Is ripping narrow stock the TS achilles heel?

[amt]

Just wondering how people feel about ripping stock that is already quite narrow, like 2-3".  Let's say you have a bunch of boards that are 3-1/8", and they all need to be 3".  This would be a very simple and very fast job on a table saw.  I am, however, having trouble doing this efficiently and accurately with the track saw.

First, you need some more material with the same height, to put to the left of the stock to cut, so the track has full support (so it wont tilt to the left), and something to clamp the track to -not that big of a deal.  The real problem I have is that the material to cut is not really secured in any way.  It's not clamped to the track because the t-slots are on the right side of the track.  And since you typically start & plunge the saw before the material, then push in to the material, at first there is very little pressure on material (from the track).  I experienced on occasion that the material moves right when engaging it.

Does anyone have any suggestions to ensure the material stays put?  Some sort of clamping that does not interfere with the path of the cut?

 

[mouppe]

There are a few techniques that FOGgers have come up with in the past. Here is mine.

 

[Paul G]

Here's a thread on the subject also, some useful info there if you can ignore the metric derailment. http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-how-to/how-to-efficiently-rip-a-bunch-of-strips-with-a-track-saw/

 

[fidelfs]

Check this video from Guido Henn at 2:30 he starts cutting small strips and he uses a ingenious clamp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MBBozODQQy8#t=171

 

[deepcreek]

Does anyone have any suggestions to ensure the material stays put?  Some sort of clamping that does not interfere with the path of the cut?

I prefer to use a tablesaw for narrow rips but have done them with my TS55.

I use a few strips of blue painters tape to secure another board to the one being cut.

 

[amt]

Thanks for the suggestions.  The creative clamping should probably work to keep the material in place.  I guess the only downside is that it's probably going to be slower than table saw method.

 

[GhostFist]

I believe RMV devolved a simple narrow strip jig that attaches to your rail.

 

[semenza]

To keep narrow pieces from sliding clamp or otherwise  attach  a piece of scrap at the run out end of the rail to push the piece being cut against.

Seth

 

[rljatl]

Narrow stock ripdogs work GREAT!  I have been very impressed with their accuracy and ease of use.  No extra material needed.  ripdogs.com

I have no interest in the company what so ever.

 

[ceddy]

If I need to rip a few boards (6-9 inch wide) into 2 inch strips or so, I use the parallel guides. Makes the cuts easy, safe and accurate. To keep everything stable while cutting I place some more boards or pieces of the same thickness under the guide rail behind the piece I am cutting. You only need to do this when your stock is narrower then the guide rail in the first place.

I have most all the festool tools and for me the guide rails are really what transform the TS saws into table saws. Along with the kapex UG stand you can really produce accurate cuts.

 

[fshanno]

Used to do it a lot for face frame parts and so on.  Had an 8' long ripping platform made of plywood.  It had a fence of sorts and I used gauge blocks to set the rip width.  Supported the guide as necessary with other pieces the same thickness.

Never had much trouble with pieces moving.  It just wasn't a problem.

I could cut very thin pieces from very thin pieces.  For example......

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How's that for a thin rip from a thin piece?

A tablesaw is faster and more "normal" but a track saw is pretty cool.

 

[rljatl]

Narrow stock rip guides can do that easily without an extra platform..

 

[bigGaloot]

Does anyone have any suggestions to ensure the material stays put?  Some sort of clamping that does not interfere with the path of the cut?

I prefer to use a tablesaw for narrow rips but have done them with my TS55.

I use a few strips of blue painters tape to secure another board to the one being cut.

+1 Sometimes one needs to use a table saw... for efficiency.  I'll use the TS if I have one cut to make from thin stock, but rarely is that the case. 

I will say that I have downsized my table saw to a compact version... solely because of the TS... and that has made more room in the van.

 

[amt]

I guess I need to improve my technique.  I would have never guessed one could rip something like that, where the height is more than the width.  I would have thought even the slightest wobble could happen easily.

 

[semenza]

I guess I need to improve my technique.  I would have never guessed one could rip something like that, where the height is more than the width.  I would have thought even the slightest wobble could happen easily.

You just need to make sure the piece is supported in the right places with a flat platform underneath.

Seth

 

[hrrb]

Check this video from Guido Henn at 2:30 he starts cutting small strips and he uses a ingenious clamp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MBBozODQQy8#t=171

...and a cheap bastard like me not having an MFT find the cutting board at 5:50 very smart!  [tongue] I have to make one of those for right angled cuts.

/Henrik

 

[fshanno]

I guess I need to improve my technique.  I would have never guessed one could rip something like that, where the height is more than the width.  I would have thought even the slightest wobble could happen easily.

That was a demo for a thread about this same topic years ago on the FOG.  I remembered it and found the pictures.  What I was shooting for was something that would be a challenge on a table saw.  Now very thin rips are routine on a tablesaw, especially if the keeper can be on the side away from the fence.  But how about an 8 foot long  0.160" wide rip from a piece that starts out a little less than 1/2" wide?  The would be very interesting on a tablesaw don't you thing?  And maybe a little scary?  Personally I wouldn't attempt it, riving knife or no riving knife.   Yet the TS55 handled it.

Even in production that kind of accuracy, one or two thousandths was routine with that ripping platform.   As good as a table saw.  Just slower.  In the end the slower part was decisive.  I bought a cabinet saw.

 

[Mark]

I've been tempted to buy a Bosch site saw to complement Festool as ripping thin stuff AND repeatedly is the achilles heel of the Festool system. It can be done, but in a production environment (not mine) time is more valuable... what I've concepted here is akin to a flap on an airplane wing that is adjustable from 0mm thickness to however wide the flap is. Like a flap on a wing, this moves up and down relative to the thickness of the board.

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[mouppe]

Here's a simple jig I put together to cut 20 identical thin table legs with my TS55.

 

[#Tee]

it is annoying to cut thin stock with the ts. every saw has its own place in the shop. this however isnt something i like setting up.