Festool for ripping vs table saw

Can’t go wrong with the green plunge (or the blue). 2”, the plunge can handle. If you’re rocking out that much sheet goods, have you considered a panel saw? I don’t own the Festool plunge, but I almost did, lol. If you can justify a beefy extractor, I’d buy the 75 and start the systainer collection:)

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog

I have both festool trac saws .Small 55 does about everything I need it for .Yes a very valuable tool .I can straight line lumber for instance . Though I use my tablesaw also .They can be interchangeable but I feel they each have there specialities . If I could only have one or the other I would probable blow a gasket trying to figure which one to let go of

Compound tapered angle cuts are made with the Festool plunge saw and rail system as well.
Get a good ripping blade for the Festool and it will rip all day long. I like the Panther blade, others
like the Tenryu (sp?) blade.
Festool is spendy and works well with limited space. You’ll need a dust extractor and a dust
deputy is advised to save on bag replacement.
Welcome to the slippery slope, you’ll dig it.
http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/festool-package-deals/c/1002/ipp/5000/sb/0/action/showall/
http://www.festoolusa.com/default.aspx

I have the 55, bought specifically for cutting sheet goods. Then I realized what a great tool it was for straight-edging rough sawn lumber, and it spends almost as much time doing that as cutting sheet goods. I still don’t see it as a substitute for a TS, but it does rip wood very well…of course, you do need the rip blade and the rails long enough to do whatever your cutting.

-- I long for the days when Coke was a cola, and a joint was a bad place to be (Merle Haggard)

If the Festool plunge saw is calibrated right, and used with their track, pending which one you buy, you can obtain perfect glue line rips up to approx., 2 7/8” deep for lengths determined by the track, and or tracks connected together (plus a long extension cord : ))

Changing the blade from a rip to cross cut, you can also obtain chip free cuts in veneer,

Its slower going then a TS for knocking out parts but I find it faster then a jointer for “joining edges” on large timbers

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

Each has their own purpose. Its not an apples to apples comparison IMO. One is portable, one is not, etc, etc, etc.

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--

Festool’s system doesn’t rip narrow strip stock or tapers without
considerable fuss. Festool fanatics have managed to come up
with ways to do all varieties of straight cuts with the system.

The larger Festool plunge saw will do better work on 8/4
hardwoods. I had the smaller Festool saw for many years
and straight lined a lot of boards with it. It can do it but
it’s not that fast and the way the clamping system works
the board you are straight lining needs to be about 5” wide
or more.

There’s an aftermarket usa made guide rail system that does
a better job with clamping the guide to narrow boards.
People love to argue about the virtues of Festool versus
its competitors. Festool’s tool designs and integrated
dust collection are excellent. The dollar cost to make
all cabinetmaking and lumber straight and panel squaring
cuts with the Festool guide rail system really gets so
high that you could afford a professionally-fitted table saw
for what you’d spend on the Festool straight sawing gear.

For cutting 8/4 lumber straight lines a lot I’d bet on a
worm drive or hypoid saw getting the job done faster, though
the plunge saws have a riving knife that can make
ripping hardwoods feel more predictable and reduce
binding and burning.

Wait. Hold the phone. A track saw is a viable method for jointing rough lumber???
I honestly had no idea. Never occurred to me.
I’ve always looked at a track saw as a power tool that would be nice to own. And I’ve (briefly) considered buying the Makita version in the past. But its always been somewhere around #87 on my tool purchase priority list.
This changes everything. I only have a small, 50 year old, 4 3/8 jointer. It works great for smaller work, but its useless for larger pieces. I don’t really have the space for a larger jointer. At the same time, my tiny shop makes working with sheet goods a real PITA. The sheet good issue, by itself, wasn’t a good enough reason to buy a $500 track saw. But I’m now learning that a track saw can solve two of my biggest woodworking hassles….....It looks like I need to start comparing the Festool, Makita, and Dewalt again.

the festool is freaking nice

-- It's made of wood. Real sturdy.--Chubbs Peterson

I’ve used my ts55 so much while building the house that I just couldn’t imagine not having it. Perhaps the least-good aspect is cross-cutting; the angle guide+track is a bit tricky to use with planks as opposed to sheet material. If you could afford an extra section of track I’d suggest getting one a bit longer thayou think you need and cutting 12-18” off to use as a short section for short cross-cuts.
A 12 tooth rip blade is near-essential; a 28 tooth is useful for fast rough cuts and the standard 48 tooth combo is excellent for high quality trimming.
A really, really useful accessory that I wouldn’t want to be without is a large chunk of EPS. We had a couple of 8×4 sheets of 6” thick (spares from the roof insulation) that have done sterling service as workbench, painting table, assembly surface and even daybed for hangover recovery. EPS won’t damage a protruding blade.

I had a TS55, I bought it because I thought it would make for a great table saw replacement and what I was wrong. Yes it does rip stock but not well, sheet goods all day but when you get into harder woods like purple hard and hard maple the saw bogs down and the cut is not as clean as on a table saw. I only had a few tools so I was limited by how much stuff I could really make, got frustrated and ended selling the TS55 and have not bought anything else since selling it. The TS55 is a good if you are working primarily with sheet goods but I would recommend a table saw, which has a lot more versatility IMHO. I got caught up in the Festool hype and thought I would find woodworking bliss. Unless you can get several other tools to complement the TS55 is just not worth it.

James

Have you considered other tasks (besides ripping) that you will be doing in your furniture making? I regularly cut dadoes, rabbits and tenons on my TS. I’ve also used it to raise panels, cut large coves, make box joints, and probably a number of other tasks. All of these tasks could be done on other tools (assuming you own those tools too) but I find the TS to be the one that does them most efficiently. If you’re going to trying to produce furniture for profit, you have to remember that your time is money too. I couldn’t imagine trying to build furniture for profit without a TS.

-- Greg, Severn MD

I have a Unisaw and a Festool TS-55. In my opinion there is no substitute for a table saw. I bought the Festool to do the one thing I don’t like using a table saw for: squaring plywood (large cross-cuts). And here’s a device I came up with to make it easier.

http://prodrawer.com/cutting_it_square.html