How do Festool cut so cleanly?

[Anonymous]

This is something I have wondered about for over a year, particulalry the TS55.

A little long but well worth reading if you want your circular saw to cut better

Last year I was given a Festool jigsaw blade to try out and to be honest, using this blade in my cheapish jigsaw transformed it completely. The difference was astounding, on a par with changing from a standard bandsaw blade to a Dure Edge :shock:


Well, I made a zero clearance insert for my cheapo circular saw as shown here and it worked very well with a Trend blade to replace the rubbish that came with the saw. Since then, I have been pleased with the saw's performance but felt it could be a little better.

I have looked very closely at the TS55 a few times and played with it and apart from the guide rail, there is a small zero clearance piece on the other side of the blade. Now, I cannot even consider a Festool saw as the advantages it offer are really for the full-time pro IMO and I cannot justify or afford one.

Combined, the rail and small piece of plastic provide no more support to the wood than I have with my zero clearance mod, so it must be the blade thinks I :-k

I got a Festool TS55 blade (expensive :shock: ) and fitted it today, and tested it across grain on several cuts. Yep, the blade is the secret. My modified cheapo saw definitely cuts as well as the Festool I tried yesterday. No doubt at all. And no breakout top or bottom (so far - half a dozen test cuts taken).

IMO, a zero clearance base and a Festool blade give £400 performance for very little outlay :wink: :lol: 8)

 

[engineer one]

i think you may be right about the festo blades, but i found the cmt ones worked really well for my dw 744.

paul :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Expected more interest in this.
Maybe I'm the only one unable to justify Festool prices :lol:

 

[Alf]

Not sure I can even justify the price of the Festool blade... :roll: :lol:

 

[Philly]

Interesting, Tony. So the combination of Festool blade and the zero clearance insert gives a perfect cut?
What is the particular geometry of the blade? Anything different from the usual general purpose blade?
Cheers
Philly

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting, Tony. So the combination of Festool blade and the zero clearance insert gives a perfect cut?
What is the particular geometry of the blade? Anything different from the usual general purpose blade?
Cheers
Philly

Only things I noticed were the exceptionally clean and fine grinding on the teeth (the high quality is obvious to the eye) and that there are 48 of them on a 160mm blade :shock:

Will post a couple of photos of the reults of cuts with trend and Festool blades later

 

[RogerS]

Expected more interest in this.

Original post late last night and you're chasing us already?

Seriously, interesting observations...but you are perhaps in a more fortunate position than many of us ..with access to someone who can mill up zero-insert plates, router table inserts ( :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: )

One benefit perhaps overlooked regarding the festool guide rails is that lovely bit of rubber which means that I've never, ever had to clamp the rail down when cutting. You may have seen my post re the Trend guide slipping and sliding all over melamine faced boards. Not a problem with the Festool. Using the guides is just SO EASY and FAST.

Just thought of another plus. Two of the rooms in my flat are seriously non-square (one wall is about 30 degree angle). Laying oak floor boards meant a triangular section. I could have faffed around with a circular saw and straight edge for ever and a day..and the results probably wouldn't have been that brilliant ...ie you would see the slight change in angles of the cuts most likely where they butted up to the main square section of the rest of the room. With the Festool all I needed to do was lay the floorboards down on top of the butt line, draw a cutline in pencil. Dismantle the boards, lay them ontop of the sacrifical cutting board. Nudge the boards so that angled straight line went back into place, lay down the guide rail and cut in one go. Total time 5 minutes. Result - perfect angled butt joint.

 

[soapy]

Hi Tony, I've no experience of the Festool, but when I went from a B&D to Makita I was amazed at the difference. I think a lot of the improvement was down to the blades, with the Makita being so much thinner.

 

[Anonymous]

more fortunate position than many of us ..with access to someone who can mill up zero-insert plates, router table inserts

No mate, done in the garage using normal woodworking tools :wink: In fact, I need to make a new zero clearance plate as the Festool blade has a thinner kerf than the Trend did :roll:

Some photos

Top of the 3/4" ply I did test cut on - I think you'll agree, the results are well worth the small outlay :wink:

Bottom of test piece

 

[MikeW]

...One benefit perhaps overlooked regarding the festool guide rails is that lovely bit of rubber which means that I've never, ever had to clamp the rail down when cutting. You may have seen my post re the Trend guide slipping and sliding all over melamine faced boards. Not a problem with the Festool. Using the guides is just SO EASY and FAST.
...

Hi Roger,

An option for roll-your-own guides which don't slip easily is the high friction tape LV sells. I haven't tried it in this application, but I suspect it would work.

Tony--I thought enough of your idea [as well the earlier zero clearance insert] that I have pointed someone to both threads.

I should have also mentioned directly here that I especially like the zero clearance idea. I never would have thought of doing that.

As for the blades, they are great. I've also switched form buying the Bosch jig saw blades to the Festool. Last longer, I can cut 3" material with the long ones and they don't deflect hardly at all.

Take care, and thanks!

Mike

 

[tim]

Tony

Out of interest - what did you pay for the blade?

Cheers

Tim

 

[Jake]

Got any closer pictures, Tony?

The top looks a bit rough to me (not that I have a TS55).

 

[Scrit]

An option for roll-your-own guides which don't slip easily is the high friction tape LV sells. I haven't tried it in this application, but I suspect it would work.

Alternatively find an industrial plastics supplier who does UHMW (ultra high mollecular weight) plastic (also known as HDPE = high density polyethylene) and ask for a 500 grade or higher density (350 and below are too soft). This stuff is available in sheets or sometimes in strip form as thin as 0.6mm (never seen it thinner, but then). Needs double sided tape to attach it to anything - carpet tape is good.

As for the blades, they are great. I've also switched form buying the Bosch jig saw blades to the Festool. Last longer, I can cut 3" material with the long ones and they don't deflect hardly at all.

Neither do the Lennox blades made in America. Can be a bit awkward to get here, though.

Scrit

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Neither do the Lennox blades made in America. Can be a bit awkward to get here, though.

Protrade sell them and, luckily, I have four branches within half-an-hour of me.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Jake]

An option for roll-your-own guides which don't slip easily is the high friction tape LV sells. I haven't tried it in this application, but I suspect it would work.

Alternatively find an industrial plastics supplier who does UHMW (ultra high mollecular weight) plastic (also known as HDPE = high density polyethylene) and ask for a 500 grade or higher density (350 and below are too soft). This stuff is available in sheets or sometimes in strip form as thin as 0.6mm (never seen it thinner, but then). Needs double sided tape to attach it to anything - carpet tape is good.

Or Festool sell theirs as spares, at a Festool price.

 

[Nick W]

Does anyone have experience of the Mafell KSP40F?

Then guide rail looks a deal more portable than the Festool equivalent.

 

[Anonymous]

Tim

Ouch, you would ask. £40 :shock: But I am happy I went for it.

Jake
These are the closest I could take as it wouldn't focus any nearer even though it was on macro setting. Camera is about 8cm away for these and breakout = zero :wink:

 

[engineer one]

i have the mafell with the guide rail that you roll up, that works well, and is useful in the field as it were. also it too cuts 40 mm worktops, good cut too.

when you have a hatchback not a van, it makes for space saving site worktools.

paul :wink:

 

[Jake]

Jake
These are the closest I could take as it wouldn't focus any nearer even though it was on macro setting. Camera is about 8cm away for these and breakout = zero :wink:

Fair enough! Odd, I must just be interpreting the pictures in the wrong way, but the first (top?) still doesn't look to me as clean as the second (bottom?), which does look very clean.

 

[Anonymous]

Jake
These are the closest I could take as it wouldn't focus any nearer even though it was on macro setting. Camera is about 8cm away for these and breakout = zero :wink:

Fair enough! Odd, I must just be interpreting the pictures in the wrong way, but the first (top?) still doesn't look to me as clean as the second (bottom?), which does look very clean.

I think it is because the veneers on top and bottom of the ply are different woods. The actual cut is very neat, exhibiting no breakout and needs no cleaning up.