Dewalt DWS520SK vs Festool TS55EQ - long with pictures

[nickao]

The Eureka zone system also has had a T square for a few years already. I modified one to work in the Festool rail and it worked nicely. I sold it with all my Eurekazone stuff, but it is no big deal.

Festool already sold and made one that they discontinued I think when they were still Festo. It also cuts at any angle not just at a 90. I am not talking about the current angle unit Festool sells.

I will dig it out of a box and put up a picture of it.

As far as cutting the doors in place I am NOT a believer and think the jamb saw  cut function should be left for the flooring installer to cut casings, etc.

 

[fshanno]

Tyler has them on back order and told me I would be lucky to get anything by Christmas or before 2009. Back order meaning they never ever even had them at all yet. So technically they are not on back order but waiting on a first shipment. Hopefully they can get the DeWalt stuff sooner I would like to try the entire system saw and all.

Tylers shipping is not bad, the last time I ordered I think it was 6.99 for a sander.

Nickao

The lady told me it would be at least 2 weeks which may mean 2 months.  The shipping was 7.55 for the t-square and a set of clamps.  Not a big problem, it'll be a nice Christmas present. 

Till then I guess I'll keep on using my almost square MFT or my almost square drywall t-square or my square-until-I-breath-on-it angle unit or just marking with a pencil.  Festool must have experimented with something like this DeWalt t-square.  I wonder why, in all the years they've made guides, they never offered a simple slot mounted t-square fixture for their guide?  DeWalt comes out with it right away as part of the initial offering.  This seems strange.  Makes me wonder if Festool thinks it won't work because it would put too much stress on the slot.  The Angle Unit is not built to clamp in the slot.  It does have an adjustment to take out play but that's it.  Maybe Festool thinks the concept is bad, that you need some sort of positive lock on the far side like the MFT provides and they aren't interested in anything short of that.  It would be interesting to talk to the engineers at Festool and at DeWalt and find out what their thinking is.  Meanwhile I think it's a great idea and DeWalt gets some of my money.

 

[nickao]

I have a festool version that was a simple slot mounted t-square fixture, that could be locked in 90 or other angles. The other angles in no way were accurate at all, but locked in at 90 it was okay. I have to get a picture of that for you. Its an old accessory piece from maybe the 80's or early 90's? I have not tried or used it in a long time. I'll pull it out tomorrow.

Nickao

 

[Dave Ronyak]

It has a T-SQUARE that looks like it ACTUALLY WORKS!!!  Looks like it might fit in our guide.  OH PLEASE GOD!  PLEASE LET IT FIT! 

Did anybody else see this?  They have a little blurb on their applications page....

T-Square demo

I'm I seeing this right?  It's not adjustable.  It's set to 90.  It won't come undone.  HELLO!  FESTOOL!  ANYBODY THERE!

I bet it won't fit our guides.  Of course it won't.  DeWalt would be stupid to let that happen.

Does anyone have an update on this -- will the DeWalt T-Square accessory fit Festool Guide Rails?

I watched most of the DeWalt video clips.  Thanks, Frank Pellow for providing the link!

If the DeWalt clamps are compatible (and the initial review indicated they were), those are of interest to me because they can easily be operated with one hand.  Although the Festool clamps work well, usually I find that I must use both hands to secure them.  Adapting the Irwin "Quick Clamp" design to fit the groove on the guide rails makes much sense to me.

Dave R.

 

[BloomingtonMike]

Talked with Dewalt yesterday (conference call with the Top17 folks and Dewalt guys). They said it will be November 15th that the accessories should be available for purchase.

The Dewalt clamp DEFINATELY fits the Festool track. I know because we did it in my shop.

I see no reason why the Dewalt square will not work as well. I will know after the 15th!

 

[Domcor]

Both the Makita and Dewalt have been on the Market here in Australia for while. Nice copies. The Makita actually comes in a systainer with colour to match. Dewalt here have an atrocious after sales service. Conclusion.....Many artists have copied the Mona Lisa, but people still line up to see the original.

Domcor
Melbourne, Australia

 

[fshanno]

I've watched the DeWalt demo videos over and over and I still don't get it.  How can the DeWalt deliver a chip out free cut on the right side with no protection?  If the TS55 didn't have the splinter guard on the right I would have been forced to buy the EurekaZone rig.  A cabinet saw with a good blade still needs a zero clearance insert.  Sliders have a scoring blade.  The DeWalt blades can't be that good.

 

[Frank-Jan]

They don't claim it does (the chipfree cut on the other side of the cut). The mafell, and I think the makita too, have a special setting for a scoring cut; I couldn't find a reference to such a function on the dewalt. To me it wouldn't mather much, most of the stuff I cut, I have to ease over the edge anyway for paint. I find myself leaving the thing off, less fuss when setting it to a bevel, and better blade visibility if needed.

 

[josephgewing]

How can the Dewalt cut chip free?  I did notice in the video that on the plywood cuts that the saw was cutting WITH the grain on the plywood, not ACROSS the grain.

I have an older Festool saw with the standard blade.  It cuts ALMOST chip free on plywood cross grain cuts.  It has no green thingy to prevent chip out on the outboard side of the cut. 

What say the rest of you?

Joe Ewing
Las Cruces, NM

 

[nickao]

I find the Festool saws with almost any of the  the blades I have are pretty much chip free IF I am using a better quality plywood.

When I am using the really cheap ply is when the "green thingy" is required. Usually I never ever use the "green thingy". So the DeWalt may very well leave little or no chip out on the right side when using a high quality ply.

The same thing happens on my table saw. Recently I had such a poor quality plywood that even with a new Forrest blade and  zero clearance insert there was bad chip out.

So consider the plywood as well as the blade. To me the quality of the plywood is just as important as all the other considerations to get chip free results.

I bet for a lot of the video ads they are using a really high quality plywood. And you do have a point that cutting with the grain will leave minimal chip out compared to cross cutting.

Nick

 

[Frank Pellow]

My experience is similar to Nick's and i think that he has described things quite well.

 

[fshanno]

So I always have the splinter guard in place and I always get cuts on both sides that I can edge band and I wouldn't have it any other way.  If the cut is going to be buried in a dado I've got overkill but I don't care.  I have my little nesting diagram and I start cutting and I don't have to think about it.  To me that's worth the whole $450 I paid for my TS55 a year ago.  If Festool didn't exist I wouldn't know what I was missing and I suppose I'd buy the DeWalt.  But side by side?  Let me put it this way, if the DeWalt was free and the Festool was $475, I'd pay the $475 and take both home.  I'd use the DeWalt for cutting the bottoms off doors while they hang on their hinges, which is pretty slick.  And I'd use the Festool for making cabinets.

But I'm very glad the DeWalt saw exists and very glad that some prefer it.  Because of that I'm going to get some interesting new clamps and a T-square fixture that looks like it has real potential.

 

[sw1211]

It has a T-SQUARE that looks like it ACTUALLY WORKS!!!  Looks like it might fit in our guide.  OH PLEASE GOD!  PLEASE LET IT FIT! 

Did anybody else see this?  They have a little blurb on their applications page....

T-Square demo

I'm I seeing this right?  It's not adjustable.  It's set to 90.  It won't come undone.  HELLO!  FESTOOL!  ANYBODY THERE!

I bet it won't fit our guides.  Of course it won't.  DeWalt would be stupid to let that happen.

Received the T-Square today, it fits the Festool rail as if it was built for it, dead on 90 degrees.

 

[Kevin Johnson]

Cool - that's good news.  I am getting one and see that they are reasonably priced on the accessories. Thanks

 

[richard.selwyn]

As Imentioned in another thread Festool's FS - PA (two aluminium rulers that slot into the festool guide rail at right angles) seem to solve the problem.  Maybe they are NAINA?

 

[Frank-Jan]

Richard, those things are  being introduced in Europe at the moment. (I ordered a set yesterday). And allthough it's nice they have this extra functionality, they are priced a bit high to get them for that purpose only.

 

[gkeas]

Received the T-Square today, it fits the Festool rail as if it was built for it, dead on 90 degrees.

Steve, where did you order it?  I cant find a link in the thread.  Thanks.

*edit*  found it myself by searching for "Tyler"

T-Slot Square

 

[Daviddubya]

In addition to Tyler Tool, Amazon has the Dewalt T-square attachment, but I had to search by the product code, Dewalt DWS5027, to find it:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hi?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=Dewalt+DWS5027&x=18&y=20

 

[sw1211]

I ordered mine from Woodworkers Supply,http://woodworker.com/

 

[fshanno]

See?  I knew it.  This is becoming one of the hottest little items for Festool guide owners.  Tyler Tool assures me I'm at the top of their list.  Now, can DeWalt help us with rips?  The FS-PA will be a long time coming and it's fairly pricey. 

I went to the Houston Woodcraft last Saturday to see them demo the brake on a SawStop and they had the DeWalt saw and guide on display.  Nice rig.  I'm so used to Festool that the saw felt weird to me but shoppers without preconceptions may have a tough time deciding. 

Interestingly we found that the Festool clamps right out of the box won't work with the DeWalt guide.  The openning in the slot under the DeWalt guide is a little narrower.  This being the case I was concerned about the T-Squares.  So I'm very glad to read here that they fit.

The DeWalt clamps are great.  I like my Festool clamps.  I have both styles and after so much use I have only a little trouble working them with one hand but the DeWalt clamps are far better.  I wonder how many Festool will sell once the word gets out.

Based on what I've seen I could conclude that the discerning buyer might elect to get a Festool saw and guide and fit it with a bunch of DeWalt accessories.  I'll say it again, DeWalt has done us Festoolians a big favor by getting in this arena.