What I Like About the Festool ATF 55E Circular Saw

Excellent Ergonomics
Right off I liked the feel of the saw. It weighs about the same, perhaps a little less than our PC 743, and is several pounds lighter than our DeWALT 364. Consequently, reaching across a panel with the saw is not a problem, especially with the provided guide rail to guide the cut. All of the controls are easy to find and use. Most of the controls are bright green, which contrasts nicely to the saw's black plastic housing. The blade is easily removed using the provided hex wrench, stored onboard.

Plunge Action
Perhaps the saw's most unique feature is its plunge action. I found it a bit awkward at first, but after using the saw for 15-20 minutes, it became second nature. To start cutting, you engage the blade carriage release with your thumb, depress the on/off trigger, and push the blade carriage down against the depth stop. The plunge action is very smooth and the saw's sole plate provides a stable base from which to plunge. The plunge action offers several key advantages over conventional saws as I describe in Part 2 of this review. Obviously, you can use any circular saw to make pocket or plunge cuts, but you won't find a saw that offers the control and safety of the ATF 55E to make this type of cut.

Play Plunge Action Video (400 KB)

Play Plunge Action Video(1.7 MB)

Depth Adjustment and Stop
I noted in my review of the DeWALT 364 that adjusting its depth of cut is a bit awkward. Not so with the ATF 55E. The saw is equipped with a depth stop (required for the saw's plunge action design) that you set to your desired depth of cut. The stop moves along a path, graduated in millimeters. To use it, you simply press the stop release and move the stop to the desired depth setting. Then, when you make your cut, you simply engage the plunge action and push down on the saw until the blade carriage hits the stop. It is simple and very accurate.

Dust collection
Our DeWALT 364 provides no means for dust collection. An angled slot is cast into its blade housing that shoots the dust directly onto the operator (if standing to the right of the saw). Our PC743 has a fairly effective dust collection tube that rotates to any direction, and you can connect it to a dust extractor using a reducer.

The Festool ATF 55E comes with a rubber dust extraction fitting that directs the dust directly behind the saw. When combined with a dust extractor, it is more effective at collecting the dust than the PC743, probably because more of the blade is covered. In fact, when cutting, the saw housing and base provide a near perfect seal since the blade is not exposed (the blade cover is fixed, it does not rotate open like most saws). I have been using the ATF 55E with my panel cutting table, which I covered with a sheet of ¼" hardboard. Since I cut into but not through the hardboard, the Festool dust extractor collects about 90% or more of the sawdust produced on each cut.

Guide Rail
We use shop-made guide rails with our DeWALT and PC saws. They are very accurate and easy to use. However, our 96" guide rail is awkward and heavy. Our crosscut guide rail is also quite large and awkward. They must be clamped to the work surface and the operator must apply lateral pressure to keep the base of the saw up against the guide rail fence, otherwise the saw will wander off of the cut line. Of course you can purchase aftermarket edge guides and clamps, but those I have used/seen are flawed in one-way or another.

The ATF 55E comes with a 55" long extruded aluminum guide rail. Its engineers addressed the problems associated with most shop-made and aftermarket guide rails. First it is perfectly straight and very light. It is extruded with a rib that runs the length of the rail that joins with a channel stamped in the base/sole plate of the ATF 55E. The sole plate channel is fitted with hard plastic "bearings" and setscrews that you adjust so that the sole plate fits the guide rail like a glove. Thus, it is not necessary to apply any lateral pressure whatsoever to keep the saw up against a fence like shop-made guides.

Two non-slip strips are applied to the bottom of the guide that prevent the guide from slipping. Consequently, you can use the guide rail without clamping it to the work surface. I have used the guide on melamine without the guide rail clamps and the guide did not slip. Because of the plunge design of the saw, it is necessary to apply downward pressure against the depth stop during a cut-this pressure in conjunction with the non-slip strips, keeps the guide from slipping. This is a boon for anyone cutting counter tops or other surfaces where it might be inconvenient or impossible to "clamp" the guide/straight edge.

The guide rail is fitted with a rubber "splinter guard" (you trim it the first time you use the guide rail), that prevents splintering on the topside of material as well as providing a zero reference gauge.

Festool sent me the guide rail accessories package which includes two guide rail clamps and an angle/miter gauge. Both accessories fit into a channel that runs underneath the entire length of the guide rail. Consequently they do not obstruct the path of the saw or the blade. My first couple of 0/90° cuts using the miter gauge were off by about 1/16" along a 24" line. The miter gauge angle mark for 0/90° is accurate, but since the rail is so long, if you're off even a hair aligning the lines, you'll be off alot at the end of the cut. Consequently, I cut a reference board on the table saw and aligned the gauge and guide rail to it. The gauge was still pointing to 0° and all cuts were 100% square from then on.

Play Guide Rail Video Part 1 (300 KB)
Play Guide Rail Video Part 1 (1.3 MB)

Play Guide Rail Video Part 2 (500 KB)
Play Guide Rail Video Part 2 (2.1 MB)

Play Guide Rail Video Part 3 (560 KB)
Play Guide Rail Video Part 3 (2.3 MB)

Excellent Blade
The standard blade 6-1/4", 48-tooth blade supplied with the saw provides extremely clean rip and crosscuts in sheet goods. I have used the saw to rip and crosscut hardwood veneer plywood and melamine with virtually no tearout or chipping on the supported edges of the cut. With the covered panel-cutting table and the splinter guard of the guide rail, I get no splintering on the bottom side and the splinter guard side of the topside of the work piece. I do get some splintering to the right of the blade on the topside, but this is virtually unavoidable with a circular saw. Since we use our DeWALT 364 in place of a panel saw, we outfitted it with a Forrest WWII blade. The quality of the cuts I've made with the Festool blade are as good if not better than those of the Forrest, and I performed a significant number of side-by-side tests.

Base (Sole Plate-Shoe)
The base or sole plate is flat and wide. It is wider than the DeWALT base, if you measure from the left edge of the base to the right edge of the blade. On its own, the base provides a very stable platform, but combined with the guide rail it is absolutely rock solid stable. The base was not square with the blade as supplied, but I quickly adjusted it by tweaking the two base adjustment screws. The adjustment screws also serve as "stops", ensuring that the blade will return to 0/90° after setting the blade for a bevel cut, without rechecking or recalibrating the blade to the base.

Riving Knife - Splitter
I have not seen a splitter fitted to a circular saw before. The splitter prevents the kerf from closing on and binding the blade on long rip cuts. In the past I have had to stop in the middle of long rip cuts to insert a shim in the kerf to keep it from closing.

Systainer Case
I doubt very seriously that the majority of woodworkers store their portable tools in their included cases. I know some do, but I bet the majority do not. Sure they're great for transporting tools to a job site, but in the shop they basically collect dust.

The systainer case included with the ATF 55E is part of a "case" system. All of the Festool systainers interlock, making an attractive and organized cabinet for your Festools and accessories. The Festool dust extractor serves as a base for systainer cases, allowing you to wheel them around the shop or to/at a job site.

Plus, the two systainer cases I received (one for the saw and another for the guide rail accessories) came with pictorial inserts showing the intended use of the tools. This was helpful, especially in the case of the plastic no-snag deflector-I had no idea what it was used for until I read the systainer card!

Festool Thinks of Everything
After using the tools for several hours I kept saying to myself that Festool seemed to think of everything! For instance:

• The guide rail accessories include an odd-shaped piece of plastic named a deflector. You mount it to the "start" end of your guide rail to prevent the vacuum hose and AC cord from snagging on the guide rail as you move the saw down the cutting path.
  
  
• The guide rail clamps clamp on the underside of the guide rail, without obstructing the path of the saw.
  
  
• The motor is protected for both overheating and overloading.
  
  
• The speed control allows you to adjust the speed (6 speeds) of the saw for the material you're cutting. Festool provides a speed chart and blades (at a reasonable cost) to cover a range of materials including solid surface (Corian), plastics, aluminum, construction lumber, veneer plywoods/melamine. I know of no other circular saw that provides this feature.
  
  
• The key controls (carriage release, spindle lock, on/off trigger, speed control) are bright green and easily accessible.
  
  
• The adjustable sole plate/guide rail bearings ensure the sole plate fits and slides perfectly along the guide rail.
  
  
• The blade is completely enclosed until you begin a cutting operation. And even then, with my panel cutting table, the blade is not exposed.
  
  
• The AC cord and vacuum hose provide just enough length to travel a little more than eight feet, in other words, the full length of a sheet of plywood/melamine.
  
  
• The saw, guides, accessories, dust collector are all integrated, fitting together like a well-planned system.

What I Don't Like About the Festool ATF 55E Circular Saw

The blade / blade carriage does not lock in the extended position.
I find double-checking the blade for square or setting the blade depth to an exact setting using a rule was awkward, since the blade does not lock in the extended position. I got around this, by using a spring clamp to hold it in place, but it seems like Festool can provide some sort of locking mechanism.

Millimeters-Metric System.
The depth stop adjustment scale is in millimeters and I don't use the metric system. Luckily the depths I use are easy to remember (i.e., 25 mm for cutting ¾" panels with the guide rail).

You must remove the riving knife/splitter to perform pocket/plunge cuts.
Of course complaining about this is like complaining that you have to deposit a $100,000 lottery check you just won.

span class="red">You must adjust the angle guide for square.
The guide rail angle fixture is extremely useful for crosscut operations, but inherit to its design, you must adjust it for square each time you place it on the guide rail. I don't mind doing that for angles other than 0/90°, but would like some sort of index pin or stop for 0/90°.

I would like to see their rip-guide included with the saw.
It is available as a $13.00 option.

A Brief Slide Show

Click to view a brief slide show of the Festool ATF55E.

Sliding Crosscut Saw

In conjunction with the Festool MFT (MultiFunction Table), the ATF 55E becomes a formidable crosscut device. Click Here to read our article regarding the Festool MFT.

The Bottom Line

The Festool ATF 55E circular saw out performs my DeWALT 364 and PC 743 in several ways. It's lighter and better balanced than either saw. The standard blade is much better than the blades supplied with either saw for panel and finish carpentry tasks. In conjunction with the Festool guide rail, it will cut a straight, accurate, clean line. Its dust collection is far superior to our DeWALT 364 and other circular saws I have owned or used. And it is head and shoulders above our primary saws in regards to details such as depth adjustment (accuracy and ease), blade changing, noise levels, and so forth. I highly recommend the saw for cabinet making, finish carpentry, or other fine woodworking. It is best suited for woodworking activities that require a precise and easy to handle saw. I would not recommend it as a framer's saw or a general purpose, throw-it-in-the-back-of-the-truck type saw. With the right blade it will cut construction lumber, metals, or whatever, but I think I would purchase a second, less-expensive saw for such duties.

And what about price? Well, the saw, guide rail, and systainer runs about $375.00. If you figure in the premium top-notch blade (I paid $60.00 for my 7-1/4" Forrest WWII), the guide rail (a non-integrated guide runs about $60), its performance, pleasure of use and a three year warranty (an indication of the tool's reliability), the price does not seem out of line. A decent panel saw with less versatility, precision, and splinter control will run several times the price of the ATF 55E. The saw is geared towards professional cabinet makers, finish carpenters, floor installers, and small shops who will quickly see the dividends of a Festool captial investment. However, I recommend that anyone who wants a state-of-the-art circular saw and panel cutting system should take a look at the ATF 55E.

Rating:

out of 5!

Where to Purchase Festool Products

Generally big-box home centers do not carry Festool products. So, where can you purchase Festool tools and accessories? A number of Woodworking Tool mail order and chain retail stores are starting to carry them. You can also order Festool products online, direct from the Festool-USA web site or from Bob Marino's Festool retail web site. I purchase my Festool accessories and parts from Bob Marino.....

Festool Online Sales - Bob Marino
Bob Marino is an Independent Sales Agent for Festool, an avid woodworker, a regular and familiar contributor to on-line woodworking forums and all-around good guy. Not bad for someone from NJ (just kidding of course). Bob has opened an on-line retail store to sell Festool products. Because of his service and accessibility, I purchase my Festool accessories through Bob. You can also contact Bob at Bob Marino's Email Account.

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