For the last two years I have been using a DeWalt 23650 circular saw and guide rails for panel work. Two weeks ago I bought a Festool TS55, and for the benefit of anyone thinking of getting one, or trying to justify the extra cost of a TS55/TS75 here are my observations.
The Saw itself
There is no real ability to plunge the DeWalt saw; the manual claims it is possible by removing the riving knife (raising questions of safety) , but there is no way to set a plunge depth. Rather the depth of cut has to be set before cutting, using a crude locking lever against a rough scale, calibrated at 5mm intervals, with no detents. With its sprung riving knife, the TS55 can be plunged without modification, and the plunge depth limit has detents at 1mm steps that can be set in seconds.
Because it does not plunge, the DeWalt blade does not retract after a cut, and one has to ensure the rotating guard has swung back into place before putting it down. It is important to check this, because the blade continues to spin for a considerable time after ?power off?. The TS55 retracts into the housing after a cut, and can therefore immediately be rested flat on the workbench; furthermore the electric brake stops the blade quickly.
The DeWalt motor is powerful but noisy; DeWalt quote 98/109dB(A). There is no soft start, no speed control, and presumably no overload protection. The TS55 is powerful but quiet; Festool quote 95/106dB(A), which subjectively is only half the noise level. In practice this means I generally use the TS55 without ear defenders whereas I always wear them for the DeWalt.
The pivots around which the DeWalt saw moves for setting the bevel are pressed brackets that are not very rigid. As a result the bevel angle varies if any inadvertent side pressure is applied to the handle. The TS55 is rock steady, using only castings for the frame.
There is no provision for fitting a splinter guard on the ?outboard? side of the DeWalt saw; one is included with the TS55.
On the DeWalt the side of the blade away from the motor is largely exposed, greatly limiting the effectiveness of any extraction used. The extraction ?port? is to the side, so if the hose snags on the edge of the work piece it tends to pull the saw off line. The TS55 blade is so well enclosed that sawing is almost dust free, and the extraction port can be swivelled to be in line with the blade.
The Plastic Carrier
The TS55 has a base designed for use on a rail, with adjusters to take up any sideways play. The DeWalt saw has a flat base, and to enable it to be used with a rail it has to be fitted with a ?shoe? that is a plastic moulding. There is no adjustment to remove play between the rail and the shoe.
This shoe clips to the base with plastic barbs, which allow a fair amount of lateral play. Furthermore the assembly is not very rigid, and allows considerable movement, both lateral and rock, between the rail and the saw.
The Rail
The Festool rail has a replaceable splinter guard strip that runs along the edge of the guide. This is cut the first time the saw is used and subsequently identifies exactly where subsequent cuts will be made. The DeWalt has no such strip; the instructions simply state that one needs to adjust the saw to be up to, but not touching, the rail. Given the play between the saw and rail this makes the edge an unreliable guide as to the final cut line.
Two or more rails can be joined together; in the case of the Festool this is with two sturdy bars. The DeWalt uses one thinner bar.
The TS55 can be tilted to give a bevelled cut, and the cut line remains bang on the guide rail, regards of the angle. The DeWalt cannot be accurately used to make bevelled cuts, as the blade offsets as the angle changes.
Clamps are available to hold the rails down to the workpiece. The DeWalt ones are prone to skin one?s knuckles and require a scrap of wood to be positioned between the workpiece and the clamp to stop the clamp marking the panel. The Festool clamps, which use a smooth ratchet action, have soft moulded pads to eliminate surface damage.
Summary
It is, perhaps, unreasonable to compare one saw that costs ?200 against one that costs ?500. Both cut panels, but there the similarity ends.
The DeWalt is an adequate saw for builders; it is powerful and capable of ?construction? level work. The cut surface finish shows small scores from the leading and trailing edges of the blade. For cabinetwork it will rough cut panels for subsequent routing to size.
The TS55 will cut accurately ? as accurately as you can mark and position the rail ? and the cut surface is outstanding, better than I can get with my planer/thicknesser! Furthermore it is easy to set up quickly and accurately and a real pleasure to use.
I have no connection with either DeWalt or Festool.
The Saw itself
There is no real ability to plunge the DeWalt saw; the manual claims it is possible by removing the riving knife (raising questions of safety) , but there is no way to set a plunge depth. Rather the depth of cut has to be set before cutting, using a crude locking lever against a rough scale, calibrated at 5mm intervals, with no detents. With its sprung riving knife, the TS55 can be plunged without modification, and the plunge depth limit has detents at 1mm steps that can be set in seconds.
Because it does not plunge, the DeWalt blade does not retract after a cut, and one has to ensure the rotating guard has swung back into place before putting it down. It is important to check this, because the blade continues to spin for a considerable time after ?power off?. The TS55 retracts into the housing after a cut, and can therefore immediately be rested flat on the workbench; furthermore the electric brake stops the blade quickly.
The DeWalt motor is powerful but noisy; DeWalt quote 98/109dB(A). There is no soft start, no speed control, and presumably no overload protection. The TS55 is powerful but quiet; Festool quote 95/106dB(A), which subjectively is only half the noise level. In practice this means I generally use the TS55 without ear defenders whereas I always wear them for the DeWalt.
The pivots around which the DeWalt saw moves for setting the bevel are pressed brackets that are not very rigid. As a result the bevel angle varies if any inadvertent side pressure is applied to the handle. The TS55 is rock steady, using only castings for the frame.
There is no provision for fitting a splinter guard on the ?outboard? side of the DeWalt saw; one is included with the TS55.
On the DeWalt the side of the blade away from the motor is largely exposed, greatly limiting the effectiveness of any extraction used. The extraction ?port? is to the side, so if the hose snags on the edge of the work piece it tends to pull the saw off line. The TS55 blade is so well enclosed that sawing is almost dust free, and the extraction port can be swivelled to be in line with the blade.
The Plastic Carrier
The TS55 has a base designed for use on a rail, with adjusters to take up any sideways play. The DeWalt saw has a flat base, and to enable it to be used with a rail it has to be fitted with a ?shoe? that is a plastic moulding. There is no adjustment to remove play between the rail and the shoe.
This shoe clips to the base with plastic barbs, which allow a fair amount of lateral play. Furthermore the assembly is not very rigid, and allows considerable movement, both lateral and rock, between the rail and the saw.
The Rail
The Festool rail has a replaceable splinter guard strip that runs along the edge of the guide. This is cut the first time the saw is used and subsequently identifies exactly where subsequent cuts will be made. The DeWalt has no such strip; the instructions simply state that one needs to adjust the saw to be up to, but not touching, the rail. Given the play between the saw and rail this makes the edge an unreliable guide as to the final cut line.
Two or more rails can be joined together; in the case of the Festool this is with two sturdy bars. The DeWalt uses one thinner bar.
The TS55 can be tilted to give a bevelled cut, and the cut line remains bang on the guide rail, regards of the angle. The DeWalt cannot be accurately used to make bevelled cuts, as the blade offsets as the angle changes.
Clamps are available to hold the rails down to the workpiece. The DeWalt ones are prone to skin one?s knuckles and require a scrap of wood to be positioned between the workpiece and the clamp to stop the clamp marking the panel. The Festool clamps, which use a smooth ratchet action, have soft moulded pads to eliminate surface damage.
Summary
It is, perhaps, unreasonable to compare one saw that costs ?200 against one that costs ?500. Both cut panels, but there the similarity ends.
The DeWalt is an adequate saw for builders; it is powerful and capable of ?construction? level work. The cut surface finish shows small scores from the leading and trailing edges of the blade. For cabinetwork it will rough cut panels for subsequent routing to size.
The TS55 will cut accurately ? as accurately as you can mark and position the rail ? and the cut surface is outstanding, better than I can get with my planer/thicknesser! Furthermore it is easy to set up quickly and accurately and a real pleasure to use.
I have no connection with either DeWalt or Festool.
