Help with first purchase
- Thread starter rechilcot
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Mario Turcot
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Like Birdhunter, I have almost the same equipment you described.
TRACK SAW
If you don't cut sheet goods much I assume you work with small hardwood board. Is your table saw do the work? If so a track saw will only give you mobility,
DOMINO
Having a mortising machine is very nice, to me where the Domino shine is to allign assembly. It's a real game changer, require a small amount of practice tho.
What ever tool you decide to go with, get a CT combo if you don't already have a good vac.
SOME MORE THOUGHT
How is your clamping setup? The VAC SYS was also a game changer because I had zero clamping system.
How is your radial arm end grain cut look? The Kapex for me removed the need to sand end grain by at least 95%
TRACK SAW
If you don't cut sheet goods much I assume you work with small hardwood board. Is your table saw do the work? If so a track saw will only give you mobility,
DOMINO
Having a mortising machine is very nice, to me where the Domino shine is to allign assembly. It's a real game changer, require a small amount of practice tho.
What ever tool you decide to go with, get a CT combo if you don't already have a good vac.
SOME MORE THOUGHT
How is your clamping setup? The VAC SYS was also a game changer because I had zero clamping system.
How is your radial arm end grain cut look? The Kapex for me removed the need to sand end grain by at least 95%
Mario Turcot
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ChiknNutz said:
The Kapex combined with the right blade of course, make the cut so smooth, that I never use anything under 120 grit and often I don't even need to sand.
Mario Turcot
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[member=64379]ChiknNutz[/member] My apologize if I put more confusion in your mind with my statement. To illustrate what I mean here a picture of bubinga and hard maple. You can observe the no saw marks on the never been sanded piece.
[attachimg=1]
and another exemple with wenge. Notice the saw marks on the baltic birch ply that was cut on the table saw. My table is extremely stable with very little vibration.
[attachimg=2]
Both pieces have never been sanded. To me this is why the Kapex is so good. I also have a Milwaukee 12" compound saw that I only use for construction lumber, because of vibration.
[attachimg=1]
and another exemple with wenge. Notice the saw marks on the baltic birch ply that was cut on the table saw. My table is extremely stable with very little vibration.
[attachimg=2]
Both pieces have never been sanded. To me this is why the Kapex is so good. I also have a Milwaukee 12" compound saw that I only use for construction lumber, because of vibration.
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Michael Kellough
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Mario Turcot said:
Your Kapex is cutting superbly!
But you need to do something about the table saw. The teeth are scoring coming and going. Change the blade, add a stabilizer, angle the fence away from the the blade at the far end, or all three. That cut isn’t up to snuff.
Mario Turcot
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[member=297]Michael Kellough[/member]
I'm working on the table saw today and will take your advice seriously, thank you. Since that picture I cut some melamine and changed the blade for that matter. I had a melamine blade I bought about a year ago just for that and boy I don't regret it. My usual blade is in the process to get cleaned. That's the original blade that came with the table saw. Used it for a bit over 2 years and it may need some sharpening [embarassed]
It's not a cheap blade but cut like butter.
I'm working on the table saw today and will take your advice seriously, thank you. Since that picture I cut some melamine and changed the blade for that matter. I had a melamine blade I bought about a year ago just for that and boy I don't regret it. My usual blade is in the process to get cleaned. That's the original blade that came with the table saw. Used it for a bit over 2 years and it may need some sharpening [embarassed]
It's not a cheap blade but cut like butter.
Michael Kellough
Member
[member=66597]Mario Turcot[/member] You said the table saw was vibration-free so I assume there is very little runout at the arbor (therefore doesn’t matter what brand the table saw is), so what blade made that poor cut in the Baltic birch?
Mario Turcot
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The original blade that came with the table saw. I can't tell the brand but it's a cheap one for sure. Has been used for over 2 years w/o
sharpening tho. The blade is ready for a facelift [wink]
[attachimg=1]
I'm looking for a replacement. The Forest Woodworker II is highly recommended but man 200$ [eek]
Should I go with a TCG or stick with ATB? I do some quick grooves on the table saw and found TCG usefull for that matter.
sharpening tho. The blade is ready for a facelift [wink]
[attachimg=1]
I'm looking for a replacement. The Forest Woodworker II is highly recommended but man 200$ [eek]
Should I go with a TCG or stick with ATB? I do some quick grooves on the table saw and found TCG usefull for that matter.
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I love my Forrest blades. True, they are very expensive but in my last 25 years of woodworking I have never replaced one. I have the 40 tooth WW2 for combo work. I have a 30 tooth WW2 for ripping and I have a blade they call a Duraline Hi-AT that has 80 ATB teeth that is a terrific blade for melamine, plywood and crosscuts in hardwood. I have some others that I have collected for specific tasks over the years but those are my big 3.
Sometimes the combination blade is good enough but sometimes you just have to take out the blade wrenches and bring in the specialist.
Sometimes the combination blade is good enough but sometimes you just have to take out the blade wrenches and bring in the specialist.
[member=66597]Mario Turcot[/member] - You might want to try another crosscut on that Baltic birch plywood (that you showed above) with that Amanda 80 tooth blade. I bet that you will get much better results. That Amana is the same basic set up as Forrest’s Duraline Hi-AT. It will also give you super clean cross cuts in hardwoods if you run into something that you are trying to crosscut on the table saw that is not as clean as you want.
Mario Turcot
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[member=66185]Alanbach[/member]
Challenge accepted
[attachimg=1]
Virtually no saw mark [scared] I will give another try with hardwood tomorrow.
I have to retract from a previous comment. The Amana Tool blade is not a melamine blade but a laminate blade. Not sure if it's the same or not [embarassed]
Alanbach said:
Challenge accepted
[attachimg=1]
Virtually no saw mark [scared] I will give another try with hardwood tomorrow.
I have to retract from a previous comment. The Amana Tool blade is not a melamine blade but a laminate blade. Not sure if it's the same or not [embarassed]
Attachments
Ok cool, well that probably points to your original blade. Now you just have to decide if that other blade is worth sending out for a good quality sharpening or if it’s time for it to retire to a backup role only to be used for wood that you don’t trust (usually self harvested wood that might have nails, shot or other debris in it). You can try it again after you clean it, on that same plywood and see if you get any improvement but I bet it needs to be sharpened.
Mario Turcot
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Alanbach said:
You are probably right again. I will get it sharpened and test it again.
I guess my question would be that if you have a good (and full sized) table saw and a RAS and you don’t break down a lot of large plywood then what do you envision using the track saw for? That combined with how unique and useful the Domino is, I would lean Domino. That is all without asking you more about what type of work you do the most and which operations that you do where you do not love the methods dictated by your current tools, ie. areas for improvement that you have in mind.
