Your kind advice required for a track circular saw and more!
Oct 10, 2021 8:01:11 GMT -5
aas and alvychippy like this
Post by surfjungle on Oct 10, 2021 8:01:11 GMT -5
Firstly, thank you for clicking. Kindly note that I've done a lot of research and am not not posting this completely ignorant of the many useful forum posts either here or on your counterpart's at Festool. That said, the market has changed a bit, new products have come out and this single post helps me to consolidate advice which people who are clearly in-the-know.
Background
Woodwork and related pursuits are something that I'm trying, well, to pursue more. My uncle was a carpenter and I've always enjoyed DIY from the time I could lift a hammer. Woodwork in secondary school was one of my most enjoyable and rewarding subjects. While I don't yet have a proper shed / shop and must make do with portable set ups, I hope to have one some years down the line as I save the money to build one. Over the past several years, I've been collecting quality hand and power tools that I'll expect to have for a very long time. I live in a 1960's house in the suburbs of a city. Now I'm looking for a portable circular saw, portable bench (multi-function table / MFT) and a vice to help me with many DIY projects.
Constraints
Currently, I'm in a lucky position that I can afford any Mafell / Festool circular saw up to the 85mm / 75mm depth of cut models and some related accessories. I do not believe I would be better served by a mitre saw. Moreover, I cannot afford a proper mitre saw with all of the trimmings and not just in terms of cost but also the space it takes up and the understandable yet unwieldly weight. Whatever I get in terms of a saw, MFT and vice must each be portable and have a small footprint relative to the item. The saw must fit into a Systainer or similar (I don't mind if it's a big box), the bench must fold down and the vice must be attachable / detachable to the MFT.
Here in Ireland, the cost of proper power tools is astronomical. I refused to spend ~€1450 on a saw I can get from a reputable website for ~€1150. As an aside, it may not be because our dealers are greedy, just that most power tools come from the UK and that coupled with our dealers not having the pull to do deals directly with companies like Mafell and Festool result in much higher consumer prices. Therefore, I choose only to consider such reputable websites that only those that ship to EU countries. I won't be purchasing anything from the US or elsewhere though I absolutely would consider purchasing from the UK despite the British Exit from the EU. For example, I have had successful dealings with Axminster.co.uk. Also, as I live in Ireland, we don't have the EU plug so that's another reason to buy via the UK providing costs are similar.
General Context
The following should give you an idea of nature of the upcoming work and what I expect to use this saw and set up for:
Upcoming Projects
To give additional context, for the remainder of the year, here are some items I will be working on:
Future projects include
Hard Requirements
I'm rather immovable on the following requirements for the saw:
Finally
I have some ideas about this but rather than queer the pitch here, I won't yet state where I stand in order to give you the opportunity to advise. While I've done a tonne of research (many hours), assume I know nothing which isn't too far from the truth since I've never used circular saws / track saws before. My research is purely academic and as we all know, the map is not the territory.
Feel free to ask questions / advise as you see fit providing you give me some good rationale / your applicable experience. Also, feel free to educate and disabuse me on any topic above which you may consider as a flawed assumption. At the risk of sounding cheeky on this Mafell forum, Festool is always an option too and if you think I would be better served by their saws, please say so. I try to keep an open mind. Typically, I'm not a myopic fanboy who cannot see the wood from the trees. For me, I would like to buy the best tool for the job within the above constraints / requirements.
Thank you kindly for your time.
Background
Woodwork and related pursuits are something that I'm trying, well, to pursue more. My uncle was a carpenter and I've always enjoyed DIY from the time I could lift a hammer. Woodwork in secondary school was one of my most enjoyable and rewarding subjects. While I don't yet have a proper shed / shop and must make do with portable set ups, I hope to have one some years down the line as I save the money to build one. Over the past several years, I've been collecting quality hand and power tools that I'll expect to have for a very long time. I live in a 1960's house in the suburbs of a city. Now I'm looking for a portable circular saw, portable bench (multi-function table / MFT) and a vice to help me with many DIY projects.
Constraints
Currently, I'm in a lucky position that I can afford any Mafell / Festool circular saw up to the 85mm / 75mm depth of cut models and some related accessories. I do not believe I would be better served by a mitre saw. Moreover, I cannot afford a proper mitre saw with all of the trimmings and not just in terms of cost but also the space it takes up and the understandable yet unwieldly weight. Whatever I get in terms of a saw, MFT and vice must each be portable and have a small footprint relative to the item. The saw must fit into a Systainer or similar (I don't mind if it's a big box), the bench must fold down and the vice must be attachable / detachable to the MFT.
Here in Ireland, the cost of proper power tools is astronomical. I refused to spend ~€1450 on a saw I can get from a reputable website for ~€1150. As an aside, it may not be because our dealers are greedy, just that most power tools come from the UK and that coupled with our dealers not having the pull to do deals directly with companies like Mafell and Festool result in much higher consumer prices. Therefore, I choose only to consider such reputable websites that only those that ship to EU countries. I won't be purchasing anything from the US or elsewhere though I absolutely would consider purchasing from the UK despite the British Exit from the EU. For example, I have had successful dealings with Axminster.co.uk. Also, as I live in Ireland, we don't have the EU plug so that's another reason to buy via the UK providing costs are similar.
General Context
The following should give you an idea of nature of the upcoming work and what I expect to use this saw and set up for:
- The majority of my work is on the small to medium side as regards the depth of cut
- I envision more cross cuts than rip cuts but need the ability for both
- The saw will be used on a variety of work including solid wood, bonded wood (plywood etc)
- I may have the opportunity to use the saw on hardwoods but not fixed plans
- While many saws have a plunge ability which may come in handy, I have no plans to use such a feature
- I doubt I will be using it for plastics / aluminium
- I wish the saw to be cordless as I find it hard to justify a corded product given there is nothing too taxing here
- I fully expect to purchase Festool cordless power tools. Buying a Festool saw compliments such plans. As Mafell are part of the Cordless Alliance System (CAS), I might be in a position to purchase some cordless Metabo power tools too. While I don't want to support many differing cordless platforms in future, I can live with having several disparate systems
Upcoming Projects
To give additional context, for the remainder of the year, here are some items I will be working on:
- Making and fitting a pine based closet
- Installing pine skirting
- Flooring the attic with plywood
- Creating pine frames to hang carpets / tapestries
Future projects include
- Creating a cedar based door for side of the house
Hard Requirements
I'm rather immovable on the following requirements for the saw:
- Be extremely accurate for all supported cuts
- Allow for mitres, bevels and both together
- Work extremely reliably on and off rails / tracks so as to work with the MFT as well as make long cuts
- Be reasonably light
Finally
I have some ideas about this but rather than queer the pitch here, I won't yet state where I stand in order to give you the opportunity to advise. While I've done a tonne of research (many hours), assume I know nothing which isn't too far from the truth since I've never used circular saws / track saws before. My research is purely academic and as we all know, the map is not the territory.
Feel free to ask questions / advise as you see fit providing you give me some good rationale / your applicable experience. Also, feel free to educate and disabuse me on any topic above which you may consider as a flawed assumption. At the risk of sounding cheeky on this Mafell forum, Festool is always an option too and if you think I would be better served by their saws, please say so. I try to keep an open mind. Typically, I'm not a myopic fanboy who cannot see the wood from the trees. For me, I would like to buy the best tool for the job within the above constraints / requirements.
Thank you kindly for your time.