Choosing a saw for ripping rought cut slabs?

[JeremyH.]

I know the T75 is popular among some people. But there's also Makita's 9.25" and Skilsaw's 10.25". (need 2.5-3" depth-ish)

One big through is tracks are the best thing ever. Even a weaker saw cuts better one one because there's no binding action from creeping in any direction (so I expect a non-worm beast to do fairly well on one). Obviously the T75 and Makita run on Festrool/Makita tracks natively. The Skilsaw would need a conversion but I know nothing about what's available. One of the ones I looked at talked about on a forum had a website with skeezy fake Google "win something for filling out a survey" thing on it... Not sure which are good, and which wouldn't reduce the cut too much. The native tracks on saws I've used (I have a Mafell KS400 with several tracks, and used to work with TS55) are superb for most use. I love how the tracks don't move, and the edge is the cut line. Some day I'll get Mafell tracksaw, right now I'm discussing a gift for someone stuck on a 7.25" saw and doesn't realize the value to customers when selling slabs for custom perfect cuts.

Anyways, any help would be appreciated.

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Jeremy

TS 75 with the big tooth rip blade would work well but tracks do not sit well on rough and twisted stock.

Have you thought of using a bandsaw - they are great for resawing work.

Peter

 

[CeeJay]

I’ve got a Bosch GKS 235 Professional which I use for exactly this purpose. Big (85mm depth), powerful (2200W motor), robust.

And cheap. 1/5 the price of a TS75.

Any straight edge makes a decent guide. I use a 2400mm spirit level.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MikeGE]

I have the Bosch GKS 85 G, which is designed to work with the Bosch FSN rails, and it rips through ash and oak like butter.  However, even with a shop vacuum connected, the sawdust flies everywhere.  For outside work, but for inside and shop work, I use the TS55 or TS75.  The Bosch is great as long as the lumber is not warped and relatively flat. 

As Peter stated, the tracks don't work well on rough lumber.  I had to cut a 2.5-inch thick length of oak, but the board had too much twist to allow the rail to sit flat.  I shimmed the rail as best as I could to compensate for the twist, but the blade didn't cut all the way through the board.  I had to use one of my carpentry rip saws to finish the cut.

 

[Stone Message]

Some of the time twisted stock is best cut before trying to flatten it on the planer as it might save more material. However, if it is possible to get at least one face flat then a guide rail will work quite well for the cutting stage. I all depends how the stock twists.

Peter

 

[JeremyH.]

These are taken care of in such a way that twist is pretty minimal. The reason I talk about the TS75 is because on another forum several guys say they use them all day on live edge slab stuff.

The Bosch GKS 235 Pro looks great actually. One problem, there's no 220v power available.

 

[MikeGE]

Some of the time twisted stock is best cut before trying to flatten it on the planer as it might save more material. However, if it is possible to get at least one face flat then a guide rail will work quite well for the cutting stage. I all depends how the stock twists.

Peter

I had to rip the oak in order for it to fit on my planer.  [sad]  Maybe I need a larger J/P (P/T).  [smile]

 

[MikeGE]

These are taken care of in such a way that twist is pretty minimal. The reason I talk about the TS75 is because on another forum several guys say they use them all day on live edge slab stuff.

The Bosch GKS 235 Pro looks great actually. One problem, there's no 220v power available.

I think the closest U.S. version is the Bosch CS10.  Bosch saws with "G" in the model number are designed to work with the FSN rails.

 

[JeremyH.]

These are taken care of in such a way that twist is pretty minimal. The reason I talk about the TS75 is because on another forum several guys say they use them all day on live edge slab stuff.

The Bosch GKS 235 Pro looks great actually. One problem, there's no 220v power available.

I think the closest U.S. version is the Bosch CS10.  Bosch saws with "G" in the model number are designed to work with the FSN rails.

Unfortunately that's only a 7.25" . Too bad, they sure seem like a great deal.

 

[nvalinski]

I'll throw in that I used the TS75 for this exact purpose. With the stock blade, you will be swearing at it for ripping hardwood. But the panther blade cuts like butter.

Otherwise, I believe the 9.25" cordless Makita is the only one that will natively run on tracks for less price and increased depth. But I will also agree with others that just a big straightedge is usually good enough for big slabs unless you are needing to glue up perfectly straight edges at the end, which opens up a lot more options for 10.25" corded saws.

 

[CeeJay]

The Bosch GKS 235 Pro looks great actually. One problem, there's no 220v power available.

There’s a 110V version of the GKS 235 available. It’s de-rated to 1700W.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JeremyH.]

The Bosch GKS 235 Pro looks great actually. One problem, there's no 220v power available.

There’s a 110V version of the GKS 235 available. It’s de-rated to 1700W.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok but so far it's virtually impossible to search for it while using the internet in USA.

The one thing I am probably just ignorant of is what guides would work well for going around a live edge, since you can't penetrate the surface (that'll be visible later). Tracks work nice as the weight is on them but guides need to be held is my experience unless there's some new tech (probably) that I just don't know about.

 

[CeeJay]

I clamp my guide (big spirit level) to the board, then run the saw along the guide. Works pretty well.

Then run the cut edge over the jointer to tidy up.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Michael Kellough]

The Bosch GKS 235 Pro looks great actually. One problem, there's no 220v power available.

There’s a 110V version of the GKS 235 available. It’s de-rated to 1700W.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok but so far it's virtually impossible to search for it while using the internet in USA.

The one thing I am probably just ignorant of is what guides would work well for going around a live edge, since you can't penetrate the surface (that'll be visible later). Tracks work nice as the weight is on them but guides need to be held is my experience unless there's some new tech (probably) that I just don't know about.

The 110v version is the Bosch GKS85 Blade diameter 235mm, depth of cut 85mm, but it doesn’t ride a rail. You can use a straight edge but very few circular saws have bases/shoes whose edge is truly parallel to the saw blade. Nor do they have a means of adjusting for parallel.

 

[JeremyH.]

The Bosch GKS 235 Pro looks great actually. One problem, there's no 220v power available.

There’s a 110V version of the GKS 235 available. It’s de-rated to 1700W.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok but so far it's virtually impossible to search for it while using the internet in USA.

The one thing I am probably just ignorant of is what guides would work well for going around a live edge, since you can't penetrate the surface (that'll be visible later). Tracks work nice as the weight is on them but guides need to be held is my experience unless there's some new tech (probably) that I just don't know about.

The 110v version is the Bosch GKS85 Blade diameter 235mm, depth of cut 85mm, but it doesn’t ride a rail. You can use a straight edge but very few circular saws have bases/shoes whose edge is truly parallel to the saw blade. Nor do they have a means of adjusting for parallel.

I don't think they ship to the US, can't select it when registering. Typical situation where we can't get really great stuff in the US.

 

[ScotF]

The Mafell KSS80 or K85 is great for cutting thick hardwoods. It cuts over 3 inches and is very powerful. It has a couple of different edge guides for narrow cuts without a guide rail. I also like the TS75 if you can use a guide rail for thicker stock.

 

[JeremyH.]

The Mafell KSS80 or K85 is great for cutting thick hardwoods. It cuts over 3 inches and is very powerful. It has a couple of different edge guides for narrow cuts without a guide rail. I also like the TS75 if you can use a guide rail for thicker stock.

A little high on the price range, but yes, that would be the best if possible. My KSS400 doesn't look super special but it is. You can tell once you start using a Mafell product that it isn't like others. (except their rebranded Metabo drills I'm sure)

 

[ScotF]

Yes, but worth it in my opinion if you need it for these cuts. I have cut some thick slabs without issue with this saw. Personally I would probably just get the K85 variant if I were buying it again as the cross cut has not been as useful for my work. Love Mafell tools, though.

 

[JeremyH.]

Went with Skilsaw 16" and seems like the right choice. He seems pretty happy.

 

[cubevandude]

What a beast!https://www.atlas-machinery.com/SKILSAW/SPT70V-11