CSC SYS 50 vs Sawstop

[Renault4]

Ok, believe me when I say I’m not trying to pull a “ light blue touch-paper and retire” here!

If you squint hard enough, the price difference between a base SawStop contractors saw and a CTC SYS 50 system is within 5% of each other, more so if one includes the SS jobsite saws.

Granted, the price difference widens if one choose to add accessories to the SS like a mobile stand and improved t-glide fence, but just for a moment accept that for a similar investment, one would end up with either tool that works out of the box from the start.

For background, as a retired amateur, I do mostly small joinery; keepsake/jewelry boxes, picture frames, etc, no cabinetry or large furniture. To date I’ve been using a TS 60 and a well-dialed in UJK parf-based MFT. Now I’m looking to expand my toolkit with a TS that brings additional precision to my work.

I find myself torn between the two options. I’m interested in hearing from CSC SYS 50 owners who faced the same ( or similar ) choice specifically between the Festool unit and a SawStop, the prime issue being the increased safety the latter brings; were it not for that, I think I’d be far less torn!

Thanks in advance!

 

[luvmytoolz]

At the moment I'm stuck with a small workspace, so actually sold my 3HP cabinet saw as it was just too cumbersome.

I plan to get one down the track, but in the meantime bought the SYS 50.

The vast bulk of what is sounds pretty much similar to you, so the convenience of the form factor was a really strong consideration, but the clincher for me was the sliding table. It is absolutely sensational, and amazingly useful. I also do a lot of large cross cutting with it which it handles really well.

Being cordless is a bit of a drag if you want to have long machining sessions, but the battery life is actually better than I expected. I'd be stoked if there was some sort of special mains adaptor you could get, but I did buy some of the 8Ah sets so I get pretty good life out of them. I can run probably 1.5 hours non stop machining, much longer if in bursts. The 5Ah's I think are fine however for short burst type work.

I love the unit, it's pretty much exceeded my expectations, and the slider is just magnificent. Even when I get a cabinet saw down the track, I still see myself using the SYS 50 for the small fiddly stuff which it excels at.

 

[morts10n]

Bought a lightly used one with 2 extra batteries for $1600. It has absolutely been a great investment. Only complaint is battery life, but charge time makes that negligible. The small footprint and the fact that I no longer need to bring a mitersaw with stand, and a table saw with stand to jobsites saves me tons of effort and time. I only use it for ¾" materials...i.e. toekick skins and ceiling scribes, so I think it would be sufficient for small projects as you described

 

[Renault4]

I’m considering purchasing the 4-battery/systainer/charger alongside the bare tool as an alternative to the dual battery option that’s normally bundled with the saw to help with battery life.

 

[luvmytoolz]

I’m considering purchasing the 4-battery/systainer/charger alongside the bare tool as an alternative to the dual battery option that’s normally bundled with the saw to help with battery life.

I'd heartily agree, especially if they're the 8Ah's!

 

[wworker]

I had the CSC SYS 50 with the 5.0 Energy Set for about two years. I jumped on it the moment it was released, mainly because I was tired of fighting the imprecision of jobsite saws like the DeWalt 8-1/4”. Before that, I tried to make the TS 55 and parallel guides do everything, but the SYS 50 finally seemed like the compact precision solution I’d been waiting for.

For small work, it really shines. Anything too small to manage comfortably on the MFT or under a guide rail, the SYS 50 handles beautifully. Once dialed in, that little sliding table is a joy to use, even though mine had a bit of a cup and took patience to tune.

But recently, I ran into its limits hard. I was cutting panels and shelves for a cabinet project and kept bumping up against the CSC’s modest 27 cm (about 11”) rip capacity. For my workflow, that became more of a bottleneck than a convenience. So I picked up a SawStop Jobsite Pro, and honestly, it’s been a game changer. It’s physically much larger, yes, but still easy to roll into a corner when I need space. The fence is excellent, the 10” blade gives me more flexibility, and the 25-1/2” rip capacity just makes life easier.

If you’re mostly doing small pieces, the CSC SYS 50 is fantastic. But if you move into larger casework, it starts to feel constrained. It also goes through batteries quickly during longer cuts, and the lack of blade-guard dust collection is noticeable. On top of that, moving it isn’t as fluid as I’d hoped—you have to move the saw, the stand, then reattach everything, whereas the SawStop is self-contained and mobile. That said, the SYS 50 wins hands down for portability, especially if you ever need to carry it up stairs.

So, in short: I really liked the SYS 50 for precision and small work, but the SawStop Jobsite Pro fits my small-shop needs better now. And, of course, there’s the added peace of mind that comes with SawStop’s safety system.

I hope this helps!

 

[bwehman]

But recently, I ran into its limits hard. I was cutting panels and shelves for a cabinet project and kept bumping up against the CSC’s modest 27 cm (about 11”) rip capacity. For my workflow, that became more of a bottleneck than a convenience. So I picked up a SawStop Jobsite Pro, and honestly, it’s been a game changer. It’s physically much larger, yes, but still easy to roll into a corner when I need space. The fence is excellent, the 10” blade gives me more flexibility, and the 25-1/2” rip capacity just makes life easier.

Curious why exceeding its rip capacity doesn't just move you up to rails and track for that operation. To me the CSC is ideal for when the rail is too wide, and the rails are ideal for when the CSC is too narrow.

 

[wworker]

Curious why exceeding its rip capacity doesn't just move you up to rails and track for that operation. To me the CSC is ideal for when the rail is too wide, and the rails are ideal for when the CSC is too narrow.

I used this exact workflow for about two years. Before the CSC came out, I wasn’t a fan of jobsite saws. After trying a few, I found their accuracy questionable and their dust collection downright disappointing. So I turned to parallel guides and a collection of guide rails to make things work. I owned both the Festool and Woodpeckers parallel guides. Eventually, I sold the Festool and kept the red ones since they fit neatly into a Systainer and were easier to manage/extend.

But over time, my patience wore thin. I got tired of constantly calibrating the parallel guides, only to end up with cuts that were still slightly off. Even though I followed the same logic many here have mentioned—CSC for smaller work, track saw for longer cuts—the process became more trouble than it was worth. Measuring, re-measuring, setting up guides, and double-checking everything just didn’t cut it anymore (pun intended).

So I made the leap to a bigger table saw with serious rip capacity. Now, I can simply set the fence, rip my pieces to size quickly, safely, and accurately. The SawStop JSS has been a game-changer for me—larger table, far better dust collection, and of course, that comforting “hot dog” safety feature.

In my view, the CSC would make a great secondary or finish saw for on-site work. But in the shop? No more small saws or parallel guides. If I can’t use a table saw, I’ll just mark the stock by hand and move on. It’s faster, simpler, and far less likely to make me question my life choices over a slightly crooked cut.

 

[tjbnwi]

Today I had to use my thin rip method using the MFT. 1/4 x1/4 x 39” pieces to be inlayed into CNC routed drawer faces. 30 of them came out within 0.002 over the enter length of the piece. Suprised the crew how well it worked.

We tried the table saw, after the first rip the released energy caused bowing. We could not maintain a constant width through the length.

Tom

 

[onocoffee]

@Renault4 - I faced the same predicament as you a year ago: my top choices were the SawStop CTS or the CSC SYS50. I work in my garage with limited space and wanted a table saw that would meet that need and be good for making furniture (mostly side tables and chairs). Some of the guys encouraged me to go for the PCS but I just don't have the space for a saw of that size - no matter how much nicer it would have been.

I ended up getting a solid deal on a lightly used, year old CTS for $750 and went for it. As I've used the CTS and learned more about the kind of pieces I want to build, it was the right saw to go with. The deeper cut depth and larger table size just works for me better than I think the SYS 50 would have - and I've even bumped up against the table limitations of the CTS (so I see the advantage of the greater square footage of the larger saws). That said, I still longingly gaze at the SYS 50 every time I'm at the dealer. No regrets with the CTS. It is an excellent table saw with good precision/accuracy and the build quality is very high - I'm reminded of this every time I look at the other compact jobsite saws at the box stores. They just seem so janky in comparison.

 

[MacBoy]

Today I had to use my thin rip method using the MFT. 1/4 x1/4 x 39” pieces to be inlayed into CNC routed drawer faces. 30 of them came out within 0.002 over the enter length of the piece. Suprised the crew how well it worked.

We tried the table saw, after the first rip the released energy caused bowing. We could not maintain a constant width through the length.

Tom

Could you share the narrow rip technique for the MFT please.

Perhaps you’ve already explained it previously?

Thank you.

 

[MacBoy]

I just sold my Sawstop JSS with mobile cart to the neighbor.

Sticking with just the CSC SYSY 50.

The sliding table is the winner winner, chicken dinner.

I used to have the Skip job site saw with the rack & pinion fence. Love the adjustability of that type of fence.

I’m not happy with doing a fist-tap or finger-nudge on the T-fence. However, @luvmytoolz has said he’s fine with that fence. So I have commited to getting to that happy place.

With either choice you make, there is always the option of selling it and flipping to the other side of the coin.

 

[ChuckS]

Comparing the csc sys 50 to any SawStop model is like asking which is more suitable: an apple or an orange?

Unless a saw has the finger-saving feature, it is not in the same league as any SawStop models.

 

[tjbnwi]

Could you share the narrow rip technique for the MFT please.

Perhaps you’ve already explained it previously?

Thank you.

There is another thread somewhere that led to this one. I can’t find it using the search function, maybe someone has a link to it.

This will give you some idea on the process.

Thread 'How I rip FF and door pieces'

May 25, 2012

Again, I'm surprised at the responses to the "Rips in the filed", as I stated it is a variation of how I cut my face frame and door/drawer rail and style pieces.

I cut a spacer that yields me a 2.25" wide pieces for the rails and styles and anther spacer that yields 1.5" pieces for the face frames. Other widths I handle on a case by case basis.

Shown is the spacer for door pieces. It is 5.0625" (.0625 makes up for blade loss) wide, my rail measures 7.250", back edge to cut side of splinter strip.

I install the MFT fence in the tall position, butt the long edge of the spacer to the...

• tjbnwi
• Replies: 40
• Forum: Festool Jigs & Tool Enhancements

Tom