TS55 WOW!

[tvogel400]

HI my name is Tom and I just bought a festool plunge saw.
She was purchased fri morn and I had to wait until sat to fire her up, it was a long wait. I brought her over to my friends shop to finish a little project i did for him.
Two tops, alder 1.75" thick, he needed two iscoeles  triangles, six cuts total. After a bit of layout I find that the 2 long legs are 54.875" lust at the range of my stock length rail. I knew I would have a little wobble upon entrance and exit, but I am a cabinet maker of some 17 years exp and feel confidant.
MY friend, the shop owner, stood by as cut this large expensive glued up piece of wood.
Wow-really wow no bogging, no burning(it is alder), and the cut barley needed polishing, light hand sanding thats all.
Frankly this saw is the nicest piece of machinery I currently own(I like it better than my 1969 Kawasaki two-stroke triple).
I'm bringing it into my shop(not mine -work) monday morn will consider using it instead of the holz-her 1265 vert panel saw we use(it is almost useless as a production tool). This saw is very close to a cabinet shop in a box.
Any ways I just found your forum and signed up, it looks like a great place.
Cheers
Tom

 

[robtonya]

Welcome Tom. I am also impressed with the TS-55. I recently took a picture of a cut from this saw on oak veneer plywood, no tearout.

 

[Qwas]

Welcome to the FOG. I sense someone is about to slide down that green slippery slope! ;D

Did you have a dust collector or shop vacuum hooked up to it? That's impressive also.

I've had the TS-55 for 18 months and I'm still impressed with it. Nest, you need the MFT/3 work table and some clamps to go with it.

Good luck with the Festools and happy cutting.

 

[poto]

I started the same way. And it's been downhill ever since. You'll soon find that you can't live without the MFT3. Or the CT's. And then the router will call to you. And the sanders. Pretty soon your messy shop will be a model of German engineering: stylish grey plastic boxes neatly lined up against the wall, and nary a speck of dust in sight.

Welcome to the club. As a friend said when he saw my Festools: "You're a grown-up now!"

 

[tvgordon]

I just made the first cuts with my new TS 55 also.  I had glued up some boards to make raised panels and squared off the ends to the sides with the saw.  I was wearing ear plugs and had the CT 22 on, but on the first cut I had to look down to make sure it was cutting - I couldn't hear it.  Like the others have said, the cut was very smooth.

One thing I did notice though was that when I squared the back edge of the rail to the board side the cut wasn't perfectly square.  To get the cuts square I had to draw a pencil line square to the board side and lay the rubber strip of the guide on the line.  I guess the rubber strip and the back edge of the guide rail aren't perfectly parallel. ???

I can imagine how much easier and faster it would have been with the MFT 3.  Maybe next year I'll have the space for one.

Tom.

 

[semenza]

Hi, welcome to the FOG.

    It is really amazing isn't it Tom?!  About six years ago I made my first cuts with the ATF55 (TS55 replaced it).  It was like -"where has this thing been all my life". What a difference from any other saw and guide that I have used.

Seth

 

[Warrior]

One thing I did notice though was that when I squared the back edge of the rail to the board side the cut wasn't perfectly square.  To get the cuts square I had to draw a pencil line square to the board side and lay the rubber strip of the guide on the line.  I guess the rubber strip and the back edge of the guide rail aren't perfectly parallel. ???

I think you should try it again, becasue the back edge of the rails should be absolutely parallel to the cutting edge.

Eiji

 

[Greg in Memphis]

Welcome Tom
Both to our little group and to these Festool guide-rail saws.
I have the TS-75 and I like it very much also. I too, am amazed at the quality of cuts capable with these saws.
This forum has loads of great information, reviews, projects, and advice. There are treasures in most every section here.
I hope your stay here will be as rewarding as mine has been.

be seeing you

Greg

 

[Eli]

Welcome Tom

 

[Tinker]

I just made the first cuts with my new TS 55 also.  I had glued up some boards to make raised panels and squared off the ends to the sides with the saw.  I was wearing ear plugs and had the CT 22 on, but on the first cut I had to look down to make sure it was cutting - I couldn't hear it.  Like the others have said, the cut was very smooth.

One thing I did notice though was that when I squared the back edge of the rail to the board side the cut wasn't perfectly square.  To get the cuts square I had to draw a pencil line square to the board side and lay the rubber strip of the guide on the line.  I guess the rubber strip and the back edge of the guide rail aren't perfectly parallel. ???

I can imagine how much easier and faster it would have been with the MFT 3.  Maybe next year I'll have the space for one.

Tom

Tom,
I am wondering how you use your square.  There are many different types of squares. some more accurate than others.

Once you determine accuracy of your square, some have alternate methods for lining up from edge of board.

Did you check board edge for straight?  A very slight curve could change you outlook from one edge of your MFT guide to the other.

I'm not questioning your skill levels, but in my years in construction, i witnessed many different results from different methods and/or habits for marking and cutting square.  I do have a more than adequate collection of MFT guide bars for use with my ATF 55, OF 1000, OF 1400 and my Trion 300.  I have yet to find a discrepancy in parallel from back to front on the guide bar.

Do you have a MFT table yet?  Try it, you'll like it  ;D
Tinker

 

[tvogel400]

Good morning

It seems there are 2 different toms here(I,m the one with out the mft).

Thanks for the welcome, I had a feeling this would be a welcoming place for a old woodbutcher with a new electric hatchet.

Qwas and Poto in answer to your question-no I've got no other festool stuff. I am pretty sure I will buy the ct22, and I am a tightwad, but a quality vacume can help keep clients happy-and we all need happy clients. 

As for the slippery slope, I will invest in more rails, a couple of systainers, and maybe the mft.  I have 17 years of tools, this is my 5th or 6th hand held saw( the old ones will be very lonely soon-Maybe some new dragsters for the powertool races(think of it, 13amps of skill 77 hurtling down the wooden track on saw blade wheels)), wonder when I find my self needing the 75, hah!

My new saw has a bout the nicest biuld quality i have seen and quality,heft and feel are just about every thing when choosing a tool to use- Lie-neilson vs stanley when scribing with a block plane.
But $800 for a router, $400 for a jig saw(yes a have the old bosch that cost me $250 16yrs ago), even with the euro what it is come on, The systainer 4 is like $62(pennies for plastic, a couple hundred grand for injection dies, come on profit on these thing has goto be around 80-90% with shipping).

Don't get me wrong I don't mind paying for quality but replacing a trusty old tool( when wornout) with one that costs 2 to 4 times as much is difficult I work hard for my money-but I really love good tools( heh heh I am describing probably every person who will read this post).

I have used the $375 1/2 sheet sander and yes it is really nice but I just will not pay that for a sander.

All that being said- if the wife says yes- I'll probably have more of the black and green  tooling bouncing along in my kit, I am just a complete sucker for nice machinery.

Bondo, caulk, and paint make me the cabinet maker I ain't.
Tom
 

 

[Dan Lyke]

One thing I did notice though was that when I squared the back edge of the rail to the board side the cut wasn't perfectly square.  To get the cuts square I had to draw a pencil line square to the board side and lay the rubber strip of the guide on the line.  I guess the rubber strip and the back edge of the guide rail aren't perfectly parallel. ???

I use my MFS as a square for small thin rips, and one of the things I've noticed is that I have to be careful that the stock doesn't pull out from under the rail as I cut it. Maybe some variant of this is your problem?

 

[Peterm]

Hi Tom, and welcome.

The TS55 was also my first Festool purchase about four years ago (wasn't my last ) and I haven't found myself needing a TS75 - yet! What has surprised me is how much I use it for cleaning up the edges of boards - where previously I would have used a power plane, the TS55 gives such a clean finish I find I can skip this step completely.

...But $800 for a router, $400 for a jig saw(yes a have the old bosch that cost me $250 16yrs ago), even with the euro what it is come on

No, Festool isn't cheap, but then again your 1992-era $250 now has the same buying power as $386 today, thanks to inflation - here - so in that context, Festool's $400 price-tag doesn't seem so bad now, does it, all things considered?

Cheers, Pete.

 

[tvgordon]

Tinker and Eiji,

I used a rafter square but I did test it for square before I used it. 

I jointed on edge of the panel, laid the guide rail on the panel and then pulled the back edge up against the square.  When I made the cut and checked it with the square, it was slightly out of square. 

When I used the same square, marked a pencil line and laid the guide rail on the line, the cut was square.

Now that you guys questioned it, I used the outside edge to square the rail and the inside edge to draw the line.  I'll bet the 24" length of my square isn't parallel or has a bump in it somewhere.  Hopefully there's an Incra square in my future!

It seems there are 2 different toms here(I,m the one with out the mft).

Actually, there are 2 Toms without and mft.  Now that I have the saw I would like to have a MFT to go with it.

Tom.

 

[tvogel400]

Hey Tvgordon

You can't really use a framing square for this application-it's just not accurate enough. You can set them though.
Check your rail-cut a 12" long piece of 3/4 at one end. Then lay the cut piece on the other end and feel is it flush on both sides? If it is then your really expensive piece of extruded metal is true, if not you're in trouble!

I used the saw in anger today and man I don't know how I got along with out it!- No joke-I cut a .25x.375x27.5 groove, I cut 2 27" miters that only need tape to close well, and I am defiantly getting the 22.

This Little saw is inspiring, I can't wait to do some install. I see a mft in my future.
Tom

 

[Woodenfish]

I use my MFS as a square for small thin rips, and one of the things I've noticed is that I have to be careful that the stock doesn't pull out from under the rail as I cut it.

Small thin rips is one cut I'll never attempt again. That cut was definitely one of my finer "What the hell was I thinkin?" moments.

 

[Dan Clermont]

I use my MFS as a square for small thin rips, and one of the things I've noticed is that I have to be careful that the stock doesn't pull out from under the rail as I cut it.

Small thin rips is one cut I'll never attempt again. That cut was definitely one of my finer "What the hell was I thinkin?" moments.

You need to clamp the workpiece on the waste side otherwise it may become unpredictable

Dan Clermont

 

[Bill Wyko]

Welcome to the vortex Tom. You can't buy just one Festool. May I suggest the CT-33. If you like the saw, wait till you try it with the dust extractor. Plus the CT-33 will work on everything. If you ever do M&T joints, you'll want the Domino. It can pay for itself in as little as one day. Like I said, welcome to the vortex. ;D You're gonna love this stuff.

 

[10digit]

Tom,

As all the others have said, welcome - I too have the TS-55 and it is one sweet machine.  But they all missed the other important part of your first post - the Kawi!  I just love the old triple two strokes - they were the hottest ticket in their day!  Good luck with your new saw and definitely go for the CT-22, you won't regret it.

 

[tvogel400]

hey guys

Bill  and 10 yes the 22 or 33 I can see the need for the larger can. My boss said the other day he wants the domino, I said great! I really want to play with one but we do very little furniture(sadly we don't do much furniture-almost all case work). so go out buy it already  man!

I've got this sweet side job that seems to keep going, and I work a mon-thurs 40 hour week so I have fridays free and the wife just got a promotion so she works almost all weekend and with no kids I've got time.
Extra cash=more tools. My problem is I live in a small(expensive!) apt in San Francisco i.e.-no garage so every thing ends up going to work. I don't mind tooling up for work but I'm a cabinet maker not finish carp( and paid thusly) so I don't/shouldn't need to haul around all my stuff.

Some dilemma huh, I guess I'll keep soldering on.

Tom