Advice needed on some accessories, please!

[Mac]

As some of you know, I got hold of a TS55 and a trion barrel grip jigsaw yesterday. They are both in fine working order but came with no accessories at all, other than the rails. So, I'm after some advice on the following queries, if you could help.

Trion
1. Is there a set of blades you'd recommend as a good all round starter set?
2. Are the little splinter guards worth getting
3. There is no dust guard (clear plastic shroud thing)...is it worth getting?
4. Without the dust guard, will extraction do anything at all?
5. I ask 4 as there is no hose adaptor so I'll need to pick up one of those too

TS55
1. Would you suggest the festool fine blade is the best all rounder, as it has a dewalt currently and this seems sacrilege, somehow.
2. Any other accessories that you find particularly useful?  As a newbie to the TS55, I don't know what I don't know, if you follow me, so any general hints would be useful...having said that the tips on Brice's website were very useful.

Thanks folks. No doubt more queries to follow as I get to know the tools.

Rick

 

[kev carpenter]

I have the Ts-55 and the general blade does well as an allrounder but if your cutting doors or hardwoods you will need the rough blade but i do find that the rough blade upsets the splinterguards.

and when your rail splinter guard is not doing so good just peel it of with the adhesive with it and stick back on it will work about 4 times and i would buy a pack of the green ones they last well any way .

Good luck with it i use mine every day and worth every penny and more [big grin]

 

[tbellemare]

1. Is there a set of blades you'd recommend as a good all round starter set?

493240 - Jigsaw Blade Assortment, 35 Blades
You probably won't ever need blades again, except for cutting tile or real deep cuts.

2. Are the little splinter guards worth getting

Only if you want splinter-free cuts... They really make a difference.

3. There is no dust guard (clear plastic shroud thing)...is it worth getting?

Only if you want to pick up dust.

4. Without the dust guard, will extraction do anything at all?

Not much.

5. I ask 4 as there is no hose adaptor so I'll need to pick up one of those too

Yep

1. Would you suggest the festool fine blade is the best all rounder, as it has a dewalt currently and this seems sacrilege, somehow.

Probably the Universal though the Fine-Tooth Blade is a fabulous blade for super clean cuts.

Any other accessories that you find particularly useful?  As a newbie to the TS55, I don't know what I don't know, if you follow me, so any general hints would be useful...having said that the tips on Brice's website were very useful.

You'll want a few green splinter guards and probably a Limit Stop or two. One for plunge cuts and two for blind cuts.

Tom

 

[rwdawson]

Mac,

I concur with Tom regarding the splinter guards and the limit stops.  A second limit stop is an extremely useful device, well worth what little it costs.

As for not knowing what you don't know, perhaps this will help.  Rummy would be proud.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unknown_unknown

Regards,

Richard

 

[jonny round boy]

Can't help with the Trion questions, but with the TS55 I'd recommend the following:

Blades

I don't use anything other than the 48-tooth standard blade that ships with the saw, which is the 'fine tooth' one, 491952. I've tried the 28-tooth 'universal' blade (496302) but wasn't impressed. The 48 tooth one seems to me to be the best all-round blade.

Having said that, I have 3 of these, but they never seem to be as good once they get back from being sharpened. I guess I just haven't found a decent sharpener! As an alternative, and since you're in the UK too, I've been using blades from Fitters World. These cost me ?25 for 3 including P&P. They don't last as long as the Festool, and can't be re-sharpened, but for a throw-away blade they're really good!

Accessories

Obviously there's the expensive stuff like the parallel guides, but on the cheaper end I'd recommend the following. in no particular order:

Guide Rail Stop (491582) - very useful when plunge cutting. Stops any kickback. I bought a couple after I had the saw kick back when I was plunge-cutting in a solid timber worktop. That cost me ?250 for a new top  [eek].

Clamps - I don't bother with the clamps for 99% of the cuts I make, but they do come in handy every now and again. I'd go for the screw clamps (489570) over the quick-action ones (491594), given the cost.

Splinter Guards - I'd recommend getting a 5m roll of the new transparent rail edge tape (495209) and replace the strip every time you change the blade. Obviously if the blades are the same kerf there's no need to change it every time, but I find that the edge gets 'worn' as it's used, so I always change it with the blade. Also, pick up a pack of the green 'offside' splinter guards, 491473. These reduce splintering on the 'waste' side of the cut - very useful for cross-cutting ply, not so much with MDF.

I reckon that's probably enough for starters...

JRB

 

[Neill]

Rick,

I agree with everything Tom said.  The fine blade would be great for crosscuts but not so sure how good it would be for rip cuts.  The standard blade would be fine all around.  Might be a little slow on rip cuts but it does a great job.

As far as the jigsaw, I bought the blade assortment Tom mentioned along with a pack of the super long blades.  I can't recall the capacity of the extra long blades exactly but it is something like 115mm.  Those little clear plastic things you mentioned stabilize the blade when you are cutting.  They are inexpensive and work very well.  The only other thing I bought was the guide stop which enables you to use your jigsaw in conjunction with you guide rail to make perfectly straight cuts.  Very inexpensive.  I think mine was 15US$ a year ago.

Neill

 

[tbellemare]

What Neill said about the Guide Stop is a good idea if you foresee having to cut stuff thicker than the 55 can cut. With the long blades, S 105/4 FSG (105 mm long) and the S 145/4 FSG (145 mm long) and the Guide Stop, you can cut straight, deep, and perpendicular.

Tom

 

[Mac]

Gents,

Thanks all so much for your thoughts and advice.  I'll act on it all and put in an order after christmas...seems unlikely that it'll be small enough that I can sneak it past my beautiful and overly intelligent wife, but perhaps christmas cheer will encourage her to let this one pass?

Richard, thanks for the link..! Here's one in return that might tickle your fancy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authenticity_(philosophy)

See, I think Festools help one through the tricky wilderness of existential aloneness...I might run that past the wife tonight and see if she bites.  [eek]

Have a fantastic christmas. 
Cheers
Rick