Festool tracks?

[Larry Edgerton]

Do Festool routers and saws use the same track? It will make a difference to me whether I buy a couple of Festool routers to replace aging PC's

Thanks, Larry

[Dan Clark]

Larry,

Yes, Festool routers and saws use the same Festool track. And their jig saws. And they have several clamps that work with the guide rails.

Micro Fence makes interfaces that allowing mixing several router brands with several guide rail brands. Festool to Festool. Bosch to Festool, Dewalt to All-in-One, etc. Micro Fence products are reported to be very good, but they are very pricey.

Regards,

Dan.

[Mike Henderson]

Larry,

Yes, Festool routers and saws use the same Festool track. And their jig saws. And they have several clamps that work with the guide rails.

Micro Fence makes interfaces that allowing mixing several router brands with several guide rail brands. Festool to Festool. Bosch to Festool, Dewalt to All-in-One, etc. Micro Fence products are reported to be very good, but they are very pricey.

Regards,

Dan.
I bought the MicroFence "interface" to use a non-Festool router with the Festool fence and it doesn't work very well. It doesn't hold the router securely - that is, the router will swing through an arc without the "interface" moving on the fence. Also, the interface is waaay too tight on the fence which makes it difficult to slide along the track smoothly. I gave up trying to use it. I did report the problem to MicroFence but they didn't offer any solution or alternatives.

I haven't tried a Festool router on the Festool fence so I can't comment on how they work, but it has to be better than what MicroFence sells.

Mike

[I have other MicroFence tools and like them.]

[Greg R Bradley]

I haven't tried them but Makita Router guides will also fit Festool since the tracks are 99% the same. Makita just has an extra slice in track for the anti tip feature of their tracksaws.

[Van Huskey]

As the others said all Festool routers and plunge saws use the same tracks, it is part of their system approach.

[Victor Robinson]

Just for completeness' sake, it should be noted that the Festool track saws and routers use the FS tracks. There is now a set of shorter 'FSK' tracks that are meant only for the HK55 and do not work with the track saws or routers.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

I use our 1400 Festool router quite often, with the 8' and 4' tracks. Very versatile tool in the shop. Very easy to set up, adjust for a zero play setup. I love it for fabrication of solid surface counter tops (a game changer IMO if you do a lot of these).

I got set up with Festool tracks and a track saw not really intending to do so (bought in a package deal of used equipment) - but after several years, and the addition to the router - it is a very handy thing to have on hand.

[Andy Giddings]

Larry, have both the saw and the 1400 using the same track as others have stated. Regardless of the tracks, switching to the 1400 from my old PC plunge router was like night and day difference. The 1400 is one sweet plunge router with a quality fit and finish, much smoother plunge motion, good ergonomics and superb dust collection

[Larry Edgerton]

Did some more reading an you can use the Festool saw on the Makita track but not the Festool router. I was looking at options to get rid of my panel router to free up space. Don't really need a plunge saw much, but occasionally it would be the ticket. Its just the price of the Festool tracks kind of makes you feel like you are being taken advantage of, no?

Andy, I have a 1010 and a 1400, was looking at the bigger 2200. As far as ergonomics, I will take the big 3 1/4 PC plunge over any I have used, the controls are perfect as far as I am concerned, but..... I did buy a couple of smaller PC plunges to try and I gave them away because they were just clumsy to me. On the big one the handles are at the right angle, the switch is in the perfect position, and the depth control lever is easy to use while in a cut. Besides, with a big bit, hard to beat heavy.

[Van Huskey]

Did some more reading an you can use the Festool saw on the Makita track but not the Festool router. I was looking at options to get rid of my panel router to free up space. Don't really need a plunge saw much, but occasionally it would be the ticket. Its just the price of the Festool tracks kind of makes you feel like you are being taken advantage of, no?

Andy, I have a 1010 and a 1400, was looking at the bigger 2200. As far as ergonomics, I will take the big 3 1/4 PC plunge over any I have used, the controls are perfect as far as I am concerned, but..... I did buy a couple of smaller PC plunges to try and I gave them away because they were just clumsy to me. On the big one the handles are at the right angle, the switch is in the perfect position, and the depth control lever is easy to use while in a cut. Besides, with a big bit, hard to beat heavy.


The 2200 is the best example of good engineering in all of routerdom. I just don't need that big a router for anything I do freehand but for those that do it is an expensive but as close to perfect as I have seen router.

The tracks are indeed expensive especially the long ones but they are shipped free and are "over-long" so they are expensive to ship and the Festool tracks are packed to survive a nuclear explosion, nothing like the other brands and while you saw lots of issues with the Dewalt long tracks showing up damaged when 3-4 years ago they had the great deals on them. I have never heard of it with Festool tracks.

The other thing is the more you get sucked into their ecosystem the more the value of many of the accessories multiply say if you use the tracks for the routers as well as the jig and plunge saws. Once you get the tracks you see how easy setting up crosscuts on a MFT is with the lift up track. At least you can set up any bench with the proper hole grid either with CNC or Peter Parfitt's UJK Parf guide system that lets you make a "perfect" grid of 20mm holes well enough to please anyone checking them with the 5 cut method.

[Andy Giddings]

Larry, have never had a need to use that big a router for plunge work so will defer to your experience. I do have the same 3 1/4 PC but its been permanently mounted in the router table. My comparison was with the mid-range plunge routers (1400 and the PC 2 1/4HP). Those two are night and day

[Larry Edgerton]

Anyone know where I can buy a TS 75 with just a 118" track? Period.

[Van Huskey]

The only way the TS 75 is available in the US at least is with the 75" rail, it might be possible to find a dealer that would switch them out, but from Festool it is just with the 75" rail, as you probably know the TS 55 is available w/o a rail.

[Larry Edgerton]

I really do not like festools business model. Its basically extortion. You can't buy what you need because we don't make enough that way. This saw rail combination is just one example. Little plastic parts that if you bought them from Kmart would be $1.00, like their plastic router adapter. Junk. But its $55 without the rods you need to make it work.

I guess if I can't find the combination I want I'll just save some money and buy the Makita. They will sell me what I want.

[Brian Holcombe]

I really do not like festools business model. Its basically extortion.

Seems a little excessive...

[mreza Salav]

Why not buy the TS75 and the 118" Makita track? The long track is good for ripping long boards/sheets but cumbersome to use otherwise; hence you'll reach for the shorter track more often.
That's what I have (TS75 and long Makita track at 1/2 price of Festool long track).

[Van Huskey]

I really do not like festools business model. Its basically extortion. You can't buy what you need because we don't make enough that way. This saw rail combination is just one example. Little plastic parts that if you bought them from Kmart would be $1.00, like their plastic router adapter. Junk. But its $55 without the rods you need to make it work.

I guess if I can't find the combination I want I'll just save some money and buy the Makita. They will sell me what I want.


I certainly get where you are coming from but in Festools defense at least they make all the bits and pieces (ie 7 different track lengths and two "holey" tracks) and if you have a local dealer, most stock a good array of bits and pieces, where most local Bosch/Dewalt/Makita/Milwaukee dealers rarely carry all the little bits. If I need a jigsaw zero clearance insert for Bosch or a friction strip for a Dewalt track I am waiting on the UPS guy days later but unless it is after hours I can get the Festool bits today. In both those cases I would actually have to pay MORE than the Festool versions and likely shipping on top of that, for a hobby guy like me it is just a nuisance for a pro it could be a much bigger issue.

As for the guide stops the one for the OF 1400 is priced about the same as a Dewalt or Bosch and the rods come with the router. The OF 2200 is a different kettle of fish and ends up about twice as expensive ala cart BUT they want to "extort" you into buying the accessory kit which if you need most or all the parts you get a much better deal and a Systainer to haul them in as a "bonus". BTW welcome to Festool in North America in Europe and the UK you can buy the TS 75 sans track and SO much more. The most dreaded 5 letters in the US Festoolians vocabulary is "NAINA", not available in North America and it always seems to be associated with the tool you lust after most.

[Andy Giddings]

I really do not like festools business model. Its basically extortion. You can't buy what you need because we don't make enough that way. This saw rail combination is just one example. Little plastic parts that if you bought them from Kmart would be $1.00, like their plastic router adapter. Junk. But its $55 without the rods you need to make it work.

I guess if I can't find the combination I want I'll just save some money and buy the Makita. They will sell me what I want.

Not extortion IMHO. Good business practice - they are a bit like the Apple of the portable power tools world with a relatively closed, integrated system. Like Apple, they are gaining the same benefits. I don't see that they are chasing market share like B & D, Makita etc, its all about being a sought after brand and taking the cream of the profits.

[Larry Edgerton]

Not extortion IMHO. Good business practice - they are a bit like the Apple of the portable power tools world with a relatively closed, integrated system. Like Apple, they are gaining the same benefits. I don't see that they are chasing market share like B & D, Makita etc, its all about being a sought after brand and taking the cream of the profits.

I did not say it was a bad business model for them, I said for me. This is not a hobby for me and buying things that are unnecessary, AKA 75"track is not good for MY bottom line. And really, that is the only one I worry about.

I have no local dealer, so I am used to ordering everything. I think I am going to buy a TS 55 with the track I want. Its just a temporary solution to a back injury/small shop problem. Once I get the new building done I will be back to having enough room to use my plywood cart again. Right now my shaper is in the way, and the shaper weighs 3300#s, so its not moving. I just want this to rip sheets in half.

[Van Huskey]

Larry, I get what you are saying and especially since it is a short term solution it makes it even more frustrating. I suppose it adds to the issue that the 75" track is rather an oddball, a 55" track is really useful for crosscuts and the 118" for rips in sheet goods but really what is the 75" tracks forte? I have a feeling if I had it I would cut it down at some point and while Festool has really good resell and you could sell most any Festool bit or piece for most of retail selling a track basically limits you to the local market as shipping eats you up.

[Larry Edgerton]

The 75" track would be perfect for 5x5 plywood, standard I understand in Europe. This is not Europe. I see they finally switched to Imperial scales being an option. Every print/drawing I get is in inches,, all the material with the exception of Baltic Birch is in inches,, but they hung on to the metric scales for far too long. I find it annoying on my routers/Domino because my brain is supposed to be on my work, not converting scales. At least they addressed that.

I would switch all of my vacuums over to Festool, I don't mind the cost of the vacs, but they have the cost of the bags way too high. I'm not going to carry two vacuums all the time, one for cleanup and one for dust control, and on site I usually go through 3-4 bags a week. Too much added cost with little benefit as compared to the Fein bags, so I don't buy their vacs. I do have the little CTS for small stuff and sanding.

[mreza Salav]

Larry, I get what you are saying and especially since it is a short term solution it makes it even more frustrating. I suppose it adds to the issue that the 75" track is rather an oddball, a 55" track is really useful for crosscuts and the 118" for rips in sheet goods but really what is the 75" tracks forte? I have a feeling if I had it I would cut it down at some point and while Festool has really good resell and you could sell most any Festool bit or piece for most of retail selling a track basically limits you to the local market as shipping eats you up.

Actually, I have the 55" track with the TS75 and I wish it was longer; it 's barely enough for cross-cutting a 4x8. For TS55 it might be good but not ideal for TS75.

[Jim Becker]

Larry, the silly measurement conundrum is that the sheet goods are still in metric thickness even when they are in nominal 4'x8' sheets... :D

BTW, I never use my Festool vac for "cleanup"...it's strictly for dust/chip collection from the tools and the bags last a LONG time. I do use a small, "dumpable" Ridgid shop vac for cleanup tasks and it's really not a pain to have to carry the second unit. And if it gets knocked around a bit, it's less than $100 to replace it.

[Larry Edgerton]

Larry, the silly measurement conundrum is that the sheet goods are still in metric thickness even when they are in nominal 4'x8' sheets... :D



I think that more of it is actually the Minimum nominal standard, as thin as they can make it and still call it 3/4" :(

Baltic Birch is always metric, but they don't sell that as 3/4"

Now throw in the box stores that are big enough to have plywood{?} made to their specs to meet a price point. Its neither metric or ANSI standard. its box store standard if you will. The standards were developed so that failure rates could be calculated into product design, but the whole thing is a mess now and I don't expect that to change. The standards are being ignored in many cases.

http://www.hpva.org/sites/default/files/2012%20ANSI%20Update%20-%20Dennis%20Bradway.pdf


I have been buying Columbia prefinished Maple, it is actually 3/4", and by the lift is not so bad a price.

I can't believe that one of the companies that specializes in generic vac bags has not picked up on the festool market potential. Sometime you just have to draw a line in the sand, and their bag prices would make me change the way I do things to accommodate their rip off prices. Everyone says "Add it into the job". Well, I bid much of my work and I am not going to use that philosophy. I would be sitting and reading books a lot more if I did, things are very competitive in my market.

[Peter Kuhlman]

As to purchasing a TS75 with alternative rail length I would contact a dealer. I have purchased many items from Bob Marino - bobmarinosbesttools - and he has on occasion been able to ship alternative items. Awesome guy and highly recommended. I would call Bob or your favorite dealer and asking about changing out the rails.

[Ben Rivel]

FestoolProducts.com will also let you swap what rail comes with a track saw, or you can buy one with no rail at all and get credited the retail value of the rail towards the saw.

[Larry Edgerton]

Ok, decided today to make the 200 mile drive to a dealer to see the saws, never having actually seen one in my isolation. Well, I had called the day before and they had both. Today all they had was the 75, but the older version with the non angling splinter guard, sold the 55. Kind of wimpy cheesy for the money I thought, would definitely not want to turn one over to employees. I can just see broken plastic parts and that dumb look when you ask how the hell that got broken? What? Its broken?

Anyway I was not willing to settle for the old version of saw with the old splinter guard and in Metric, so I cam home without one. I did however buy the 118" rail for $355, which is cheaper than having a Makita shipped to my door because of the oversize charges. I checked, its straight, so now I guess I will bite the bullet and order a new style TS 75 in Imperial. There goes a grand and change.... Poof!

I was thinking on the way though that I do not have room for my Omga in the shop and keep shuffling it back and forth from the shop to the barn, so with the Festool providing options I did not have I may sell the OMGA 7000. Hate to because I know I will lose my shirt but should be able to cover the cost of the TS75. Also, I have an SSC panel router that I may be able to get along without. Its another one I shuffle back and forth. Nice machine but takes up space I do not have.

Anyway, bit the bullet......

[Charles P. Wright]

Actually, I have the 55" track with the TS75 and I wish it was longer; it 's barely enough for cross-cutting a 4x8. For TS55 it might be good but not ideal for TS75.
I have a TS75 with the 118" track and the 55" track. I bought it from the Tool Nut, and they said they aren't allowed to go smaller for the rail, but are allowed to go longer than the 75" included rail. So I paid just the difference for the 118"-75" and then got the 55" separately. I agree that the 55" is just barely enough for the TS75 and a 4' cross cut. Also, I was able to use the clamps from my Dewalt track on the Festool track, which saved some money.

[Larry Edgerton]

Went an picked up a TS75, took Meraza's advise with the 118 and 75 tracks.

So..... I am going through the steps in the manual and get to the part where you plunge it to shave the splinter guard, and WHAM! The bolt for the splinter guard was too long and the blade plunged into the treads on the inside. Ruined the blade, bent the splinter attachments, Fine way to start a new project on a Monday! Will need a new strip on the long track as well. Took out two teeth and has one a hair wild, but still cut pretty well.

Festool is going to ship a new saw, not just parts and will let me use the one I have to knock down sheets until it comes in. Hurt my back recently and did not want to wrestle full sheets, that is why I bought the saw. Used the tracks with the router today, its all right, but I think I may keep my panel router.

[mreza Salav]

Too bad about that but at least Festool stands behind their product (and they should for the money they charge).

[Larry Edgerton]

Do all of these saws make a growly noise when they cut? Both the new one and the old one do, so I figure it is the nature of the beast, but it sure does not sound good to me.

[peter gagliardi]

Yes, they do. Sounds terrible for an expensive machine. It apparently is the electronic speed or load control pulsing if i understood the guy who explained it to me. Was ready to ditch it, but i figured i would run it for the 3 year warranty and see if it develops into something more. It hasn't. The TS 55 is definitely underpowered, which doesnt help. Great on 3/4 ply, 8/4 hardwood, not so much.

[Brian Holcombe]

I don't find that to be the case, I've cut as heavy as the saw would cut in walnut, maple, oak, ect. It's not underpowered so long as you're using the correct blade.

[Andy Giddings]

I don't find that to be the case, I've cut as heavy as the saw would cut in walnut, maple, oak, ect. It's not underpowered so long as you're using the correct blade.
+1 not had any issues on a TS 55

[mreza Salav]

I had TS55 and found it would bog down for cutting 8/4 maple or things similar, good for sheet goods and 4/4 only IMO. Now I have TS75 and it's much better.

[Larry Edgerton]

I had TS55 and found it would bog down for cutting 8/4 maple or things similar, good for sheet goods and 4/4 only IMO. Now I have TS75 and it's much better.

Only dislike other than that godawful noise in that it reads depth off the track. Its a track saw, I will probably never use it off of the track. Should come with a reversible or double pointer for either application.

I listened to what you had to say and went right for the big dog.

[mreza Salav]

I was surprised by the grinding noise as well but got used to it. To get the depth of cut, I put it on the track, press down until the blades hits the surface, then read the depth of cut indicator, then adjust based on the thickness of material I have e.g. add 3/4" or whatever plus a little bit more to clear the bottom of the stock.
One thing to note is that there might be a very slight adjustment needed for the ride on the track if you switch between Festool and Makita tracks (to get the correct tightness of the ride).

[mark mcfarlane]

Only dislike other than that godawful noise in that it reads depth off the track. Its a track saw, I will probably never use it off of the track. Should come with a reversible or double pointer for either application...

I don't notice the noise, but the depth scale not being calibrated to the track thickness is annoying. It has caught me more than once, but eventually I'll remember to always add the 6mm for the track thickness.

[Ruperto Mendiones]

Classified ads Festool owners group

[Brian Holcombe]

Not accounting for the track is pretty annoying, but I do not use the gauge in any case, just set depth to the material and cut.