Festool Tracksaw Blades - Video

[Phil Beckley]

Hi
Easy test........... [wink]
Cut along the grain on solid timber with a 48t blade with a guide rail.............swap out for the 28t blade then make the same cut ...........let me know how it 'feels'..... [big grin]
  You should be able to reduce the speed of the saw as well to 4-5 with the 28t blade and achieve a great cut quality.....what you will most likely feel is the TS55 'flowing' through the timber and not slowing down - correct blade for application.

By the way I am not an expert on angles, bevels, pitch, blade material, expansion slots etc.... but this is based on commercial work.
rg
Phil

 

[Stone Message]

Gosh, this thread seems to have become jolly interesting...

My video was intended to give an overview of the 3 available Festool blades and not be, as someone said, a thesis to support a physics degree.

Whether the Panther blade fits the classic description of a rip blade makes no difference at all - that is what Festool offer for the job and it does it really well. I think a lot of people like the Universal (28 tooth) blade and if the choice had to boil down to just one then that is the one that I would choose.

Peter

 

[Stone Message]

Hi
Easy test........... [wink]
Cut along the grain on solid timber with a 48t blade with a guide rail.............swap out for the 28t blade then make the same cut ...........let me know how it 'feels'..... [big grin]
  You should be able to reduce the speed of the saw as well to 4-5 with the 28t blade and achieve a great cut quality.....what you will most likely feel is the TS55 'flowing' through the timber and not slowing down - correct blade for application.

By the way I am not an expert on angles, bevels, pitch, blade material, expansion slots etc.... but this is based on commercial work.
rg
Phil

Thanks Phil.

I do mention the speed of cut towards the end and if you only have the 48 tooth blade with you and you need to do a rip then just take it slowly to give time for the waste fibres to be ejected and thus keep the heat down.

Peter

 

[geoffshep]

Another well made video with some technical info and, above all, some good practical demos of the results one can expect with some of the more common blades.  Peter would be first to admit (he has done it often enough before) that his experiments are not quite laboratory standard but give most of us a good idea of what we can achieve from a tool in a realistic setting - albeit somewhat more expertly than by me, and in a considerably neater workshop.

I'm not sure it deserved such a slagging off - and by the way, it would of course be a 'coarse crosscut blade' that you meant to say.  [wink]

As for banter - I'm still reeling from 'less teeth per inch'!  [huh]

 

[Holmz]

...
....

As for banter - I'm still reeling from 'less teeth per inch'!  [huh]

Finally some useful info.
Duly noted and filed.

 

[Roachmill]

As for banter - I'm still reeling from 'less teeth per inch'!  [huh]

Their their, you'll get over it. Its just some words you no!

 

[sancho57]

I own all TS55-blades (some in multiples) and the one I use the least is the Panther.

Funny that's the one I use the most [big grin] (in my CMS w a TS75 ) but for normal cross cutting I use the standard universal blade

 

[sancho57]

Hi
Easy test........... [wink]
Cut along the grain on solid timber with a 48t blade with a guide rail.............swap out for the 28t blade then make the same cut ...........let me know how it 'feels'..... [big grin]
  You should be able to reduce the speed of the saw as well to 4-5 with the 28t blade and achieve a great cut quality.....what you will most likely feel is the TS55 'flowing' through the timber and not slowing down - correct blade for application.

By the way I am not an expert on angles, bevels, pitch, blade material, expansion slots etc.... but this is based on commercial work.
rg
Phil

Phil,

That is the blade I use in my CMS should I reduce the speed? I usually run the saw at max speed.

 

[Michael Kellough]

In general, I shun online videos.
Too many are unscripted, unrehearsed, and remedial at best.
Not to mention terrible production.

Peter's video are the exception.
Have not watched this one because I've plenty of personal experience
with the blades he discusses (though I was surprised at Phil's comment about the 48t blade).

There isn't as much time to waste at this point so I much prefer it when someone takes the time to compose his thoughts and write them down concisely. This is why I scan this forum.

As for banter, isn't that what pubs are for?

 

[JimD]

I like Peter's inputs too.  I appreciate that he takes the time to create the videos.

My experience is greater on table saws than track saws but I tend to agree that a flat top grind is better for ripping.  I wonder why Festool uses a ATB.  I looked on-line at the Freud track saw ripper (also 14 teeth) and the illustration seems to indicate flat topped teeth.  My experience with Freud blades in my table saw is universally good and I would not hesitate to try one on my track saw.

I have ripped softwood doors (exterior) with the stock 48 tooth blade in my DeWalt track saw, however.  They are 1 3/4 thick.  It did not seem to struggle at all nor was the rip speed slow.  Maybe in hardwood it would bog down or require a slow feed rate.  I think it would at the moment, feed pressure seems to be a little higher on even 3/4 plywood.  It's probably dirty, possibly getting a little dull too. 

I'm interested in what sort of damage Peter experienced from a nail.  I've cut many over the years and normally not had much damage.  I try not to hit them, of course.  I've even touched a drywall screw with my DeWalt blade, however, and it cut fine afterward.  Is Festool carbide unusually hard where it chips easier or something?  Freak situation where a large chip came out?  I usually send blades to be sharpened by Ridge carbide.  They can grind out minor chips and replace a tooth if it is really bad.  Hard carbide will dull more slowly but would be more prone to chipping.  Freud will tell you the grade of carbide in their blade - it often is more on the tough side of the scale - not as high on hardness.  (I'm not saying which is more desirable, they both have advantages)

 

[Stone Message]

....

I'm interested in what sort of damage Peter experienced from a nail.  I've cut many over the years and normally not had much damage.  I try not to hit them, of course.  I've even touched a drywall screw with my DeWalt blade, however, and it cut fine afterward.  Is Festool carbide unusually hard where it chips easier or something?  Freak situation where a large chip came out?  I usually send blades to be sharpened by Ridge carbide.  They can grind out minor chips and replace a tooth if it is really bad.  Hard carbide will dull more slowly but would be more prone to chipping.  Freud will tell you the grade of carbide in their blade - it often is more on the tough side of the scale - not as high on hardness.  (I'm not saying which is more desirable, they both have advantages)

Sorry Jim, I have only just noticed this - I have been too busy brushing up my English and re-reading the dictionary (just reached "gulf" and should do "gullet" early next month.

The damaged blade has lost the very tip (OMG - it is probably called a spritzel chip) off quite a few from several teeth. It is actually quite minor and I am sure that it can be re-sharpened the next time I have a batch of blades (sorry - the collective noun is a "bunch" of blades). Luckily I had a spare and so the "nail" blade has sat in a drawer.

Interestingly, the nail was quite big yet it was sawn clean through through cleanly. The trouble is that videos do take a bit of time and effort to make and silly things like this do happen. I have destroyed two Zobo bits at different times whilst filming, knocked my Kapex out of line with a 6" square lump of oak and even messed up my grammar.

The one good thing is that I still do not take myself too seriously - no tilting (Don Quixote style) for me !

Peter

 

[geoffshep]

Haha - Touché 

 

[eddomak]

Thanks so much Peter for your video, and to the others on the FOG for the ensuing discussion and information.

I am about to embark on several plywood projects (most of my projects before this were on Melamine, using the 48T), so purchased a 28T today.

I have done a search and found that this may or may not affect the flexible splinterguard strip on the rail due to the fact that despite the same saw kerf width, the angle of the teeth may rip things up a bit more/less.

Of course one of the things I love an rely on the most is "What You See Is What You Get" cutting - to the sub millimeter, and would hate to jepordise this. Has anyone else had experience as to whether I should prepare to change the splinterguard strip when I change blades between 48T and 28T? (I will leave the Panther out of the equation).

 

[sancho57]

You shouldn't have to change splitter guards. All festool blade are the same Dia. 2.2 mm.

 

[eddomak]

Well, I tried it out today - swapping from 48T to 28T worked identically, as in it cut exactly on the same line. I will test when I swap back to the 48T, but I don't think I will need to do any changes.

Meanwhile, gee that 28T cut faster and cleaner than my 48T on 15mm plywood. It might possibly be due to the 48T having done a lot of work for me over the last 2 years through melamine. The only other comment I have was that I seemed to have abit more dust with the 28T.