New Festool Track Saw, Blade & CT Connection Help

RustE said:
Bosch VAC024 adapter?

My only other thought is the Nilfisk Quick Fit Tool Adapter.  You can order it from the Home Depot website and other vendors.

This looks very similar to the adapter that Dewalt shipped with its extractor, and it's what I'm using to connect to the Bosch glide saw but it doesn't fit the Bosch very well. I'm going to pick this up because it's not identical. Maybe it will fit the Bosch better. Thanks. I'll check out the Bosch adapters again. I just don't remember seeing anything as small a variance as 32 mm to 36 mm.
 
I can confirm that the Festool 36mm house fits over the new style locking dust port on the TS saws. Two options for dust collection you may not have considered are using the dust bag, which works very well as long as you empty it regularly and purchasing a Festool hose for use between your dust extractor and track saw.

The Panther blade is good for efficient ripping, and the quality of cut will be dependent on the species of wood and thickness you are cutting. If you are ripping thinner solid wood (say, under 1" or 1-1/4"), you will probably get better results with the Universal blade.

In case you're not aware, Festool sets minimum sell prices in North America, so you're not likely to find a better price on Festool products by shopping  around.
 
I have a Bosch 36mm anti static hose that stays at my largest cutting table.  I did not care for the Bosch connectors so I replaced them with Festool ends.  I've even installed Festool ends over the Fein hose ends by using silicone tape to attach 27 and 36mm ends.  I have hoses in 3 different shop areas and my home so i probably have at least a dozen of so hoses, all now have Festool ends.
 
Chris Wong said:
I can confirm that the Festool 36mm house fits over the new style locking dust port on the TS saws. Two options for dust collection you may not have considered are using the dust bag, which works very well as long as you empty it regularly and purchasing a Festool hose for use between your dust extractor and track saw. ...

Thanks for the info. I came to the same conclusion about the dust bag and ordered it yesterday. I figure I'll wind up using it outside now and then. It will come in handy. That's great to know about the 36 mm hose fitting over the new style dust port.

Question: it appears to me that all of the Festool dust extractors have 27 mm hoses. Am I wrong about that? I've looked at them up to the CT 48 and they are all selling that way now. Is there a converter that steps up from 27 to 35 or 36mm? It seems strange to will go with what effectively is a small to medium-sized tool diameter hose.
 
rst said:
I have a Bosch 36mm anti static hose that stays at my largest cutting table.  I did not care for the Bosch connectors so I replaced them with Festool ends.  I've even installed Festool ends over the Fein hose ends by using silicone tape to attach 27 and 36mm ends.  I have hoses in 3 different shop areas and my home so i probably have at least a dozen of so hoses, all now have Festool ends.

So what are you using for an extractor? Can you recommend something? I have found that I can still get the 10% discount for buying the TS 55 not even two weeks ago but I have to act fast.. I'm comparing the Fein HEPA turbo to to the CT 26 or 36. The Fein is less expensive but when all is said and done they're within $100 of each other. I don't really believe CFM numbers or DB numbers. The Festool isn't doesn't have a strong a motor but I prefer its overall design.
 
SS Teach said:
Welcome to FOG. Makita makes better rail connectors. They will not put indentations in the rails as Festool connectors can. Also Betterly Straight Line Connector does a great job connecting Festool rails. Enjoy using the saw. By the way this is just the beginning.

18 months have gone by and that last sentence was prophetic. I now have two CT 36s, a Domino 500, and the Kapex to go with my TS55. My Bosch GCM12SD had to go back to the factory for warranty repair because the bevel stops were stopping at random points and could not be adjusted. Bosch did the work for free and paid for shipping even though it was a year out of warranty. They made it right but I just lost all faith in the saw. So I sold the Bosch and after agonizing over the Kapex’s lofty price finally paid it. That was two weeks ago so I don’t have a fully formed opinion yet but I’m definitely happy  with it. It needed no calibration adjustments at all.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
phineas said:
SS Teach said:
Welcome to FOG. Makita makes better rail connectors. They will not put indentations in the rails as Festool connectors can. Also Betterly Straight Line Connector does a great job connecting Festool rails. Enjoy using the saw. By the way this is just the beginning.

I'm beginning to understand that already. I'm already trying to figure out how to explain to the wife that I need a CT 26. Last fall I purchased the Bosch GCM12SD glide dual-bevel compound miter saw. A couple of days ago I spent an hour looking at YouTube videos and reviews of the Kapex 120.

One of the things that many of the Festool newcomers don't realize is that the price of entry isn't really just the saw and the rail.  It's a saw, rail, and dust collector.  And at this point, you've only just begun because you're buying into a "system".

I hope you have an understanding wife and a sizeable amount of disposable income (if this is a hobby).

But if you need help "convincing" her that you need the dust collector, here's a modest proposal for this sticky marital situation:

- Tear open the drywall somewhere in the house near the kitchen, dining room, bedroom, or bathroom for some sort of "upgrade".  Patch the drywall and sand the patch using drywall sponges.  Sand your patch well!  There will be dust everywhere!

After that project, there will be so much of that irritating drywall dust that she'll be extremely upset.  If you'd done that sanding job with an ETS sander or hand sander with dust collection it would have been far less messy and disruptive.  Repeat until you get the desired effect.

I certainly don't endorse that method as I feel it's dishonest and immoral.  But it was fun to write for self-entertainment.
 
Heh, heh. I enjoyed it.

Luckily my wife gets it. Just bought my second CT36 and I also picked up an Oneida Mini Gorilla for bandsaw, jointer, planer and other tools that have 4” outlet ports. And it is a hobby, although I would love to turn it into a business.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I use tenryu blades. They all have the same width kerf, so switching between blades does not affect my splinter guard. I get excellent results with all 4 of their blades is have (general purpose, fine finish, rip, and melamine).

Festool has top notch blades, but the panther (way back when I got my stuff originally) had a wider kerf than the other blades, which messed up my splinter guards, that affected the accuracy of my cuts.

Haven’t bought blades in 10 years, so it may be different now.
 
I always use genuine festool blades and find them very reasonably priced from my local dealer he does 3 48t std blades for £99 plus vat
Very reasonable
Why get cheap copies

www.aonetools.co.uk
 
Yes thats very cheap , its just they are only 4 miles from where i live , they have a massive range
of Festool in stock , and i like to touch and feel before i buy , they have staff that know what they are selling
that means a lot to me , as if something goes wrong i like to go and see someone to sort it out rather than
having to sort it on the phone and mess about sending stuff back , just my opinion
 
Zenoah said:
Yes thats very cheap , its just they are only 4 miles from where i live , they have a massive range
of Festool in stock , and i like to touch and feel before i buy , they have staff that know what they are selling
that means a lot to me , as if something goes wrong i like to go and see someone to sort it out rather than
having to sort it on the phone and mess about sending stuff back , just my opinion

I agree with you,....if I was buying tools. But blades are blades and as a consumable, I buy them wherever they are cheapest.

Quite often, I will find the best price online for an item and then go into my local Festool dealer and 9 times out of 10 he will match the best price I've found!
 
I’ve been eyeing the Tenryu blades for quite some time because they have a kerf very close to 2.5mm/.098”. But I wound up buying the Festool 80-tooth blade for the Kapex. I’m very happy with that blade so far.

Im a Diablo/Freud fan. I reached out to them a couple of months ago about whether they were ever going to do a 260mm/30mm arbor size blade (Kapex)and their response was essentially “watch this space.”

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Back
Top