Has anyone else picked up on the things Dino has mentioned? "push the wood but not touching the blade" and "EZ1 and 2s".
Sounds like some substantial product changes are in the works. I wonder how you can push the wood through the cut and still follow the deadwood concept. Will the EZ2 have a slide?
I've been trying to think of a way to incorporate an EZ-One type of approach with a table saw t-fence running parallel with the track. That way you'd have the convenience of the quick cutting length setting of the t-fence and the safety of the EZ-One system. I've seen several after market table saw fences, but they generally require 2"x3" steel channel to ride on. All that adds considerable weight and cost.
Now, with the EZ-One selling for $750, I doubt it'd be worth my time to rig up a system like I described. The stops on the EZ should provide similar results, but probably take longer to set.
It's fun to guess, but I'm thinking deadwood for big heavy panels. Otherwise, use it as a safe TS since time and time again everyone always mentions how much quicker it feels to just use their TS. Give the people what they want, but with no risk of injury. Everyone wins.
When I first took possession of my EZ-1, I immediately set about to incorporate a fence system like you described. I quickly realized that doing so would have limited the adaptability of the EZ-1 for me and the way I work.
For some EZ-1 users, having a mounted fence is an asset to them. Having a fence semi-permanently mounted on the EZ-1 would have limited me to always needing to reference my material off of the fence. Sometimes, a project is easier done being able to reference the material off of one, or both,or, no sides.
Today was a good example of that: I was playing catch-up on a varied list of projects. Sometimes, I needed to reference off of the stops on the right side of the track; other cuts did better off of the left-side stops. Throw in using the SSRK, and by the time I was finished with all of the tasks, I was very happy to not have a mounted fence.
What works best for me is shown in the pic: a moveable fence (1/2" baltic birch) that can go right, left, angled, completely removed, whatever. Notice in the pic that the 'fence' is up against two stops. I set the fence distance (right-side or left-side) using a simple story-stick (shown in the pic). The end of the story stick indexes off of the track ridge; the fence is then moved up against the 'collar' on the story stick, which I'd set to the desired measurement. Set one end of the fence; set the other end; recheck the first end- it's nigh unto perfect. Very fast and accurate.
Many thanks for your generous offer, Dino, but I actually prefer the foam beam design, especially due to the fact that I don't move my cross pieces. They are permanently held in place by the wooden inserts I've installed between them- perfect for me! I've used the newer EZ-1, and, while it offers potentially more versatility than my version, I still prefer the set-up I have.
Thanks for the ideas and the pic. I guess setting both ends takes a little longer than a TS type fence, but I can see more flexibility with it. . . A couple of the reasons I dumped the Festool tools I had were the extra setup time on sheet goods and the tediousness of trying to rip thin pieces on the MFT. I can see the EZ being less tedious with the stops being on the right side of the track. I guess that's due to many years of using a TS with the fence on the right. Also, you can cut 48" on the EZ vs around 25" or so on the MFT. Aside from the initial cuts on sheet goods length wise, most of my sheet good cuts will, of course, fit on the EZ whereas a lot of my sheetgood cuts couldn't be done on the MFT. Maybe I was just building odd sized cabinets. Actually, the sheetgood cuts I'm making for the cabinet I'm building right now couldn't be done on the MFT. I had to use a job-site table saw I have. And, yes, I had a minor kickback just making those few cuts. Anyway, I'm becoming more and more sold on the EZ route, especially with the sale on the EZ-One.
Just when I start to wonder if we are kind of a bunch of table saw fearing wimps (no offence intended) and wondering if I should buck up and get a table saw to supplement the EZ ... BAM!! You get a minor kickback -
Anytime! It was a pretty minor kickback, but enough to remind me they can idiot proof a TS only so much.