Help with Plunge Saw Selection

[RichardC]

I'm starting out from scratch with less than ideal expectations for shop space - I need portable & want clean.
My first needs are to make some home office desks & bookcases - probably 1/2" or 3/4" mdf glued to 1/2" ply for desktops, some 3/4" ply w/ some 7/4 or 8/4 hardwood.
Before too long I'll want to take on more creative projects.
I can't seem to decide between the TS 55 v TS 75.
MY delimma is that the 75 feels a little large for sheet stock but the 55 seems smallish for long hardwood rips.
To complicate the equation I'm afraid I'll loose patience using a 75 with a modified MFT or CMS for rip work - I just can't see the CMS TS 75 w/ fence returning to square after breakdown, etc. & wonder if some sort of conventional (dusty) benchtop saw/fence would suit my impatient disposition better.

To sum up I'd like to get just the 75 for everything but I'm afraid that I'll end up with a more conventional saw for rips & wish I had a smaller circular saw.

I would very much appreciate any feedback & realize you can't possibly predict what my experience will be.

Oh, although I am not a woodworker yet I did work in a commercial aircraft aluminum saw shop full time over 30 years ago - our table saws had full sliding all steel tops w/ 1/4" threaded jig set-up holes on a 2" or 4" grid - some orders would be for several thousand parts - some parts with 8-10 cuts on a table saw - sometimes I'd run 4 parts in each pass, each operation & each final part to within 0.02" so although I'm not a woodworker yet I understand repeatability.

 

[Lou Miller]

Being that you said you're strating out from scratch, I take that to mean you don't have a tablesaw. The key thing you mentioned is that you plan to work with 8/4. The 55 cuts up to 1-15/16" on the rail. Now for S2S lumber, that 1-15/16" would be fine. However, it'll probably be a little short on cutting 8/4 that is still in the rough. The 8/4 I get is at least 2-1/8" and often it is 2-1/4" or more.

As to your other concerns, I wouldn't worry too much about all that stuff. I had all kinds of reservations about these saws when I was in your position. For me, none of the things I was concrened about were ever a problem. I use my TS55 only onsite, but I make every conceivable cut with it you can imagine. Doesn't mean that's going to be the case for you though. Best advice I can give you is to get a saw when you know you're going to be ready to put it through a good workout. Festool offers a 30 day money back deal. Use it heavily for those 30 days. If you're still unsure at that point, send it back and go another route. Don't buy it and use it for a total of 20 cuts in those 30 days though.