Blade kerfs

[Mountain-man]

I have the battery tsc55 k. Can I run thicker kerf blades in it?
I have been getting drift in thin kerf blades.

 

[Michael Kellough]

You can but the wider blade might cut down the splinter guard and it will certainly deplete the battery sooner.

Whether the blade cuts the splinter guard depends on both the tooth overhang and the blade blank thickness. If it does measure out that it will cut the splinter guard you could try to put a spacer on the inside of the blade.

I bought a Forest blade made for track saws over a decade ago before taking the above in consideration. It makes a wider kerf than the standard blades but the blade blank is so much thicker than standard that the kerf is actually a couple tenths/mm away from the splinter guard.

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] and other Mafell MT55 owners. I bought this inexpensive combination blade for straightening 2x4’s and it matches the splitter guard on my Bosch rails perfectly. And still makes a clean cut even in construction grade lumber. It’s not a ripping blade so it does exhaust the battery faster than a rip blade would but the saw doesn’t bog down like it does with the oem fine blade.

 

[Packard]

I have both a standard kerf blade and a narrow kerf blade for my table saw.  Both blades from the same manufacturer.

The thin kerf blade cuts faster with less dust and does not bog down the motor on thick stock like the regular kerf blade does.

The standard kerf blade (both are combination blades) makes cleaner cross cuts and cleaner cuts in plywood.  I don’t think that is a product of the width of the blade, but probably a product of the design of the teeth. 

Because of the cleaner cuts, I use the standard width blade by default.  I will use the narrow kerf blade if I am cutting a bunch of very narrow pieces and I reduce the amount of waste.

I am not sure any or all of this will apply to a track saw.

 

[Cheese]

I have the battery tsc55 k. Can I run thicker kerf blades in it?
I have been getting drift in thin kerf blades.

If you're getting drift, you must be using it off of the rail and applying side pressure to the saw?

I've owned the TSC 55 R and now own the TSC 55 K and have never gotten drift when using the saws on the rail. If you switch to the 2.2 mm kerf blades you'll probably NOT recut the splinter strip on the rail because the amount of carbide overhang on the 2.2 and the 1.8 blades is the same. You will however, notice a decrease in performance. The batteries will need to be changed more often, the saw will struggle with thicker stock, the cut will take longer and if you're using the dust bag, you will need to empty it more often.

Here's how Festool contrasts the difference in performance between the blades.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have the battery tsc55 k. Can I run thicker kerf blades in it?
I have been getting drift in thin kerf blades.

If you're getting drift, you must be using it off of the rail and applying side pressure to the saw?

I've owned the TSC 55 R and now own the TSC 55 K and have never gotten drift when using the saws on the rail. If you switch to the 2.2 mm kerf blades you'll probably NOT recut the splinter strip on the rail because the amount of carbide overhang on the 2.2 and the 1.8 blades is the same. You will however, notice a decrease in performance. The batteries will need to be changed more often, the saw will struggle with thicker stock, the cut will take longer and if you're using the dust bag, you will need to empty it more often.

Here's how Festool contrasts the difference in performance between the blades.

[attachimg=1]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] is on the right track  [big grin] (sorry I had to say it) Drift is not an issue with the blade itself (unless it was improperly resharpened). It comes from off track technique or more likely from incorrect toe setting. If the saw has been dropped/bumped it is possible to knock it out of adjustment. (without other obvious damage)
This can go back to depth of cut too. You could cut 3/4" sheet goods forever and "get by with" a bad toe adjustment, but a full-depth cut may expose it, since more of the blade is in the kerf.

 

[Lincoln]

I'm guessing the OP is using the term 'drift' incorrectly - probably means he's getting some flex in the thinner blades.

 

[GaryA]

I have had flex a few times when cutting 44mm doors especially with a used blade. I usually then make a couple of passes at increasing depths.

 

[Mountain-man]

My specifically, I'm getting drift from a new Festool laminate blade, in the track, cutting 3/4. Inch melamine board. So much so it cuts the strip on track as I get to middle of 8' cut sometimes. And I have my straight rail( I checked) clamped both ends. I assumed it was the thin kerf blade. It drifts towards the rail each time.

Maybe a bad blade. Cutting to fast, I go quite slow when I cut.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

My specifically, I'm getting drift from a new Festool laminate blade, in the track, cutting 3/4. Inch melamine board. So much so it cuts the strip on track as I get to middle of 8' cut sometimes. And I have my straight rail( I checked) clamped both ends. I assumed it was the thin kerf blade. It drifts towards the rail each time.

Maybe a bad blade. Cutting to fast, I go quite slow when I cut.

This is exactly what I was talking about. I would guess that you have too much toe in. (There is an adjustment for it)

The saw is supposed to be toed slightly toward the rail. This is supposed to keep it under a very slight tension, so it doesn't wander back and forth where the rail meets the saw base. However, if you have too much, that tension keeps building, so the blade flexes as it wants to keep pulling in.
This is also why I mentioned depth of cut. Deeper puts more blade in the kerf, making it longer, exacerbating the condition.

It's a fairly easy adjustment, but if you aren't comfortable with it, your local dealer should be able to do it.

 

[Mountain-man]

Thank you. I will google how to set toe! I have let my guys use my saw so dropping saw is not out of the question. I did not understand your.first answer as I thought it was talking about me cutting out of track.