Makita or Festool Plunge Saw

[Petey83]

Hi All.

Aware this has been done to death but not quite found the answers i am looking for.

I am looking to take the "plunge" into the world of track plunge saws. I am a weekend hobby user who is limited to garden working which means dragging all the kit out the cupboard and setting up before I can think about doing any actual work :evil: Any time i can save setting up cuts is more time i have actually making an end product.

I am very much at the amateur level right now but want to invest in a tool that will see me through the years to come. I am torn between the Makita Sp6000 and the Festool TS55. I have no particular brand loyalty as my current kit consists of Makita, Bosch Blue and Metabo.

The price difference between the Makita and Festool with FFX is about £70 and after all the review i have read and all the you tube videos i have watched i am still unsure of which direction to go and if the festool is really worth the extra £70 for a non pro user or if its all just a Festool fan club thing :?:

Planning on pulling the trigger on one or the other in the next day or so, so any advice or views greatly welcomed.

cheers
Pete

 

[dejaa]

Hi
well this is a no brainer as they say. Festool every time. Quality unsurpassed and yes they are worth extra money. Also will retain their value longer so if you ever decide to sell in years to come you will always find buyers.
nothing against Makita "per sa" i have several makita tools, just Festool better.
but like Rolex watches never discounted (more than 5%)
David

 

[Mark A]

Hi Pete,

In terms of performance there's no discernible difference between the two. The build quality of the Festool is arguably better, though personally I don't think there's much between them.

What sways most people who go down the Festool route is the notion of buying into a system which works seamlessly with other Festool products, the extra bells and whistles which comes with the saw and the three-year warranty.

Mark


P.S. check out these people for Festool gear, the prices are very competitive.

http://www.powertool-supplies.co.uk/#/home

 

[marcros]

Rolex maybe not, but there are some Festool discounts out there. Certainly more than 5% off list price.

Around Christmas time, there is often a voucher sent out from Festool for £50 off. May be worth waiting a month- they are sent to existing customers but there is often a spare one floating around

 

[Petey83]

this was the package i was looking at for festool

http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Fest ... 0Systainer

the makita package of same spec comes in at 283 so not a devestating amount in it and seems to be the cheapest i can find anywhere on line

 

[jordec66]

It would be Festool for me, I have lost faith in Makita having had more than one of their power tools cause me problems in recent times. I have had the Festool TS 55 for some time now and really can't fault it.

 

[Woodmonkey]

I recently got a ts55 and am impressed with its quality and accuracy every time I use it. Once you've used festool it's a slippery slope mind! They really are that good.

 

[Stu_2]

Festool TS55, for sure. Apart from the usual Festool quality observations, an important consideration is that they do a Parallel Guides accessory set, which I’ve found incredibly useful. I use mine all the time. Having this package has almost made my table saw redundant.

Both parts of the accessory kit can be found here and here. I can't stress enough the usefulness of the additional narrow cut extensions.

 

[Petey83]

Thanks all fr the advice. Just pulled the trigger on the ts55 with two lengths of 1.4 track, the connector kit and a rail bag for £410 from ffx.

Easily the most I have ever spent in my life on a single power tool.... And to think I punted fo the little metabo K216m SCMS a month back as was scared of the bigger saw prices.

Untimatly I am hoping this makes it easier for me to make the step up from the basic shelving units I have been making into something more creative and complex. As much as I have loved my Makita 5407 it takes time to set up cuts which is a killer when your working on a small bit of front garden and all your kits kept under the stairs and has to be pulled out every time

 

[petermillard]

That's a good price for the two-rail kit, and the bag is surprisingly useful - I resisted one for a long time as they were so expensive compared to the price of a new rail, but wouldn't want to be without mine now. And FWIW I don't know anyone who's bought the Festool and regretted it...

So, extractor next ??

 

[Petey83]

That's a good price for the two-rail kit, and the bag is surprisingly useful - I resisted one for a long time as they were so expensive compared to the price of a new rail, but wouldn't want to be without mine now. And FWIW I don't know anyone who's bought the Festool and regretted it...

So, extractor next ??

Sadly I have neither the finds at the moment nor the space for the extractor. I work outside in the front garden so let's hope the neighbours like the look of saw dust :shock:

I can always task henry hoover for very short periods if I am going to be making a big mess. Have done with with my little Makita RT0700 to good effect.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Festool TS55, for sure. Apart from the usual Festool quality observations, an important consideration is that they do a Parallel Guides accessory set, which I’ve found incredibly useful. I use mine all the time. Having this package has almost made my table saw redundant.

Both parts of the accessory kit can be found here and here. I can't stress enough the usefulness of the additional narrow cut extensions.

Can you explain how these bits work please Stu?

 

[david123]

Wish you luck
I have the Makita plunge and rail and love it, in fact I was using it this afternoon and was thinking how glad I was to have it. I am sure the festool is as good" lots of people on here swear by them. I have in fact the Festool domino which I also rate highly,Horses for courses.

 

[Gary]

Festool TS55, for sure. Apart from the usual Festool quality observations, an important consideration is that they do a Parallel Guides accessory set, which I’ve found incredibly useful. I use mine all the time. Having this package has almost made my table saw redundant.

Both parts of the accessory kit can be found here and here. I can't stress enough the usefulness of the additional narrow cut extensions.

Can you explain how these bits work please Stu?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7D0yrZY8vU

 

[Stu_2]

Festool TS55, for sure. Apart from the usual Festool quality observations, an important consideration is that they do a Parallel Guides accessory set, which I’ve found incredibly useful. I use mine all the time. Having this package has almost made my table saw redundant.

Both parts of the accessory kit can be found here and here. I can't stress enough the usefulness of the additional narrow cut extensions.

Can you explain how these bits work please Stu?

Apologies for the delayed response. The YouTube link Gary posted is the one I would have used, as the guy in the video demo's them well.

Cheers
Stu

 

[david123]

Out of interest, will that guide work with the Makita guide rail? Anybody used it?

 

[RogerM]

Thanks all fr the advice. Just pulled the trigger on the ts55 with two lengths of 1.4 track, the connector kit and a rail bag for £410 from ffx.

Easily the most I have ever spent in my life on a single power tool.... And to think I punted fo the little metabo K216m SCMS a month back as was scared of the bigger saw prices.

Ultimatly I am hoping this makes it easier for me to make the step up from the basic shelving units I have been making into something more creative and complex. As much as I have loved my Makita 5407 it takes time to set up cuts which is a killer when your working on a small bit of front garden and all your kits kept under the stairs and has to be pulled out every time

Well done Pete - you know it makes sense! I've never regretted buying mine. I would suggest that you get a couple of rail clamps to secure the rails to the work piece though rather than just relying on the "grippy stuff" on the rail. No need to go for Festool ones though - the Makita rail clamps fit just fine and will save you some beer vouchers.

 

[Petey83]

well thats going to be me another £200 out of pocket to festool after xmas.... the short cut extensions would work well for an idea i have (obviously not originally my idea as has been done before) to make some draw fronts and the top on a small bedside table out of strips of birch ply showing off the engrain layers

think i will invest in some clamps too.

would the supplied blade work for trimming the length of a pine door without any burning or am a better off getting say a 24th rip blade for that?

 

[Gary]

The supplied blade will do pine doors.

 

[RogerM]

would the supplied blade work for trimming the length of a pine door without any burning or am a better off getting say a 24th rip blade for that?

The standard supplied blade is good enough to trim oak and beech framed kitchen cabinet doors to size and leave a finish ready for light sanding before painting. Using the rail, you can trim a dead straight fraction of a mm at a pass, dead accurate every time. I love my TS55 !