Makita track versus Festool Track

[mrboult]

There is screws in the saw base of the ts55 that alter this. It's fairly obvious once you located, but I'm sure someone will be able to point you to a guide on how to adjust.
No idea how or if the makita is adjustable as I've never used/seen the model you are talking about. But the festool adults so you can match that to the makita at the very least.
Festool apparently try to match all their saws from the factory but my TS55 and HKC weren't really even close. .

 

[Mike Goetzke]

[member=60574]netsaver[/member]

As mrB said the Makita also has screws in the base for adjustment. I think the supplemental Festool manual has a good way to make the adjustments using a thick board clamped to the rail.

If you have both Festool and Makita rail you also need to adjust the tracking adjustment when switching rails.

 

[Doug S]

I have just bought a new base for my TS 55 as the grooves in it are so deep that the base of the saw is now more or less riding on the aluminium track, mind you the saw is 15 years old and worked hard so I can't complain.

I think the wear is caused by dirt, fine grit etc as I probably don't keep my rails as clean as I should.

Respect to Festool that I can still buy a base for my 15yr old saw  [smile], it is slightly different to the old one so I presume it is the same base as on the current TS 55.

Will be fitting it this weekend if anyone has any tips or advice on swapping them over?

Doug

 

[Michael Kellough]

The downside of the plastic glide strips is that abrasive grit can become embedded and then scratch the saw base. Some plastics are more susceptible than others.

Don’t know how Makita compares to FT but I’d stick to one brand of track to avoid having to make adjustments to the saw. It’s not fun and because the mount blocks are plastic (and they get embossed by the metal parts) it can be extremely difficult to get it just right.

 

[Tim-KJ]

I went the makita route. When in doubt go with the company that has the better motor for longevity. I have had the makita for long time now, I use a lubricant wax on the track and base plate of the saw, it does help a lot. You can have a look at:
https://toolsbros.com/best-track-saw/

Also watch AvEs video on the Festool.v

 

[LazyGretlWoodWorks]

the wood whisperer recently replaced his Kapex with a Bosch glide. he also stating the kapex is better, but not by much, and he can do everything he needs with the bosch. the Kapex cost $1475.00 vs the Bosch 12" glide was $390, this labor day sale.

I actually think Marc was being a little silly about that. He sold the Festool to be "more accessible" to his audience, and his Kapex was bought and paid for years ago. I also think he has regret and is doing a fair amount of justifying his decisions. He was already well successful when I found him on YouTube, and never worried about what tools he (or anyone else) uses. I have some Festool stuff, two laguna table saws, and some Ryobi and other brands. The last thing I care about is what anyone thinks of my tool selections. I do this for a living and buy the tool that makes the most sense for me, given price, features, etc.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

He went out of his way to get rid of a lot of the PowerMatic equipment that he had, after they parted as a sponsor.
They had been with him for years and he had a lot of the big cast iron tools.

It does kind of seem that several of the bigger YouTubers are scaling back? They spent years getting there, then decided it was "too much"?  Too many haters? I don't know?

I use mine for a living and appreciate what they do for me. The dust extraction is a big part of it.

 

[squall_line]

It does kind of seem that several of the bigger YouTubers are scaling back? They spent years getting there, then decided it was "too much"?  Too many haters? I don't know?

I have my theories, but given that this was a very strange post resurrection 4 years after the last post quoting a 6 year-old post, it's not really worth speculating.

 

[ChuckM]

YouTubers who receive "sponsorship" support, money or equipment must adapt, meaning they can't stick to the same brand if support is no longer coming their way. I think someone told me one American YouTuber is now featuring a lot of Harvey goodies from China in his shop.

New money or support, new toys (or maybe even new audience), why not? It's all business. Since I don't follow any content creators on any platform, I don't notice if anyone is switching brands or not. Oh well. What they use or don't use is none of my business.

 

[jeh]

YouTubers who receive "sponsorship" support, money or equipment must adapt, meaning they can't stick to the same brand if support is no longer coming their way. I think someone told me one American YouTuber is now featuring a lot of Harvey goodies from China in his shop.

New money or support, new toys (or maybe even new audience), why not? It's all business. Since I don't follow any content creators on any platform, I don't notice if anyone is switching brands or not. Oh well. What they use or don't use is none of my business.

Switching for money is a lot different than switching by personal choice. I don't know if this falls into it but the FTC has just introduced a substantial fine for writing fake reviews. Is it fake if you do not mention you are being paid to switch? Is it fake if you disparage the brand you reviewed and liked? It is all a slippery slope.

I believe there are issues and possible fines with taking items to promote and not clearly stating they were given to them by the sponsoring company. When a reviewer buys the item I have significantly more confidence the review has not been purchased or is at a minimum jaded. You can't dump on a product that has been given to you as a bribe to promote.

With all that said, like most of give reviews little thought. Interesting to look at and often times show me something about whatever it is I might not have noticed. The only thing on reviews I do look at is on Amazon to see how many there are and what the rating is when compared to other items. 500 reviews resulting in an average of 4 or more stars almost always ends with a product.

 

[Packard]

Now that I saw wear on my slightly used saw I went to look at my Makita rail. I have four but looked at the one I had handy.

I think we are on to something. The ridges on the strip I believe are supposed to be radiused or rounded. If you look at the pic you can see some rounded but some are almost knife edged!

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

I will stick my neck out and say, the bearing strip is not causing the damage, it is accumulated grit in the grooves that is causing damage.

I don’t have the MOHs number (hardness rating) for the plastic strip, but you can be sure that Makita has it and the number is softer than the aluminum. 

Aluminum has a MOHs number of 2.75, and probably harder due to the anodizing (anodizing creates a harder surface on aluminum).

Anodized aluminum can have a MOHs rating of 7 to 9, much harder than any resin.

Acrylic is 2.5 (softer than aluminum)
Polycarbonate is 3.0 (harder than untreated aluminum.)

Keep your tracks clean and you won’t scratch your saw.

 

[ChuckM]

snip
Switching for money is a lot different than switching by personal choice.
Snip

If someone replaced their shop tools with another brand and if they're a content creator/influencer by profession, I doubt that they did it due to personal choice. Of course, there're exceptions. I recall a Festool user (he used to be on this Forum) who got rid of all of his Festool tools for, according to him, personal reasons

I don't think there's any law prohibiting anyone switching their loyalty for money as long as any prior contract terms and conditions or contractual obligations that exist, if any, are satisfied.

Fake reviews, whether sponsorship is involved or not, is a different story.

 

[Packard]

snip
Switching for money is a lot different than switching by personal choice.
Snip

If someone replaced their shop tools with another brand and if they're a content creator/influencer by profession, I doubt that they did it due to personal choice. Of course, there're exceptions. I recall a Festool user (he used to be on this Forum) who got rid of all of his Festool tools for, according to him, personal reasons

I don't think there's any law prohibiting anyone switching their loyalty for money as long as any prior contract terms and conditions or contractual obligations that exist, if any, are satisfied.

Fake reviews, whether sponsorship is involved or not, is a different story.

I am loyal to Milwaukee primarily because I am in their battery system.  Virtually every other tool is based on the tool itself. 

That said, I tend to stick with one or two brands on consumable items (like router bits, drill bits, saw blades, etc.) based on durability and quality. 

I deliberately avoid companies whose business practices, politics, advertising, etc. is objectionable to me. 

 

[ChuckM]

Having all cordless tools on a single battery platform is definitely nice.

Unlike someone who values cordless drills (e.g. doing assembly as part of their work or job) or tools, I prefer corded tools simply because they're maintenance-free for the power part. I have Ridgid (2), B&D (4), Bosch (2; being got rid of) and non-brand (2) cordless drills, and three different chargers. I almost ended up buying a Festool drill, but decided against it as I realized that I already have too many drills (including 2 corded drills and a drill press).

I find the Ridgid a bit heavy and so I use the B&D mostly and often for light-duty chores