Customer Reviews

Festool TS 55 EQ Plunge Cut Circular Saw (set)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, this is a pricey saw. It is a finish saw masquerading as a circular saw. It's not a jobsite saw nor is it designed to be used to cut 2x4s for form work. It's not a framing saw. This is not a saw you toss on the ground in the mud in a hole 8' down while putting up forms. That is what a Skilsaw is for. Where it really excels is in cutting large plywood panels for cabinet work. I recommend the 106" guide rail for working with 4x8' sheets of plywood. Two 55" guide rails using a connector that Festool sells will also work. With all that said, keep in mind the guide rails are made out of aluminum and have some flex in them. They do not have the rigidity of a compound saw for miter cuts in hardwood or the rip fence on a table saw for repetitive cutting of rails and stiles for cabinets. One is better off getting a Festool Kapex for the former and a good tablesaw for the latter.

However for cutting panels to size I can't think of anything better; you put the plywood on the sawhorses, mark and clamp the guide rail, and make your cut and it is splinter free. Try maneuvering a 4x8 sheet on a tablesaw and one will see how difficult (and dangerous) that is.

The best part is the dust collection system, if you are working indoors this feature pays for itself immediately in a cleaner environment and less cleanup time.

For those of you that are unaware of Festool as a high quality product let this tool be your introduction. I have been dabbling in woodworking and carpentry for the better part of 10 years. I am by no means an expert at it.

Fit and cut quality have always been something that I have struggled with. Even with lasers on some of my tools I still could not get the quality of cut needed to close up some of the joins in the way I would like. The Festool TS 55 has changed that, especially when cutting sheet goods. The rail is rock solid and does not flex, unlike my old strait edge. This makes it very easy to make a tapered cut with out any bowing.

I have owned the saw for about two months now and have completed three projects with it. It has taken some getting used to to power, plunge, push, un-plunge and release but with the saw blade spinning down in the case I do feel a bit safer.

One added benefit that I was not expecting is that the saw and guide rail fill in quite nicely as a miter saw. The quality of the cuts makes my DEWALT DW718 Heavy-Duty 15 Amp 12-Inch Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw seem less needed.

I delayed purchasing this saw for years due to the price & because I already have two tablesaws, three corded circular saws & one cordless circular saw; couldn't seem to justify the purchase. Shouldn't have waited- this saw is incredible! I am a remodeling contractor who does alot of custom cabinets, built-ins, etc. & have found this saw will make extremely difficult or impossible cuts easily. For instance, I just trimmed cabinet doors that were wallpapered(!?) & the anti-splintering worked perfectly- better than using a utility knife to score the paper. Trimming door bottoms is almost effortless, fast & absolutely splinter-free (even across splintery fir end grain).
In short, if you are a remodeler or cabinet maker, buy this saw today. If your kids go hungry for a week or two, it's worth it. BTW, I don't own Festool stock or other Festool products (overpriced), but this tool is worth every penny.

I have used a couple other track saws and this one totally blows them away. Easier to use and better results.

The Good:
Part of a well designed and thought out system that is more than the sum of the parts.
Sacrificial edge on the guide minimizes splintering and tear out (except on very thin brittle materials there isn't any).
The new Festool Parallel Guide Extension Set makes it a faster and more convenient replacement for a table saw. (Both the guides and extension are really a necessity.)
Best panel saw on the market.
No real limit to the size panels or stock that can be cut with precision. (Other than how much guide length you can afford, room and support. I found that a deck with ½" between board spacing works well for large panels or ripping longer boards.)
Can use table other than the MFT (BTW the MFT800 is on blow out).
Good weather resistant case.
Very flexible and a lot of power.

The Bad:
Part of a well designed and thought out system that is more than the sum of the parts but the parts get to cost a lot.
Need to use the sacrificial edges and trim them to the blade.
Can be a bit fussy to setup; particularly with narrow or thin stock (takes shimming with scrap or a template).
Using with tables other than the MFT is not difficult just not as fast.
Can do small/narrow stock but is fussy to set up; doesn't rip thin/narrow stock easily.
Doesn't do dadoes.
No provision for blades in the case, case liner is thin brittle plastic and can't be modified.
Limited third party blades.

The Ugly:
Part of a well designed and thought out system that is more than the sum of the parts but there are a lot of parts to keep track of.
If you cut a lot of heavy stock particularly hardwood, metal or a tough plastic; or you need more than a 50mm (2") deep cuts you really want the 75.
Fairly heavy.
Needs precise setup for good results.
TS 55 & TS 75 Portable Plunge Saws: With Fs/2 Guide Rail, MFT Multifunction Table, & CT Dust Extraction System (Festool Essentials) is a waste of paper.
For cutting limited sizes of stock that is very thin or brittle the Festool PS 300 EQ 6 Amp Jig Saw with the weirdly named Festool 490031 Guide Stop is a better tool also for ripping relatively narrow material; although, that's what a bandsaw is for.
Limited but adequate selection of blades.
For a lot of ripping a table saw is faster, but not as convenient unless handy in the shop.
While it does well as a miter saw does not do compound miters and if you are going to be doing a lot of trim work you really want a Festool Kapex KS 120 Sliding Compound Miter Saw, Jet JMS-12SCMS 12-Inch Dual-Bevel Slide Compound Miter Saw or a Milwaukee 6955-20 12-Inch Sliding Dual Bevel Miter Saw with Digital Miter Angle Fine Adjust.

Tip for Festool documentation their site, click on support, click on knowledge base, scroll down to the tool and click on it; you will get a list of updated and supplemental documentation that is quite good. There is also a excellent how to video for the saw and the guide rails and extnsion on the festool users group site.

Overall a little pricy but the best.
BTW the 10% off sale is only through the end of May 2010, on the saws and accessories. (Been extended through the end of June!)

I make furniture in my garage on days off and weekends. I often work alone and cutting 3/4" ply on my table saw has proven difficult, less than accurate and slightly dangerous. I had been using a standard circular saw with a homemade jig for panel cutting with less than stellar results. The circular saw died recently and I was looking at a track saw to get better results. After reviewing the options for a few months, I bit the bullet and purchased the TS-55. I am building a bathroom vanity for a client out of cherry and I needed an accurate saw.

This saw has been amazing. I had surgery on my left thumb 3 weeks ago and I started this project with a cast on my left hand and only one out of two opposable thumbs. I have been able to use the saw accurately, safely and easily with 1.5 hands. The cuts are almost 100% splinter free without the splinter guard and 100% with the splinter guard. I don't have a festool shop vac, but the dust collection works great with my rigid shop vac and an adapter hose, virtually no dust is created.

The saw does want to tip at a 45 degree angle cut but a little pressure on the saw keeps it steady. It will be simple to build a piece that secures it to the track when cutting at an angle, though it would have been nice to have one included, not a big issue at all.

All the angle marks are very accurate and easy to see/use. The metric scale on the plunge depth hasn't been an issue. I just checked the saw depth once on the side of the 3/4" material and set the depth accordingly.

I made a test cut on some scrap lumber to cut through the plastic edge piece on the saw guide and the guide is simple as can be to align with the cut plastic edge. The guide stays put without any clamping during the cuts. There is no need to apply side pressure to the saw to keep it on the guide and consequently there is no lateral pressure to bow or move the guide sideways. I did notice that when I place the saw on the guide it can nudge the guide out of position slightly, so check the alignment again prior to sawing. I didn't have any issue with the right hand vs. left hand alignment of the saw. With the track, it really doesn't matter. I was hanging over the saw on a few plunge cuts to make sure I didn't cut past my stop line and the saw was effortless to control (even with only 1 opposable thumb).

It is an expensive saw but well worth the money if you want clean, accurate cuts. I find the the time I save not having to clean up, patch edges makes the saw worth the money.

I use the TS 55 & guides to cut plywood, plastic laminate & siding. Best control & perfect cuts. The splinter preventer edge is replaceable on the guides; I have short & long & joining bars. Can cut 12' of laminate in one pass! Wish I had more power; I should have bought the 75. This saw works well in cabinet shop and trim work. Get a Porter-Cable if you frame.

This is a finish saw. You can cut a piece of stock or millwork and literally have no saw curf. The upcut on a new Festool axe is about as clean as the downcast on my jobsite table saw! Elimates glue up prep. The track stays where you put it and all cuts are zero' d out on plastic fin. With no need to measure offsets to track and no clamps that's minus four steps per cut. You truely get what you pay for.

The dust collection lets me use this in the house with no mess.
The guide rail is simple and dead on.
The power cord is detachable which makes it easy to store (in its own provided box)
The automatic blade retraction makes this the safest circular on the market.
The construction is better than any other saw.
The adjustments are accurate and easy.
The vacuum hose is not a problem. After all, you have to plan where the power cord will go as your cutting with any circular saw, and the hose goes right with it.

Quieter than any of my other saws.

I'm not a professional woodworker but I'm super happy I bought this saw. It is a joy every time I use it.

I really don't remember what it cost.

I use this saw / fence combination primarily for knocking down plywood into finished cabinet components. And yes, they are finished and ready to cut your rabbets or dadoes - zero chip out on the good face. I no longer have to risk injury on the tablesaw performing this task. I have also used the saw for accurately ripping trim or other stock at the cabin where it's too difficult to tote in a tablesaw. I rarely use the clamps as the rubber backing on the guides is reliable on plywood. Do use the clamps for narrow stock along with a piece of scrap or uncut board of the same thickness to support the fence.

I would not say this replaces a tablesaw but it is the best way I know for a contractor or do-it-yourselfer to cut plywood. The fence cannot be easier to use. Line up the cut line on two marks where you want to cut making sure the fence is on the part you want to use. Then cut. That's it. I've never had to read directions or look anything up. The saw is lightweight but I don't see it ever wearing out. I have finished our basement with this saw and it more than paid for itself. I intend to use it the rest of my life. Highly recommend and can't possibly imagine anything other than 5 stars for the product.

First off I want to make a comment about the only review of this saw that wasn't a five Star rating. This gentleman needs to get into the real world. Yes this saw costs a little more than others, but you get what you pay for and the blade is on the opposite side from the others, but that certainly doesn't mean it is on the wrong side. I am right handed and have no trouble what so ever using the saw.
I have nothing but very positive remarks about every aspect of the saw. I more than likely would have bought the TS-75 if it had been available when I bought mine but I am very satisifies with this TS-55.
I work with nothing but solid hardwoods and most of which is 8 Q (2") material and have never had any problem with the power of the saw even though it is only rated at 10 Amps.
The first project I used the saw on was to build a dinning room trestle table and benches out of a solid Figured African Bibinga plank 2"X48"X180" along with a few 4 Q boards. This amounted to +/- $4,000.00 so as you can imagine I was more than a little anxious when making the first few cuts and mortises. As it turned out I never made a bad cut throughout the whole project. My main point is that Babinga is a very hard wood and even with the full 2" thickness this saw never ran short on power in either ripping or crosscutting and I never had fussy or splintered cut anywhere.
I have used this saw and ripping guide on many projects since and have had many people watch it in operation with utter amazement.
Even though I am just a serious home woodworker I no doubt have more different types and brands of wood working power tools than many contractors and I feel there is no better brand than Festool.