do you miss your table saw?

[Birdhunter]

Band saw, table saw, track saw, hand saw, jig saw..... all have their design points of excellence. A skilled craftsmen can push the limits of any of these tools to encroach upon the areas of excellence of the other tools but cannot equal their excellence.

If you can't afford a table saw or don't have room for one, you can stretch the abilities of a track saw to approximate what a table saw is meant to do.

But, if you already have a table saw that works, I just can't see giving up that tool to use an tool that's inferior for what a table saw does well.

 

[turnpike]

I mostly use a bandsaw and the TS55.  I think something like a Dewalt 745 tucked away somewhere or built into a workbench would see some use.    I thought I'd do most things on the TS55 but I actually have issues with accuracy and squareness. I find I'm going to the bandsaw more often unless it's a big bit of ply.

I don't know anything about the carvex but I'd be surprised if it replaces a bandsaw?

 

[Runhard]

If you need a place to "store" that slider, let me know. thx to OH is a hike that I could make for the right price!

I am lucky to be moving into a new house with more garage space and dedicated shop space.

I am ready to move up from my CMS (with 75 under it).  It has treated me well, but I want to go the opposite direction.

Let us know how you take this!

Cheers. Bryan.

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I'm in this same situation. I have a TS75 in a CMS and also have a TS55. I recently moved to a new house with a 3 car garage, so I am in the market for a slider or sawstop. I do have a Hammer bandsaw N4400 and jointer planner A3-41(w/silent cutter head) but I really want to add a TS.

My vote would be to keep the Hammer K3 or upgrade to a Felder.

 

[HowardH]

Hi Howard

I did exactly this about 4 or 5 years ago. My relatively small table saw took up the complete space of the garage end of my workshop and it was mainly used for breaking down sheet goods. The TS, guide rails and Parf Dogs provide a far better (and for me more accurate) method of dealing with MDF and ply.

However, I still needed to do sawn rebate work as the saw's scribing line is usually so much better than a routed line. I bought a cheap and cheerful small table saw and only afterwards discovered that the riving knife could not be easily removed for rebating. I subsequently migrated to the CMS-TS which works brilliantly. It is small and easy to move out of the way yet produces excellent results both for rebating and those narrower rips which are often so difficult with a TS and rails.

So, to answer your question - yes I do miss a small aspect of the capability of my old table saw. It has been mainly replaced by the TS and rails but for narrow rips and rebating I still need a small table saw and the CMS-TS is the perfect choice.

Peter

Thanks for chiming in Peter.  I have a fairly substantial investment in Festool and was thinking that going with CMS system could replace a router table and possibly the conventional table saw.  Unfortunately, it's NAINA and who knows when it would become available.  A good portable unit like the SS or Bosch could act as a substitute until the Festool model arrives upon our shores.  I was in the process of starting to build a conventional router table but I became intrigued with the CMS system instead.  Now I'm trying to decide if it's better to get the GE model or since I'm getting a new MFT/3, a VL system.  I'm thinking the VL with the hope that the TS module will make it over here and the MFT/3 can act as a support wide table. 

 

[Peter_C]

Do you have a dolly under your table saw? Being able to tuck it tightly to a wall might help free up space, then pull it out when needed.

Another option over the CMS which can be ordered from Europe, as it is mostly just metal, is an Mafell Erika, since it is also compact.

Mostly my table is used for narrow rips and most of the time with a table saw sled. I can not imagine cutting something less than 2" without a sled/slider of some kind.

Otherwise adding onto your garage or building a new workshop is always an option

 

[HowardH]

The Mafell Erika may be just the coolest table saw around.  Holy cow are they expensive!

 

[Peter_C]

The Mafell Erika may be just the coolest table saw around.  Holy cow are they expensive!

So you are going to own one then?  [big grin]

There will be a line of folks wanting to relieve you of that Hammer slider to offset the costs. I will start the bidding at $1,200 [cool]

 

[HowardH]

LOL!  triple that number would be a good
start! 

 

[JimD]

I do not miss my table saw because I never got rid of it.  I pulled the 60 inch capacity rails, however, since they were for sheet goods and difficult to use in my 14x24 shop.  I believe what a track saw does is to at least reduce the need for large rip capacity.  For those of us with space challenged shops, I think it can eliminate this need in the table saw.  I know what a slider is but have never used one.  But I understand they are often used to break down sheet goods.  In my shop, that's the role of the track saw.  But a smaller slider where the function is cross cutting smaller pieces would be very nice to have, I expect. 

With enough space and money I think all these tools have their place.  The track saw may be largely relegated to a tool to use when away from the shop.  But in my shop, space is at a premium and I think the best setup is to have both a small table saw and the tracksaw (plus RAS and CMS). 

 

[Holmz]

I don't know, for me I'm going the other way.  3 years with a track saw and while it's great for some things, the table saw is faster for others.  The track saw is fiddly for repetitive cuts (sometimes they are a little off, other bits required to set the rail, clamps sometimes required, more bits required for narrow rips).  I'm really coming to hate the process of digging out the misc. bits for something that should be simple, especially when it's a one off piece.  The table saw makes all this quick and painless and I plow through 8/4 hardwood without effort.  The tracksaw has to work a bit harder and you should really switch to a rip blade. 

I can appreciate that some do fine without the table saw, and I thought I could too, but damnit, I'm putting a table saw in the shop!

This fellow read my mind and eloquently conveyed it.

 

[johnbro]

Lots of good points here. I'm going to add that it depends on what you make. I like to make small boxes and do a lot of cuts on my cabinet saw using jigs like a miter sled. No way I could do that with Festools. I also like that I can set the fence with the ruler, rip a board, and it has a jointer-quality surface EXACTLY the dimension of the fence setting--no tweaking or checking gap from blade to fence needed. And if I rip 100 more boards without moving the fence they will all be precisely the same width. Now, most of the time it's a work top, but it's a ton faster to set up for precision cuts than any other tool (including my bandsaw) that I have.

 

[sheperd80]

It depends on your work and whether space is really that scarce. For me, theres absolutely nooooo way i would even consider ditching the tablesaw. Its much more than a ripping machine. Same opinion about the jigsaw/bandsaw. Festool hand tools are no substitute for shop machines, not even close.

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[Bohdan]

  Now I'm trying to decide if it's better to get the GE model or since I'm getting a new MFT/3, a VL system.  I'm thinking the VL with the hope that the TS module will make it over here and the MFT/3 can act as a support wide table.

The VL also enables you to replace the, in my opinion painful to use, standard festool router fence by fitting an Incra LS positioner fence to the MFT with dogs and use it on the VL, with both router and saw.

 

[Grakat]

I too would keep the table saw. The guide rails take longer to set up for a parallel cut than a proper table saw. In a small place wind the blade all the way down and you get a work surface as well.

 

[HowardH]

Lot's of votes both ways.  A good solution would be to get the SS contractor saw with a much smaller footprint and then the MFT/3- CMS-VL combo.  I would be concerned about the jobsite saw being able to cut through 8/4 hardwood. 

 

[johnbro]

Lot's of votes both ways.  A good solution would be to get the SS contractor saw with a much smaller footprint and then the MFT/3- CMS-VL combo.  I would be concerned about the jobsite saw being able to cut through 8/4 hardwood.

I think the only reason the contractor saw is "smaller footprint" is because it doesn't come with an extension table; otherwise the table size is pretty close to the SawStop PCS. However, the contractor saw has virtually no dust control while the PCS--especially with the optional overhead guard--has amazing DC. You can get comparable cuts with either a PCS or a contractor's saw, but the difference in mess is quite striking. Of course, the contractor saw is sorta kinda portable while the cabinet saw isn't.

 

[Gabriel]

Don't even think of selling it. You'll be wasting a lot of time. The Hammer always cuts perfect, guide rails don't (MFT3 never).

 

[Dougparke]

I have been re-evaluating my work flow in my home shop and I'm now considering selling my Hammer slider and just going with a MFT3 and TS55. 

If you work with sheet goods a lot, you won't miss it.  I use MFT + TS55 + sliding mitre saw almost exclusively for such work.  The only time I dust off the table saw is for ripping lengths of solid lumber.  A table saw is really the only way to go for this.  If you're making furniture legs, rails and stiles for cupboard doors, solid edging, resawing lumber etc, then you need your table saw.

That's really the only thing I am concerned about... ripping relatively small pieces of solid lumber.  I can always keep the band saw, rip with it and then run it through the Planer to even them up.  I know there's a Festool way of accomplishing this but I can't remember what it is.

Hi there. I have been a subscriber for a while but learning rather than posting. I made 400 Masonite strips 25mm wide by stacking 4 sheets and using my TS 55 together with the  parallel guide extensions. Work brilliantly and down to almost cutting veneer thicknesses reliably and repeatedly.

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[sancho57]

I had a shop full of stationary equipment. Then I got into festool. I ended up giving away to a old friend of mine all my stationary tools, as I never used them anymore. except my jointer.

My table saw was on casters and to use it I had to roll it out atech the DC, make a couple of small quick cuts and roll it back. It was easier for me to just use my TS 55 and MFT.

Now that Im in the UK, I bought the TS 75(American shipped over) and the CMS Module along with CMS VL stand. I leave the TS 75 in the GE module in the CMS and also bought the side extension.
Now I have the GE (TS 75) and VL CMS (router table OF 2200).

Though in the past  Ive said Im good without a table saw, I now think for quick cuts a table saw is faster.

So with that being said, since I dont think you can buy just the CMS stand (GE or VL) in the states so you wont be having to swap out modules ) Id go get me a good bench top saw for making quick cuts.
That way you can keep it set it up and it wont use much shop space, heck of a lot cheaper then the TS 75 and module.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I currently have 6 table saws, two 10' 6" stroke sliders, two heavy old cast iron saws, a short stroke fortis, and two SLR's. 

I won't mention how many bandsaws or planers, or jointers I have.....