punkrockdad":2q26lbe9 said:
Apart from the obvious depth of cut are there any other pro's and cons?
I'll mostly be using it on veneered board and birch ply so a clean cut is important.
The boards will be 8x4's so whats the best guide lengths to get?
If you are cutting sheet goods of say 38mm or less (1.5"), the TS55 is the saw to get. It's lighter than a TS75 and takes up less space. The TS75 is a very nice saw, but the TS55 is the better saw for sheet goods.
I have a TS55 plus several shorter guide rails and have cut lots of 1-3/4" Microllam using the TS55 on a guide rail. It's like plywood on steroids. Using the standard blade (#487377), it did a very nice job.
If you will be cutting a LOT of 4ft X 8ft sheet goods, a 2700 or 3000mm guide rail would be a very good investment. I connect my shorter ones together and it works well, but it takes a minute or two to line them up with a 4' straight edge. I.e., it would be nice to just grab a rail, line 'er up, cut. (Maybe next year.)
For the last two weeks I've been cutting a lot Hemlock and Fir 2X4's with the fine tooth blade (#491952). Glass smooth cuts and not a hint of burning.
I'm using an Incra "Guarenteed Square" that I purchased from Woodcraft here in Washington State, US (
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4133) to line up the guide rail. If the board is straight, the cuts are essentially perfect. I.e., the Incra square is guarenteed accurate to .001 inch. When the board is straight, the guide rail attached to MFT will give you a cut that is close to the Incra acccuracy. Pretty amazing, IMO.
As part of my bathroom remodel, I had to rip up the entire subfloor down to the joists. Then I laid down a layer of 3\4" plywood and then a layer of 3\8" plywood. The gaps between the plywood had to be about 1\8" and the layers had to be staggered so that no seams lined up. A pic of the floor is below. After all the plywood was laid down the AVERAGE difference in the gap was less than 1/32" and essentially perfectly square.
My method for cutting the plywood? I threw two pieces of 2' X 8' foam insullation on the floor, flopped the plywood on top, laid the connected Festool guide rails on top, and cut with TS55.
To say that I'm happy with my Festool tools would be a massive understatement. On a daily basis, they solve my problems and save me work.
About my shop... One of the things that I truly love about the Festool system is that you can take your "shop" to the work. Currently my "shop" is my master bathroom. Below is a pic of my bathroom with the Festool "Table Saw" and Dust Collector right where I need them.
Sorry for being long winded.
Regards,
Dan.
Bathroom Floor:
My Shop: