Festool TS 55 and 8/4 solid maple

[EcoFurniture]

Hi,

Today I had the rare task of cutting up a 6' 2" thick maple slab with my TS 55. I thought it's maybe a great opportunity to show new owners and potential buyers that she is up the task.
Agreed , there are faster ways to get that cut done, especially when you have a big powerful table saw. In any case the question is: Can this saw  handle thick hardwood?

A couple of details to this video:
1. This was the toughest piece of maple I ever cut with this saw! I was surprised by that.
2. I used the stock blade--no burning!
3. I had a CT-Mini hooked up.
4. There was a lot of tension in this piece of wood, enough to justify a wedge to keep the cut open.
5. During the end of the cut, I blew a 20 amp fuse... First thought the saw was over heating, but it was not even close to the temperature I'm getting when ripping up plywood for an hour.

Anyhow, enjoy my German accent  [scared] [unsure] [big grin]
Festool TS55

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

You really need to get your self a rip blade for that thing.
That is pretty good for the 48t factory blade.

I have straight lined tons of white oak, ash and hickory, all about 5/4.
The rip blade makes no work of it at all.

It is a very capable little saw. [big grin]

 

[EcoFurniture]

I have the rip blade (  I think it's called Panther). You are right, it makes it a bit easier... but I mostly use the saw for cutting sheet goods, I didn't feel like ripping the splinterguard up just for on cut...
Info for new owners:
The Panther blade has a thicker kerf (the thickness of the blade) and therefore will take a good chunk of rubber off the guiderail splinter guard. If you are going to use this set up all the time, then fine. But if your focus is on splinter free cuts, then you will first have to replace that rubber strip before proceeding.

cheers,

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Right about that. There are other options.
Different blades or a dedicated rail for ripping
with the panther blade.

She does just grunt right through it though.

 

[JeromeM]

Hi,

Today I had the rare task of cutting up a 6' 2" thick maple slab with my TS 55. I thought it's maybe a great opportunity to show new owners and potential buyers that she is up the task.
Agreed , there are faster ways to get that cut done, especially when you have a big powerful table saw. In any case the question is: Can this saw  handle thick hardwood?

A couple of details to this video:
1. This was the toughest piece of maple I ever cut with this saw! I was surprised by that.
2. I used the stock blade--no burning!
3. I had a CT-Mini hooked up.
4. There was a lot of tension in this piece of wood, enough to justify a wedge to keep the cut open.
5. During the end of the cut, I blew a 20 amp fuse... First thought the saw was over heating, but it was not even close to the temperature I'm getting when ripping up plywood for an hour.

Probably the reason the fuse/breaker tripped was the blade binding. Did you notice that the second wedge fell out of the cut. My guess is that the CT was on maximum as was the TS55 and so with the wood reacting and binding that sent the load over the maximum sustained load for the breaker.

I like the 240v 16amp circuits as it is difficult to overload those with a CT and any tool connected to it. Even my 3kW saw is OK on the same circuit (though not at the same time of course)

 

[EcoFurniture]

You could be right about the binding. In my old shop it happened all the time that the fuses popped out. Today was the first time within 4 months since I moved  into the new shop.
Usually I guide the saw single handed, but today I could feel quite a bit of force behind it and played it safe with two hands on the tool.

 

[tbellemare]

That's a gorgeous piece of maple...

For something that big, I prefer the 75 but as you pointed out, the 55 works fine, even with a blade meant for another purpose.

Your videos are a wonderful addition to this venue, ECO (is it Andreas?).

If I can be so presumptuous, I'd mostly like to understand how you work with grass products like bamboo and how you ECO-ize.

I live in Austin. There is a big market here for low/high tech about how to economize one's existence and save the environment, while making cool looking things. I know that concept is just about everywhere but the local politicos here have been promoting it for decades and I suspect it is what will be the future of building things with high margins.

Tom

 

[tjbnwi]

Seeing as this was a 2" thick piece should the thread title read 8/4?

I rip 4/4 and 5/4 pieces all of the time and as everyone here knows it goes much easier than the video showed. I find with the stock tooth it will go through 4/4 hardwood without hesitation.

When I have to rip 6/4 and thicker, I use the positive depth stop on the saw and make 2 or 3 cuts, each deeper than the previous. Easier on the arm, saw and the circuit this way.

Tom 

 

[EcoFurniture]

Seeing as this was a 2" thick piece should the thread title read 8/4?

I rip 4/4 and 5/4 pieces all of the time and as everyone here knows it goes much easier than the video showed. I find with the stock tooth it will go through 4/4 hardwood without hesitation.

When I have to rip 6/4 and thicker, I use the positive depth stop on the saw and make 2 or 3 cuts, each deeper than the previous. Easier on the arm, saw and the circuit this way.

Tom 

You caught me there, of course it  should be named 8/4 stock...  Doing two passes would help, for sure! But as I mentioned, this piece was very dense and I was surprised by it... If I would have known about that, I would have done two passes.

Cheers,
Andreas

 

[EcoFurniture]

That's a gorgeous piece of maple...

For something that big, I prefer the 75 but as you pointed out, the 55 works fine, even with a blade meant for another purpose.

Your videos are a wonderful addition to this venue, ECO (is it Andreas?).

If I can be so presumptuous, I'd mostly like to understand how you work with grass products like bamboo and how you ECO-ize.

I live in Austin. There is a big market here for low/high tech about how to economize one's existence and save the environment, while making cool looking things. I know that concept is just about everywhere but the local politicos here have been promoting it for decades and I suspect it is what will be the future of building things with high margins.

Tom

Hi Tom,

Thank you for your kind words!
You are right, building green will be the future. Demanded by the consumers and regulated by the Governments! I see and hear it every day, people want to buy ethical, well build products.
Agreed, it isn't easy to be 100% green with your products and operations. But you can get very close. One thing I find the most challenging aspect of being an eco furniture maker is staining. There are only a limited amount of non-toxic, sustainable colors available and to be honest, most of them suck! They are also very very expensive.. I just bought a 1.5 gallon drum of black stain as a special order from Germany--cost me around $1300....

Anyhow, I don't want to go off topic in the post... Maybe we should start a "build green" topic somewhere else.

Cheers,
Andreas

 

[bonesbr549]

Thanks for the post.  I've had my TS55/mft3 for a while now and have cut ply & solid stock.  None of my cuts have been 8/4" yet, but its good to know she'll get the job done when required. 

 

[fshanno]

Andreas,

I usually get some burning with that blade on 4/4 and up with all species I've tried.  But you got none on 8/4 maple.  If I were to make that cut I'd be able to smell the burning.  I don't understand.  What am I doing wrong? 

And please start that green thread.  It's an interesting and timely topic.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Andreas,

I usually get some burning with that blade on 4/4 and up with all species I've tried.  But you got none on 8/4 maple.  If I were to make that cut I'd be able to smell the burning.  I don't understand.  What am I doing wrong? 

And please start that green thread.  It's an interesting and timely topic.

Are you getting any burning on ply?

 

[Kevin Stricker]

If you are worried about your splinter-strip then buy the Tenryu Rip blade, it has a very similar kerf to the Festool Universal blade.  I use it for ripping and crosscutting 8/4 stock with good results, and it does a great job ripping veneer plywood as well.  I think 2-3 passes with a TS55 is way faster than building a jig to cut rough lumber on your tablesaw. 

I was building a slab corner table from Elm and using a TS75 with a universal blade, which had a hard time with the cut.  I made several cuts with the TS55 and Tenryu rip blade to scribe the top with a slight bevel cut and it was noticeably easier.  It's well worth the investment.

 

[EcoFurniture]

Here is the result:

Super Natural Coffee Table

 

[Brice Burrell]

Here is the result:

[thumbs up]

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Andreas,

Thanks for posting the videos and explanations of use of your TS 55 for ripping.  And thanks for posting the final product.  Beautiful!!  I agree with those who recommend the Tenyru rip blade, but I have had no problems ripping oak doors to size with the 48 toothed blade supplied with the saw.

Dave R.

 

[mouppe]

Perhaps there is an obvious answer to this question but I was wondering why you didn't place the guide rail on the lumber and rip along the edge of the maple instead of on the inside. Since you are not using the splinter guard it cannot be because you were overly concerned about a splinter-free cut on the offcut side.

Just curious.
Richard.

 

[EcoFurniture]

Perhaps there is an obvious answer to this question but I was wondering why you didn't place the guide rail on the lumber and rip along the edge of the maple instead of on the inside. Since you are not using the splinter guard it cannot be because you were overly concerned about a splinter-free cut on the offcut side.

Just curious.
Richard.

I had to split that slab into two to fit it through my Dewalt thicknesser. After I cleaned them up, I glued them back together  [smile]

 

[mouppe]

Thanks for lifting the fog.