Corwin
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