That expensive Festool track saw I swore was a waste of money - turns out I was wrong

I spent $650 on a Festool TS 55 last year after my buddy kept pushing me to try it. I've been running a Skilsaw worm drive for 15 years and figured a track saw was just a fancy gadget. First week using it on a job in Portland, I had to cut 20 sheets of Baltic birch for a custom closet setup. The dust collection was so good I barely needed a mask and my cuts were dead straight without any sanding. I still grab my worm drive for rough framing but that track saw saved me about 3 hours of cleanup time on that closet alone. Has anyone else had a tool they hated at first but changed their mind after actually using it in the field?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin_kim38d ago

Close call on the dust collection claim. It’s good for sure, but it’s not at the level where you can ditch a mask entirely. I ran my TS 55 on a job with MDF and still ended up with a fine layer of dust on my arms and workbench. The hose and vac help a ton, but that mask is still coming out for me, especially with anything that kicks up fine particles.

dixon.amy8d ago

Wait, you actually got visible dust with the TS 55 hooked up to a vac? I always thought that saw was basically magic with dust collection... guess I was wrong about that.