TS55

[SteveF]

I am looking to get the festool ts55 with 2 x 1400 rails and clamps

anyone done the research lately on best\cheapest place to buy please ?

also someone was making mft tops on here...who please ?
also how is the hinged rail fitted to the mft \ 3?
has anyone made a "replica" mft \ 3 table with the hinged rail and rear fence
Steve

 

[Ed Bray]

I bought one about 3 weeks ago, at that time ffx.co.uk were the cheapest by a few quid then N&B (powertool-supplies.co.uk), still the same today.

ffx currently £428 http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Fest ... Rail%20Bag

N&B currently £434 http://www.powertool-supplies.co.uk/fes ... -deal.html

Stu_2 makes the MFT copies

See here post 4 page 3 ts55-t87876.html

Special mft rails can be bought here: http://www.mtmc.co.uk/product.aspx?Prod ... ApHR8P8HAQ

Best table I have seen and much better that the MFT3 is this one : http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-j ... -workshop/ so impressed was I, I bought the plans (£7ish).

Google is your friend and it is much more satisfying when you do your own research

And it's a slippery slope.

Since getting my DF500 Domino I have bought the following since Christmas:

DF700XL
TS55 kit 2x 1400mm rails
Rotex RO125 Sander
Rotex RO90 Sander
DTS 400 Sander
KS120 Kapex
CTL26E
and on Monday will take delivery of an OF1400 Router

and don't even start on the accessories.

 

[SteveF]

Ed

seems like you are a convert of the green stuff
did u take out a 2nd mortgage

thankyou for taking time to point me in right direction

Steve

 

[Ed Bray]

Ed

seems like you are a convert of the green stuff
did u take out a 2nd mortgage

thankyou for taking time to point me in right direction

Steve

Yes, it is expensive kit, but I have been very impressed with both the application but more importantly the dust extraction.

No, no second mortgage, I had to give up my darkroom/dimrrom due to a family issue, so decided to sell off all my film developing/photographic/darkroom kit, I then spent 50% of that on new tools. Not just Festool stuff either, bought a lot of nice Veritas stuff from Germany

 

[marcros]

there was a link recently to the marfell on german ebay that was very well priced. The same seller had a festool shop, but I cannot find the link. The post was called something like "at long last". anyhow, may be worth checking european sources.

 

[DiscoStu]

I bought mine before Christmas and got 2 x 1400 tracks. If you're going to go MFT top then I would really suggest a 800 track as it will be of more use across a top. I didn't get one but will be getting one when I finally sort my mft bench. I am getting an MFT top CNC'd for me but only because the shop fitters I use at work our nice guys and keen to help me.

 

[mouppe]

I wouldn't get 2 x 1400 rails. Get one longer and one shorter rail, then you will have three length options instead of two. If you can get it with a dust extractor it would be best as there are package discounts available. Get the rails with holes in them as they are basically the same price but you may use the holed rails one day with the LR32 system.

Also, the panther blade is really good for ripping lumber. The included blade is good for plywood, crosscuts but tends to bog down when ripping little in thick lumber.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

I am looking to get the festool ts55 with 2 x 1400 rails and clamps

anyone done the research lately on best\cheapest place to buy please ?

also someone was making mft tops on here...who please ?
also how is the hinged rail fitted to the mft \ 3?
has anyone made a "replica" mft \ 3 table with the hinged rail and rear fence
Steve

If you can get the saw with different length rails it is better. The 1400 rail is only just able to cross cut a standard sheet. Also if you can get a swap for a guide rail with holes I would do it. If you ever want to use the LR32 system you will already have a rail for it and the list price is only about £16 more.

 

[Ed Bray]

I am looking to get the festool ts55 with 2 x 1400 rails and clamps

anyone done the research lately on best\cheapest place to buy please ?

also someone was making mft tops on here...who please ?
also how is the hinged rail fitted to the mft \ 3?
has anyone made a "replica" mft \ 3 table with the hinged rail and rear fence
Steve

If you can get the saw with different length rails it is better. The 1400 rail is only just able to cross cut a standard sheet. Also if you can get a swap for a guide rail with holes I would do it. If you ever want to use the LR32 system you will already have a rail for it and the list price is only about £16 more.

Where is the LR32 rail available for £16 more please?

Cheapest I can find is £74 inc VAT and that works out at £26 difference. Still not a huge amount, but not £16.

 

[Doug B]

I wouldn't get 2 x 1400 rails. Get one longer and one shorter rail, then you will have three length options instead of two. If you can get it with a dust extractor it would be best as there are package discounts available. Get the rails with holes in them as they are basically the same price but you may use the holed rails one day with the LR32 system.

Also, the panther blade is really good for ripping lumber. The included blade is good for plywood, crosscuts but tends to bog down when ripping little in thick lumber.

+1

 

[sometimewoodworker]

I am looking to get the festool ts55 with 2 x 1400 rails and clamps

anyone done the research lately on best\cheapest place to buy please ?

also someone was making mft tops on here...who please ?
also how is the hinged rail fitted to the mft \ 3?
has anyone made a "replica" mft \ 3 table with the hinged rail and rear fence
Steve

If you can get the saw with different length rails it is better. The 1400 rail is only just able to cross cut a standard sheet. Also if you can get a swap for a guide rail with holes I would do it. If you ever want to use the LR32 system you will already have a rail for it and the list price is only about £16 more.

Where is the LR32 rail available for £16 more please?

Cheapest I can find is £74 inc VAT and that works out at £26 difference. Still not a huge amount, but not £16.

As I said the list price is not much more
1400/2 £79.16
1400/2-LR32 £96.69
So you are Correct it is £17.53 different not £16

I never mentioned getting a price that was lower than the list price. The price you pay is something that it is possible to negotiate and is variable. It is quite likely that the more common 1400/2 Will be discounted more than the 1400/2-LR32.

However as both of us agree it is much better to get 1 or 2 1400/2-LR32s in place of 1 or 2 1400/2s if you have the option.

 

[Ed Bray]

Yes, but lets get real, the current retail price of the standard 1400 rail is £48 (inc VAT) the cheapest you can get an LR32 1400 rail is £74 (inc VAT).

I wish I had got a LR32 rail as I have a OF1400EBQ coming tomorrow and at the time I bought my rails I never envisaged that I would be buying a Festool Router.

 

[petermillard]

No matter how many rails you have you’ll always end up needing one that’s a bit shorter or a bit longer. I started out with 2 x 1400 rails and they worked really well for me; I’ve added quite a few more since, including the 1400/LR32. In my experience, here in the UK dealers are reluctant to swap out bundled rails as the bundles are frequently pre-packaged by Festool, though if you can pick up a 1400/LR32 for an extra £26 then it's definitely money well spent.

As for advocating buying unequal rails, I’m curious what combination others would suggest, given that the 1400 is generally the most commonly available, hence most heavily bundled and discounted? 1400/LR32 and a 1080 would let you cut a full sheet, and still be useful individually, though I doubt you’d get it cheaper than a pair of bundled 1400s. I don't like the 1900 personally - too long to use comfortably as a 1400 alternative (esp. in a smaller workspace) and too short to say, trim a door blank; also, there’s no 1900/LR32 ’holy rail’, so where else do you go?

For me, the answer was to by a 3-metre Makita rail (they were *much* cheaper then than the Festool) and cut it down to 2100/900; slightly extreme, but I was trimming a lot of door-sized pieces back then... So, do tell - what rail combinations work best for you?

Pete

 

[SteveF]

thankyou all for links and ideas

this is a serious slippery slope I am heading down

SWMBO wants a new kitchen

so i worked out i need the ts55 to cut sheet materials
holey rail for shelf holes
the kapex to do the face frame \ flooring \ skirtings etc (I have a trusty kgs301 but is is far from accurate after 15yrs of abuse)
domino to joint the cabinets (i could skip this and use biscuits)
mft style top for shorter cuts
all i have already is the kreg pocket jig to fit the face frames with

I think i totalled 2k before i even buy materials
but at least I \ she will get what we want in a better quality than chipboard
I am planning on using 18mm veneered ply
and 6mm mdf for the shaker doors sandwiched to make 18mm

at least I will have the kit for next project thrown at me

Steve

 

[HOJ]

holey rail for shelf holes

The LR32 rail will also set out your hinges, unless you are using butts.

Then you need the LR32 kit, and the OF1400.

And a CTL26E exctractor...

And time......

And space...........

And dare I say, an understanding Wife..............

Thats before you start.

Go for it!

 

[adidat]

I wouldn't bother with the kapex it doesn't do much more than a 350 quid makita

Adidat

 

[sometimewoodworker]

thankyou all for links and ideas

this is a serious slippery slope I am heading down

SWMBO wants a new kitchen

so i worked out i need the ts55 to cut sheet materials
holey rail for shelf holes
the kapex to do the face frame \ flooring \ skirtings etc (I have a trusty kgs301 but is is far from accurate after 15yrs of abuse)
domino to joint the cabinets (i could skip this and use biscuits)
mft style top for shorter cuts
all i have already is the kreg pocket jig to fit the face frames with

I think i totalled 2k before i even buy materials
but at least I \ she will get what we want in a better quality than chipboard
I am planning on using 18mm veneered ply
and 6mm mdf for the shaker doors sandwiched to make 18mm

at least I will have the kit for next project thrown at me

Steve

If your going to do 32 mm system holes and you can't swap out the 1400/2 rails for the 1400/2- LR32 ones you can get a 2424/2-lR32 rail. As to the kapex I decided that while it is a great saw it wasn't worth the price. If you have to carry it to job sites then that is a different case. Also the MFT just isn't stable enough in a workshop and to mount it on a stable base is making a silk purse out of a sow"s ear. However the 20mm X 96mm grid pattern system is more and more useful.

I wouldn't bother with a biscuit joiner as the domino is an order of magnitude better. And as has been mentioned you must get a Festool vac to use with the tools. You will want an OF1400 for the LR32 and you can save a bit by buying the bits for the system separately instead of in the systainer.

You can get some ideas at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nui-jerome/sets/ and the link in my signature.

As you can see from my signature I've started sliding down the green slippery slope