jacko
Junior Member
Posts: 95 
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Post by jacko on Apr 29, 2015 18:13:59 GMT -5
Hello people, I new to this forum but I've been building furniture for around 40 years in my home shop. I mostly build with solid wood but when I need to work with sheet goods, I use my jointer to create a straight edge on some 3/4" plywood and clamp it to the sheets I'm cutting. Well, even though my Porter Cable 314 Trim Saw does a wonderful job with a 40 tooth carbide blade, I'm getting too old to deal with the dust/chips any longer. I have gotten into Festool with their sanders, domino joiners, jigsaw and kapex miter saw connected to my ct22 dust extractor but, I have been holding off on a track saw because I'm just not convinced that the Festool saw does that good of a job for finished work. I use a forrest plywood cutting blade on my Powermatic 66 table saw which is equipped with the Excaliber sliding table to cut the sheet goods to final size but, there is no way I'm going to try to muscle a full sheet on my table saw. Here is a picture of a desk I just finished today. It's white oak cabinets with a Brazilian Boxwood top stained to match both sections and topped off with General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Semi Gloss varnish. I joined here to see if I can get enough information to convince myself that I need a MT55 saw. Jack  |
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Post by jonathan on Apr 29, 2015 18:30:17 GMT -5
Welcome aboard jacko.
Well if you do want to get one, the MT55cc is easily the best one on the market right now, so if you dont mind the price tag its sort of a no brainer.
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jacko
Junior Member
Posts: 95
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Post by jacko on Apr 29, 2015 18:42:03 GMT -5
Speaking of the price tag, is Mafell like Fesool where there is never a sale?
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jacko
Junior Member
Posts: 95
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Post by jacko on Apr 29, 2015 19:09:51 GMT -5
I noticed the 204749 guide pocket set in the Mafell literature but, didn't see a price for it on the Timberwolf web site. Is this set available in North America and if so, how much is it?
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Post by mick on Apr 29, 2015 23:16:45 GMT -5
Hi jack nice looking desk
As far as I know there is never a sale on mafell get yourself the saw struggling with sheets is just not worth it
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Post by 7 on Apr 29, 2015 23:22:02 GMT -5
That's a great looking desk.
Yes Mafell is like Festool in that they never go on sale. They do seem to go up in price each year though...also like Festool. It sounds like you have a lot of nice shop tools, even though the only one you mentioned specifically is a sliding Powermatic table saw. I haven't met a person yet who owns a sliding table saw but no other impressive tools. The fact that you built that desk is another clue. Even though you have some amazing tools I think you would really like being able to take the light weight saw and track to the heavy work instead of the other way around.
I agree with Jonathan, if you aren't scared away by the price then you might as well get one to add to the mix. If you don't like it you could get most of your money back from selling it.
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jacko
Junior Member
Posts: 95
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Post by jacko on Apr 30, 2015 10:10:13 GMT -5
Thanks guys, In addition to my Powermatic 66 5hp table saw, I have a 8" Poitras long bed jointer, 12" Powermatic Planer with a Shelix spiral cutting head, 20" Powermatic Bandsaw, 1/2 hp Delta Shaper and a whole lot of Festool Products (except a track saw). I do own a few Skil worm drive saws in addition to my Porter cable trim saw but the Mafell looks really nice. My only hesitation is that I'm 70 years old and will probably be only building for another 15 -20 years so I want to make sure that it's worth the money for the limited times I might use the tool. Jack  |
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Post by GhostFist on Apr 30, 2015 11:55:11 GMT -5
Hi Jacko, and welcome. Personally I decided on the mt55 over the festool TS55 for a few reasons. Better dust collection due to the enclosed housing, though festool still has excellent dust collection, I wouldn't buy for this reason alone. A more powerful motor, while my track saw usage has predominantly been under the mafell brand, user comments on the TS55 struggling with certain materials made me favour mafell's offering, keep in mind that statement is not first hand experience of the TS55 giving out, it's pure hearsay. the TS55 should do just nicely with sheet goods. Ultimately what won me over was mafell's track system and how it connects. Festool is a pita in this regard.
Some negative points about mafell
While timberwolf has impeccable customer service, they are the sole distributors for mafell in all of North America. Meaning, unless you live close you're dealing with shipping when it comes to tool delivery and returns. You can't just pop down to your local shop.
Second you're paying a premium even higher than festool, while I feel the quality is worth it, it may be something to consider.
All and all I feel the mt55 is the best track saw on the market, but that is not to say that festool is not also very high quality. It's a tough decision no doubt and it probably comes down to how much you are going to use the saw.
If you already have an investment in festools tracks you might want to consider taking advantage of festools 30 day return policy to see if it cuts the mustard for you. I will say with confidence however that the mt55 frequently exceeds my expectations and I would buy it again in a heartbeat.
Hope that helps.
Even if you decide against a mafell saw please stick around to share your building knowledge and tool critiques as they are appreciated.
Matt
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Post by wrightwoodwork on Apr 30, 2015 12:36:45 GMT -5
Hi jack welcome to the forum. Pretty sound words from Matt. Doesn't sound like you intend to take it easy in the future
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jacko
Junior Member
Posts: 95
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Post by jacko on Apr 30, 2015 13:41:33 GMT -5
Thanks Guys, I have not purchased any Festool tracks and reading about connecting two of them sounds like a real PITA. I don't have room for the longer tracks in my small shop so connecting two probably will lead me to Mafell if I buy a track saw.
I have a question about ripping a 4 x 8' plywood sheet lengthwise. Would the F110 and the F160 connected together 8.8" long be sufficient to rip the 8' direction?
If I get a track saw I'll be looking at the Guide Pocket Set or Aerofix setup. I'll be hanging around here reading all of the good information that has already been posted and asking questions from time to time.
Jack
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Post by wrightwoodwork on Apr 30, 2015 14:11:54 GMT -5
Yes not a problem. I at times used only the 1600&800 and can manage at a pinch. With the 1600 and 1100 the job will be a doddle
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jacko
Junior Member
Posts: 95
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Post by jacko on Apr 30, 2015 14:20:19 GMT -5
I was just looking and the Guide Pocket Set 204749 has the F 80 and F 160 guides rails included in the set. I'm not sure that I would ever need two F 160 guide rails together. The more I read about the Aerofix system the more interested I get in that setup. I have always found clamping and reclamping to a line to be a real time waister.
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Post by GhostFist on Apr 30, 2015 14:45:50 GMT -5
Keep in mind with the aerofix you cannot use the angle attachment. Tbh I've not used my aerofix in conjunction with another track so I don't know how effective it is or isn't when extended. A worth while experiment when I get the opportunity. plus you need to operate your vac separate from your saw in order to engage track suction. I do love using the aerofix but I've been doing alot of rougher construction lately and haven't used it as much as a result
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Post by 7 on Apr 30, 2015 22:30:42 GMT -5
I haven't had any problems with the rails sliding for whatever that's worth. I don't own the aerofix system so can't say one way or the other but based on not having any issues with track movement I assume I wouldn't end up using it much.
Jacko- I agree with what Matt said, stick around whether you end up buying anything from Mafell. There is a diverse group of tool nerds on the forum- timberframing, general construction, fine woodworking, etc etc.
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Post by MrToolJunkie on Apr 30, 2015 23:53:45 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. I do not own the MT55, but it is on my list and I have and use a Festool TS75. I do not like the Festool TS55 as its motor I feel is under powered. It just does not have the umph that I look for in a saw. The TS75 is a better choice for hardwood in my opinion. I would like the smaller size of the 55, though. I too have a full shop of tools and honestly since getting a track saw and my KSS80 I have not even turned on my cabinet saw. They are plenty accurate for woodworking and cut quality is better than my stationary cabinet saw. You actually can start to work quickly with it once you think through your processes and I feel safer using it as well for many cuts. I think that once you get one you will wonder how you got along without it - at least that is what happened to me.
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