Guide Rail Anti-Splinter Strip Questions

[MrToolJunkie]

I used my new TS75 yesterday to trim a 3.75 inch thick maple workbench top.  Worked very well cutting full depth and flipping to finish.  I love the saw thus-far and it worked very well in this application.  I used a 55 inch guide rail and the anti-splinter strip was white and seemed more plastic than rubber -- or a very hard rubber. 

I did have a couple of questions:

Did Festool change the strips recently?  I suppose it does not matter as it seems to work well.  I also have the 75 inch rail but I did not open that up yet to see what came installed on it.

Also, what is the amount of strip most of you have to the right of the aluminum (between the blade and rail)?  1/16 of an inch or more?  My strip is very narrow at each end and I realize that I cut without the saw supported all the way through when trimming initially (lucky I did not damage the rail).  I also just saw the post that it cuts more of the strip off with a deeper cut - since I took a full depth I should be good.

How smooth is the cut on the strip?  Mine seems kind of ragged -- not bad, but not smooth.  I also did not get a full trim -- the white material kind of chunked off in smaller pieces which leads me to my first question above.  I have a roll of the replacement anti-strip material and that is the black rubber material.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and insight.

Scot

 

[bonesbr549]

I  bought my TS55 a week ago with the MFT3 as a combo package.  I put my table together and the rail had the black rubber as you mentioned.  Since I have not broken down any ply yet I have not used the 1400 rail, but did take it out of the box and noticed that the strip is white hard plastic as you say.  I have not trimmed it back so your comment about it being ragged I can't speak to.  I almost bought the rail accessory kit and it had a spare strip in it, that was the flexible rubber in it. 

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

The splinter guard material was recently changed.

 

[bionicus]

Yeah, Festool fairly recently switched to the white strips with the idea that it would allow for easier/improved visibility of pencil marks. I like the change, though I haven't yet used them myself.

On my rails there's probably about 1/8th of an inch remaining on the splinter strips and they're still in good shape after many cuts. The black rubber edge feels a little rough but it's definitely not ragged or anything.

I'm not sure if this is the officially recommended procedure or not, but here's what I would do with your longer 75" rail: Assuming you have a set of rail connectors, connect the 75" to the tail end of your 55", set the saw on the 55" and run a continuous cut from one rail to the other, stopping when you get a couple feet short of the end of your 75". Then remove and reconnect the 55" to the tail end of the 75" and repeat. This will ensure your saw is perfectly supported as you cut both ends of your 75" strips. If after this you find that your 75" looks to be in far better shape than the shorter 55", you may just want to replace the 55" strip and repeat those same steps. Obviously the strips are used for alignment so you don't want to start off with inaccuracies in your cuts.

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Thanks for the quick responses!  What is the recommended amount of guide strip between the rail and the blade?  Does Festool have one?  I just went out and measured and mine is just shy of 1/16th of an inch for most of the length and in places maybe 1/32nd of an inch.  Is there an alignment issue with my saw -- maybe when I fit the saw to the rail it is not perfectly parallel?  Also, I bought the blade pack and it came with the black rubber replacement strip, not the new type.  Can I return that and exchange for the new type (and pay the difference)?  The new strip is smooth, not ragged as I originally mentioned -- where it is not smooth is where I think I plunged deeper so it is not even in a couple of places (at the front and back of the rail).  Finally, is there a different method for the initial cut that Festool suggests for the new style strip or is it the same procedure as for the older rubber-style?

Sorry for all the questions -- this is my first Festool.

Scot

 

[MarkF]

Please check the thickness for the TS75 rip blades vs the other blades you plan to use as I'm not familiar with them.  If they are different they will leave different amounts of strip remaining on the rail...throwing off future registration.  If you need to re-position the strip it can be easily removed with a hairdryer, repositioned and renewed in less than a minute.  Just don't drop it in sawdust while it's hot and sticky... :

 

[MrToolJunkie]

I called and spoke to Dave at Festool today -- what a very helpful individual -- spent over 30 minutes talking about my question and how to make any adjustments.  It turns out that 1/16th of an inch or so is probably fine for most applications and that a narrower strip will provide better support.  However, if I do switch to a thicker kerf blade (like the Panther) then I might want to move the saw out a little bit more for some insurance -- seems like an easy process to make a cut, see what amount of shimming my saw currently has (to keep the right amount of toe-in at the front of the blade), loosen the four set screws, move the saw out a little, shim it to the cut I just made, tighten it up and re-cut the guide strip.  I may just continue to use the saw as is for the time being as it looks like I have enough clearance with the current 36 tooth blade.  He did say that on the 75, due to the slip-clutch, that the blade is registered from the outside plate and that the full kerf would move toward the guide-rail if I switched blades.  The TS55 does not register from the same place. 

It is refreshing to deal with a company that is so passionate about their tools and service.

Scot 

 

[tbellemare]

They have some real gems at Festool, David is certainly at the top of knowledge and customer service!

I think it's partly selective hiring and partly the environment that management promotes.

Tom

 

[Bob Marino]

I called and spoke to Dave at Festool today -- what a very helpful individual -- spent over 30 minutes talking about my question and how to make any adjustments.  It is refreshing to deal with a company that is so passionate about their tools and service.

Scot 

As mentioned in another post, Dave is not only an  encyclopedia of Festool information, he and his brother were the first importers of Festool tools in the USA.

Bob

 

[Brice Burrell]

I called and spoke to Dave at Festool today -- what a very helpful individual -- spent over 30 minutes talking about my question and how to make any adjustments.  It is refreshing to deal with a company that is so passionate about their tools and service.

Scot 

As mentioned in another post, Dave is not only an  encyclopedia of Festool information, he and his brother were the first importers of Festool tools in the USA.

Bob

While in Henderson I was able to talk with David, great guy, quite and very modest. His knowledge of the tools was impressive, well, that's an understatement. He was telling a story about a camera repair shop he had years ago, they had a great slogan, "If we can't fix it, its not broken". 

 

[Bob Marino]

While in Henderson I was able to talk with David, great guy, quite and very modest. His knowledge of the tools was impressive, well, that's an understatement. He was telling a story about a camera repair shop he had years ago, they had a great slogan, "If we can't fix it, its not broken". 
[/quote]

Yep, Brice they don't come much nicer than Dave.  Although Festool's Goleta office is now closed, Dave is still workin' for/with Festool - thank the Lord.

Bob

 

[Roseland]

I'm a new convert to Festool, and have only had my TS55 and rails for a week.  However before I bought them I read everything I could find on them.

Somewhere I read (and I can't find where) that the first cut on new rails, to trim the anti-splinter strip, should be very shallow; only just cutting into the surface of the wood underneath.

I did that and the edge of the strip is very clean.  I have seen others where the strip was rough, and assume they made their first cut too deeply.

I hope this helps!

Andrew

 

[Bob Marino]

Somewhere I read (and I can't find where) that the first cut on new rails, to trim the anti-splinter strip, should be very shallow; only just cutting into the surface of the wood underneath.

I hope this helps!

Andrew
[/quote]

This is correct.

Bob

 

[Willy S]

Somewhere I read (and I can't find where) that the first cut on new rails, to trim the anti-splinter strip, should be very shallow; only just cutting into the surface of the wood underneath.

Andrew, I think you might be referencing Page 8 of Rick Christopherson's TS55 EQ Circular Saw Instruction Manual.

Will

 

[Roseland]

That was it, thanks.

For anyone  looking for a comprehensive guide to the TS55 it makes a great read.

Andrew

 

[Daniel_n]

Somewhere I read (and I can't find where) that the first cut on new rails, to trim the anti-splinter strip, should be very shallow; only just cutting into the surface of the wood underneath.

I hope this helps!

Andrew

This is correct.

Bob

[/quote]

Why is that? What would happen if I took a deeper cut?

 

[ForumMFG]

Tear out?  Why do we only have the saw blade cut threw all our work pieces just an 1/8" or so?  I would assume it's the same concept.

 

[Daniel_n]

Tear out?  Why do we only have the saw blade cut threw all our work pieces just an 1/8" or so?  I would assume it's the same concept.

Sure could be. But do you thin tearout could really occur on the kind of rubber the anti-splinter strip is made from? I don't know. But anyway - with some kind of wood, mdf or whatever directly underneath the rail (and thus the anti-splitter strip) I don't see how there could be any tearout anyway?

 

[ForumMFG]

Yeah if you have something underneath it, it shouldn't.  When I was answering the question i was thinking about how I did it.  I didn't have anything under it.  Someone else with my experience can better answer your question.

 

[tbellemare]

My favortie method for trimming the splinter guard is here. I use a sacrificial piece underneath, a shallow cut, and full saw speed. I also join another rail at the end so I can get a consistent reveal all the way down.

There are others that "dangle" the edge of the rail with the splinterguard and slow the saw speed way down. I've never tried it but I hear it works well also.

Tom