Should I purchase a TS55EQ & MFT3 for Laminate Cutting?

[GeorgeC]

I am an owner of a small size closet company.  I currently use a compound miter saw to cut down 14? wide shelving material and always encounter chipping on the underside once the blade gets slightly dull.  I can?t afford a $50K panel saw and believe there is a more efficient way to cut down the shelving.  I was wondering if the Festool TS55EQ and MFT could cut the material relatively chip free while not changing the blade every few cuts. 

I don?t know if this is a valid assumption but I see one advantage of a 12? saw blade having twice the diameter and therefore last twice as long than a Festool 6? blade.

I need to make repeated cuts ie 6 - 14? shelves at 21? wide.  I assume the Festool can do this with the retractable fence stop.

Any advice would greatly be appreciated!
Thank you,
George 

 

[Per Swenson]

George,

Short answer.  Yes

We will have a review coming up of the MFT3 and TS55,

with among other things,

cutting and double cutting laminate(seams).

Prior to the new MFT3, I just cut all my laminate on site with the 55 anyway,

Per

 

[Markus K.]

I agree with Per. Working on the MFT with the Guard Rail is nearly chip free!
The Advantage of the 6-inch Blade is, it's much cheaper than a 12-inch!

greets

 

[Qwas]

I don't know much about laminate work, but I have cut some. The MFT and TS-55/75 should work fine.

The table protects the bottom from chip-out, the guide rail protects the top. The chip protector on the saw protects the right side of the cut. Much better than a miter saw can do. I do many cuts on construction lumber (2x4, 2x6) with the MFT/TS-55 because of the clean cuts.

Keep in mind you can stack your boards on the MFT and get the same quality. If your shelves are 3/4 inch thick, you can stack 2, maybe 3 boards against the guide and save time while be assured you have boards of the same width.

The blades are cheaper than 12 inch blades, but I think a lot of that has to do with what are you cutting, and the quality of blades you are buying.

Keep in mind the miter saw is also protecting most of the same edges. So, I would think the question comes down to will the TS-55 blades provide a better cut. No matter what you use the blade will dull and have to be replaced. Are you using a high quality blade with the miter saw?

 

[The Dude]

I also concur with Per.  The new MFT/3 was hot with several of our California Closets peeps, and Closet organizer type peeps, and several contractors on the east coast that do build-ins as well.  It would be a good buy!  Don't forget the laminate blade 489457, as well as the right side splinter guard 491473 every little bit helps.

T

 

[bruegf]

I recently built a wall of shelves in my closet.  The MFT works very well for this.  Stick an adhesive tape measure on the MFT fence and use the flip stop and you get painless repeatable cuts.  The standard TS55 blade will do chip free cuts with quality core melamine board, but you will still get a small amount of chipping w/ inferior grade melamine like the stuff Menard's sells.

Fred

 

[Dan Clermont]

I'll jump in as well. The TS 55 is a great saw for laminate.

Dan Clermont

 

[ccmviking]

      This setup would work great for what you are doing.  If you SCMS will currently cut the width you need you can also put some hardboard etc. under each cut to be a sacrificial splinter guard on the bottom of the cut.

Chris...

 

[Per Swenson]

Chris,

Also a excellent point, I am a. ' pry my chop saw from my dead fingers guy."

Unfortunately, due to I suppose those home improvement shows

on the tube, Madame wants 16 inch shelves for her Jimmy Choos.

Oh yeah and could you angle them at 15 degrees or so?

Thanks HGTV.

Per

 

[Cannuck]

I bought the MFT1080 and TS75 recently.  I am amazed at how clean the cuts are on laminate and veneered wood.  Use the splinter guard, and I guarantee you'll be able to use the pieces from both sides of the cut.

Using the guide rail and angled fence of the MFT, I found I got greater precision and cleaner cuts with the TS75 than my SCMS.

If you are doing alot of repeat cuts in sheet goods, splurge the extra $$$ for the TS75.  You can cut that many more sheets at the same time - stacked.  Increase your productivity even more!

I wish I'd waited 2 more months for the MFT3 - as the two-position fence would make it easier to stack multiple sheets for cutting on the MFT.

 

[Ned]

Cannuck--

Glad you brought up the TS75.  Good advice.

The *old* MFT has a two-position fence, it's just not as easy to switch it on the older model.  It isn't high enough in the taller position?

Ned

 

[DavidW]

George, I agree with what everyone has said, I have the TS55 saw and hope to get the MFT soon.
In the meantime until you get the Festools, for a relatively chip free cut with your CMS, try dropping the blade
down into the board 1/8" and pulling towards yourself (just scoring the top) at end of travel, plunge down fully and push in to complete cut. You may have a little chip out on the bottom closes to you.
David Werkheiser

 

[w00dbutcheruk]

i do a lot of lamiate work and the only guaranteed way of cutting pre faced board is with a pannel saw with a scoring blade!

If its for only small cuts then a router would be my second choice!

i'm new to the festool world and await my first purchases to arrive in the next few days!

 

[Woodenfish]

i do a lot of lamiate work and the only guaranteed way of cutting pre faced board is with a pannel saw with a scoring blade!

If its for only small cuts then a router would be my second choice!

i'm new to the festool world and await my first purchases to arrive in the next few days!

If you bought a TS 55/75 you will be impressed.

 

[Per Swenson]

Hi Butcher,

Hang on a second while I summon my high philosophical horse.

Ok, come on up. there's room for two.

Mother, who if she taught me anything, talked often about there being no guarantees in life.

She also had a lot to say in a folksy way about a man's abilty to think he

looks handsome  in a pair of horse blinders, philosophical kind or not.

Then there was her version of, there is more then one way to skin a cat.

With our Family not being in the cat skinning business, she explained it was

only a expression for the joy's and wonders of problem solving.

This also threw me for a loop as she called me her little joy and wonder,

and I surmised by inferment that I was a problem. Freudian No?

Hold on, our horse is riding off the beaten track here.

Its like this, Humans are amazing, they, by nature come up with new and innovating ways to do things.

Daily. The Festool saw and Guide rail pertains to this as it's exceptional in the Laminate and

Formica cutting field.

She also would yammer on about absolutes. About how there weren't any.

And would I kindly go to the store and purchase her some.

Lemon, if available.

Per

 

[Cannuck]

Ned -
It didn't occur to me that I could install the fence in the horizontal or vertical position on my old 1080 MFT.  Thanks for the insight.  My life just got even better...

I guess I should have read the instructions.  I always learn something new on FOG!

 

[nickao]

The Festool system will work great! But like my grandpa always told me, it's all in the blade.

A bad saw with a great blade is better than a good saw with a bad blade. So no matter how you cut those laminates, you need a great blade.

To avoid the chip out on a miter saw make a zero insert plate, it's imperative for chip free results with a miter and even a Tables saw.

The scoring blades are great, but I have had great luck without it in my shop.

Nickao

 

[semenza]

i do a lot of lamiate work and the only guaranteed way of cutting pre faced board is with a pannel saw with a scoring blade!

If its for only small cuts then a router would be my second choice!

i'm new to the festool world and await my first purchases to arrive in the next few days!

Hi,

    Welcome to the forum

                  What tools did you get? 

Seth

 

[w00dbutcheruk]

thanks, i got the ps300, ctl mini and bought into the systainer system for all my other kit!!

sorry pes, i see how my last comment came accross as only one way to skin a cat!!

all i can say about my recent purchase of festool goodness is..... one girlfriend for sale!! would consider px for a Kapex

 

[Per Swenson]

Thousand words and all that.......

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Per