Hello,

I just recently purchased a ts55 rail saw and have been using it for about three days now. On the forth day however the saw started to feel "tight" on the rail and required more force to move it than before, and due to this i am burning the edges of my plywood. I have checked both the blade speed (it gets "sticky" on all speeds) and made sure that the rail is clear from saw dust. I am cutting 12mm plywood. I am cutting rather small pieces of wood that require me to "bridge" the rail with other pieces of wood to keep the rail flat and level. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks
 
Richard Clements

Welcome to the Festool Owners Group! Sorry to hear about your problem, but like Roseland suggested, it does sound as though the guiderail adjusters on the saw have moved.

I'd try this:

Place the guiderail on a flat surface like the floor (you're not going to be cutting anything for the moment)
Disconnect the saw from the electricity supply and clean the grooves on the bottom of the saw with a brush to remove dirt and sawdust
Likewise, clean the rail
Place the saw on the rail, and without plunging the saw, simply try to slide it along the rail.
It should glide along the rail with very little resistance, but on the other hand it should not be so loose that it moves from side to side.
If the saw is difficult to move along the rail, or it "jiggles" from side to side, adjust the green thumbscrews on the baseplate so that there is no side-to-side play, but the saw moves freely along the rail.

Once it moves nicely along the rail, try cutting your plywood and report back!

See page of 8 Rick Christopherson's excellent Supplemental Manual for the TS55 for a more detailed account of how to adjust the thumbwheels - and for loads of useful information on the saw.

Forrest

Assuming the saw glides smoothly on the rail, I think the key is the small stuff
you're cutting. If you are ripping narrow stock that does not span across the width
of the guide rail you need to be aware that the guide rail in not flat on the bottom
and particularly that the splinter guard is not flat. By design it presses down only on
the outer edge so if your using a resilient material as a sacrificial cutting surface
the narrow work piece will tilt under the uneven pressure of the splinter guard
and this can cause burning in addition to un-square cuts.
In this case a hard sacrificial cutting surface is best.

Also, once you get a little burning, residue starts accumulating on the teeth
and you'll likely get more burning and more accumulation until the blade is cleaned.

Richard we would also like to welcome you to the forum.  If you are still having problems tomorrow, I would encourage you to call our toll free number (in my signature below) for assistance.  We'll be glad to help you get it resolved.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and reckon it's the glue in the material that is reacting to the heat of the blade. I haven't cut any solid wood yet.