Issues using the TS55 to make cross-cuts for end grain cutting board

Hotwheels

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Jan 23, 2007
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I am making some end grain cutting boards. After the boards (maple and cherry) were glued together (20x15) I attempted to use the TS55 and MFT 1080  to make 1.5 inch cross cuts strips. from the 20 inch glued up board  I used the longitudinal stop to set the 1.5 inch cut.  The first 4 or five cuts went fine and after that the saw began to bog down about the middle of each cut. I was not moving the saw very fast because I was aware of the saw bogging down. ON some cuts the saw almost completely stopped, especially near the end of the cut.

I think the issue MIGHT be that the rail was not completely supported and maybe the saw was tilting just a bit as it tried to cut through the wood and that may have caused the bog down.  Otherwise I can't explain why the first few cuts were fine, but later cuts were a problem.

I thought making the cross cuts on the MFT was a safe alternative to trying to make these cuts on the table saw, but now I am stuck.  Any ideas about what the issue might be with the saw bogging down on the cross cuts?
 
Could be dulling of the blade.
Could be heat affects on the saw motor and the electronic protection kicking in.
Any beeping when this happens?
 
Support the rail with a scrap to keep it level and prevent potential binding.

Also, it could be that the saw needs to be recalibrated, especially if it was recently dropped. If the blade does not have the proper toe in, it can cause issues.

The supplemental manual discusses the process of checking and correcting this calibration.

http://festoolusa.com/media/pdf/TS_55_EQ_US.pdf

Like others said, it could also be a damaged, dirty or dull blade.

Shane
 
I am guessing the blade is covered in resin and gunk. Also, if it is the one that came with the saw and has a high tooth count, it might not be the best blade for what you are doing.

Get a Panther if you don't have one.
 
Thanks for the responses

I have the stock 48 tooth blade that came with the TS55 EQ.  The blade does not seem too dull and the cutting heads are clean or clean enough.  I suspect that the issue is that the later cuts were just not supported well enough and the saw was cutting at an a slight angle that caused the binding.  I need to sort out how to solve that problem, but I guess it means dimensioning supporting pieces that are the same as those of the board being cross-cut and placing them under the rail, especially as the last set of cuts are made.

I can probably use a new blade just because I need to make a few of these boards.  I thought the 48 tooth blade would be fine for these cross cuts. 

The Panther blade is described as a rip blade and it seems it might not cut as well for clean cross-cuts?
 
Update: I had the blade sharpened and cleaned and I did check the toe in with a feeler gauge and it seems ok.  I did some test cuts on 8" wide  8/4 hard rock maple and it seems much better.  So, it seems the problem was pretty straightforward. 
 
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