Thread: TKS 80 ebs set

Hi Skeetas,

Sorry I can’t answer your question, but wanted to make a comment on the saw. I use its predecessor the CS50EBS and find it very accurate for fine work. I was hanging out to upgrade to the TKS80 (for the Sawstop feature) but was very disappointed when I saw the table has no mitre slots. I use the mitre slots (well, hold-down slots, really) with my cross-cut and mitre sleds. I use the sleds a lot for boxmaking. Guess I could build another set of sleds with outrigger runners that fit in the side channels.

Looking forward to hearing more about the saw when it arrives

Regards,

Brian

My retired T/saw was a Makita which was also accurate for ripping> 1Mm and sizing of timber.
I too noted the facility for accuracy on the TKS 80 and the sliding table accessory plus some mobility
to allow movement to allow the T/saw to 'spread its wings.'
From the few Festool videos I have seen it appears a fence can be attached to the slider for straight and mitre cuts.
Maybe someone on the forum has taken delivery and has had opportunity to explore the saw's facilities.

Thanks, Skeetas.

Yes, the TKS EBS has the same accessories (sliding auxiliary table, mitre gauge, fence, extension tables) as the CS EBS so mitres and crosscuts are all catered for but I still prefer using a sled.

I’ve used the CS50EBS almost daily for more than five years. My summary is:

Great mitre gauge - very solid.
The rip fence mechanism doesn’t automatically tighten the fence parallel with the blade. Very irritating.
Table stability is satisfactory but obviously not in the league of heavier cabinet saws.
Can become expensive if you run Festool blades.
Accuracy of cut for very fine work is good.
Despite the rip fence issue I’ve no regrets about the CS50EBS which was chosen largely due to its small footprint.

I planned to upgrade to the TKS for the SS feature but the removal of the pull-through mechanism and the lack of mitre/hold-down channels takes some of the shine away for me. Never say never, but it’s less likely.

Look forward to hearing more when your saw arrives

Regards,

Brian

Hi Brian,

Thank you for your comments. I will get back but I am afraid there will be some wait time.

Originally Posted by homey

T
Look forward to hearing more when your saw arrives

Me too. Was thinking of this as a present to self, but looks like I can push that into next year. The only material online in relation to it seems to be Festool marketing, makes me think there aren't too many of them out in the wild.
Good luck with delivery. Unfortunately, I suspect April is more realistic than December. I would guess a ship they were expecting is late.

Better news now - TKS arrived Christmas Eve ; put together ok. Trial period begins.

Originally Posted by skeetas

Better news now - TKS arrived Christmas Eve ; put together ok. Trial period begins.

Trial has now ended as the TBS 80 ceased to operate due to an electrical fault!

Oh dear! Were you doing anything in particular when this happened or was it just random?

How did you like the saw up until it stopped working, Skeetas?

Will be interestedto hear how quickly the issue gets fixed for you.

Best regards,

Brian

Originally Posted by homey

Oh dear! Were you doing anything in particular when this happened or was it just random?

How did you like the saw up until it stopped working, Skeetas?

Will be interestedto hear how quickly the issue gets fixed for you.

Best regards,

Prior to purchase I had some reservations about saw mobility and D/E flex sizes. As of now, I give mobility 6/10. It is ok once you get to know where the centre of balance is but
ergonomically it is a long reach to the cross bar on the legs of the frame.

The lower flex hose does its job adequately but the blade guard flex does not move enough air. 4/10

I definitely was enjoying using the TKS 80.
It was ripping square out of the box and I tried it on pine and also some Vic Ash.
I will try and post some pics.
Nearing the end of ripping some construction pine (six 2.7m sticks) the motor slowed and the dust extractor (Festool 26Ltr) circiut breaker operated.
I did an inspection and as I had only purchased the D/E recently I was unsure about all of its functions so I reset the C/B and continued with the project.
A few rips later the C/B again operated so I went about isolating the problem. I now disconnected the D/E and ran the sawstop solo; it was now decidedly
ill with a wiff of an overheated motor!
I have emailed Festool service and I will be more than interested in their responses considering the saw has been in use for only a few weeks.

Cross cutting was going Ok however for reciprocal cuts a stopper would have been very handy. After some research I found a match from I think Festool's MFT table.
At $50+ dollars for a hex bolt and some plastic moulding it definitely falls into the discretionary spending box.


pics: Sawstop set-up & crosscuts - left Mitre saw; right sawstop.

correction to pics reference:
Both pics became disoriented in the download process.
crosscuts are sawstop left and chop saw right.

So today I spoke to Festool service dept who on current evidence will replace the motor.

Another issue emerged re the GPO located on the 26Ltr D/E.

The D/E Auto function or Manual control should not be used in conjunction with larger
Wattage machines like the S/Stop(2000 W). This till now, was not widely known.
Certainly the sales staff at the local distributer who sold me the D/E were unaware. They in fact recommended the D/E
as best suited for the S/S.

So the S/S should be plugged into its own GPO. The use of the auxillary inlet on the D/E is forfeited as is the Auto function.
All disappointing and inconvenient!

IMO Festool could include a blue tooth control for the sawstop while this weakness in their design is overcome.
There seems to be some regulation by 'whatever authority' that is hindering Festool.

Brian, there is no guarantee on saw return but could be in 10 business days if all goes well.

It is hard to believe that Festool would market their equipt in this way because of their reputation of quality.

Maybe some Festool executive will tune in to the customer group for a more lucid explanation.

pics: Rough sawn Vic Ash and dressed Vic Ash by S/S.

Thanks for the comprehensive report, Skeetas - just sorry that you’ve had these troubles. I’m sure Festool will be keen to trace any faults, especially as this is a new model.

The D/E function seems the same as it’s forebear - main hose OK but extraction from the blade cover rather weak. Even with the CT26 turned up to maximum the top hose only clears sawdust from a trimming cut. OK (ish) for me making boxes, but even then the dust throat at the front of the safety guard clogs easily.

Not being able to use the power takeoff on the CT26 with another Festool product is a red face for Festool which prides itself on the ‘system’ approach. I hope they offer you a solution thay overcomes this in a way you can use the kit as intended.

I made a stop for the crosscut mitre gauge using a couple of offcuts and a bolt. Here’s a link I found tonight to a similar s

Google Translate

Please let us know how you get on.

kind regards,

Brian

Thanks Brian, I had a look at the link and it looks an easy solution but I received the Festool stop today. of course I
do not have a S/S to fix it too. The saw is still sitting in the local distributer waiting to be transported.

R
Les.

Surprising the Festool reps didn't know better regarding the electrical requirements. Unfortunately it's not a regulatory matter - in Aus our 'normal' GPOs are rated for 10A 240V, which gives a max power rating of 2400W. Somewhere on the socket on the CT26 should be a sticker with max 1200W or something like that. The CT26 itself can draw a maximum of 1200W so that leaves 1200W for whatever appliance is plugged into it. The Festool table saws are 2200W by themselves.

Originally Posted by Alkahestic

Surprising the Festool reps didn't know better regarding the electrical requirements. Unfortunately it's not a regulatory matter - in Aus our 'normal' GPOs are rated for 10A 240V, which gives a max power rating of 2400W. Somewhere on the socket on the CT26 should be a sticker with max 1200W or something like that. The CT26 itself can draw a maximum of 1200W so that leaves 1200W for whatever appliance is plugged into it. The Festool table saws are 2200W by themselves.

Hi Alkahestic,
The S/S manual states the saw has a 2000W rating in Aussie. It also states ' The power supply is restricted if the power tool is overloaded' so in my case for some unknown reason (at this stage) the protection on the S/Stop
did not protect it! I assure you it was construction pine I was sawing.
The dust extractor C/breaker did operate and Technical data is up to 1200W load. I did have a cyclone unit attached and it was collecting as normal.
Incidentally, the carbatec guru Dave Stanton notes on his D/E 26 Ltr demo video that the D/E is Ok for tool loads up to 2200W?
As the S/S has taken 5 business days to reach their service section I don't expect any further developments until they examine the saw.

Regards,

Les.