Plunge saw festool or makita but which
- Thread starter Corky74
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Someone will be along in a minute to tell you to buy the Mafell mt55 - start saving... 
Er OK, Get the Mafell.
Only problem with mine is that when the cuts aren't quite right I know it's more my fault than the saw.
When I bought mine I also loked at the Festool, which also looks like a good bit of kit. When I looked closely I could justify the extra cost of the Mafell.
Er OK, Get the Mafell.
Only problem with mine is that when the cuts aren't quite right I know it's more my fault than the saw.
When I bought mine I also loked at the Festool, which also looks like a good bit of kit. When I looked closely I could justify the extra cost of the Mafell.
wide74
Established Member
Weekend warrior = Makita
Bigger budget = Festool
Trade = Mafell
Seriously there's not that much between them unless you're fitting £50k kitchens. They will all cut a perfectly straight line in the right hands. Pick a colour and go make some sawdust!
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Bigger budget = Festool
Trade = Mafell
Seriously there's not that much between them unless you're fitting £50k kitchens. They will all cut a perfectly straight line in the right hands. Pick a colour and go make some sawdust!
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Doug71
Established Member
I have had the Festool for years and it has been great but if I was starting again think I would get the Mafell.
The main reason is the Mafell tracks are thought to be better then Festools, they are much easier to join together and the splinter strip is easier to replace. Don't think the Mafell has a riving knife though but is more powerful? The Bosch saw runs on the Mafell rails so that is another option.
One of my next purchases will be the Festool cordless TSC55, looks very handy.
The main reason is the Mafell tracks are thought to be better then Festools, they are much easier to join together and the splinter strip is easier to replace. Don't think the Mafell has a riving knife though but is more powerful? The Bosch saw runs on the Mafell rails so that is another option.
One of my next purchases will be the Festool cordless TSC55, looks very handy.
wide74
Established Member
Don't buy the Mafell rails they are priced up and re-badged Bosch.
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wide74
Established Member
Just check because I'm sure Orbital Fasteners are selling 2 x 1600 Bosch rails in a bag with the connecter for just under £100. You can buy a lot of clamps with the changeCorky74":3nku06nr said:
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punxneverdead
New member
Mate FESTOOL ALL THE WAY!!
Distinterior
Established Member
Corky74":ok3lc7v6 said:
I think they are Magnesium Alloy bases.
Edit.
They are definitely not plastic...!
charley1968
Member
Festool, for its riving knife
My TS55 cuts as good today as it did 14 years ago. It has been 100% reliable, has got through two, sharpened three times, blades and if it went TU tomorrow I would order another on a heartbeat. It is, using the guide rail, highly accurate and leaves a glass like finish. I connect mine to a CT26 dust extractor and am amazed at the amount of dust it collects, albeit I do have the side dust cover. The Makita too is an excellent saw, my friend has one and is delighted with it but I would never use a saw, hand held or stationary, without a riving knife.
If you are still unsure about the Festool, buy it and try it. You have 15 days to cut to your hearts content and should it not come up to scratch, send it back for a no-questions-asked refund. If you do keep it, you will then have 3 years warranty (free courier pick up and return), three years insurance against theft or loss and one of the very best bits of kit available. Not sure that Makita offer such a comprehensive package and I would bet my house that no Makita dealer would give you your money back if you didn't like it after a fortnights use.
As for plasticky it is a beautifully engineered, and made, saw using magnesium alloy and high quality plastics. It is built like a brick outhouse yet is light and very easy to handle. All the controls (green) work with precision and when you lock in a depth on the scale, it cuts to that depth.
It is a belter of a saw.
If you are still unsure about the Festool, buy it and try it. You have 15 days to cut to your hearts content and should it not come up to scratch, send it back for a no-questions-asked refund. If you do keep it, you will then have 3 years warranty (free courier pick up and return), three years insurance against theft or loss and one of the very best bits of kit available. Not sure that Makita offer such a comprehensive package and I would bet my house that no Makita dealer would give you your money back if you didn't like it after a fortnights use.
As for plasticky it is a beautifully engineered, and made, saw using magnesium alloy and high quality plastics. It is built like a brick outhouse yet is light and very easy to handle. All the controls (green) work with precision and when you lock in a depth on the scale, it cuts to that depth.
It is a belter of a saw.
Eric The Viking
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On the riving knife thing:
I've had kickback twice on my Makita. In both cases I was being very, VERY stupid in the way I was using it:
I can't emphasize enough that I was being very stupid.
I do have a thin-kerf rip blade for the saw, but, because the saw plate is very thin, the teeth re-cut the rubber strip, which is wholly undesirable. I think the blade can also deflect slightly in use, which is dangerous. It's a cheap, third party one, and I won't use it again.
I don't make tables from huge slabs of stock (well, not at the moment!). If I rip anything, it'll be relatively narrow stock, and the track saw (any make of track saw) is unsuitable for that task. Of course you might make a jig or whatever, but it's not what they're designed to do.
With that as a given, I don't think there's much to choose between Makita and Festool, apart from a couple of things that might be important, depending on how they're being used:
Both brands have router accessory sleds that run on their rails.
On dust extraction: there's no magic about this. They all do it very well because the blade guards are almost blind (small apertures allowing blade change) and fit right down to the surface of the stock (almost). Any saw with this approach will be very good when cutting into a flat surface (e.g. cutting up sheet goods), as it puts the suction in the right place and going in the right direction. If you trim cut so that the blade is running off the edge of the stock, it makes a right old mess, as the extraction suction doesn't work at all well: This is also true of all brands. I'd expect the Mafell to be even better, incidentally, as it's blade guard is completely blind. At a guess you can rank them on DX just by looking at photographs of them!
Which to get? The Makita is British-made. It's less expensive, although the price gap is a lot less now than when I got mine. The Festool has excellent after-sales support.
I couldn't choose easily now, but the riving knife issue is a red herring: the important thing is not to try to use any of these saw systems outside the designed limits.
I've had kickback twice on my Makita. In both cases I was being very, VERY stupid in the way I was using it:
- Wedged into a relatively tiny space in the attic, cutting t+g chipboard for flooring - nowhere to stand safely, let alone use saw and rail - the saw twisted during the cut, because it wasn't set-up nor being used safely.
- Trying to rip cut an already too thin piece of softwood that wasn't properly supported on the bench, had gnarly grain, and IIRC wasn't using a rip blade and was trying to go too fast.
I can't emphasize enough that I was being very stupid.
I do have a thin-kerf rip blade for the saw, but, because the saw plate is very thin, the teeth re-cut the rubber strip, which is wholly undesirable. I think the blade can also deflect slightly in use, which is dangerous. It's a cheap, third party one, and I won't use it again.
I don't make tables from huge slabs of stock (well, not at the moment!). If I rip anything, it'll be relatively narrow stock, and the track saw (any make of track saw) is unsuitable for that task. Of course you might make a jig or whatever, but it's not what they're designed to do.
With that as a given, I don't think there's much to choose between Makita and Festool, apart from a couple of things that might be important, depending on how they're being used:
- There is an anti-tip system for Makita that's designed into saw+rail. I've used it for long bevelling cuts, and I like it - coupled with workpiece clamps, it makes the job safe and easy.
- There are different (and more) accessories for Festool saw and rails, notably a splinter guard for the "waste" side of the stock, and stops for the rails to allow plunge cuts to be made to precise length without risk of cutting too far.
Both brands have router accessory sleds that run on their rails.
On dust extraction: there's no magic about this. They all do it very well because the blade guards are almost blind (small apertures allowing blade change) and fit right down to the surface of the stock (almost). Any saw with this approach will be very good when cutting into a flat surface (e.g. cutting up sheet goods), as it puts the suction in the right place and going in the right direction. If you trim cut so that the blade is running off the edge of the stock, it makes a right old mess, as the extraction suction doesn't work at all well: This is also true of all brands. I'd expect the Mafell to be even better, incidentally, as it's blade guard is completely blind. At a guess you can rank them on DX just by looking at photographs of them!
Which to get? The Makita is British-made. It's less expensive, although the price gap is a lot less now than when I got mine. The Festool has excellent after-sales support.
I couldn't choose easily now, but the riving knife issue is a red herring: the important thing is not to try to use any of these saw systems outside the designed limits.
You can buy a 3d printed plastic jobby. Not sure if link will work but here goes... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322357823872Rorschach":phs1jzfg said:
