The Kind of Track Saw Dreams are Made of…
Over forty years ago Festool developed a cutting technology that remains one of the most influential, most sophisticated and versatile cutting systems in the production industry. With those forty years experience, and despite growing competition, Festool has continued to perfect the guide rail system or track saw – a half-century old development that continues to deliver precision results unrivaled by any other cutting system.
Beginning with a design as simple as a plunge cut circular saw riding on a rail or saw guide, Festool’s track saw system has become the perfect cutting machine for crafters and production builders. With the versatility to do the work of a traditional panel saw and circular saw simultaneously, the guide rail system is capable of more than just a handful of applications and is designed to perform each one of them with unyielding precision, unrivaled smoothness of cut, and the kind of accuracy that embarrasses other tool users.
Not only can Festool’s track saw generate perfectly smooth cuts at any point on a panel, something an ordinary saw could never safely perform, the track saw can also create straight edges on rough stock, it can cross cut and bevel cut, joint boards, rip sheet goods, and etc to, essentially, blow your mind and prep your projects unlike any other cutting system.
More specifically, Festool offers two track saw systems, the TS 55 and TS 75, and a range of accessories (including a 197-inch guide rail) to spice up the system of your choice. With respect to your time, however, this article will focus only on the TS 55 system.
To begin, Festool’s 561432 TS 55 guide rail system consists of 6-1/4” plunge cut circular saw and a 55” guide rail that perfectly interact to deliver the most amazingly precise and smooth results. The circ saw itself is ergonomically lightweight offering users optimal comfort and maneuverability on the job, and with Festool’s FastFix blade system, changing saw blades is faster and simpler.
The saw also offers depth adjustments that are both accurate and simple allowing users to determine exactly how much of the blade to expose for each application, and because the saw’s plunge action is so smooth and precise, users can make exact interior cuts at any point on a panel. A spring loaded and retractable riving knife both improves user control over cuts and dramatically reduces kickback rendering this little baby amazingly smooth, precise and surprisingly simple to operate.
The system also boasts an integrated dust port designed to divert dust and debris from the operator, his projects and away from the tool itself. The mechanism can also be connected Festool’s similarly innovative and tremendously awesome tool-triggered dust collection system, one known for its uncanny ability to eliminate virtually all dust and debris from a working atmosphere. The TS 55 is also outfitted with a sophisticated electronic system offering variable speeds ranging from 2,000 – 5,200 RPM allowing users to match the right speed to every application. These electronics are also designed to maintain the saw’s speed under load and to monitor the tool’s heat and current to prevent thermal overload.
