First real job with a festool tracksaw showed me what I was missing

I was using a circular saw and a straightedge for 4 years before I borrowed a buddy's TS 55 last week on a kitchen job. The cut quality difference was so huge I actually laughed out loud - has anyone else had that moment where a tool made you feel stupid for waiting so long?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_logan5d agoProlific Poster

Showed me what I was missing" - I gotta push back on this one. I used a circular saw and straightedge for over a decade before I ever touched a track saw, and I still don't get the hype. Yeah, the cuts on that TS 55 are cleaner, but I can get 95 percent of the way there with a sharp blade and a steady hand on my old Skilsaw. I've done plenty of kitchen jobs where the final edge gets hidden by trim or caulk anyway, so spending that kind of money on a track saw never made sense to me. Plus, I've watched guys spend more time setting up the track than it would take me to just cut freehand and clean up the edge with a sander. Different strokes, I guess, but I'm not feeling stupid for sticking with what works.

the_jake3d ago

Respectfully, a sharp blade and steady hand won't give you that zero chip out on veneer.