Festool Junkie Blog

Hello all,

If you are a Festool Owner / User and like the group feeling that you get in a forum environment; www.talkFestool.com has moved into it’s new home. The new Festool oriented forum has a crisp new look, a team of moderator’s, incredible software with hundreds of features, and well, just a great bunch of folks that have already started posting there. This is where FestoolJunkie, TimmyC, RW, and MarkE will base our forum activity and I hope to see many of you woodworking enthusiasts over there to share, play, and learn.

As I mentioned above, the software is indeed superb and will be the perfect arena for content, reviews, and good ol’ conversation about Tools and woodworking. In my opinion, it is going to be a fresh, and certainly unique forum that has beautiful untended soil, that has not been “churned and burned.”

Please stop by and say hi,

Timmy C

We absolutely have a passion about the Festool Brand and it’s capabilities. E-mail from our clients, and prospective clients never go unanswered or slighted. Below is an e-mail we received the other day, and it had some great questions in it. Thank You Randy from SC !!!!

Tim,

Thanks for the quick response.

I’m thinking the TS55 with a long enough track would be my greatest interest but the price seems exhorbitant for a skill saw. The same is true of all your products. Other brands of vacs, drills, skill saws, etc. are much, much cheaper. I could replace most vacs several times before I could pay for 1 Festool vac. What makes them worth so much?

Festool Vacs are second to none. They are pricey, but in my opinion worth every penny. All Festool products hook to them, and frankly, I wouldn’t Sand and Finish without them. The Auto-Start is nice, the variable speed is essential to me, and the 99% dust collection with HEPA filtration has become necessary for my sinuses, and the quietness is crucial for my hearing and sanity. I say the variable speed is essential because, normal vacs have a “suck power” that will actually draw the sander into the workpiece. For rough and intermediate sanding, not a big deal; however, when it comes to finishing the workpiece and sanding “finish” this is crucial….turning the Festool vacuum down to low speed, keeps the “suck” from drawing the sander into the workpiece. This allows the sander to float on the surface, eliminating swirl marks and “fish eyes”.

The TS 55 and the TS 75 are not “Skil Saws”. The Plunge action and the guide rail system of the saw separates them definitively. I like to say that if you can draw a line, or place two marks on the edges of a “panel” you can cut the line with every bit as much precision as a table saw…if not more…and the safety factor is well worth it. The edge of the guiderail is the “0” mark of the blade. Furthermore, if you have at least 2-3 millimeters of substrate under the ply (for example) you can cut on a concrete floor and not worry a single bit about running the blade into the concrete. I actually have a one-man-cabinet maker for a client that loads his plywood into his truck separating the plywood sheets with cardboard, when he gets back to his shop, he actually sizes his plywood while it is still in the back of his truck with the TS 55 and a guiderail.

The Saw is variable speed as well with what is called MMC technology. This is an awesome attribute when doing various jobs such as Solid Surface, Non-Ferrous Metal, Various Veneer, Plastics, etc. Speed and blade selection is crucial for precise, no tear type cuts. MMC technology is “Power in Reserve.” The electronics in the saw provide the appropriate power to keep the blade moving at the same speed regardless of what you are cutting. In essence, the saw only uses the power it needs when required. It is funny, I get calls often from first time users that are worried about the sound the saw makes. When you use the TS saws, they sound “growly”, like there is something the matter with it….gears. The TS saws are “smart,” not only does it monitor the blade speed with the MMC, it also constantly looks for the proper gear ratio; based on the material that you are cutting, as well as how fast you are pushing the saw down the rail. Remember, blade / cutter speed (the routers employ this technology as well) needs to stay at a constant speed to provide a clean, burn free cut. So, bottom line is that you will ask the saw to perform a task, being “smart” the saw is constantly looking for the right gears, as well as power output to perform the task. One little caveat, if the saw is unable to perform the task that you need it to do…it will say: Nope, I can’t do that….and shut off on you before you do damage to the saw, or do something unsafe.

I mentioned that the saw is burn free and splinter free. The saw runs on that rail. In this fasion, the blade is always true to the surface of the blade, and will not twist causing burning, and stress on the saw. Further, the guiderail’s splinterguard, and the Supplemental Splintergaurd are sacrificial, in essence creating a zero clearance blade similar to your Table Saw Throat Plate.

My shop is a small one comprised of 3 old men trying to stay active & out of trouble. We build desks, beds, tables, bookcases, etc. plus a number of novelty items. We try to build whatever the customer wants.

I have a 12″ L7770 DeWalt ras, 10″ Laguna saw etc, 10″ Unisaw, Jet & Delta 14″ bandsaws, flap wheel sander, 3 1/2 hp Makita Router, several PC routers, and a Makita laminate trimmer. We also have a Harbour Freight 12″ SCMS and most of the usual hand tools. I was thinking the skill saw with guides would be beneficial in that we would not have to do as much man-handling with sheet stock.

Great equipment, and sounds like a nice set-up. Many people that inquire have heard that the TS 55 / TS 75 could eliminate the Table Saw….That is not my opinion. What the TS Saws do is allow a person to have LESS of a Table Saw in their shop…they (TS 55 and 75) work wonderfully side by side. The one place that I do not use my 55 for is ripping thin stock….Face Frame, or 3-4” rips out of lumber. I rarely put plywood to my Unisaw anymore. All sizing and precision cuts of panels are done with the TS 55. One little note: I can actually cut Triangles out of the center of a piece of Plywood, without overcut, using the TS 55. I actually trust the 55 more than my Unisaw when I cut large panels….mostly because of operator mistakes and drift. BTW I don’t have a sliding table on my Unisaw. The TS 55 would do wonders for safety in your shop with large panels…you wouldn’t have to lug them up on your Unisaw or Laguna.

As I understand it, I would have to buy extra track (guides) to cut the 8′ length of plywood. You say buy the packages but buying the extra DC would almost double the price with the saw & guides. The MFT is nice also but that would be pushing prices clean out of sight. And just forget about the drill. The offset bit is amazing and I can see that having a lot of applications. We are all 60ish so I don’t know that we can justify that much expense this late in life.

You would need either the 106” rail with the TS 55, or the 118” rail with the TS 75 to rip 8’ ply. The extra length with the TS 75 is due to the increase size of the base with the TS 75.

What say you? You say you will not be at IWF but does that mean Festool will not be represented? I gathered you worked for Festool.

I do not work for FestoolUSA, I am a dealer for FestoolUSA. I own a company Lincoln Hardwood and Tool Company, Inc here in Lincoln, NE and we are also Festool dealer. We sell Jet/Powermatic, Grex, FastCap, Collins, SawHelper, Kreg, and several other brands. We also sell 3/4” Strip Flooring, Plywood, Hardwoods, Veneers, etc.

Hope this helps, and feel free to call anytime: Shop 402.477.8665

Timmy C