TKS 80... Help Me Understand

[TwelvebyTwenty]

I'm looking at the TKS 80 and I'm struggling to work out where it fits.

It's not a cheap/portable job site saw, owing to its price and 100lb+ weight. It's too heavy to regularly lug in and out of your vehicle for trim work, and if you're doing construction the SawStop technology becomes largely redundant due to having to be bypassed to cut construction lumber that isn't entirely dry. Contractors won't stomach the complexity or the expense.

It's also not a cast iron cabinet saw that a dedicated production joinery workshop would choose.

So enlighten me... where does it fit? As best I can work out it would appeal to well healed home woodworker who wants something better than a DeWalt job site saws, but finds a 200+lb cabinet saw too immobile - but surely that's too niche a market for it to be profitable.

Any words of wisdom?

 

[Lincoln]

Small shop, either pro or amatuer. Would be very handy as a secondary saw, alongside a bigger saw or CNC. Would be perfect to set up on a jobsite, especially if you're going to be on that site for an extended time. Security permitting, of course.
If you work in a crew, set up on a daily basis would be less of an issue.
The guys in Europe appear to do a lot more work on site, when it come to actually building cabinets etc, so saws like this one and the Erika are geared toward that, I guess.

 

[Svar]

If you run a business your insurgence agent might like it. People (and their fingers) are the most important asset of any organization.
Edit: Bosch job site saw 43 kg, Precisio CS70 37-68 kg, TKS80 37-48 kg depending on configuration. I don't see a problem. TKS80 would benefit from some kind of pop-up wheels.

 

[TwelvebyTwenty]

If you run a business your insurgence agent might like it. People (and their fingers) are the most important asset of any organization.

Maybe in the US with your aggressively litigious culture, but I don't think that would be a particularly big consideration in Europe.

 

[Svar]

If you run a business your insurgence agent might like it. People (and their fingers) are the most important asset of any organization.

Maybe in the US with your aggressively litigious culture, but I don't think that would be a particularly big consideration in Europe.

I was actually thinking about Europe, where workforce is better protected.

 

[peter halle]

Worker protection is going to be increasingly important worldwide in the coming future.  My opinion of course.  Sawstop did / does not have a heavy presence in areas away from North America.  No matter if it comes down to legal mandates to keep workers safe there will always be those who see the safety benefits and want to protect those that they have invested time and money and even emotions in training and evolving.

Festool did focus groups about what people wanted in a portable table saw years ago.  They listened and then bought Sawstop and its intellectual property and integrated all into what those who provided input to come out with their version of a table saw.

Peter

 

[DeformedTree]

It's in the same market as the CS50/70 and Erika 70/85.    This market is basically that "niche" you mentioned at the end.

If your just cutting framing lumber on a jobsite, buy a cheap dewalt (or saw stop job site).

Not everyone wants a big cabinet saw, or the extreme saws like Felders.  Many folks want gear they can move around if needed, even if rare, but still want a quality saw, want features.  The saws I list above are a different class of saws. More modular system type saws, not huge, not small.  They live at a nice intersection for folks, and that intersection lines up with a lot of hobbyist, or pros that have a need for some of the features.  That's not a small market, it's the bulk of woodworking.  Woodworking is a lot like photography, there, the gear is designed for Pro usage, but that market is small, the bulk of says are to amateurs with money for the hobby.  If you were a full blown wood working shop, you would have production machinery. If your just building decks and such, you own a skil saw and a drill.

It's just like most Festool stuff, while in Europe clearly a lot of pro usage, in NA, it's almost certain the bulk of sales are to hobbyst.

Having tools/machines that all pack up and go back in the corner of the garage or basement, but when needed do the job well is the spot were lots of folks want to be.  Big Cabinet saws are pretty much for people with permanent shops who have a high confidence they are never moving. And to some degree are probably less of the desire/dream of folks now then the used to be.

The biggest issue with the TKS-80 isn't the price, it's the choice between it and a pull saw function.  Lots of Dr's , Dentist, Lawyers, etc doing woodworking.  Money isn't an issue, but maintaining their hands is.  Also a lot of woodworkers have husbands/wives who don't want them injured (most the time).