Festool C70 Pull Saw

[Mark18PLL]

I have been looking at this table saw and still can not get my head around why people keep mentioning the pull function. I know the TKS 80 does not have it but surely you can still do the same cuts?

What i am trying to find out is, what can you actually do with this that you could not with TSK80 for instance? I keep seeing people mention that you might not need your mitre saw if you have one of these.

Can someone enlighten me please?

Thanks

Mark

 

[TRITON]

Basically the saw blade has the ability to be pulled forward along a track underneath.

You look at a saw bench and up from about the middle the blade protrudes. That is fixed, stationary and can go up or down, or side to side for miters. Bog standard saw bench.

The pull aspect of it means at the front of the saw is a knob, and if you pull on that the entire saw on its mountings slides forward in complete opposite effect to using a sliding table, where the blade remains stationary and you push the workpiece through t. On a pull saw function it is the workpiece that remains stationary and the blade that moves.
Record power did a similar small cabinet saw with the same function but discontinued it some years back.

I suppose it is so you dont need to fit a sliding table or rail to run the sliding table on. You would i imagine find some way of clamping the timber to the main table, releasing the blade then pulling it through much like a slide miter saw.

Have you not just looked in you tube ? its demonstrated there.

Look, explains it exactly.

 

[Mark18PLL]

Basically the saw blade has the ability to be pulled forward along a track underneath.

You look at a saw bench and up from about the middle the blade protrudes. That is fixed, stationary and can go up or down, or side to side for miters. Bog standard saw bench.

The pull aspect of it means at the front of the saw is a knob, and if you pull on that the entire saw on its mountings slides forward in complete opposite effect to using a sliding table, where the blade remains stationary and you push the workpiece through t. On a pull saw function it is the workpiece that remains stationary and the blade that moves.
Record power did a similar small cabinet saw with the same function but discontinued it some years back.

I suppose it is so you dont need to fit a sliding table or rail to run the sliding table on. You would i imagine find some way of clamping the timber to the main table, releasing the blade then pulling it through much like a slide miter saw.

Have you not just looked in you tube ? its demonstrated there.

Look, explains it exactly.

Hi thanks for replying,

I understand how it actually works and i have googled and watched the videos but was trying to find out what all the fuss was for. I am still a little stuck deciding on a table saw replacement and these two are on my list.

So really its only useful for cutting pieces that are not much bigger that your actual table?

I was starting to think i was missing something.

Thanks
Mark

 

[paulrbarnard]

Hi thanks for replying,

I understand how it actually works and i have googled and watched the videos but was trying to find out what all the fuss was for. I am still a little stuck deciding on a table saw replacement and these two are on my list.

So really its only useful for cutting pieces that are not much bigger that your actual table?

I was starting to think i was missing something.

Thanks
Mark

I think it means you can cut things much bigger than your table. You can support the workpiece and clamp it stationary rather than trying to slide a long board across the blade.

 

[Doug B]

If it’s anything like the Mafell Erika pull saw which I’ve seen demonstrated it will replace not only your table saw but also your mitre saw, I’d have certainly gone down the Mafell route if the Erika had been available when I bought my table & mitre saws.

 

[Adam W.]

That's about right, it's a cross cut thing for folks who want to take just one saw on site.

 

[Jake]

Yes exactly, it's a table-saw plus an upside down mitre saw for cross-cutting (you can also add sliding table accessories for greater cross-cut capacity than any mitre saw could do).

 

[Doug B]

That's about right, it's a cross cut thing for folks who want to take just one saw on site.

It also does anything a table saw can do you don’t have to use the pull function

 

[Mark18PLL]

I am just not getting it. If you had a tsk 80 with a sliding table, would that not be the same?

 

[TRITON]

Hi thanks for replying,

I understand how it actually works and i have googled and watched the videos but was trying to find out what all the fuss was for. I am still a little stuck deciding on a table saw replacement and these two are on my list.

So really its only useful for cutting pieces that are not much bigger that your actual table?

I was starting to think i was missing something.

Thanks
Mark

Sorry
More a lightweight shopfitting or as shown floor laying type work. Not really in the heavy duty, though I expect you can put through it whatever you want to within limits of blade depth, so if board material it wouldnt be a problem, using guide supports or the like.
More designed for on site and doing away with a separate sliding miter saw.

 

[Jake]

I am just not getting it. If you had a tsk 80 with a sliding table, would that not be the same?

Almost but not quite. It could all the same cuts, but a sliding table (I have one one for my CS70) is much more cumbersome). I'd only ever use it when the length exceeds the pullsaw capacity (or frankly, pullsaw capacity x 2)

 

[Mark18PLL]

Sorry
More a lightweight shopfitting or as shown floor laying type work. Not really in the heavy duty, though I expect you can put through it whatever you want to within limits of blade depth, so if board material it wouldnt be a problem, using guide supports or the like.
More designed for on site and doing away with a separate sliding miter saw.

Thanks Triton, no need to apologise i appreciate you explaining it. The thing is i could still do a compound mitre with the TSK80 and the sliding table. I am also a little concerned with the size of blade as i cant see many aftermarket ones.

 

[Mark18PLL]

Almost but not quite. It could all the same cuts, but a sliding table (I have one one for my CS70) is much more cumbersome). I'd only ever use it when the length exceeds the pullsaw capacity (or frankly, pullsaw capacity x 2)

Thanks Jake, if you were choosing again which would you be drawn to? assuming you have had a look at the TSK.

 

[Adam W.]

It also does anything a table saw can do you don’t have to use the pull function

Yep, two saws in one is what I meant. It just didn't come out that way.

 

[Jake]

More a lightweight shopfitting or as shown floor laying type work. Not really in the heavy duty, though I expect you can put through it whatever you want to within limits of blade depth, so if board material it wouldnt be a problem, using guide supports or the like. More designed for on site and doing away with a separate sliding miter saw.

That's the design intention, but that video was the CS50 which is better for that market (and has some nice more modern touches like the tool-less blade change, switches on the pull handle, and a few others which are not on the CS70 which is a much older and I expect less well selling design).

I've done all sorts on my CS70 (albeit it is quite a lot bigger than the CS50 to the point of not being as portable as might be desirable for site use) including ripping some serious heavy lumps of timber (with outfeed table plus roller supports), like 12' x 12" of 2.5" Oak. I can't say I enjoyed it all that much and I was glad when it was over without any issue but it did the job.

 

[Jake]

Thanks Jake, if you were choosing again which would you be drawn to? assuming you have had a look at the TSK.

My CS is something like 17-18 years old now. If I was buying again for myself (in my particular circumstances, a cellar workshop with narrow stair access), I would buy it again. Not bothered by the TKS, seems a step back overall aimed at NA, I can see the sawstop makes sense for employers but happy to save my digits etc with push-sticks.

Everything being equal and open level access and a huge workshop a I'd be on some good old English cast iron patternmaker machine and with even less sense of budget I'd have a Martin or something. It's a very capable compromise for me.

 

[C64]

The pull function on my Erika table is really useful and far safer when cross-cutting, making dados or notching long and/or heavy boards. I have the sliding table but don’t use it for the above because I would have to set up a coplanar support at the far end of the board for the whole sliding travel whereas the pull function means only supporting the far end of the board in one place. Personally, I find the pull function very convenient to use. The only thing to note is that the motor tilts only one way on the Erika (and I presume on the Festool) whereas a scms head tilts both way which can get me in a muddle when cutting compound mitres on mouldings.