Plunge Saw Advise

[innovative3]

Need advice on which plunge saw to purchase. We are a custom cabinet shop, making high end furniture and cabinets. Just used one of our installer's 55 for a job, thoroughly impressed. As a matter of fact sold. I would see the 55 as enough saw for our needs, however I hate purchasing twice. Most of this would be for sheet stock, however we manufacture doors and other solid wood products. Anyone have advice on capacity, capability or experience?

We have a stock shop with equipment, however this would bring a convenience to the bench.

 

[Holzhacker]

Talk about opening up a debate. This question has been kicked around more times than the scrawny kid in a grade school. If you do a search you'll find threads with a plethora of replies. I'm sure others will chime in here as well.
I have the TS75 because I cut about 1/2 and 1/2 lumber and sheet goods. I could probably get by with the 55 but why would I want to. Hate the idea of not having a big enough saw. Kind of like doing a porch job without a wormdrive. There are times though when making repeated rips on sheet goods that the smaller size and weight of the 55 seems like it would be nice. Unless you are dealing with vintage wood, vintage fat doors or thick stock high end work, the 55 would probably do you well.
Good luck and welcome to the FOG.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Welcome to the forum. I'm sure members will weigh in on the topic and this has been discussed on here quite a few times already. But, a quick rule of thumb is: will you be cutting materials thicker than 1-15/16"? If so, the TS 55 will not be the right saw for you. If not, then I would recommend going with the 55 which will be capable of cutting materials that thickness, including solid hardwoods. The 75 is a much bigger saw (weight, size).

Remember, Festool offers a 30-day, no-hassle money back guarantee on tool purchases. Get one, try it. If it's not the right saw for you, just go back and swap it out for the other.  [wink]

If you have more questions, feel free to contact me directly at sho@festoolusa.com.

Thanks,
Shane Holland
Festool USA

 

[fdengel]

I figure if I need to cut anything thicker than my TS55 can handle, I'll either use a hand saw, or wait for the Carvex to come out and use that...

 

[tbellemare]

The 55 is the cutting depth in mm. If the saw is vertical, it can cut 55mm OFF THE RAIL. The rail accounts for 5mm, which leaves 50mm or, as Shane stated, ~1-15/16".

If you use the saw at 45 degrees, and I do periodically so I suspect you will also, you have about 37mm reach on the rail. That is ~1-7/16". If you're making furniture, I think that less than 1.5" is what you should really be thinking about because I suspect you will use the saw at 45 degrees reasonably often.

The TS 75, on the other hand will cut 70mm deep straight down on the guide rail and ~55mm deep at 45 degrees. Those translate to ~2-3/4" straight and ~2-1/8" at 45 degrees.

Tom

 

[waho6o9]

The added capacity of the larger saw is unsurpassed.  Get the TS75, you won't regret it.  Breaking down several sheets at a time is awesome.  Yeppers.    [smile]

 

[mouppe]

I am a 55 owner, but I would recommend the 75 unless you are planning to cart the saw around. If it is going to be used in your shop most of the time, the 75 would give you more flexibility.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I'd go for the 75 too. I don't mind a bit of extra weight but I do mind weak saws. We get a lot of reports of the 55 bogging down on easy cuts. Before I ever heard of the TS55 or Festool I already disliked saws with less than 1500 watts power.

 

[davee]

I have both and use the 55 the vast majority of the time.  It was my only plunge saw for several years and worked fine (cabinets, furniture, etc.).  I do like the 75 for 8/4 hardwood, but really like the light weight of the 55 for most activities.  If I had to stick to only one saw, it would be the 55.

Sorry...just had to be contrary.

 

[festooldude]

Mafell mt-55 is the tool for you.. More power, cleaner cuts
And better dust collection!!

Greets

 

[tbellemare]

Another advantage of the TS 75 over the TS 55 that often is left unmentioned...

If you want better gas mileage, a convertible, or just more room in the garage, the TS 75 has a steel cutting blade.

Tom

 

[Greg in Memphis]

I originally purchased the TS-75. It has more capacity, more power and better dust extraction. It is absolutely my favorite circular saw ever. It is also more expensive.
The saw is as big and heavy as a small sewing machine, but the cuts make it well worth all the hassle.

I bought a TS-55 demo when a local lumber company was going out of business, and since then, the TS-55 is the saw I almost always use. The difference in weight and ease of use and setup (compared to the TS-75) offsets the decreased capacity and power most times.

I still like my TS-75 better, it's just that the TS-55 is easier to pick up and place on rails all day long because of it's lighter weight and smaller footprint.

If I could only get one, I'd get the TS-75. That said, both saws are worth every nickel and then some.

Hope this may help

 

[Mettes]

I myself have 55 and since yesterday I bought my boss (with his money) a 75.

We've been using my 55 the last six months for making stairs, cutting a lot of Rubberwood panels 33 and 44mm thick.  The 55 with the Panther-blade, did the job but I noticed it struggled sometimes.  Been using the 75 today with a Panther-blade and there's a big difference, both in weight and power. 
The 75 has the power to be used like this all day long, but it's also heavier machine to use all day long.  I'm glad I decided for the 75 for this use, cutting solid wood panels up to 44mm but I'm equally happy with my 55 when I'm on the road and need to cut plywood and MDF.

 

[ScotF]

I have the 75 and love it -- it is perfect for working with thick hardwood.  The 55 is a great saw too and I have used it in some of the end-user classes...I like the weight, but it seems to lack power when pushing it hard whereas the 75 never seems to slow down...that is just my experience with the limited use of the 75.  Both saws cut super clean and have awesome dust collection.

Scot

 

[fdengel]

If you're making furniture, I think that less than 1.5" is what you should really be thinking about because I suspect you will use the saw at 45 degrees reasonably often.

When I was starting to think along those lines, it dawned on me that the only thing I'd be likely to cut with any frequency at an angle that was that thick would be 2x lumber, and I have a mitre saw for that.  I can't tell you the last time I tried to cut a 2x at a 45 degree angle along its length...

 

[allen r austin]

well let me put in my 2 cents worth, one is not just bigger than the other , they are for 2 different jobs.The 75 runs slower-more hp
the 55 runs faster better cut( 2 times the teeth per sec.) and last= what ever saw you get , you will want the other at some point in time.

 

[peter halle]

Allen,

Glad to see you posting.  You have a lot to offer!

Peter

 

[ajones]

Mafell mt-55 is the tool for you.. More power, cleaner cuts
And better dust collection!!

Greets

+1 [thumbs up]

 

[mouppe]

well let me put in my 2 cents worth, one is not just bigger than the other , they are for 2 different jobs.The 75 runs slower-more hp
the 55 runs faster better cut( 2 times the teeth per sec.) and last= what ever saw you get , you will want the other at some point in time.

Allen,

Are you just looking at the RPM when you say the TS55 runs faster? The TS55 has an RPM range of 2000-5000 and the TS75 has a range of 1350-3550 RPM, but because the diameter of the TS75's blade is 8 1/4" versus 6 1/4" for the TS55, the teeth at the edge of each saw are covering different distances for the same RPM.

Happy to stand corrected if I am wrong.

Richard.

 

[nickao]

Nope, you are correct. A larger blade(larger diameter disc) has a faster tip speed(edge) for the same RPM.  I had both saws and the TS 55 does not have a better cut quality at all. Actually, I personally could not tell the difference in the cut, only the power when the wood got thicker.

I am not positive, but I think: RPM X Pi X  Diameter / 60  equal tip speed.  That's from memory we need to look it up.

Which means at max rpm  the tip speeds are virtually identical(well very close). This can not be by accident.

Someone not so many years out of school can maybe verify or someone that still works in a science field.

TS 75 : 3550 *3.14*4.25 / 60 = 789.58  oops I used the radius you guys are supposed to be watching me!

TS 55 : 5000*3.14*3.125 / 60 = 817.70  oops I used the radius I guess the nub will just double then

I think this is better:

3550 *3.14*8.5 / 60 = 1579

5000*3.14*6.25 / 60 = 1635

If this is true I do not think this difference is nearly big enough make any noticeable difference at all in cut quality.

If I am way off base here just let me know and fix it, I'll change the calculations to make them correct.  

As a side note that big 8 1/4 blade moving at 5500 RPM produces a tip speed that is most likely dangerous. 5500 * 3.14 * 8.5 / 60 = 2446!

Think about it, the larger the circular disks diameter the faster the outer edge speed will be because it is covering more distance  during the same amount of time. So Rpm is only a good comparison for diameters of the same size.

Maybe Rick Christopherson can take a look at this and make corrections or correct the theory behind it if needed.