Edge jointing 40mm Oak boards

[fobos8]

Hello all

I know edge jointing has been discussed here before. I've just been trawling through the archives.

I need to make a few table tops and have never done it before. I've quite a few festools so I'm hoping to use them for this.

Most festoolers seem to favour using the TS55 + guide rail to edge joint boards. I know John Lucas and Bob Marino have done a turorial showing how to do this.

Thing is I don't see how it will work for somthing as thick and hard as 40mm oak boards. I regularly use my TS55 and rails for "planing in" 45mm thick oak doors and there are saw marks left, even when I'm cutting with timber on both sides of the blade as John and Bob do in their tutorial.  I clean these marks up with a block plane and sand paper.

So I just don't see has this set up will work for 40mm oak boards unless the cut is cleaned up afterwards with a bench plane.

Please tell me "your wrong, it can be done, you do it like this..........."

Has anyone used their TS 55 to edge joint boards this thick? How successful was it?

Please share you experiences.

Best regards, Andrew

 

[EcoFurniture]

I always to that with the ts 55. Key is that your saw is 100% dialed in. As a result you will get a very nice clean cut. Make sure your blade is sharp!

 

[Brice Burrell]

Andrew, what blade are you using?

 

[woodshopdemos]

Andrew,
  Brice assked the right  question. I use thte Panther blade fr the cuts and I set the saw to go all the way through. If the blade cant make ti all the way thru, I flip th eboard over and a;ign the rail to the start and start marks that you see at the end of the board.
  And a secret revealed: Elena and I will take the new one handed planer to a freshly cut edge. I havent a cue what will happen...just what I would like to happen.

 

[fobos8]

Hi all

I've been using the 48 tooth fine cut blade for ripping oak cos I thought it would give the best finish but its not great.

So it seems I'm better off using the panther 12 tooth blade? What is the finish like? I would have thought it would be rough?

Best regards, Andrew

 

[Brice Burrell]

Andrew, I've recently used the Tenryu 28 tooth blade with good results ripping thick pine and poplar exterior doors. There were some faint saw marks that could be easily sanded out with 220 grit, for edge joining there would be no need to address the cut at all before glue up. Festool makes the 28 tooth "universal" saw blade but I've not used it. Reviews seem to be mixed on its performance. I vote for the Tenryu.

 

[gkeas]

Andrew, I've recently used the Tenryu 28 tooth blade with good results ripping thick pine and poplar exterior doors. There were some faint saw marks that could be easily sanded out with 220 grit, for edge joining there would be no need to address the cut at all before glue up. Festool makes the 28 tooth "universal" saw blade but I've not used it. Reviews seem to be mixed on its performance. I vote for the Tenryu.

+1 for the Tenryu blades.  I have 4 (rip, universal, fine, and composite) for the 55, and 3 (rip, universal, and fine) for the 75.  The cuts are all at least as good as the Festool equivalent, the price is fair, and the best part is that they ALL (within 55 or 75) have the same kerf, so you don't jack your splinterguard when switching between blades.  I'm a big fan.  I'm also beta testing (or was, they may be in production, now) an 80t fine blade for the Kapex.  It is also EXTEMELY smooth, and quieter (more quiet?) than the Festool 60t.  I haven't compared it to Festool's 80t fine finish blade, though.

 

[woodshopdemos]

...
So it seems I'm better off using the panther 12 tooth blade? What is the finish like? I would have thought it would be rough?

Best regards, Andrew

Andrew,
  I have been pleasently surprised at the Panther cut quality. It isnt as fine as a blade with more teeth but it is smooth enough for jointing boards for glue up... I find that when there is roughness it is "operator error." If you can keep a steady cut speed and keep the saw firmly on the guide rail, cut is outstanding.

 

[fobos8]

Okay guys

Many thanks for the replies. Will get a different blade then and go for it.. Will cut on some insulation board aswell as I know this makes a diiference.

Cheers, Andrew

 

[hueburke]

Okay guys

Many thanks for the replies. Will get a different blade then and go for it.. Will cut on some insulation board aswell as I know this makes a diiference.

Cheers, Andrew

"Cut on some insulation boards" -- what does this mean?

 

[Chuck Kiser]

Okay guys

Many thanks for the replies. Will get a different blade then and go for it.. Will cut on some insulation board aswell as I know this makes a diiference.

Cheers, Andrew

"Cut on some insulation boards" -- what does this mean?

Many of the guys who use these saws set up a table with a plywood top covered with a 4x8 sheet of 'pink' foam insulation. This gives the material being cut support and allows the saw blade to penetrate into the foam without blade damage.

 

[hueburke]

Thanks Chuck. I over came the need for a sacrificial subsurface when using my ts55 by building a 2x4 unit 40"x88" that keys into my sawhorses. it is a good system if a little subject to the 2x4's moving a little bit over the life of the work surface. I will seriously consider the pink foam technique.

On that note, I heard that polystyrene insulation can dull sawblades. Is this a myth?

 

[fobos8]

Hi guys

Back to this topic again!! I got a panther rip blade in my TS55, put down some foam on my bench and followed the John Lucas method for edge jointing, i.e rip both edges straight then put the two edges close to one another so the blade cuts 0.5mm of each at the same time and ..........

The cut quality on the surface on the top of the boards was not great - there was some tearout. The cut quality on the surface at the bottom of the boards was great - really good with no tearout at all.  So I thought fine the bottom sufaces will be the top of my table!!

Excitedly I put the two surfaces together but the joint was not great. The reason is that there are saw marks all along both edges and these imperfection are prevently a perfect joint.

What am I doing wrong? Am I doing anything wrong. Should I get better results using the TS75? Do I need to fly out to America and get John to show me what to do?

Should I clean the edges up with a Jack plane or similar? I don't own one so can't try this out.

Please advise, Andrew

 

[Brice Burrell]

While generally I have a lot of respect for Mr. Lucas' advice I think in your case it was off the mark. I would not recommend the Panther blade for this application. I like this guy's advice.

Andrew, I've recently used the Tenryu 28 tooth blade with good results ripping thick pine and poplar exterior doors. There were some faint saw marks that could be easily sanded out with 220 grit, for edge joining there would be no need to address the cut at all before glue up......

That assumes you can get your hands on a Tenryu blade if you must use your TS55. I'd use what we call a jointer here in the States.