Need some guidance on which saw to buy........

[BigCountry73]

Hello everyone,

This will be my very first Festool purchase so I am looking for some guidance on which TS to buy. I currently have a small shop in my two car garage. I am a weekend DIYer and would like to build some cabinets and other furniture for our house. I also do some turning and other odds and ends.

I currently have a contractor saw and becuase of space limitations, I cannot get a cabinet style tablesaw for my shop. I would like to simplify my shop and be able to "knock it down" when not in use.

I am torn as to which TS saw to purchse, the TS55REQ or the TS75. I was able to look at the TS 75 at a local woodworking store. It does have considerable wieght to it and it should because it is a bigger saw.

What is your opinion as to which saw I should purchase? I do realize that everything is more expensive with the TS 75. I don't want to purchase the TS 55 and wish later that I purchased the other.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,

Keith

 

[evilcat]

I had the same situation and went with the 75 and I am very happy with my choice. The larger weight is not a issue for me at all since I am not using it multiple times daily for work.

 

[Roseland]

Like you I'm a hobby woodworker, and I went with the TS55.  With a 50mm cut when on a rail that's enough to do all panel work.  The only thing I'd struggle with is table legs but being square section they are best cut on a mitre saw, and I have one of those even if it only gets used every six months or so!

I don't regret my choice; I think the TS75 is a great saw but just too heavy for 3/4" ply.

Like you, my TS55 was my first purchase, and I was sure it would be my only Festool purchase - I already had a Bosch sander and DeWalt & Triton routers.  Five years on and I've added a CT26 extractor, OF1010 and OF1400 routers, ETS125 and RS100 sanders, MFT/3 and last week a Domino.  I don't regret a penny of it.  The jokes about drinking the green KoolAid are not without good reason!

Good luck,

Andrew

 

[AlexThePalex]

Do you do a lot of thicker hardwood? Because then you need the 75. The 55 really struggles with that because it doesn't have the power. But if you're mainly doing sheet goods up to an inch then the 55 is ok.

I have the TS55 and I'm not so impressed with it. It cuts nicely with the rail, and that's a very handy feature, but the lack of power really bugs me. I'm glad I also have a DeWalt DW65 saw as backup, or else the TS55 would be gone already, swapped for a Mafell. They're both 1200 watt but the Mafell just keeps going where the Festool stops.  Festool should really put a more efficient motor in the TS55 (which they didn't - see the TS55R).

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

TS 55REQ...cut the thicker wood with your contractor saw.

 

[AndrewMV]

I was in the same boat and ended up with the 55 because it was in stock and I needed that weekend. 

Then the recall happened and I switched to the 75.  No regrets at all.

 

[es07Eric]

I was in the same boat almost a year ago.  I went looking for a TS55R and they were nowhere to be found.  In desperation, I picked up a TS75 and I have never looked back since.  While it would be nice to have the smaller footprint, and all the bells and whistles of the newer TS55REQ, there is no replacement for power.  If i can put a rail on the stock, it will cut it with no problem!

Good luck!

 

[Sparktrician]

Since I work mainly with sheet goods, I went with the TS 55, with no regrets whatsoever.  If I need to cut anything thicker than the TS 55 can handle, I just break out the Bosch table saw that preceded the TS 55. 

 

[SoonerFan]

I went with the TS55 when I made my first Festool purchase.  It is a great saw, easy to use and I really like the weight/footprint.  I have been happy.  As a DIYer I have only had a couple times I wished I had the 75.

 

[jacko9]

Go with the TS55, cutting thicker hardwood needs a table saw which you already have.

Jack

 

[dltflt]

I am a hobby woodworker also and I bought the 75 and love it. It is a bit large but when your cutting thicker wood it works like dream. I would not trade for anything.

 

[wow]

If you are doing - say - 95-99% sheet goods, the TS55 is adequate. Because I never know what I will be encountering, I chose the TS75.

Like mentioned above, if I can lift it onto the track I can push it through the wood. If I were doing it for hours every day I might be concerned about the size and weight, but for my varied uses I see the size as a PLUS, not a minus.

 

[grbmds]

Probably don't want anymore advice, but  . . . I bought the TS55REQ and sent it back for a TS75. I now am back to the 55 because it is just the right size for work in the shop. So far, I haven't found any power problems, but have not tried anything above 1 1/2". With that, it seems to work OK. You maybe need to take a little more time, but it's OK. If I did a lot of work on lumber that size, maybe I'd change my mind, but I would also find an alternative to the MFT3 if I went with the TS75. The height, for me, given my height, makes the 75 cumbersome to use on the MFT3. I am much happier with the 55 and, for what I do, it has worked well so far.

 

[zapdafish]

I have a ts55 and it has been great for building cabinets and furniture. All the stuff I built was with 3/4" or 5/4 max in thickness.

I upgraded to a ts75 because I wanted to start working with 8/4 and thicker woods. Instead of a jointer to edge, I use the ts75 to give me a good edge on my "rough" lumber. It just feels safer than trying to balance an 8' +  board  either on my tablesaw, jointer, or bandsaw. I don't know about you but when I extend the sawblade out of my tablesaw to almost its max, even with a riving knife, kick back pawls, etc. I still have an uneasy feeling.

Weight isn't an issue for me because I work out  [big grin] Actually, I am a hobbyiest so I might need to use my tracksaws 3-4 times a year at the start of projects and then for very limited times.

I kept both for in case but have recently put the ts55 up forsale locally as I just dont see a need for it anymore.

A recent project was redoing my workbench top and it's a smidge over 2.5" thick. The TS75 has cut through everything like butter.

 

[RussellS]

I own the 55 saw.  Happy with it.  I use it mainly to break down 3/4" plywood sheets.  I have a variety of rails, including the 3 meter rail.  Ideal for cutting 8 foot plywood.  The 55 saw can cut 2 inches deep while on the rail.  You can use the 55 saw and rail to put a straight edge on 8/4 lumber for ripping on the table saw.  Great use of the saw.  8/4 lumber is about the thickest I work with so do not need a circular saw to cut thicker than 2 inches.  The 75 saw has the advantage of cutting about 3/4 inch thicker, 20mm extra I think.  Has more power.  But has the tangible disadvantage of being MUCH heavier and larger.  For what I cut the 3/4 inch thicker cut is meaningless.  The 55 is powerful enough to cut the 8/4 hardwood I cut.  The 75 saw provides no tangible benefits.

 

[Hawkeye1434]

My grandfather always told me to go with the bigger, stronger, more powerful unit spend the extra money and you will always be happier with it.

 

[BigCountry73]

Thank you all for your replies and insight. I am still a bit undecided as to which one to buy. I am leaning towards the TS 55 simply because I will still keep my tablesaw, but that could change. I plan on making my purchase sometime this weekend. I also plan on ordering the MFT/3 table and a longer rail.

I will keep the group informed and if anyone else has any advice.....post it!

Thanks,

Keith

 

[billg71]

I'm kind of contrary to the prevailing opinion, I've had the TS55 for several years and I'm quite happy with it. Almost of the work I've done with it is breaking down and cross cutting sheet goods, like you I have a table saw and jointer for straightening and ripping.

I just bought a TS75, I'm going to be doing kitchen cabinets this summer and the TS55 is slow when ripping two sheets of 3/4 ply. With the TS75 I'm confident I can get a good finish when ripping 3 stacked sheets and a reasonable feed rate so I can better than double productivity compared to breaking down two sheets at once with the TS55.

But it's a large, heavy saw. Yeah, I know they both weigh the same when they're sitting on a guide rail but that weight has to be lifted on and off that rail multiple times during a shop session. If you're cutting 3/4" stock most of the time why put yourself through the added strain? I have 10" and 16" Makita beam saws for working with timbers but they're specialized tools, they don't get used for ripping stacked ply although they certainly could.

Horses for courses, what course will you mostly run? If you're limited in space and don't have stationary equipment(or want to get rid of it) for dealing with  larger thicknesses then by all means the 75 is the saw for you. If you're going to be breaking down sheets on small batches you're paying a lot in cost and effort with the larger saw when the smaller will do 90-95% of your work.

Or just get both!

HTH,
Bill

 

[wow]

One other thing to consider:

While I have the TS75 now - and am very happy with it - I plan to get the TSC55 cordless when it becomes AINA. I think that smaller saw with a cordless power system will get a LOT of use, and - IMHO - is the perfect complement to the TS75.

 

[Gotoh]

I was in a similar boat only I have a one car garage from the 50s that barely holds a modern sub-compact, so even a fold-up contractor saw was going to be a serious storage issue. The 55 is definitely not made for ripping 3" stock, but neither are those contractor saws. I don't doubt that people do it successfully, but I do doubt that their motors survive more than a year of that business with any degree of frequency.

As a hobbyist who occasionally also works with sheet plastics, the versatility of the 55 means way more to me than the power of the 75. If I really need huge blocks broken down (and flipping the stock over is not an option for some reason) then I can pay someone else a couple bucks to do it for me when I buy the wood. There is never going to be a cabinet saw or a jointer in my house so there's no point in even wishing for them.