On 1/27/2012 8:08 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:27:56 -0600, Leonlcb11211@swbelldotnet
wrote:

On 1/26/2012 4:10 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:13:53 -0600, wrote:

On 1/25/2012 8:45 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:

g You and Swingy planted that damned plunge saw idea in my head and
I still haven't gotten it out. I'll be going with the Makita
SP6000K1, though. Some day, when the money starts flowing again this
year...

Meh ...

Plunge cuts deluxe: scroll right from this picture to see how it's done,
with the best tool for the job:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113554...88839479418594

Hmmm...A $550 saw to cut a hole in a chicken coop? Irony abounds.
Oh, excuse me. A coup de poulet, er, poulailler.

What does the EQ 55 have that the SP6000K1 doesn't? I mean, besides
the fluorescent green plastic?

--
Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act,
the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.
-- George Lois

Ok, getting serious here, something to consider.

All things being equal, consider the tracks lengths.

The Makita comes with a 55" track and apparently the only other track
that is available is a 118" track. That track is going to cost you at
least $175 plus shipping. In reality you "can" use the 55" track to

An additional 55" track and connectors will run $130, incl. s/h.

Doh! ;~) That would make sense. But remember for ease of use you want
the saw to be clear of the sheet on both ends of the panel. 110" -96"
=14"/2 = 7" for the base of the saw. And if you rip a sheet diagonally
you need more length.





cross cut a sheet of plywood but you do have to pay close attention to
track overhang on both sides. If you don't have enough track over hang
to begin with you have to start with a partial plunge cut and saw will
tend to want to push backwards. Festool provides a stop for the track
behind the saw to prevent any backwards movement during a plunge cut.
If you have plenty of over hang to start with you will not have enough
to guide the saw straight all the way through the cut on the far end
with either brand.

How much of a problem is it to stop the saw in mid-cut, shift the
guide, and start up again? Doesn't the guide practically guarantee a
clean cut?

Takes 3 times longer and you are not going to get it placed perfectly,
the line will not be perfectly straight and you will likely have a
start/stop point. Remember you really cannot slide these tracks, you
have to pick them up and place them.






Basically you want the saw base to be in full contact with the track at
the beginning and end of the cut with the blade not touching the wood.
With a combined total of 7" of the track overhanging on both ends the
saw base is not going to be in full contact with the track either at the
beginning or end of the cut or both. The alternative is to use the
optional 118", track with a minimum of 35" of track hanging over on both
ends. Where are you going to store a 10 foot track?

UGH!


It is likely the
track will bow up in the middle and you really do want the track to lay
flat to gain full advantage of its ability to grip and stay where you
put it before you set the saw on it. And you will be setting the saw on
the part of the track that is hanging over the edge of the work, further
increasing the chance of the track moving on the other end. So a track
can be too long too. AND if you are cutting Baltic birch plywood the
55" simply is not going to work at all, the 118" track will be mandatory.

Or the pair of 55s.

Yeah



Not saying your choice here is a bad one at all, the Festool has the
same basic problem however Festool has a solution. Festool tracks can
be attached to each other and are available in numerous lengths up to
just over 16' down to 32". I have a 55" and a 75" track. When working
with full sheets of plywood I never use anything shorter than the 75"
track and when ripping full length I use the 75" and 55" together. I
mostly use the 55" for small panels and to lengthen the 75" track.

Having said that if you happen to put Festool back into the realm of
possible choices do not rule out the TS75 track saw, there is not as
much price difference as you might think.

What are the advantages of the larger saw? Has your TS55 every bogged
down in a cut?

Never has bogged down although Keith has the TS55 and is not happy with
the power.






The price difference between the TS55 and the TS75 is $130. $525. vs
$655. The TS55 comes with the 55" track, the TS75 comes with the 75"
track. Seriously if you intend to get as much use out of these saws as
they are capable of you are going to need to buy an extra track so that
you can at least rip a sheet of plywood and or an 8' board, even with
the Makita.
So, if you buy the TS55 you will need to add a 75" track at $175.
If you buy a TS75 you will need to buy a 55" track at $98.

Considering that the TS55 and two tracks will cost you $700 and the TS75
and two tracks will cost you $753. Now the difference in price is only
$53 vs. $130. To combine two tracks you will need a pair of attachment
rails for about $30.

Ain't -that- a ripoff? They look like pieces of 1/4" bar stock.

Yeah I agree with that one but it cost me that much to hunt down the
material, cut it, and thread 8 screws into it.





Granted the approximate price of the Makita with the 55" and the 118"
track will only be $567 vs $700. or $53 more for the larger saw but with
the Festool you have tracks that are both easy to store and or
transport. If you are toing to a job site you are going to be hauling a
55" and 75" track vs a 118" track. With either brand you want to be
careful with the tracks, you really do not want to bend or bow one and
the shorter they are the less likely this will happen.

FYI, I believe the Festool can ride a Makita track and both use the
same connector. Look at the ends of the compared tracks in this
article.
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/to...lunge-cut_saws

No doubt, IIRC Dewalt scaled thir saw the same as Festool also.






Just something to consider if you plan to use the saw and both tracks
very much. And something else to consider, you will use this saw much
more than you might think so ease of storage and transport of the tracks
to a different location is going to become important.

I hear that. I'd build a lightweight carrier for them. I've already
lost one half of the 8' guide I had for cutting ply to the back of my
truck tool storage area.sigh Luckily, I got 30+ years out of it.
That's $2.50/yr.


These saws are great for putting a straight glue line edge on an 8'~9'
S2S board with the 55" and 75" tracks and or the 118" Makita track.
And that happens much faster than on the jointer. One pass, not several.

Ayup. That's the kind of data I'm after, and which has finally sold
me on the track saw. Thanks for the detailed info.

Keep in mind that if you have to move the track in the middle of a cut
you probably will not get a perfectly straight line from one end of the
cut to the other.




--
Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act,
the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.
-- George Lois