Cochese,
I bought a TS 55 REQ in November. It has dramatically changed my approach to woodworking. Super accurate cuts, and perfectly square cuts. And zero tearout using the guide rail. (For those not too familiar with the Festool track saw, it has a splinterguard, and the guide rail has a splinterguard, so you get splinter-free cuts on thew top and bottom of the cut).
I still use my BT3100, and my old radial arm saw, but the track saw has taken over for breaking down sheet goods, and also for a lot of the subsequent breakdown of the panels into finished sizes.
I may still get a SawStop some day, but I've taken a big gulp of the green Kool-Aid and have a lot more Festool purchases planned. Next up, a Domino. I did breathe new life into my BT3100 with a Forrest Woodworker II. Amazing cuts. I breezed right thru some 8/4 oak on a recent project.
Also, I found a hose that works great with it for dust collection with a Shop Vac, if you are not planning to get a Festool dust extractor right away. The Bosch VAC005 hose, about $35 from Amazon, fits perfectly. Looks like it has the same connectors as the Festool hose, but no green stripe -- it is just gray. I could not justify a Festool dust extractor yet, since I just bought a Laguna cyclone this summer. (Make that: I could not figure out how to tell my wife I needed another expensive device to suck up sawdust!)
I bought a TS 55 REQ in November. It has dramatically changed my approach to woodworking. Super accurate cuts, and perfectly square cuts. And zero tearout using the guide rail. (For those not too familiar with the Festool track saw, it has a splinterguard, and the guide rail has a splinterguard, so you get splinter-free cuts on thew top and bottom of the cut).
I still use my BT3100, and my old radial arm saw, but the track saw has taken over for breaking down sheet goods, and also for a lot of the subsequent breakdown of the panels into finished sizes.
I may still get a SawStop some day, but I've taken a big gulp of the green Kool-Aid and have a lot more Festool purchases planned. Next up, a Domino. I did breathe new life into my BT3100 with a Forrest Woodworker II. Amazing cuts. I breezed right thru some 8/4 oak on a recent project.
Also, I found a hose that works great with it for dust collection with a Shop Vac, if you are not planning to get a Festool dust extractor right away. The Bosch VAC005 hose, about $35 from Amazon, fits perfectly. Looks like it has the same connectors as the Festool hose, but no green stripe -- it is just gray. I could not justify a Festool dust extractor yet, since I just bought a Laguna cyclone this summer. (Make that: I could not figure out how to tell my wife I needed another expensive device to suck up sawdust!)
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