Planers

[joiner1970]

I have just bought into Festool a few months ago and am think of my next purchase a planer.

I have an old Elu planer (82mm wide) that Ive had for years, great tool. I would like a lighter one maybe, mostly I will be planing doors etc on site so thought maybe the smaller EHL 65 one would be OK.

Anyone got any advice for me.

 

[Bill]

Most of our customers use the TS-55 for door work.  However, there were a few that purchased the Festool planer for doors and their feedback was very positive.  They also said that the Angle Stop (485 018) was a much better fence than the one that came with the planer.

Bill

 

[joiner1970]

Thanks Bill,

Yeah I had heard that some people use the ts55 for doors it just seems weird to me trimming the side of a door with a saw, I do have the ts55 so must give it ago. A lot of doors we seem to do these days on new build are polished, finished doors (no painting), we put the linings in so most of the time we just hinge the doors up then fit them with no trimming but every now and then you need to trim a bit here and there.

I have just finished hanging about 35 oak veneered doors on a brand new detached house and it got me thinking about getting a new planer then I can get my old Elu one serviced and keep that also. I took a look at the planers in my dealer today the 850 is huge I thought my Elu was big. I like the 65 its better one handed, I noticed it does not have a detachable cable like most Festool stuff.

 

[bruegf]

I just trimmed 3 doors that were sticking a bit at various times of the year.  Plopped the rail down and zipped the TS55 down rail.  Perfect cut with no splintering.  Couldn't be any easier.

Fred

 

[joiner1970]

UPDATE​

I went out yesterday and bought the EHL 65 planer from my local dealer  209 pounds here in the UK.

Tried my luck and asked for a spare blade for free but didn't get anywhere, I needed some new goggles and he threw those in.

So far it looks good the blades are very chunky not thin like most other planers and I like the way you can lock the parking foot up out of the way if you want to.

Not so sure about the parallel guide it doesn't seem to be very parallel to the base has anyone else encountered this?

 

[topchippie]

I just trimmed 3 doors that were sticking a bit at various times of the year.  Plopped the rail down and zipped the TS55 down rail.  Perfect cut with no splintering.  Couldn't be any easier.

Fred

How do you put a leading edge on a door with a cc?

 

[Warrior]

What's a cc?

 

[topchippie]

Sorry meant CS, circular saw.

 

[joiner1970]

I would have thought it was obvious top chippie you just set the bevel angle on the saw to 3 degrees and lock it off and just saw away.

 

[joiner1970]

I have only just noticed that the EHL 65 planer is not on the USA Festool site.

Do you not have them yet ?  ;D

 

[topchippie]

I'll believe that when i see it. Mind you, once you've bought the saw maybe you can't afford a planer 

 

[Dan Clark]

TC,

Are you questioning whether you can set a TS55 to 3 degrees, whether you can make a cut without splinters, or something else?

Dan.

 

[Dan Clark]

I have only just noticed that the EHL 65 planer is not on the USA Festool site.

Do you not have them yet ?  ;D

Joiner,

we don't have them yet.   

I have the HL850 and find it more useful than I expected.  FYI, I don't like the parallel guide for the 850.  OTOH, the Angle Stop works VERY well.   

Here's a tutorial that Mark at Festool created on how to modify the 850 for back beveling:http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=704.0.  (I converted Mark's PDF-based document at Christian O's request.)

Dan.

 

[topchippie]

TC,

Are you questioning whether you can set a TS55 to 3 degrees, whether you can make a cut without splinters, or something else?

Dan.

I am questioning whether you can take a 45mm ripping cut down the hardwood edgeing strip of a door and get a perfect finish yet only take 0-3 mm off and also why you would want to when a planer is the obvious tool for the job. Any HHCS is going to make a monkeys lunch of that deep of a cut on a proper hardwood and a skim will just make things worse. The fine tooth blade will just burn aswell. Why not just use a planer that is made for the job and what if the door needs another mm off, another cut with the saw ? Come on, horses for courses.

 

[semenza]

Hi,

       Well the TS55 will give the precise, smooth, burn free cut needed,. And you could take off 1mm. I really think that based on this thread and the other one "I don't get Festool..."  that you really need to take advantage of the 30 day return  policy to find out just how good this saw is.  I think that both the saw and the planer are the right tool for the door trimming job.  I have used both and my personal preference would be the saw.  It is more stabil and better guided than a planer. The guide rail takes away the chance of a little planer slip / tilt gouging the door edge.
      Actually I  just used the TS55 yesterday to trim three door edges that are solid cherry. I used the fine blade and they were beveled. Even on cherry I had no burn marks.

Seth

 

[Warrior]

Hanging doors is a part of my livelyhood and yes you can take .5mm of the edge of a door if you wanted and had a sharp blade installed.
I have the PC porta plane arguably the best doorhangers plane. The only time that plane now comes out of its case is if I have to fit a door to a jamb that is not straight or the door has raised mouldings that interfere with the placement of the guide rail.
The surface quality is better and I don't need to worry about grain direction and tearout. I save about 5-10 min per door. 1 cut vs. multiple passes with a planer.

Eiji Fuller

PS. I just hung 26 mahogany doors using my TS75 for fitting only. Its a better method. way faster.

 

[Dan Clark]

TC,

The tool of preference for most door hangin' pros is the planer.   OTOH, check the Journal of Light Construction Finish Carpentry forum and you'll find several who use circular saws.    A guided saw, especially a Festool guide saw is by far the best option among CS's.   Of the Festool CS's, the TS75 would be a better choice than a TS55 because of it's power and depth of cut, but the TS55 will work also.   

Regarding what Festool products can and cannot do...   In other forums, I've read many posts stating "facts" about the limitations of Festool products, and especially about cost versus value.   In the vast majority of cases, the poster had never used them!!!  He/she was simply regurgitating unfounded opinions or marketing hype put forth by vendors of competitive products.   

Regarding cutting narrow strips...  I ROUTINELY remove 1 mm from board.  No biggie.  Line up the guide rail, clamp it down and cut.

Regarding accuracy...   Last year, I had to sister the joists in my garage ceiling with 14-18' 2X12 Microllam beams.  Unlike standard wood joists, Microllam beams are closer to true size.  They were 1.75" thick and about 11.75" tall.  Also, they are very tough buggers.    Each one had to be trimmed to fit - cross-cut and ripped.   Using my lowly TS55 and a Panther blade, I ripped some of the Microllam beams their full 18' length using two joined Festool guides.   They result was that they were straight within 1/16" over the full 18' length.

Suggestion regarding Festool tools and Festool saws in particular:  Actually USE THEM before making definitive statements about them.   Don't assume that your experience with other, non-Festool products is any indicator of Festool advantages or limitations.

Dan.

 

[Dan Clark]

Eiji,

There ya go...  Statin' facts based on actual usage.  Pretty soon, you'll be tellin' us that you can cross-cut a 2X4.  ;D 

I guess when you're cuttin' 18' Mahogany columns with a TS75, trimming a simple 8' door is probably pretty trivial.  In case TC missed it, here's your TS75 post for his edification:http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=1416.0.

Thanks,

Dan.

 

[greg mann]

While  a planer is certainly a traditional tool of choice for trimming doors the Festool saw on a rail has turned that notion on its ear. The saw can not only do the beveled rips it can also do the tops and bottoms of a door much better than a plane because of the end grain on the door styles. This is not good territory for a plane. Just yesterday, I saw an episode on DIY where an 'expert' was helping a homeowner fix a binding front door. After determining that 1/32" needed to come off the door end he showed the homeowner how to guide the plane along the end. IMO, that is like giving a razor to a baby. It is not only the wrong tool but a solid wood entry door is not the place to make your first cut with a power plane. She screwed up the cut at the very end by lifting the platen off the wood while trying to get through the end grain. His response? "Don't worry. I'll show you how to fix that." Hmmm. Makes me think it has happened before. If Gary Katz is going to plop down a guiderail to make that cut whatever made this guy think he could put a power plane in the hand of a novice and expect her to be able to do it?

Either way, the guided saw will do door jambs, beveled or not, as well as tops and bottoms. It cares not about end grain. Don't get me wrong. I have the 850 and it has its uses, but if I was hanging doors for a living I would want a TS75 with one guiderail optimized for jambs and one for ends. Simple

 

[Jeff Magnus]

I'm right with all you guys who use the saw on doors. The rail is super accurate an WAY faster. To the point where my expensive Fes planer only sees action when relief cuts are needed . Although I have used the different cutting heads for certain projects, very sweet! Say has anyone had experience with the stand for the HL 850? Seems like it would do a sufficient job on-site, since most of us dont use the planer for door work. Might be nice to put that big dog on a stand?