Festool adds anti-kickback feature to new track saw

Festool U.S.A. presents the new TSC 55 K cordless track saw with Kickback Electronic Brake (KEB) technology. The tool replaces the TSC 55, released in 2015.

KEB reduces the likelihood of kickbacks to increase user safety, according to Festool’s Rick Bush. The saw senses the moment of kickback during a cut and immediately seizes the rotation of the motor, halting the blade without damaging it.

“There’s a spring activated lever below the plate, so when you place it on either our guiderail or directly on the wood surface, the lever feels direct contact with the surface. If you break contact with that surface, even the slightest amount, it senses that and stops the motor immediately,” says Bush.

“The cool thing is, because it’s done electronically, not mechanically, the saw is not damaged in any way. There’s no hard brake in there. There’s nothing that would affect the blade.”

The TSC 55 K can be used with one or two of the company’s 18-volt batteries.

Festool is also introducing new thin-kerf saw blades with teeth geometries that boost performance without compromising cuts or warping the blade, according to the company.

“The blades are the same diameter and same bore as we’ve always used for the machine, but they’re a thinner blade that provides us less resistance in the cut, so we get 50 percent longer battery life and they also cut much faster. Testing has shown they cut much faster versus the previous generation,” says Bush.

The TSC 55 K sells for $499. A kit, with two batteries and a charger, sells for $699. Another kit, with two batteries, one charger and a 55” guiderail, sells for $799. All options include one blade and SYS3 M Systainer case.

For more, visit www.festoolusa.com 

This article was originally published in the July 2021 issue.