Thread: FESTOOL query #2 – Precisio 70 or TS 75 with a CMS module

Hi Brett,

I could comment on all your topics, but I will let others have a go first and I assume you primarily want user input not dealer input at this stage. If you have not guessed I am a Festool dealer these days. But before that I has a avid Festool user and the Precisio CS70 was one of my most significant woodworking (and Festool) purchases. As I said, I will let others comment on your other posts, but as the CS70 is not a very common tool about the place I thought I would offer a comment here.

I have had my personal CS70 for something like nine years or so, it has served me very well over that time, primarily doing renovation work including more construction tasks, like big rips, and sheet work, and smaller kitchen cabinetry and furniture work.

When I purchased mine, I was probably under the impression I was going to be able to cut full sheets with it, and I as almost right. I ordered mine with the larger of the two available sliding tables, and it almost cross cuts a full sheet. So I modified the sliding table mounting position and could achieve a full sheet cross cut. But it was a little unstable and not quite enough surface area to support full sheets. Fine for construction quality work, but not precision work. So I reset the sliding table back to the original position and it's been there ever since. I am looking at replacing my CS70 with a new one in the near future and will probably just get the smaller sliding table this time, as my workshop is fuller than before and I like the larger surface area or the larger sliding table, but the smaller sliding table will suit my needs better these days.

What I should have done was to get the CS70 with smaller sliding table, and combine it with a Festool track saw (at the time it was the ATF66, not the current TS range) and guide rails. A CS70 and a TS55 or TS75 is a great sawing combo indeed.

What I love about this saw:

• Portability - for me it meant I could move it from room to room when doing my reno, pack it up out of the road when the workshop priorities changed, work on the rear deck with the table saw right there and super handy, take it to a mates place to help out a job of his, that sort of thing.
• Power (Wattage and electronics combined) - it rarely if ever rails me for power, considering it is a single phase tool.
• Electronic blade brake - for obvious reasons.
• Dust extraction is excellent.
• Splinterguards are really good. Great for both melamine, timber veneer, and solid timber.
• Although I have the full EB set which includes the dedicated rip fence, when you want to be a bit portable and only carry the core tool, the mitre fence is indeed an excellent rip fence, and can be positioned from all four edges of the table in the V-groove. There are even times when mounting this fence on the front and even rear v-grooves is very useful. Doing flooring for example, combining a stationary fence at the rear to rest the boards against, then using the pull-saw capability coming forward. Excellent time saving process when you are using varied width materials and you only need to pull forward the necessary width. For repetitive work like laying an engineered floor, it's brilliant. Also, the CS70 can be floor mounted with the legs folded up, so so constant standing, squatting, standing, squatting, etc.

Things that could be better:

• The Festool blades and the CS70 are all light grey, so a spinning blade is not obvious on the anodised aluminium table surface. And as the blade can be positioned into three different places I felt a more visual cue as to the blade location was important. So I painted the blade tooth area red, it helped a lot.
• Splinterguard sare only for cuts at 90 degrees. Not a real problem, but when you forget on is installer and you tilt the blade you can break the splinterguard a bit.

I could go on with more info on this saw, but I will stop for now - time for breakfast. If you need any more info, I will continue.

In summary, I love this saw as my personal table saw, and will replacing it with another because for me, I can;t find anything else that suits better for me, my workshop, budget, and personal preferences.

Well thanks very much for an excellent, detailed reply Anthony. It confirms much of what I had concluded about this saw, and combining it with a TS 75.

BTW, I knew that you are a dealer - I've read many of your detailed responses to other questions, and they are all first class. So, if anyone should then you should - how the bloody hell do I find the torch for the centrotec chuck on the Festool website? I would like a little more info than just a pic of the damn thing! Perhaps you could have a look at my post "the Yanks just don't get it".

I have literally spent 12 hours a day for the last 8 days trying to work out what Festool gear is suitable for me. This task should have taken two days max. I've put all the info (relevant to me) into an excel spreadsheet so that it now flows properly.

Without using the search engine, and just using the menus, see if you can find the Domino, or don't Festool want to sell these anymore? It's like their flagship tool and is crazy difficult to find.

In closing for now, you have been extraordinarily generous with your knowledge and time over the years. I know that there is some payback for you (people like me will want to deal with you, even from Sydney and elsewhere, because it's obvious that your before and after service is excellent), but there have many questions that you have answered in great detail when there is unlikely to be a pay back.

Good on you for that, it's fantastic to see a sales person who knows that what goes around comes around - you know, bigger picture and all that. That was always my mantra when I worked in sales.

Regards, Brett

Thanks for your comments Brett - appreciated indeed.

The way I tend to fnd most things on the Festool site is to use the search box at the top. In the case of the torch, "LED" brings it up. But as you say, no more info than a pic, code and price. What they don't mention is it fits the any FastFix drill including the C12, TDK, TDD, CDD, T, series drills. Its backwards compatible some way indeed.

It can be positioned top, bottom, left or right around the chuck. But it's the Centrotec chuck we are talking about. It won't fit with other chucks on, like the keyless chuck. Also goes on your head in the headband - luckily, your head doesn't have to be FastFix compatible for it to fit ......

As for the Domino, it's hidden in the Routing section - go figure.

Back to the CS70 - it just has to be remembered it's a portable table saw, so it's light weight is great, but sometimes it needs a bit of a hand being made more stationary with some added weight. I have a pic here somewhere of an adoption I made to mine. I will did it out soon. It's a ply box/drawer to store accessories, extension tables, etc. Helps add some weight to the saw and reduces the possibility of it shifting (depending on the friction level of your workshop floor) when pushing large pieces though it doing big rips.

It seems to be the case that Anthony is the only one in Oz who owns or has used the CS 70. I don't think anyone else has 2 cents Anthony so if you have time could you provide a little more of your thoughts on the CS 70. I am pondering buying one but it does seem obsessively pricey.

Also, I would want a fully extended version but it only comes with the small sliding extension. I would want the large one but it doesn't come in the set. Can it be chopped and changed at all? I want to be able to rip strips off a 2400 x 1200 board.

I use a Triton at the moment. It has done a good job for me considering you can get fully set under $1,500. But it is loud and more importantly the dust collection is useless. Just how good is the dust collection on the CS 70? If I rip a 2400 x 1200 x 18mm board in half how much dust will end up outside the vac? And does this get worse when I rip a stack of 3 such boards at once. It would have to be crackingly good to justify the price tag.

Would love to hear more on what it can do - I just can't find any good info on this thing,

One other question. I own the TS 55. When I bought it the rep talked me out of buying the TS 75 but with hindsight I wish I had got the bigger one. Is there any disadvantage to the 75 other than: more expensive (and blades etc much more too) and heavier (so I guess you get worn out if you do hundreds of cuts)?

Cheers John

Hi John - Give me a mo, I know I have some early images which will be useful for you. Just digging through various hard drives.

I have the TS 55 with the CMS it's ideal for a small work shop, but it won't rip 2400 x 1200 sheets, but the TS with guide rail works fine. This is not a cheap solution but it is cheaper than the CS70

Hi Hoppoz, my main use for a table saw would be ripping a few sticks, probably not much more than 50mm thick, and probably not much more than 2.5m length. Other than that, it would be trimming/ripping smaller stuff. Generally hard wood (prolly mostly Spotted Gum). Not intending to do much sheet work at this stage.

How do you think the TS 75 in CMS would handle that? The sticks could well be recycled 4x2 joists etc which are as hard as hell (probably pushing the SG hardness of 10, particularly the red ones). The CS 70 has another 25% grunt as I remember, and that is clearly in it's favour (expensive favour though!)

Cheers, Brett

I don't think you would have any problems with a TS75 doing those tasks you described. I've only got the TS55 and I regularly use it to rip recycled hardwood Pallots, if I recall right the TS75 has additional grunt over the TS55.

The added bonus with the CMS is that it can also be router table, jigsaw and belt sander, all of which I have and use regularly. This is ideal where space is a premium.

There is also the option of the CMS attachment for the MFT3 that I have been eyeing off as my next purchase, but have just bought new clamps anything else is on hold for a while

Good Luck

Ah-HAH! At last, someone with the belt-sander module. Ever tried to find it on the Festool website? Doesn't exist, regardless of what you put into the search engine. The spindle accessories are there, and all the belts and tubes, but not the main deal. On the other hand it's mentioned in all the CMS & MFT brochures, just not where you need it most. FINALLY I found it on the Ideal Tools site. So it does exist!

And there is at least one user! So, what do you think of it and how would it compare to a regular belt sander (no doubt Chaiwanese, but larger than the BS 120).

After a while I thought "Yeah, I know why they call this a BS 120: it's BS that it exists"!

TS 55 is 1200w and 5200 rpm
TS 75 is 1600w and 3550 rpm
CS 50 is 1200w and 4200 rpm
CS 70 is 2000w and 4200 rpm

The BS 120 does exist, but then I have never seen another one in the wild, only those held in captivity, in fact mine was freed from captivity on special, that does happen occasionally. It was this acquisition that convinced me to buy the mobile stand, Anthony helped me out with that one.

It works as advertised, but is rather heavy, unfortunately it didn't come in a systainer, so I had Jerry rigged a space under my work bench for when it wasn't being used, but with the weight it proved too much like hard work getting it out, hence the mobile stand now

I have not used a belt sander before, so I don't have a lot of basis for comparison, but I'm more than happy with it's performance. It comes with a mitre slide same as for the TS insert, while currently surplus, if I get the MFT3 and CMS attachment it will come in handy (hint hint waiting on a special)

The best thing about it is that as a CMS component it doesn't take any of my limited space when it's not being used.

Be aware Festols are like clamps one is never enough!

Thanks Hoppoz, all very helpful.

You may do well to ring Anthony - Protool are changing the colour of their Systainers, so you may be able to pick up an old one cheap (if it'll work for the BS).