Track saws; Festool vs. Grizzly

[Steve Lindsey]

I'm just a hobby woodworker with 30+years experience. I wanted a track saw to break down sheet goods but didn't feel I could justify a Festool track saw. So I bought a Grizzly. Reading posts on various web sites I determined to modify the Grizzly as best I could. The Grizzly saw with track and clamps amounted to around $250 with shipping. I purchased a Freud saw blade for $50 and some "slick" tape to put on the track to stop the tipping that some had complained about. The results were very good. Cut quality on the "save" side was very good. Not as good on the waste side. Dust collection (Fein vacuum) was good but not perfect. Dust did come out in front of the cut line but not bad.

A year later I got a great deal on a Festool TS 55 and went about comparing the two. The Festool with the splinter guard did definitely cut better on the waste side but about the same on the "save" side. Dust collection was better, almost perfect. The power of both saw is adequate for 3/4 plywood, which is why I bought the first saw. I guess it's a question of how much money you have to spend. The Grizzly with the upgrades is good, just not as good as the Festool. However we are talking about a $300 difference.

[glenn bradley]

Thanks for the comparison. Folks have done comparisons over the years and it is always good to have another input. Especially from someone who has both in their hands.

[Ben Rivel]

Or one can go in the middle with the DeWalt or Makita too.

[TIM CARBAUGH]

Back some years when I was doing yacht refits, I used a Festool Track almost everyday. They are everything they are. Flash forward a few years i needed a track saw and just wasn't sure I would use it enough to justify buying another Festool. I ended up with the makita and can say I never missed or thought I made a mistake not buying the Festool. However, it soon became apparent that the amount of use I gave the Makita justified buying a Festool. Still have the Makita and am not planning to upgrade.

[Patrick Curry]

I've got my eyes set on the Makita. Just waiting for the next time Home Depot runs a deal on it. The Grizzley would be good enough for me and my hobby shop but the Mikita holds a little more appeal without going full Festool yet nice enough to put off my TS upgrade for awhile

[Mark Blatter]

I bought the Makita about eight months ago and was frankly blown away by how useful it has proven to be, and by how good of a job it does. I cannot compare it to any other as it is the only track saw I have ever used. Yet I cannot imagine that a Festool would be that much better. It provides a great cut on both sides of the blade, the scoring feature works well and the track simply does not move on me. I really appreciate the variable speed also.

I had to cut some sheet goods after breaking my arm, so some friends came over to help out. Every time I used the saw, they would ask "Don't you need to clamp it down?" I would say 'just watch' and they would be amazed. I have quickly come to love using it. Have no plans to sell my table saw, but that Makita has won a warm place in my heart.

[Erik Christensen]

nice comparison - much appreciated. If one only wants a track saw the festool is hard to rationalize given the cost difference.

If you also consider a festool router with a micro adjust rail attachment then things change - absolutely precise dado's anywhere on sheet goods. shelf pin holes, etc become safe & simple amortizing the rail cost over different tool functions. As an example - recently I wanted to make a drawer insert with dividers using scrap plywood - the problem was each piece of 1/2" ply scrap was slightly different thickness - with the router on a rail it was easy to make each dado a perfect custom fit for each divider.

[Mike Henderson]

nice comparison - much appreciated. If one only wants a track saw the festool is hard to rationalize given the cost difference.

If you also consider a festool router with a micro adjust rail attachment then things change - absolutely precise dado's anywhere on sheet goods. shelf pin holes, etc become safe & simple amortizing the rail cost over different tool functions. As an example - recently I wanted to make a drawer insert with dividers using scrap plywood - the problem was each piece of 1/2" ply scrap was slightly different thickness - with the router on a rail it was easy to make each dado a perfect custom fit for each divider.
Glad you posted that. I bought into the MicroFence system way back and really like it. They make an adapter to use the system (and a router) on a Festool track (which I have) but the adapter doesn't work. There's too much slop in it. That slop allows the router to swing in an arc as you push it so the dado you're trying to cut is not straight, but had ripples in it.

I sure wish the MicroFence people would make a good adapter because I have routers and their system and I'd like to use it on the Festool track - but what they have now just doesn't work.

Mike

[Mike Heidrick]

Dewalt corded tracksaw cuts at least as good as my friends TS55, It can use Festool or Dewalt tracks, can use blades from Dewalt or Festoo, has awesome clamps if you want to use those, and also has a router attachment for the rails that works with a bunch of different routers including the 618 I use it with. I posted a review up here when I first got my saw from the Dewalt contest I was in. I won the saw so I did not have to pay for it and we tested it against a saw a buddy owns so I did not pay for the Festool either. This review is also on FOG and linked on Marc's woodwhisperer site - http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?11263-Dewalt-DWS520SK-vs-Festool-TS55EQ-long-with-pictures

[Richard McComas]

The way I see it my 18 year old Festool track cost me 1.38 a month more that the Grizzly.