Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-3, страница 66
Festool has been refining rail-guided portable saws for more than 40 years. But. here's the big buzz: there are two new kids on the block. I.ast summer, DeWall unveiled the DWS520SK 6V2M-diameter TrackSaw. and recently, Makita entered the ring with the 6V2" SP6000.1 couldn't wait to ditch my circular saw in a dark corner of the shop and lake these three hot rods out for a long test drive. So, that's what I've done, and here's how the new guys test against the venerable Festool TS 55 EQ. Common Ground, Shared Features DeWall and Makita have wisely followed Feslool's lead and designed a number of smart features into their machines. All three saws have variable-speed, soft-start motors, like a good router. They also have electronic feedback circuitry that helps keep the blade spinning at a constant speed to compensate the cutting load. Notice that the blade slays retracted in the guard until you're ready to make a cut. To expose the teeth, you need to thumb a separate release button first, which unlocks the trigger and plunge mechanism. Then, depending on the saw, you either pivot or push the motor assembly down to begin cutting. It's a triple level of protection against accidents. Dust ports are provided on these tools, and there are various guide rail options. You can buy nine different lengths up to 16 ft. from Festool. 'Hie TS 55 EQ comes with a 55" rail. DeWalt offers 46", 59" and 102" rails, with three saw/rail package options. Makita makes 54" and 117" rails, but neither comes standard with the saw. Plunge-saw rails have soft, grippy strips on the bottom to help hold them in place, or you can clamp them down. Festool gives you two screw clamps, and DeWalt provides a pair of quick-grips. Makita sells screw clamps as accessories. Makita Tool Review continues on page 66... Acid Tests Prove Which Cuts Best iiiSP j i it ■ \|IU • ___-—rr^ Mi-' i i»r j Mm1' Stacks of 4-ft.-long test cuts in five different materials delivered a clear picture of cutting quality. Festool won the sheet goods challenge but needed a blade change for ash. Makita's scoring feature kept it competitive, and DeWalt proved to be a rip-cutting powerhouse. 1 lunge-cut rail saws are designed to do anything a circular saw can do — and more. Breaking down sheet goods, cutting flooring, trimming door bottoms, installing countertops. ripping or crosscutting solid lumber... most straight-cutting applications are fair game. But. for woodworking, these saws will probably see more action on sheet stock than anything else, so that was my primary focus for the cutting test. To that end. I picked some really tough challenges. First up, I put the saws to work on black melamine-covered particleboard. Nothing's more abrasive to sharp teeth or prone to chip-out. I crosscut 50 thin strips with each saw. and numbered them sequentially. Festool and Makita (with its scoring feature in use) showed almost no chip-out — just super-clean cuts. DeWalt cut much better on the sheet side than the offcut side, but the chips were tiny and sporadic. Next came crossgrain cuts on splintery oak-veneer plywood and three more rounds of 50 cuts. Despite the melamine test, Festool led the pack again, neatly slicing up that gnarly veneer. Makita's saw really benefitted from its scoring feature this time, too — cuts were nice and tidy with it engaged. Without that scoring cut, though, the saw left a pattern of little splinters. DeWalt, again, cut the panel edge well but lifted some little splinters on the offcut side. MDF was third up on my chopping block. Makita Compared to the author's circ saw and 60-tooth combo blade (left), the three rail saws put it to shame when slicing splintery oak plywood. to see how efficiently the saws managed fine dust (all three cut MDF like butter). The air didn't cloud up during cutting, and my work area stayed quite clean when each saw was connected to a dust extractor. In fact, dust extraction was exceptional on all test materials. I even cut a plastic-laminate countertop to ribbons. There was no chipping worth speaking of with any of these saws: on a real jobsite. the cuts would have been "install" ready. Finally came the torture test: a series of rip cuts on 1 "-thick ash. DeWalt was the champ this time, powering right through ash without bogging down. The TS 55 EQ. equipped with its standard 48-tooth blade, struggled to keep up. But, when I switched to Festool's 24-tooth ripping blade, it rallied right back on thick lumber. I did not test Makita's saw on ash. due to the lack of a riving knife ... it's just too dicey. (Note: Cutting results are based on top-face evaluations: oddly, the bottom edges of the cuts were slightly rougher for all three tools.) —Chris Marshall Woodworker's Journal June 2009 65 |
