#37
I had opportunity to play around with a ts55, mft/3, and domino at woodcraft yesterday. I break down occasional sheet goods with shop made guides and circ saw. I don't like the process - both my cut quality and the dust. The festool stuff was very impressive, especially with the mft in the mix.
So...a little research shows the makita set up for quite a bit less coin, but no mft.. My thinking is to buy the makita saw, short rail and 118 inch rail. Cost about 640. Then buy the festool mft/3. Is this flawed logic? Also, I'm assuming makita saw plays well with festool track, correct??
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#38
I opted for the Shop Fox track saw with 2- 55" rails which is considerably less than the Festool and even the Makita. The Makita gets great reviews using the stock blade. The Shop Fox needs several modifications and a blade upgrade but paired with a vac it gives as good a cut as the other saws and leaves very little dust behind.
RD
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"Boy could I have used those pocket screws!" ---Duncan Phyfe
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#39
Richard, What kind of fixes did you do to the Shop Fox saw?
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#40
I cut the tension spring down, cleaned and waxed the tracks, covered the opening on the side of the saw and bought a Freud blade. I'm debating moving the glide strip or adding another but the much discussed wobble hasn't been an issue so far.
RD
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"Boy could I have used those pocket screws!" ---Duncan Phyfe
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#41
Thanks Richard
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#42
An old review all of them have differences, you just need to go with what sounds like the best features for you. I have had 1 Festool, stinker. I have had 5 Dewalts, keep having guys offer me more than what I paid for them, go figure. I mostly like the DeWally bi-directional track. All the others you are constantly flipping, and with a long rail for 8' cuts I find that a huge PIA. Some have quipped about blade changes on the DeWally. I can't say I have ever noted a difficulty, but the end pretty much says it all. Brand loyalty,, and I have bought DeWalley for over 20 years. Prior to that I did use Mickey Mouse Kita, but their poor product, and especially customer service of that time, took them off my buy list for life. I will say it was during that time that DeWally zoomed as a pro tool brand, now obviously not so much. Everyone's experience drives their boat for them

When I first bought the Festool I was still doing a lot of work, started the same with the DeWalts. If I was starting from scratch today I would fly Richards way, unless you see 5 to 10 sheets of ply a week, or more. I'd go cheap as I could. Especially if you are just making plywood smaller
Worst thing they can do is cook ya and eat ya

GW
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#43
I've got the Makita.
Could not be happier and I use it a lot.
I'm sure the Festool is great too ( everything else I've used of theirs is)
The Makita does work with the Festool track.
But like I say I could not be any more impressed with mine. Makes dust free perfect cuts every time. That's all I want from a track saw no matter what color it is or how much it costs.
My 2 cents
Rusty
Poppa's Woodworks
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#44
I have the Dewalt have to say I have no complaints with it. I have seen deals on them from time to time so you might want to do a bit of searching before you buy. I picked up the router plate also just haven't used it yet but I imagine it works well too

http://www.cpopowertools.com/dewalt-dws5...wndws520sk,default,pd.html?start=1&cgid=dewalt-track-saws
Phydeaux said "Loving your enemy and doing good for those that hurt you does not preclude killing them if they make that necessary."


Phil Thien

women have trouble understanding Trump's MAGA theme because they had so little involvement in making America great the first time around.

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#45
If you already have a circular saw that you like, you should also consider the EZSmart (Eurekazone) track saw system. You mount your current circular saw to a base, and use their tracks. It's what I had prior to buying a Festool system. Not as convenient and not truly a plunging saw, nor does it have a riving knife (not really needed with ply), but the cuts are just as smooth, assuming you use a decent blade.
Still Learning,

Allan Hill
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#46
And the EZSmart is WAY less expensive.
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festool - makita track saw questions


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