How to correctly cut-in a new splinterguard on the rail?

vesbon

Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2009
Messages
23
This seems simple to me, but incredibly, I managed to mess this up the first time.  Somehow, I ended up with a uneven cut (still have no idea how it happened).  I got a new splinterguard that I plan to put on, but before I cut it is there a recommended way to do it and speed setting?  By the way, I did follow the manual the first time but I still ended up with an uneven cut. 

The only thing I can think that I did wrong was I cut it the first time with a tiny plunge depth (just enough to so the full teeth were past the splinterguard).  Then I did a full plunge cut and that's when I noticed the cut along the whole length of the splinterguard was uneven. 

Thanks and happy new year,
Greg 

 
Check out Rick Cristophersons after market manual, it's on here somewhere, will try to do a link thing. Found it Manual TS55 page 8.

Happy New Year, Rob.
 
Steve-CO said:
This might help.

Steve,

Thanks for the link.  John & his people do a great job with these demos.  It looks like they were working with the new transparent strip.  There is so much great information out there sometimes you forget about all the places to look.

Neill
 
one thing is to make sure your saw is adjusted to the rail and has no slop in it.  you may already know that  but just a thought.  it really is quite easy.
 
Thanks for the links (woodshopdemos is great!); just what I was looking for

-Greg
 
Somehow, after a number of cuts, my 55" rail splinterguard is "off".  That is, it's thinner in some places and thicker in others.  I couldn't figure out how this could happen given that the saw is fixed on a rail (and I was sure to take all the "slop" out with the adjustment gibs). 

I was searching around online and someone mentioned the blade is skewed so the deeper the blade extends the more the spliterguard is removed!  That doesn't seem to be a good design though, because at some point one would do a full depth cut and that would mean the splinterguard (which is used to line up the cut to the pencil line) would be off.  That is, it would be off compared to a shallow depth cut. 

That may be what's happening to me.  When I trimmed the splinterguard I used a shallow cut on speed "1."  Then I cut a hole in a hollow core door for a vent, using my 55" rail, and had to do a full depth cut.  But I didn't use the whole length of the rail.  So that may be why it's thicker in certain places.   

I went back and did a full depth cut across spliterguard, but it's still skewed (now I'm really stumped on that one).  This is all pretty annoying because that splinterguard is used to line up with my cutline, so it needs to be accurate.  So when I lay it on a measurement line I really don't know whether to use the thick end or thin end (if that makes sense).  Anyway, the point is, I've now tried to "cut-in" both my 75" rail spliterguard and 55" rail splinterguard, and they are both thick and thin in various places (not huge, but enough to be noticable just by looking at it). 

Bottom line: I'm not using this saw to make high-end furniture, but I'm a perfectionist (that's why I bought Festool in the first place) so this is a nuisance to me! 

Should I just peel up the splinterguard and try again?  Not sure what to do differently though. 

Thanks,
Greg

 
I have noticed the exact same thing...thinner in some places.  I was doing some 45 degree cuts and am wondering if maybe it took off a little bit extra of the splinterguard.  I had been noticing some of my more recent cuts wouldn't be 100% exact...out about 1/16", but not along the entire cut.
 
Guys, the splinterguards are consumables, meaning they wear out over time. Move/re-cut and replace as necessary my friends. 
 
That was what I was going to try...I just moved it not that long ago so figured maybe the 45 degree cuts shaved a little off.  Just don't want to have to readjust every time I make a 45 degree cut.
 
One of the issues with all Alternate Top Bevel (ATB) blades is that they will deflect as they pass through varying densities of material. The blade will deflect in and out as it passes through different aspects of the material being cut. The steeper the bevel angle, the more pronounced this will be, but the cleaner the tearout. For lower angle ATB (like Festool blades) the blades will last longer between sharpenings, and be less prone to wandering in the cut. Nevertheless, any ATB blade will drift like this.

Over normal use, you will discover that the splinter guard is not tight against the blade due to this blade wandering. This is why they are a replaceable item. It doesn't mean that your saw has moved. It is just a natural aspect of the blade geometry.
 
Rick Christopherson said:
One of the issues with all Alternate Top Bevel (ATB) blades is that they will deflect as they pass through varying densities of material. The blade will deflect in and out as it passes through different aspects of the material being cut. The steeper the bevel angle, the more pronounced this will be, but the cleaner the tearout. For lower angle ATB (like Festool blades) the blades will last longer between sharpenings, and be less prone to wandering in the cut. Nevertheless, any ATB blade will drift like this.

Over normal use, you will discover that the splinter guard is not tight against the blade due to this blade wandering. This is why they are a replaceable item. It doesn't mean that your saw has moved. It is just a natural aspect of the blade geometry.

Blade defection frequently happens when making plunge cuts.
This results in discreet spots in the splinter guard that are farther
from the kerf than adjacent spots. I mark the guide rail with pencil
as a warning not to use those overcut spots for guide rail alignment.

Any time you see particles of rubber along the path of the saw
you've just cut a little more from the splinter guard and it will be
a little more shy of the actual kerf. This generally happens gradually
over time and you get used to knowing how much offset is needed
to cut on the mark. When that becomes difficult it's time to
replace/reposition the splinter guard.

 
Good idea to put a pencil mark on the high/low spots.  Thanks for the tips!

-Greg
 
Back
Top