Pro's Picks: Festool TSC 55 K Cordless Track Saw

Ronnie Fulton

Owner

Fulton Fine Woodworks / Georgetown, KY

Festool TSC 55 K Cordless Track Saw

I discovered Festool early in the game. They were one of the only track saw manufacturers 12 years ago and since then, other companies have come out with track saws, but I’ve not found them to be as accurate or well built.

What I really like about this model is it’s cordless and battery-powered. By losing the cord, I don’t have to worry about it getting in the way or finding power on the jobsite. I saw previous battery-powered models as something you wouldn’t use on a jobsite because you had to charge too often, but they went with two 5.2 Ah lithium-ion batteries, and it’s noticeably more powerful.

It’s also noticeably faster because of its thinner blade, which extends battery life, and that makes all the difference because you don’t want to stop in the middle of a job to charge batteries.

The thinner blade also results in less sawdust because you’re going through less wood. A lot of times I’m working with material that’s expensive, and this helps cut down on waste. I’m able to do closer cuts and I don’t see any deflection with that new blade being thinner either.

And probably the biggest thing I like is the anti-kickback feature. If you experience kickback, it can be a scary thing. My son is 14, and he helps me in the shop, but the table saw and track saw are the two things I’ve shied him away from using. This actually gives me more confidence to let him use the track saw more—it’s one more safety feature for him as well.