NO GUIDE RAIL INCLUDED — you supply your own straightedge. The saw ships without a track. Clamp a straight board or aluminium straightedge to your work and run the saw base against it, the same way you would with a circular saw. If you want the rail system, Festool sells guide rails from about $95 and any Festool FS rail fits.

A plunge-cut saw, not an ordinary circular saw. The blade drops into the cut from above, so you can start and stop mid-panel — cutting an opening in a worktop, a sink cutout, or a joint that does not run off the end of the board.

Bevels from -1 to 47 degrees. Going past 45 is the point: it lets a mitre close tight at the show face instead of gapping. Pair it with the Domino and you can cut and reinforce a mitred carcase.

Riving knife to stop the cut binding, a fine-tooth 48-tooth carbide blade for splinter-free edges, variable speed, and a 6.3 mm to 55 mm depth range.

In the Systainer: the TS 55 saw, fine-tooth carbide blade, splinterguard, sight window, limit stop, Plug-it power cable, 5 mm hex key and the Systainer SYS3 M 337.

Dust extraction is not included. There is a dust port for a shop vac or wet/dry vacuum — a household vacuum will not cope. It cuts fine without extraction, it is just messier.

New to plunge saws? Getting Started with the TS 55 covers setup and calibration, and Making a Bevel Cut covers the angle adjustment. Both are Festool's own.

The blade is consumable to a degree — normal wear is expected, but a blade damaged by hitting fasteners is chargeable.