I need a new blade for my Festool circular saw

[dirk martin]

Anyone have a recomendation for a new blade for my Festool model 55 circular saw?
Mine's a gettin' dull....

[Mike Cutler]

Anyone have a recomendation for a new blade for my Festool model 55 circular saw?
Mine's a gettin' dull....

Might need just a tad more info than that. Rip, crosscut, combo, plywood, laminate, corian, etc ?
I see that Tenyru is making a line of blades to fit the Festool saws if you're trying to save some $$$ by not going OEM.
There are a few threads on the Festool Owners Group forum where they've discussed "after market" blade options.

[Sam Murdoch]

... and Tenyru blades are given very favorable ratings in the F.O.G.

[Chris Rosenberger]

Freud has several very good blades that fit the Festool TS55 saw.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Freud+Festool&hasWorkingJavascript=1

Oshlum also has some blades. I have not used these on a TS55. I have used their larger blades on my Kapex & they worked great.

http://www.amazon.com/Oshlun-SBFT-160048-Crosscut-Festool-SP6000K/dp/B0030GGFRS/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1380315212&sr=1-1&keywords=160mm+saw+blade

[dirk martin]

Almost exclusively straight line ripping, of hardwoods. I need very clean edges.
Once in a while I cut MDF with it.

[John Schweikert]

Festool or Tenryu rip blades for the TS55 would be better for your main needs. I'm using Oshlun 36 and 52 tooth blades with excellent results on my TS75. Oshlun has a 28 tooth for the TS55.

Carbide Processors have Oshlun and Tenryu. 10% off with Creekers code at checkout.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/oshlun/wood-blades/fespro-series/
http://www.carbideprocessors.com/tenryu/plunge-cutting/

[Erik Christensen]

get it re-sharpened - I like Ridge Carbide - 15$ & sent back in 2-3 days - my fine tooth plywood blade just got back from its 2nd sharpening & from inspection I have at least another 3-4 left before i run out of carbide -

be advised that getting a blade other than festool may require that you re-strip all your edge guides - when I talked to the Tenyru tech support they agreed that they are not the same distance inside tooth edge to inside blade face as the factory blades - that distance is what sets your guide edge so "what you see is what you cut"

the other issue with non-festool blades is this tooth offset is not constant from rip to plywood blade to Multipurpose - I liked the idea of another blade source but not if I had to have a set of guide rails for every blade

[dirk martin]

Is it possible to get a blade for my needs at my local Home Detpot, Menards, or Ace Hardware, or Lowes?

[Sam Murdoch]

10% off with Creekers code at checkout.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/oshlun/wood-blades/fespro-series/
http://www.carbideprocessors.com/tenryu/plunge-cutting/

Sorry to change the subject for a moment but is there a list of eligible Creekers Code stores? And what is the Creekers Code? Where have I been?

As to the topic, Erik makes a very good point about the blade cutting edge relative to the guide rail splinter guard.

[John Schweikert]

Is it possible to get a blade for my needs at my local Home Detpot, Menards, or Ace Hardware, or Lowes?

Chance is slim to none. The blades are 160mm with 20mm bore. None of those places sell Festool, may not even know what Festool is. Doubt they carry a TS55 spec blade then.

[John Schweikert]

Sorry to change the subject for a moment but is there a list of eligible Creekers Code stores? And what is the Creekers Code? Where have I been?


Red button at top "Friends of the Creek"

Specific to Carbide Processors, the code is "Creekers" at checkout.

[dirk martin]

My fingers are crossed that someone has bought a blade that fits, at a local box store...and can share the knowledge !!

[John Schweikert]

I bet you can find someone locally to sharpen your current blade faster and sooner than finding a Festool mount blade in a box store.

Festool, Oshlun, Tenryu, Freud and Forrest all make TS55 specific blades. Amazon and dozens of other websites carry these blades.

[Sam Murdoch]

My fingers are crossed that someone has bought a blade that fits, at a local box store...and can share the knowledge !!


i can buy Tenyrus and Freuds at local lumber yards and a tool store but not at the box stores. The problem will also be finding the right size and tooth configuration. No one nearby sells Festool?

[Sam Murdoch]

Red button at top "Friends of the Creek"

Specific to Carbide Processors, the code is "Creekers" at checkout.

Thanks John. As much time as I spend here you'd think I would have been more aware :rolleyes:.
Too much talking and not enough listening I guess. But now I know.

[Brian Gumpper]

What Festool blade are you using now?

[dirk martin]

i can buy Tenyrus and Freuds at local lumber yards and a tool store but not at the box stores. The problem will also be finding the right size and tooth configuration. No one nearby sells Festool?

No, Sam. Not nearby.

[dirk martin]

What Festool blade are you using now?

The one that came with it....

[Stephen Cherry]

The magic of the internet can bring you a blade, maybe tax free, and maybe the shipping will be cheaper than gas. I bought a Frued blade that I'm pretty sure was made for the festool saw from amazon for next to nothing.

[Jason White]

Take them to be sharpened. That's what I do.


Anyone have a recomendation for a new blade for my Festool model 55 circular saw?
Mine's a gettin' dull....

[Jason White]

Another thing about Festool blades that I learned the hard way...

Blade thicknesses can vary slightly, even within the Festool line. You'd think this wouldn't matter, but it can alter the rubber strip affixed to your guide rails. This happened to me one time when I switched from a combination blade to a Panther ripping blade. When I was done with the Panther blade and started using the combo blade again, I discovered that the rubber strip no longer aligned the blade perfectly with my cut line. Now I have to replace the rubber strip on my longest guide rail and them buggers ain't cheap! Because of this, I just use the combination blade for everything and get it sharpened once in awhile.

[Jason White]

Interesting...

I just posted my experience on the Festool Owner's Group board and got this response:

Are you using blades that are a couple years old?

Recently festool changed their blades (For the TS 55) so they all have the same kerf (2.2 mm). This should eliminate any problems with over cutting the splinter guard.

The new blade numbers are as follows:

496305 - Standard
495372 - Panther
496304 - Universal
495377 - Fine
496309 - Solid surface / Laminate
496307 - Aluminum / Plastic

As it happens, my blades are 4-5 years old. I guess I need to get rid of whichever one is thicker than 2.2mm.