Thread: Festool Guide rail vs. Triton

You may regret getting rid of you Triton as I don't see the guide rail doing all the Triton can??

Originally Posted by nrb

You may regret getting rid of you Triton as I don't see the guide rail doing all the Triton can??

I've been wracking my brain and I can't think of anything, PROVIDED, of course, that a suitable work surface and be utilised with the Festool. Better still, the Festool manages large sheets better than the Triton can.

I previously owned the Triton, but now I have a tablesaw and also the Festool TS55 and guide rails. When it comes to ripping sheets and plunge cutting say a kitchen sink cutout, the Fest has no equal. However to do repeatable cuts of the same size and also square cuts accurately with the Fest you will need to purchase some accessories to fit on the guide rail. Cross cutting on the Triton will be easier than the Festo but can be done albeit slow on the Festo.
So IMHO the 2 systems compliment each other rather than the one replacing the other.
Les

Originally Posted by lesmeyer

I previously owned the Triton, but now I have a tablesaw and also the Festool TS55 and guide rails. When it comes to ripping sheets and plunge cutting say a kitchen sink cutout, the Fest has no equal. However to do repeatable cuts of the same size and also square cuts accurately with the Fest you will need to purchase some accessories to fit on the guide rail. Cross cutting on the Triton will be easier than the Festo but can be done albeit slow on the Festo.
So IMHO the 2 systems compliment each other rather than the one replacing the other.
Les

Yeah, I figured the cross-cutting might be an issue. Not insurmountable though. For my purposes (I don't have an extension table), cutting large sheets is a PITA with the Triton. I was considering that until I saw the Festool in action. Thanks for the input.

There are other ways of cutting up sheets without the expense of the Festo. Next month Kreg start selling their new attachment - see
Kreg Tool Company | Kreg Jigs, Deck Jig, Precision Routing Systems, Klamp Components, and more
for any circular saw that will make cutting sheets a breeze. It will cost less than $40. Just one of many options. A simple long guide made from MDF also does the job, although the Kreg will be easier.
Les

Buy some flowers and beg,
Two totally different systems each better for different things, likely to lose heaps selling triton. There are some cheaper versions of the track saw out there. Tradetools do one although I have never seen it in the flesh.
Ben

Cutting large sheets is easy enough without a lot of expense. Put a straight cutter with a top bearing in your router (any router) Rough cut the sheet using any tools you like. Clamp or tape a straight edge onto the line you want to cut and trim back to it exactly with the router bit. Gives a perfect edge and at almost no cost.

Agree with most others here... you will probably want/need both. The Festool saw and rail system is excellent, but you would miss having a table saw if you got rid of the Triton 2000.

Personally I would not sell the Triton to get the Festool. I think your SWMBO has made a wrong statement to get rid of one to replace the other. It would be better to have both options available and use the one that suit the job best or dare I say it more convience.

Hmm, maybe she could tell you whether she needs a sewing machine or an overlocker, they tend to complement each other.

The thing the Festo rail system (or any rail system) can't do readily is rip narrow boards. Cross cut OK, Angle cut OK, Repeat cuts (if you make a stop block) OK. You will also quickly find yourself wanting the MFT or Multi-function table too, really saves the back.

I have a Festo TS55, MFT, 14" extended band saw, 12" SCMS, Triton 2000, 10" Jet table saw and now I need a bigger shed ;-)

Originally Posted by bsrlee

The thing the Festo rail system (or any rail system) can't do readily is rip narrow boards. Cross cut OK, Angle cut OK, Repeat cuts (if you make a stop block) OK. You will also quickly find yourself wanting the MFT or Multi-function table too, really saves the back.

I have a Festo TS55, MFT, 14" extended band saw, 12" SCMS, Triton 2000, 10" Jet table saw and now I need a bigger shed ;-)

I have had occasion to rip a narrow board with the Festool TS55 track saw. My table saw at the time had a lot of junk on it and I thought I would use the opportunity to test the Festool system.

To achieve this I placed another piece of timber ( same thickness) next to the narrow piece and placed the track over both pieces. The Festool track clamps kept the whole lot steady as I ripped the narrow piece.

TP1 makes a good point about all the stuff on his tablesaw. If you get rid of the triton where are you going to put everything?

The ideal thing would be to have both for a while and see how you go. It's sometimes hard to think these dilemmas through but you'll soon see what you prefer in practice.
The real problem is how you pitch this idea to the missus.

I use a self supporting and mobile vertical panel saw to cut my sheet goods up to 8' x 4' without effort and is as accurate as my table saw. The vertical panel saw uses little space and I don't have struggle to lay my large sheet flat using up space. I purchased this vertical panel saw for less than a Festool saw and rail system!!