Mafell Mt 55 cc

[GhostFist]

No worries, glad to help.

 

[jeh]

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!

You have sold me on the MT55. A commission is in order.

 

[thedude306]

You have sold me on the MT55. A commission is in order.

It's a great saw!  Make sure you tell timberwolf...  LOL

Another thing of note is the saw is off the line when doing an bevel on the festool rails, just to be aware of that.  ( I think the festool rails make the MT55 sit higher??)    I also got the position indicator and like it.  It's an extra but nice to have. 

 

[jeh]

You have sold me on the MT55. A commission is in order.

It's a great saw!  Make sure you tell timberwolf...  LOL

Another thing of note is the saw is off the line when doing an bevel on the festool rails, just to be aware of that.  ( I think the festool rails make the MT55 sit higher??)    I also got the position indicator and like it.  It's an extra but nice to have.

I am committing to a few rails as well to avoid any confusion and to get the best out of the tool.

 

[Wuffles]

You have sold me on the MT55. A commission is in order.

It's a great saw!  Make sure you tell timberwolf...  LOL

Another thing of note is the saw is off the line when doing an bevel on the festool rails, just to be aware of that.  ( I think the festool rails make the MT55 sit higher??)    I also got the position indicator and like it.  It's an extra but nice to have.

I am committing to a few rails as well to avoid any confusion and to get the best out of the tool.

Check if the Bosch rails are cheaper though as they're the same I believe - hopefully someone will confirm.

 

[sae]

They're not available in the US.

 

[Wuffles]

Right on, that makes it easier then.

 

[thedude306]

They are the same.  They even make a holy version.  I was able to acquire a set a long with a longer holy rail for less money then the Mafells.  Non of them are cheap.

Untitled by thedude306, on Flickr

 

[jaymon5]

Hey Brad,

i have been trying to get the bosch holy rail version but live in the states.  Can you tell me where you bought yours? 

 

[Cary Swoveland]

...Really love the scoring function of the MT 55...

I don't quite understand how that works. Some sliding table saws have small scoring blade on the operator's side of the saw that rotates in the opposite direction of the main blade.  (On a table saw the risk of chipout is on the bottom face of the material, of course; on a circular saw it's on the top face.) On the Mafell, a scoring pass is first made, which uses the main blade. Although it is a very shallow cut, I don't understand why it avoids chipout, considering the direction of blade rotation. (I am aware of the 0.1mm offset for the subsequent full cut.) Can you explain?

 

[Cary Swoveland]

I'm a huge fan of Festool but Mafell has the edge in many ways.  Their guide rails are a major improvement over Festool's...

One other advantage of the Mafell rails I've read about is that they are designed to accept a vacuum hold-down attachment. One simply connects a short hose between the rail and the top of a "Y"; the other "Y" top goes to the saw for dust extraction and the bottom of the "Y" goes to the vac. I'm interested if anyone has this option and if so, how they like it and what it cost (from Timberwolf).  Also, I understand the Mafell and Festool rails are not the same thickness.  I assume the Mafell rail is the thicker and stiffer, but I'm not sure about that. Can anyone clarify that for me?  I'm interested because if one lifts the Festool rail with the saw resting on it (to slide material for the next cut), the rail flexes quite a bit.

 

[Linbro]

...Really love the scoring function of the MT 55...

I don't quite understand how that works. Some sliding table saws have small scoring blade on the operator's side of the saw that rotates in the opposite direction of the main blade.  (On a table saw the risk of chipout is on the bottom face of the material, of course; on a circular saw it's on the top face.) On the Mafell, a scoring pass is first made, which uses the main blade. Although it is a very shallow cut, I don't understand why it avoids chipout, considering the direction of blade rotation. (I am aware of the 0.1mm offset for the subsequent full cut.) Can you explain?

I'd say it's to do with the angle of the teeth when they enter the workpiece - at a depth of a few mm, the angle prevents chipping. The deeper the blade, the angle changes, causing chipping.
Maybe someone with more blade knowledge could confirm?
I've had the MT55 for a few days, and the scoring function works very well, and the saw itself is excellent.

 

[Bohdan]

Does that mean that that you set the depth of cut to a very shallow scoring cut first and then repeat the cut full depth.

Won't this also apply to all other brands of track saw or is there a special angle on the blade.

 

[bkharman]

Does that mean that that you set the depth of cut to a very shallow scoring cut first and then repeat the cut full depth.

Won't this also apply to all other brands of track saw or is there a special angle on the blade.

I thought it was a "button" of sorts to score, let go of it and it drops to your set height. I don't have the saw but I did see it run at a show and I didn't see the operator do anything different.

Cheers. Bryan.

 

[GhostFist]

No. there is a switch on the top of the saw for the scoring function. This limits the scoring pass to a depth of 3mm, and offsets the blade 0.2mm so that there is no chip out from the blade exiting the material when your full depth cut is made (he blade returns to 0 offset when the scoring switch is disengaged)

 

[thedude306]

There is a switch on the Mafell that offsets the blade and sets the scoring depth all automatically.  It's as simple as turning a dial/knob. 

I believe chip out occurs do to the side rake of the blade, the further in the blade goes, the more side rake that happens.  I can't tell you why it works, but it is the cleanest cut I have ever seen when I use it on melamine.

I don't have the aero-fix but I have read nothing but good things about it.  My understanding is it's a unique rail, although you can attach regular mafell rails to it.  The Mafell/bosch rails are thicker I believe.  They are still a bit flexy but not as bad as the festool.  The connector is what sold me.  It's perfect every time and easy to use.  my longest rail is 1600mm  x 3 1100mm x1 and 800mm x2 and they all fit in the bag.

Untitled by thedude306, on Flickr

Untitled by thedude306, on Flickr

 

[Cary Swoveland]

...The Mafell/Bosch rails are thicker I believe...

Thanks for all the information. The statement above suggested to me that the Bosch rails are rebranded Mafell rails. Sure enough, I found that's true (but it appears Bosch does not sell their saw, tracks and accessories in North America). Evidently there is another company, "Flex", that also uses the Mafell tracks. Here's a short video that shows how the tracks join.

 

[thedude306]

I actually think that Bosch makes them for Mafell??  I thought I read that on the FOG somewhere from one of our European members.

It's crazy IMO that they don't bring a lot of their NAINA items here.

 

[Holmz]

I got the Mafell UVA 115 E sander, and no complaints.

Been looking at an MFT and an MT55.

 

[tigger]

What did I miss??

I bought my first TS55 almost 10 years ago. At that time Festool guaranteed that when joining the rails, they would be perfectly straight. Now that I have their latest TS55, even their videos show to use a straight edge to check the rails are straight  [eek]
Has Festool's quality really changed that much? When I join my 2 new 1400 rails, they do line up perfectly every time, so what gives??