Mafell Mt 55 cc

[promark747]

[quote author=Sometimewoodworker]

a riving knife makes the kickback less likely to occur in the first place.

They also say that not having the safety feature makes changing blades faster as you don't need to swap the riving knife, another point that Festool makes unnecessary by having all blades have the same kerf.

It is more likely that there are patients for a retractable riving knife so they had to work round them.

In the case of sheet goods and a track the chances of kickback are vanishingly small unless you plunge into the board so the Mafell isn't usually less safe, but bring in solid wood and the Festool saws are safer.

The statements are typical of wriggling around a point. The claim that because the maximum blade speed is 20% higher than other saws only has an effect if you can run a maximum speed. But if you need to slow the saw down to avoid burning the wood it has no benefit
[/quote]

All good points

 

[thedude306]

It's interesting that the Kss400 has a riving knife on plunge so I don't think it's a patent issue.  It would be nice is the mafell MT55 had a riving knife although I have never needed it (or on any of my saws for that matter)  I sure do like it on my TS and pay closer attention when cutting solid stock. 

And that's what I have the kss400 for. 

 

[JeromeM]

It's interesting that the Kss400 has a riving knife on plunge so I don't think it's a patent issue.  It would be nice is the mafell MT55 had a riving knife although I have never needed it (or on any of my saws for that matter)  I sure do like it on my TS and pay closer attention when cutting solid stock. 

And that's what I have the kss400 for.

Is it a retractable riving knife?
It also looks as if it's a dust monster

And I have never had a kickback, but since I almost always have a riving knife on my table saw and circular saws that is probably why.

 

[thedude306]

yes, it's retractable. 
It's not as good as the MT55 which has excellent DC, but it's pretty good.

 

[GhostFist]

The mt55 is the only mafell circ saw without a riving knife.

 

[Dane]

So, if one was pondering a mafell saw, why would I buy the mt55 over the kss400 or vice versa?

 

[thedude306]

The easy answer is, well there is no easy answer....

For sheet goods, the mt55 rules, but it's unbalanced off the track (just like all the competition IMO)

For use on it's own track and framing, the kss400 shines.  The built in track takes some getting used to, but is a pleasure to use.  It also quickly comes off its track and fits on the regular track

Both saws use the same mafell/bosch tracks and blades are interchangeable.  The MT55 fits on the festool track as well and "think" the KSS400 does as well but I would have to confirm that.

One of the biggest draws to the saws was the track system itself.  I find it superior to the other offerings.

 

[Dane]

Thanks for the info- it sounds like the kss is everything the mt is and more, so what would make a person go for the mt?

 

[wrightwoodwork]

What makes people go for the mt is familiarity to the festool ts which it is not too drastically different from and lot of people are used to how that system works. Also what type of work you do and where you work are also deciding factors in getting the mt or kss. If work doing more shop fitting, cabinet making and working with the likes of melamine sheets then the mt is the way to go. If work more on site, solid timbers, framing, cut roofs etc then the kss is the saw to get. The kss only runs on mafell style tracks

 

[jeh]

Can the Mafell use Festool rails? I am hoping so as it will make the transition a lot easier.

 

[wrightwoodwork]

Yes, but only the mt55. The likes of the kss saws and thier other saws can't. The only thing doing a 45 it will not be exactly on the line as the festool send mafell rails are slightly different thicknesses. Which takes the blade a mill away from the splinter guard

 

[thedude306]

Can the Mafell use Festool rails? I am hoping so as it will make the transition a lot easier.

It can, here's the bottom of the MT55cc.  You need to remove the plastic insert.

But I have to tell you, the rails are a big part of the convenience of the saw.  They self align, are dead square and the anti splinter strip is fantastic.

IMG_3035 by thedude306, on Flickr

 

[Wuffles]

Can the Mafell use Festool rails? I am hoping so as it will make the transition a lot easier.

Yes, but it's not possible to adjust/tighten the guide if you follow me. Although you can on the Mafell rail obviously.

 

[Troll]

I bought the TS55 in 2003 and it was a revelation in the way it enabled me to do precise cuts with very little effort.  I later upgraded to the TS55R and in my honest opinion it was a backward step for Festool (and me). The bevel scale on the TS55R is hopelessly inaccurate around the '0' degrees scale.  The inclusion of the negative degree facility on the TS55R has been at the expense of accuracy; there being only one 'stop' at the rear of the base plate.  You have to continually check the saw is at the '0' degree angle and invariably find it isn't!  The dust port of the TS55R is loose where as it was tight on the TS55.  This loose dust port means the hose snags on the rail. 

After much deliberation I bought the Mafell MT55cc and within the a few cuts I knew I'd made the right decision.  The accuracy at '0' degrees it spot on due to front and rear stops.  There is also only one knob on the Mafell to lock the bevel setting but it locks both the front and rear of the saw; it's a real time saver.  And the dust port has positive stops which enables you to keep the hose from snagging on the guide rail.  The extra power of the Mafell is a real bonus too and the rails have better features; easier to join and a mechanically fixed splinter strip.

I still occasionally use by old TS55 and it is a much better saw than the TS55R apart from lacking the extra bevel degree settings.

If you can afford the extra money the Mafell is well worth the extra cost, absolutely no question.  The TS55R is still a good saw but the upgrade features are poorly engineered and detract from the genius of the original saw.  I hope it won't be long before Festool sorts out these problems and we see a return to the original engineering quality.

Troll

 

[GhostFist]

Can the Mafell use Festool rails? I am hoping so as it will make the transition a lot easier.

Yes, but it's not possible to adjust/tighten the guide if you follow me. Although you can on the Mafell rail obviously.

Sorry this is not true, you can tighten it on the festool rails.

 

[jeh]

Can the Mafell use Festool rails? I am hoping so as it will make the transition a lot easier.

It can, here's the bottom of the MT55cc.  You need to remove the plastic insert.

But I have to tell you, the rails are a big part of the convenience of the saw.  They self align, are dead square and the anti splinter strip is fantastic.

IMG_3035 by thedude306, on Flickr

Agree on the rails. I just have a lot of Festool rails that I need to keep for other tools. I will buy a mafell rail or two to get started. Thanks for the photo.

A few more questions:
Do the Mafell tools come in some type of case. I like the idea of keeping accessories in a place I can find them when needed.

Any reason not to get the Kss400 versus the mt55?

 

[thedude306]

The KSS400 vs MT55cc is a what are you going to do with it question?  I have both.  I wouldn't want to do the framing I do with the MT55 and I love the MT55 for sheet goods.

The KSS does almost as good on cutting sheet goods except there is no scoring function and the dust collection is only great, not excellent.  They use the same blades and can use the same mafell/bosch rails.

The MT55 I got came in a classic systainer.  The KSS400 was in a cardboard box as the attached rail is big but I think you can purchase a metal case for it.

Don't mind my daughter, she was pretty excited about the purchase!

 

[Wuffles]

Can the Mafell use Festool rails? I am hoping so as it will make the transition a lot easier.

Yes, but it's not possible to adjust/tighten the guide if you follow me. Although you can on the Mafell rail obviously.

Sorry this is not true, you can tighten it on the festool rails.

Oh do tell, I've been "managing" for nearly a year and just didn't think to ask.

Is it the same adjuster knobs? I did try them but they seemed to then make it too tight when I went back to the Mafell rail.

 

[GhostFist]

Yes you use the same knobs. You'd have to readjust for the mafell rails again, but that's not a difficult thing.

 

[Wuffles]

Yes you use the same knobs. You'd have to readjust for the mafell rails again, but that's not a difficult thing.

Ha ha, I am an idiot. I did that once and then when I put it back on the Mafell rails and it was too tight I just assumed it was only for them.

Cheers fella.