Festool TS55 or Table Saw?

[Howard Olena]

Hopefully this is the right place for this...

I am relocating to Portland, OR for about 6 months and I'm looking to setup a temporary shop. I'm bringing my Makita LS1016L with me, but I need something for sheet goods and ripping long dimensional lumber.

I'd like to spend around $600 tops and was going to look for a used Cabinet Table saw, but after reading a few reviews and some commentary here, it looks like I might be able to get away with a Festool TS55.

While I'm in Portland, I plan on building a dining room table (36"x9' Bubinga slab, with two leaves, Jatoba apron and legs), a bed (headboard, footboard - basically Mission style) and a couple 'treasure' chests. (If I actually manage to build the table and the headboard before I leave, I'll be quite impressed with myself!)

Anyway, I have a Laguna sliding table saw at home, so if I can get away with a TS-55, it would add to my tool collection rather than being something I need to sell when I leave. On the other hand, I'm somewhat skeptical about the TS-55 essentially replacing a table saw.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'd like to spend around $600 tops
Figure more than that for the TS55EQ.
The saw is $500 w/a 55" rail. Another 55" rail is $90. Connectors and clamps ( and/or an extra blade you'll only have use for on a TS55EQ or DeWalt) will add nearly another $100.
Tax is going to kick in also.(unless you -ahem - pay sales tax direct to the State after buying the Festool over the internet,,,yeah,,that's it,,,pay the tax direct,,, ;))

If you add a Festool vac, you're well over a grand.

My total bill for my TS55EQ, an extra 42" rail, connectors & clamps & tax was $750.00 - and that's when the saw was $450.00 a couple years ago.


Does it or can it replace a table saw? (you inquire)
No - it might be able to with a MFT & another few hundred dollars worth of gear - but - just saw, track and connectors & clamps won't.
What it will do is, supplement a table saw very, very, very well. - if - and it's a big if - that table saw isn't a slider.
I'm afraid once you get it home, you'll see that, while it's a good alternative to a slider,,,,a slider it ain't...(IMHO) expect to sell it.
The good news there is that Festool holds it's value and sells for a lot & fast.

I guess the biggie is - can it reasonable do what you want it to do?
All things considered - I'd say - it probably could, but, it will take extra time & extra setup.
For ripping stock less than ~ 6 or 7" wide, you need to get creative about it.
The FOG (Festool Owner's Group) forum can give you all the details/ideas about how to do it.

Tough decision... I wish you luck w/it.
"Normally" I'd say jump all over a TS55EQ, but, expect at some point to pick up a decent new or used table saw.
Since you're relocating & only for 6 months, that's not practical I suppose. The cost of shipping a table saw back home or selling it at a "give away" price when you leave doesn't make that a good idea.


FWIW- if funds allow - I'd say go for it (the TS55EQ). The worst you can do is have to drag it back home, sit on it until Festool has another price increase, then sell it for just about what you have in it.

[John Stan]

Get the table saw. I have both the TS55EQ ( along with rails and the MFT) and a table saw. I almost never use the TS55EQ and find myself always using the table saw. The TS55EQ is very hard to use on stock less than 6 inches wide. I also fine the table saw to be quicker and more accurate in both ripping and (with a sled) cross cutting. Glad I have both tools, but, the table saw (to me) is much more versatile and useful.

Good Luck.

[Will Overton]

Although it can be done, even with narrow pieces (just butt a second board next to the one you're cutting), I wouldn't want to have to do a lot of ripping with the ts55. The parallel guides do make ripping much easier,more accurate, and provide repeatability, they add $350+ to the cost. On the other hand, I hope to never bring a piece of plywood to my tablesaw ever again. Since it's only for a short time, and depending on what your needs will be, you just might get by with the Festool.

Another factor is what do you have when you get back to your main shop. If you already have a good ts, the Festool might be a good addition.

[Adam Shapiro]

For 6 months, I can't imagine spending the time finding a good used saw, tuning it up, dealing with delivery and all the other headaches involved. But I'm just a hobbyist, so my perspective may differ from yours.

I'd try to make the Festool work, but I'm curious about the ts55's depth limitations. How thick are the legs on a table holding up 9 feet of Bubinga? The ts55 cuts less than 2" in depth, you may need to look at the ts75 to get the depth you need. The price difference isn't much, and some of it gets recouped by buying a shorter 2nd rail (it comes with a longer rail as part of the standard package). You can cut everything you mentioned with the Festool without much difficulty at all, it'll certainly take longer than with your Laguna slider, but it's doable. You're not planning to make anything that requires more than 4 identical rips (the width of the aprons, legs, etc) so the set up time savings isn't that substantial. If you were cutting rails and stills for a whole kitchen I'd say the Festool wouldn't be my choice, but for large pieces like a table and headboard it's near perfect.

The area where I generally put the Festool away is when it comes to crosscutting narrower pieces, like those legs and apron. I don't have a very accurate SCMS, so I have to pull out the cross cut sled, but if your Makita is accurate enough you won't have that concern.

[Jim Becker]

Howard, my "main squeeze" is a Minimax slider and I find that my Festool saw is a very nice compliment, both for portability in "out of shop" situations and for unique cutting situations where working with the guide rail on something already or partially assembled comes into play. As already mentioned, there is limited depth for cutting and you do need to accomodate stabilizing the guide rail and stock when ripping lumber, but it's certainly doable and doable safely if you think things through. Given your need is for a functional temporary solution, I'd certainly choose the Festool setup over a second table saw no question. And it's something you will likely still want to use once your slider is installed at your new location and you're back to normal. Besides...it's a good way to "start the addiction". LOL :)

[Peter Pedisich]

Howard, You may also consider resale value when you move back, there is a good chance you will get a higher percentage of the original purchase price with the Festool versus the table saw, unless it's a saw stop or similar high end saw.
I have the TS55 with 75" and 55" rails and an MFT1080. I use it more than my table saw, but my table saw is used for almost all my rip cuts.

[tyler mckenzie]

I'd suggest a table saw. I have a cabinet saw and the ts75, it's a rare day if i go for the ts75 first.

[Eiji Fuller]

You could alway use a second tablesaw, if you have the space, set up for dadoes. If you buy a decent used tablesaw you'll be able to sell it for at least what you paid for it. The table saw is the ticket for furniture and this is coming from a festool fanatic eq.

[Aaron Berk]

whys it got to be a $600 TS?

Get a Ridgid contractor saw, or something similar.

Someone mentioned the hassle of setting up and tuning a TS, well to counter that..... How about the learning curve of a new tool?

I'd say get the TS and tote along your circ saw from home.

Ripping dimensional lumber sounds like TS territory to me.

[John Coloccia]

Personally, I would forget the whole thing and spend my time exploring another aspect of woodworking. Carving, for example. Are you a carver? Why not spend the money on some nice carving tools and a way to sharpen them, and spend your time learning to use them? Then when you go back, you'll be able to put your carving arsenal to work on your furniture projects.

Just a thought.

[Howard Olena]

While I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy carving (never done anything of the sort), I'm also pretty sure that my Dearest Wife would not appreciate the lack of dining room table and bed frame. :D

The table legs, and subframe will be 1.5", 1/8" wall steel tubing (square) with Jatoba mitered around the outside to create 3" square columns.

The thickest lumber I've ever had to rip is 2" - I don't foresee any changes there. On the other hand, I seem to end up ripping a lot of stock that is much narrower than 7-8" wide.

I've been eying the Ridgid and Bosch Contractor table saws... I guess it really depends on what I can find used in the Portland area.

Oh yeah... No sales tax in Oregon!! :D