Festool TS 55 and 8/4 solid maple

[Kevin Stricker]

Do you use a sled to flatten the first side? Also are you using glue on cleats to clamp the sides together or strap clamps.  Dominos?  It's tough to get a good glue line with natural edge glue ups I have found ( the hard way).  I'd love to hear about your system.

Also congratulations on your first class website.  I'd love to pick your brain on some of your ideas on sustainable finishing and cabinet/furniture construction. 

 

[Wonderwino]

Nice video, Andreas!

I used my TS75 to rip over 100' linear of 6-8/4 ash with no problem.  I just used the stock blade.  The cuts were smooth and burn-free.  That ash had been laying around in a dry building for over 30 years.

 

[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.

Are you getting any burning on ply?

No burning with ply or with hardwood 3/4 and under.  Good clean cuts with the 28 tooth and beautiful cuts with the 48.  Am I going too fast with the 28?  It's not a terribly big issue because I usually run any face that's going to get translucent finish a bit wide and run it through the planer.  It seems like that extra 1/4" pushes it over the edge.

 

[EcoFurniture]

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?

No burning with ply or with hardwood 3/4 and under.  Good clean cuts with the 28 tooth and beautiful cuts with the 48.  Am I going too fast with the 28?  It's not a terribly big issue because I usually run any face that's going to get translucent finish a bit wide and run it through the planer.  It seems like that extra 1/4" pushes it over the edge.

I got some burning in the past too, but nothing major. I think it had something to do with the density of the wood and maybe a dirty blade from cutting ply beforehand. But, who knows?...

 

[EcoFurniture]

Do you use a sled to flatten the first side? Also are you using glue on cleats to clamp the sides together or strap clamps.  Dominos?  It's tough to get a good glue line with natural edge glue ups I have found ( the hard way).  I'd love to hear about your system.

Also congratulations on your first class website.  I'd love to pick your brain on some of your ideas on sustainable finishing and cabinet/furniture construction. 

Thank you for your kind words!
Sled? No. I was lucky enough that those two pieces where fairly flat and only needed to be cleaned up.

For the glue up I used a couple of dominos down the center as I couldn't put a clamp on there... Clamping is always the biggest issue while working with a natural edge. In this case, I left about 10 extra inches on the slabs that could (and did) get damaged from the clamps. In other words, I only used two clamps, one at each end. As a result, I had a very fine, but visible glue joint in the middle. Enoying but I somewhat expected it. To cover it up, I lay the guiderail down and put a 2mm deep groove in with the TS55. Looks quite nice actually.

 

[tbellemare]

Really nice way to mask the glue joint, Andreas.

It might look totally planned if, instead of one groove, you had a pattern of grooves - maybe even some of them blind. I'm going to have to remember that one...

Tom

 

[Kevin Stricker]

Andreas,
  One technique that I have seen used is to hot glue cleats on both sides of the joint on both top and bottom of the boards.  You can clamp the cleats, then remove them with alcohol once the glue dries.  I have never used this technique on such a large slab though, so I don't know if you could get enough clamping pressure.

The saw kerf is pretty clever though, maybe a bevel on the edge before glue up would be another option.

Kevin

 

[EcoFurniture]

Good idea about the hotmelt! But I don't think you would be able to create enough pressure before they pop off... And if they pop off, would they rip out some of the fibers? Too risky for my taste.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

For drawing the slab halves together, you might try a pair of "scissors" action clamps or cabinet claw type clamps, the jaws of which bear down more firmly on the faces of the pieces being clamped as the clamp jaws on each of he slab pieces are drawn toward each other.  Lining the slab-contacting faces of the clamps with abrasive cloth would help avoid slippage of the jaws of the clamps as you draw them toward each other.

Dave R.