The Germans must be reading Bill's plans

[jswingchun]

With the EZ system you can buy a lot of extras to make yourself a table with repeaters for consistent sizing. It was designed with kitchen cabinet makers in mind, and they have to make a lot of parts that match, like cabinet doors and such. The guide rails on the EZ system are just the beginning of what his system does. It also handles routers.

I think if I was starting out and didn't have a table saw, I would consider a full blown EZ system. I still might consider it now and lose my table saw.

The bevel edge cutting is the only weakness I have been able to find in the system. It's not as simple as what the Festool is supposed to do.

Of course, the EZ guy says that the Festool bevels don't exactly work as advertised, but it's in his financial interest to say that.

I don't have the EZ stuff yet, so all of what I have added to this is from things I have read, not things I have experienced first hand.

Dino (the owner of EZ) seems like a good guy though. I caught a pricing error on his website and he gave me a $100 credit for catching it. My order shipment has been delayed, so he bumped me up to the next higher package.

The regulars on his forum are a lot like the regulars on this forum. Dedicated true believers. Dino is to EZ as Bill is to BFM Design. The only difference is where Bill is very direct and to the point in his posts, Dino rambles on and is sometimes difficult to understand. Greek is his first language and sometimes his English is messy.

[Steve Regier]

The bevel cuts work EXACTLY as advertised in the Festool. The other elements of the the Festool system that make quality cutting easy go beyond the rail. High quality bearings for instance. There is no blade drift in the Festool. High power and speed control allow for precise control without burning in different media. The plunge feature is invaluable for cab building. The tilt/bevel system pivots ON THE CUT LINE. No guesswork. The dust management system is excellent. I'm a big DIY'er and hate spending money on things I can build myself. For me, however, sometimes you just gotta' get the goods. I have been working in dimensional cherry wood lately building some SLA's. I got a big chunk of wood at a discount and easily squared and sized it with the Festool. My carpenter cousin bought one and now to get it away from him you would have to pry it from his cold dead fingers (mine too).

[chaywood]

Yes !..... You can mate a Festool Plunge Saw with an EZ Smart....

Here's what you get...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUhcolHMDM4

CH

[Steve Regier]

Yes !..... You can mate a Festool Plunge Saw with an EZ Smart....

Here's what you get...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUhcolHMDM4

CH

OK, great. It looks like it does the same task as the Festool worktable. Does it also have the mitre T-square and other integrations that the Festool table provides?
When I was a line mechanic all I heard when the tool guys came arround was "its just like the Snap-On but cheaper". Sometimes that was the case but I own a lot of Snap-On tools for good reason. Bottom line buy what you want but I'll be staying in the Festool product line.

[jswingchun]

OK, great. It looks like it does the same task as the Festool worktable. Does it also have the mitre T-square and other integrations that the Festool table provides?

Not sure about the protractor style angle square that FT has, but there is a right angle square. New square it to be released soon, will have to see if it is protractor style like the Festool.

EZ also has a router attachment for the guide rail, I haven't seen that for FT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRjMt9ZLMr0

The EZ B300 bridge that allows you to raise and lower your guide rail while keeping it square to your table looks way better than the FT worktable's approach which seems pretty flimsy. This video has a good view and explanation of the bridge about half way thru.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBvxhvVJ ... re=related

EZ system has repeaters for making same size panels without remeasuring and plenty of other cool items.

It does look like the FT bevel cutting is way better than the EZ, at least until Dino can get a tool manufacturer to build a saw specifically for his system.

I'm not sayin' EZ is better than FT, just that nobody should write it off cuz it's not as expensive as FT. More expensive does not always equal better.

[Steve Regier]

Point taken. I would say that more expensive does not ALWAYS mean better but I believe that in this case it does. There is a big difference between a $200 Ryobi table saw and a $2000 Delta table saw. I was headed towards the Delta when I found the Festool system. For me the Festool IS a bargin. For the same $2000 I can get a system that does mill quality panel cutting, routing, jig saw, circle cutter, complex work table with dust and power management that is portable and integrates perfectly. It isn't cheap but it is excellent value. I can have an entire professional cabinet shop at a fraction of traditional pro tool cost.

[jswingchun]

Point taken. I would say that more expensive does not ALWAYS mean better but I believe that in this case it does. There is a big difference between a $200 Ryobi table saw and a $2000 Delta table saw. I was headed towards the Delta when I found the Festool system. For me the Festool IS a bargin. For the same $2000 I can get a system that does mill quality panel cutting, routing, jig saw, circle cutter, complex work table with dust and power management that is portable and integrates perfectly. It isn't cheap but it is excellent value. I can have an entire professional cabinet shop at a fraction of traditional pro tool cost.

I'm with ya. Both systems have their pluses and minuses, but either will get the job done. I like the expandability of both systems. The one thing you didn't even mention was safety. Much safer to move the cutting tool over the captured lumber than to move the lumber into the cutting tool like you do on a table saw. I'm hoping I like this system enough and can adapt enough myself to it enough to get rid of my table saw for the sake of safety and shop floor space.

One guy on the EZ forum built his table to fit a cable lift system. He can attach his power drill to the system and lift his entire table up to the ceiling. Try that with a table saw. Looks like he is even using a Festool vacuum.

It's on page two of this thread:
http://tracksawforum.com/showthread.php?t=750&page=2

[Steve Regier]

Yep, safety is a big plus.

[coolhandjjl]

Status update!This Monday I collected the guide rail for my Makita SP6000 and resumed work on two DR250-s. I can attest that this is the bee's knees!

Just stumbled upon this thread. My table saw sucks, so I remember hearing about the Festool. Is the Makita the same?

[Steve Regier]

The Makita looks to be a direct copy. My money is still on the Festool system.

[subharmonic]

Eureka has a sale on until Halloween. $50 off track saw kits. I think I am sold on a Maki or Fes though.

[Steve Regier]

I just through my B&D jig saw in the trash. It has butchered it's last piece of bb! I through down $310.00 for the Festool jig saw and some accessories like the circle cutter. Once again worth every penny. From the non marking foot to the different stroke types and yes the same bevel cuts and rail system not to mention NO MORE SAW BLADE BEND AND DRIFT! Festool is more than a rail guide system. It is a top quality tool system. Next up, the plunge router.

[Radian]

Like once somebody finds out you own a pick-up truck....Everyone will start crawling out the woods asking you to borrow the darn thing.

[subharmonic]

So my brother in law just gave me his old tablesaw, in turn I gave my other brother in law my tablesaw. Both craftsman 10" models. I thought it was an upgrade, besides a wider rip capability I am not impressed. Basically I lost a LOT of space in my single stall garage, winter is coming (in fact we already had a blizzard) and I want to finish my T-60 while the glue will still cure. But hey free is free.

I have been looking at these track saws for a couple weeks now. I am leaning towards the Maki or Festool. The EZ system doesn't have the angle cuts EZ enough IMHO, since Tubas and Titans require a lot of them seems like a waste of time.

So IS the Festool worth the $130 or more than the Makita? Does anyone know if the slick Festool Irwin type clamps work on the Makita track?

[ewetho]

Not certain the Festool is worth the extra per say but you will not regret having that saw. It is freaking beautiful to work with. Nice thing is that their stuff all works together and IT JUST WORKS!!!

Then you will want the Jig Saw and and ............

BaronVonSteve just cut a perfect (ecept pilot hole he used) 7 1/8 auto tuba driver cut out in an honest 10 seconds once he started. Unbelievable compared to what we have bee trying to play with.