CS & Guide or Table Saw?

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ByronBlack

ByronBlack

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Location
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Hi Guy's

As some of you might know, i've moved into a new place and don't have the space for a workshop, but still need to get some work done.

My main jobs will be building an office desk suite, built-in wardrobes, kitchen units and a be-spoke storage system under the stairs. I intend to use birch ply and veneered sheet-material for the majority of these jobs,

Now here's the question. Do I go for a circular saw and guide rail system (EZ Smart Guide, or Festool) or a Tablesaw with extension tables? I currently have a chop saw for small cuts, but nothing for ripping material down to size.

Bare in mind the jobs in hand and my budget of under £500, what do you all feel would be the most versatile/suitable tool that I should go for?
 
Hi ByronBlack
As an owner of the EZ system ( with is re-placing my poor TS ), I would say go for it and you can get a good finish on your cuts for the price, plus you will have more space to make your units :)

Have you had a look at the EZ site yet, as it will show you more of what it can do.
http://eurekazone.com/gallery/
 
Thanks for the feedback colin, i;ll chalk one up for the EZ system, but can I ask what CS you use with it, and how fast it is to cut repeat cuts (like drawer fronts, or kitchen doors for example)?
 
I have to say that some of the system, I have just got with makes repeat cut quicker but I have no found it to be to slow to use.

I am making a unit for my bathroom before starting two buildt in's for a customer :)
I have a Freud FCS 184 7¼" Circular Saw 240v and have found to get a good cut with a 40 tooth Freud blade
You might want to look at this saw as it get a good review in the US with the EZ system
Worx WT431KE 7¼" Circular Saw 230V
Ps the Freud 40 tooth blades get the thumbs up too :)
 
HI BB

I've had the Bosch rail system for about 5 years now. It's OK, but nowhere near as fast as using a table saw with a decent sliding table, however it does take up a lot less space. I think that repeatability is down to how good your setting out is, and not to the rail system. I wouldn't recommend the saw I have (Bosch GKS86B) fitted with a 180mm Freud 50 tooth fine cut blade but the smaller GHKS65 seems better designed and a lot more substantial. Also watch out if you need to join rails together - even Festool rails don't always join spot on (from comments elsewhere on this site)

Don't forget that Mafell also make rail systems including an innovative one where the rails rolls up into a box allowing you to carry a long rail in the boot of a small car.

Scrit
 
Scrit, thanks for the alternative choice, I don't know much about that system, so i'll look into it.

But I have to say, that after looking at the EZ Smart stuff, it does seem to offer more function than just a rail system, I'll have to look into that more.

So, no takers for me getting a Table saw, is it a general census that for doing the work that i'll be doing a rail system is the best way to go?
 
Byron

Firstly,nice to see you back. :D
Secondly,tablesaws are great - but take up a lot of space themselves,and need a lot of space around them in which to work (e.g. to rip an 8x4 sheet,you need at least 17' - which is longer than my living room...)
I think because of this point alone,you are better off leaving the tablesaw until you have a workshop to put it in.

Andrew
 
Andrew,

Thanks for the info about the TS, space is a problem at the moment, and the fact that I don't have a secure place to store one other than the kitchen, and i'm not sure SWMBO would not be best pleased with TS in place of the dining table :)

So after some consideration, it looks like i'm down to:

1. Festool TS55 + Guide Rail or
2. EZ Smart Guide + CS
(Don't know enought about the Mefell system to really consider it yet)

My initial research shows that the price isn't too different once you add all the accesories, and a good CS for the EZ Smart.

Are there things that I can do with one but not the other that I should take into consideration?
 
Hi ByronBlack
What are the things you are thinking are different and there is also a sale on the EZ system at the moment :D from 10-20%
 
I can't comment on the EZ system but do have the Festool. One thing I like about the TS55 is that the circular saw is extremely well thought out. There is a Teutonic thoroughness and simplicity in the design...ie anything green is functional and meant to do something, move, be twiddled with..whatever. For example, changing blades is a doddle.

Also the two are designed to go hand-in-hand. I can't help feeling that, from a purists point of view, going down the EZ route is a compromise as you have two pieces of kit (saw and EZ system) that weren't originally designed to work together SEAMLESSLY.

Does the EZ system come with rubber strips underneath? If not then IMHO it becomes a no-contest as the rubber strips underneath the festool guide rail let you put the rail directly on top of the material (even slippery Contiboard) and you can saw down the rail without any need to clamp. This also means that you can lay down a piece of sacrificial fibre board, lay your large sheet of MDF etc directly on top and away you go.

Don't know if you've come across this website but they use Festool kit quite a lot. http://www.woodshopdemos.com/nprod-20.htm

But, as I say, I've not used the EZ system and so could be way off mark.

My two penn'orth
 
Hi Roger

The EZ system does not come with the ruber strips but you can get them for it but the clamps are quick, you can also get the repeater arms for repeat cuts of the same size which i dont think the festool can.

Dont get me wrong I am not saying one is better that the other but for me the EZ cross more boxes than the rest, also setting up the saw on the rail is not hard ( I did it :wink: ), this also means if you already have a good saw, you dont need to buy one more.

What I would like to see is the two systems compared with each other.
Ps I thought that the festool rail has clamps as well but I could be wrong as I have not used it :)
 
Colin C":1uas8tm8 said:
Hi Roger

Ps I thought that the festool rail has clamps as well but I could be wrong as I have not used it :)
Click to expand...

Yes it does but I have never needed to use them because my preferred way of working is to put a sacrificial cutting board straight onto the floor. That way I don't need to faff around with lifting boards up onto table supports etc in order to get the clamps on. I then lay the MDF or Contiboard onto the cutting board and the rubber strips plus weight keeps the rail firmly in place.

I like the idea of the repeater arm. Do you have a link to these?
 
Roger
It was in my first post the gallery, second one down :roll: :wink: but as you asked herre it is :)
http://eurekazone.com/gallery/EZ-Smart-tablesaw
As you have the festool rail, you might want to look at the SRK ( smart router kit ) as it will work with the festool rail :D
One of the many uses for it
http://eurekazone.com/gallery/EZ-D-Dado
Have a look at the hole gallery :)
Ps The upside down is not one of his best :shock: :shock:
 
Hi Chris
It is alot cheaper but if you look at both festool, Ez and the Bosch ones, they all have used wide rails and I think for good reason.

I dont think you can compare it to any for the other rails on the markey and al the others have anti chip insert so you can cut veneered boards without breakout :)
That is for a start
 
Thanks for all the input on this one. I must admit i'm completly in the middle of this one.

I really want a Festool from a pure tool-lust point of view, and because it's widely regarded as the best CS available today, however, after looking into the EZ system I love the idea of the features of the repeater arm, self-squaring sliding fence and the ability to use any CS with it. Also Dino's enthusiasm is very infectious :)

There is one option that I've yet to go into - Using a Festool with the EZ Smart system :)

Are there any comparisons available on the net in terms of reviews? I've read many posts on this forum (with the search) on both systems, but have yet to see a complete comparison.
 
This is from Dino
He says that for cross cutting smaller pieces the Festool is the best but for long cuts it is better to use a normal saw.
I will try to find the post but it is on that US site :-k
 
ByronBlack":hgocknn1 said:
Are there any comparisons available on the net in terms of reviews? I've read many posts on this forum (with the search) on both systems, but have yet to see a complete comparison.
Click to expand...

There is not that I know of a complete comparison at the moment but I could be wrong :)
 

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