Cupped tracks

[mwahaha]

Hi all first time poster here.

So i just got bought a new TS55 for home use and i'm very impressed with the saw, i think its a clear cut above the makita which i have used extensively cutting sheet goods and t&g hardwood flooring in a production environment, however i notice that both tracks i have are cupped. Anyone else strike this before? I'm not even sure if it would affect the saw in use with a single track, however i was planning on joining them and they are cupped differently so they wont sit the same.
FS1400/2
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FS1400/2-LR32
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I plan on talking to my dealer about replacements.
Are there allowable tolerances for cupping?
I checked some of another festoolian's tracks and one of his is cupped too.

 

[semenza]

Welcome to the forum.

      Interesting. I never even thought to look for that on mine. But I have not ever noticed it when joining tracks so I think mine are all flat.

Seth

 

[carlb40]

[welcome]

Sorry to see the rails like that. I haven't noticed any cupping on my 3 1400mm rails, and i often check mine for damage etc.

 

[aas]

Yep, same problem. Need to apply pressure to saw to make sure anti-plinter strip pushes down on to the wood.
Assumed it was normal.

 

[mwahaha]

So after almost 2 weeks Festool NZ has said the standard 1400 track is not defective and they dont want to replace it. So that means the cup is supposed to be there which is really NOT what i wanted to hear.

They have also said the LR32 track is defective and they are now waiting on another one from Germany, which is just ridiculous because i waited 2 weeks for the defective one to come from Germany i would have thought they would order a few at the same time not just one.

So now i wait for the new one to arrive to see if it has the same cup so i can join them together.

At this point I'm wondering if i should just keep an LR32 track, sell the standard cupped track, forget festool for the other tracks and just get Makita ones because they are not cupped and are well under half the price of Festool's.

 

[mwahaha]

Yep, same problem. Need to apply pressure to saw to make sure anti-plinter strip pushes down on to the wood.
Assumed it was normal.

That is not normal. I would get that changed if i were you. My standard 1400 track even with the cup does sit the anti-splinter guard on the material being cut.

 

[aas]

OK, I'll see what Festool say here. I need to get my DWC back to them too.

 

[DB10]

So after almost 2 weeks Festool NZ has said the standard 1400 track is not defective and they dont want to replace it. So that means the cup is supposed to be there which is really NOT what i wanted to hear.

They have also said the LR32 track is defective and they are now waiting on another one from Germany, which is just ridiculous because i waited 2 weeks for the defective one to come from Germany i would have thought they would order a few at the same time not just one.

What's the track like with the weight of the saw on it, does it flatten out?

I feel your frustration with Festool NZ, I used to live there a few years back now and had no choice but to give up on buying anything from Festool back then,  I was hoping things might be a bit better now.
It would make more sense to me if Festool NZ and Festool Aus  worked together, as you could have a new track within 3 or 4 days if it was to come from Melbourne.
Having to wait a couple of weeks and some, for a common part of the system like a track is not ideal.
Good luck.

 

[mwahaha]

What's the track like with the weight of the saw on it, does it flatten out?

It would make more sense to me if Festool NZ and Festool Aus  worked together

Thing is I was told Festool Australia and NZ used to be under the one tooltechnic umbrella. Now Festool NZ is not part of tooltechnic, because it was too much work for one guy.

No it doesn't flatten out. They seemed to think it might flatten itself with some use, which sounds to me like grasping at straws.

 

[Cheese]

Festool NZ has said the standard 1400 track is not defective and they dont want to replace it. So that means the cup is supposed to be there which is really NOT what i wanted to hear.

They have also said the LR32 track is defective.

That's weird, looking at the photos, I'd presume the 1400 track with the cup was definitely defective while the LR 32 appears to be functional. It would be easier to pair the LR 32 track with a straight track rather than the cupped 1400 track with a straight track.

Checked my tracks and all are straight, no cupping or bowing. Personally, I think both of those tracks are outside the straightness specification, although the LR 32 would be more functional than the 1400. [2cents]

 

[mwahaha]

the LR 32 appears to be functional

The LR32 track was pretty much flat until the green strip closest to the anti splinter guard, then it dived down 3 mm. If you tried to use it like that none of the 5mm holes would be perpendicular to the face of the board.

 

[#Tee]

ive joined my rails many times and its dead flat

 

[mwahaha]

Well my local dealer got new rails in...
They are the same as the first ones i had...
Still waiting for a resolution...

[censored]

 

[mwahaha]

So i finally have a resolution.

My local dealer wasn't getting anywhere with festool NZ so we came to an agreement that the LR32 track is not likely to get any better than it is, he can't get a flat 1400 standard track at all so i will get a 3m track (they are DEAD flat  : ) and pay the difference in price.

It seems odd that all the 1400 tracks are cupped (6 brand new in the store from different batches) but the 2.4m and longer are dead flat.

 

[Adept Designs]

Not surprised to see this. Its quite common with any aluminium extrusion. The extrusion process is far from dead on and they aren't machined to tolerance after coming out the die.. If you've seen a spaghetti machine in action then that's essentially how they make these.