Not trying to gloat (much), but “Santa” brought me a new Festool plunge cut saw.
I don’t, however, have the Festool vacuum because the saw already cost waaaaaaaaay too much.
Can the Festool saw be used with a standard shop vac? Not sure what type of hose or adapter I’d need.
TF
Toolfanatic (a.k.a. The man formerly known as “Toolfreak”)
Replies
T.F.: I've had good luck with plumbing connectors for adapting vacuums to tools. 1½" rubber coupleings for sink drains, 1½" to 1¼" adaptors etc. have all found use in my shop.
I almost forgot: Enjoy your new saw!!
KDM
"... Buy the best and only cry once.........
Edited 12/25/2006 6:12 pm by dukeone
TF, Yes you can use the saw with other vacs or even no vac at all. The new dust port on the TS55/75 saw will better accomodate other brands of vacuums now too.
Before you use your new saw you may want to download the extended owner's manual. The new manual goes much deeper into the setup and operation of the saw and hopefully make your learning experience much smoother. It is not officially released yet, but you can download a preliminary copy directly from my web site.
http://waterfront-woods.home.att.net/festool/TS55EQ.pdf
Now wait a minute, if Santa brought you that nice saw, why are you worried about the cost? I hope you give him proper thanks.
I am very sorry to inform you that the Festool saw will work with no other vacuum unit than one made by Festool.
Using any other brand will cause you no end of grief and heartache. In the spirit of the season, then, I will help you avoid any unhappiness. Immediately box up the saw and send it to me. The rest of your holiday will be relieved of any possible unhappiness.
There is no need to thank me. Knowing I have helped a fellow woodworker is thanks enough.
Rich
Cute!
Well, I went to Woodcraft and spent $50 on an 11' Festool hose. I'm very happy with this decision. The rubber tip of the Festool hose really sits tight in the saw's dust port and will "mold" perfectly over my other tools' ports. Also, the 2" connector plugged right into my RIDGID vac.
I even spent another $40 and got the gizmo that let's me turn my cheapo vac into a "tool activated" vac. A little bulky and awkward, but it'll hold me until I get enough scratch for a Festool vac.
TFToolfanatic (a.k.a. The man formerly known as "Toolfreak")
Congrats. That Santa is a great guy. He stopped at our house and left me a Lie-Nielsen No. 4 Bronze Smoothing Plane and a Lie-Nielsen Dovetail Back Saw. He's a Lie-Nielsen and a Festool guy. Hmmm...could he be a Powermatic guy, or is that pushing it?
interesting screen name there threeputt. keep working at it, before you know it you'll be making birdies! now there's a game that'll empy your wallet as fast as a good tool obsession.
How much do Festool stickers cost?
My world is crashing down around me just knowing that Santa's a Festool guy,....
Just kidding - I took advantage of travelling during the Christmas holidays to look at some Festool stuff. Pretty neat,...
Not sure I could justify the cost of most of their tools. However, the plunge-cut saw is in a class all by itself. No other tool comes close in terms of accuracy, ease of use and dust collection!
TFToolfanatic (a.k.a. The man formerly known as "Toolfreak")
I saw it demoed at Woodcraft along with the guide system and table/stand. Pretty slick.
Just so I know about how much is one of these plunge saws? and do they have an 8' system to cut plywood?
Buy the way i think some of you must have gotten my gifts from santa by mistake so if you would care to just send them to my I will even pay the shipping! :)
Doug Meyer
Not sure about the prices, Doug. http://www.woodcraft.com might give you an idea.
My understanding is that the saw itself (without the vacuum) is about $430. It does include a short guide rail, long enough to cut a 4x8 sheet of plywood in half. That means I need to get a longer rail to do longer rip cuts.
They do make "clips" that allow you to connect shorter rails together to make longer cuts, but this seems half-assed to me. I'd rather have an 8' or longer rail (though they cost about $200) and sleep better knowing I'll get a perfectly straight cut.
I can't speak for every tool that Festool makes, but I sure do think that my saw was money well spent (thanks Santa!!!).
TF
Toolfanatic (a.k.a. The man formerly known as "Toolfreak")
I bought the smaller Festool saw in October to use on a stack of three corner cupboards. (The project required six identical six sided plywood panels for the three tops and bottoms.) I layed the plywood on a sheet of styrofoam, placed the rail on my marks, and cut to my final dimensions without tearout. Very impressive. I did buy two rails because one cut was a 45 degree diagonal that exceeded the capacity of one rail. The pair of rails join together with metal splines which do a good job of aligning the two rails. I have wondered whether one rail could be used for long cuts by simply sliding it along the layout line. (sounds tricky) The whole setup with extra rail, splines, accessory clamps and tax ran about $580.
The variable speed and plunge mechanism are also nice characteristics. I was able to build a temporary jig that allowed me to plunge cut a slot into the end of a bed rail. (to mount a sheet metal rail hanger) It worked really well. This experience made me wonder what other applications are possible. Any ideas out there?
The TS 55 is $430 and the TS 75 is $550. I was told that the prices are not discounted anywhere. I got the TS 75 which comes with a 55" rail. I also 2 got clamps to hold it down on the piece of wood. My first cuts were on 4/4" Bubinga about 3' long. The edges were PERFECT. I connected it to my Dewalt vacuum using duct tape on the hose. It worked.
ASK
probably shouldn't jump in but last month my mrs. gave me the festool vac ct33 for my b'day-and santa sent a ro125 sander- just got to use them today for the first time-WOW gentlemen get the vac- before use I thought almost 500 for a vac crazy-after use WOW - did also hook it up to a dewalt router plowing dadoes WOW -get to take the saw out tomorrow- can't wait
Toolpig,
Connecting two shorter rails is not "half-assed." I use the connectors in my shop and get perfectly straight cuts. In fact, I prefer connecting two short rails over buying a single 8' rail. One benefit is that I have the option of using the two shorter rails for other purposes. Also, storing an 8' rail is a bit of a challenge. Bottom line: connecting two shorter rails can be more convenient, while still giving you a perfect 8' straightline cut.
Good to know. Those 8-footers are about $200!
Thanks.
TPToolpig (a.k.a. The man formerly known as "Toolfreak" and "Toolfanatic")
Awesome!! Way to go Santa!!
Ya know, I used to give the Hilti guy a hard time about their prices........not any more and he can thank the folks from Festool for that.
Happy New Year,
-Paul
I tried my shopvac too, then took a child's sock and used heavy rubber bands to fasten it over the Festool dustport. It lets a small amout of dust out is still VERY satisfactory.
Jack Parrott
I got one too and didn't get the vacuum either. I have a vacuum which I connect to tools except the table saw with a very long hose. I use duct tape to make connections when necessary.
ASK
I’m happy for you! Someone spent a lot of money on you because Festool doesn’t make anything that is inexpensive.
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