My TS 55 went into limp mode again.

[chrisrosenb]

I built a large deck this week &

 

[ohkipp]

Chris,
I know exactly what your talking about. It happens to us a lot when we are cutting solid surface materials. It is aggravating but the way it was explained to me was that it is a Thermal Protection that is saving the motor from burn out. I am really OK with that explanation considering we have burnt our fair share of so called good saws that did not have this feature. A minute or so of cool down and your back in action. It beats the alternative, buying a new saw.

 

[CharlesWilson]

If that is all it takes to keep the saw from becoming scrap, I can live with it.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

With just over 1 foot from the end of the deck, the saw started running very slow. The saw did not feel hot. After a couple of minutes of setting, the saw ran fine again. This same thing happened the first time I used the saw. At that time I was ripping some 3/4 poplar lumber with the blade that was included with the saw. I had not had any problems between these two incidents. But most of that cutting was small cuts done in the shop. I do not feel very confident using this saw to cut anything other than the lightest materials. Has anyone else had this problem?       

You may have seen this in the user manual already, but here is what it says:

-------------
Temperature cut-out
To prevent overheating, the safety electronics switches the
machine off when it reaches a critical motor temperature.
Let the machine cool down for approx. 3-5 minutes before
using it again. The machine requires less time to cool down if
it is running with no load.

Current limiting
Current limiting prevents permissibly high current consumption
under extreme overload. This can lead to a decrease in the
motor speed. The motor immediately restarts after the load
is removed.
------------------

Whilst it would be nice to complete cuts without interruption, I would greatly prefer the saw to cut out if it thought that damage to the motor might be caused by continuing. The C12 drill also has a cut-out that prevents damage, which protects it from users. The infamous 12V Festool vs 18V DeWalt & Hitachi drill test video illustrates what can happen to a drill that doesn't cut out when overloaded.

Forrest

 

[greg mann]

Were you using DC when cutting the composite? Seem one of our members cut composite without DC and clogged the saw really bad. Have you checked for excess swarf in the blade housing?

 

[Frank-Jan]

If, like you said, the cuts you where making weren't straining the saw, and it wasn't running hot. It could also be a broken power cable inside the saw. It happened to my ts55 while it was still (barely) in it's 3 year warranty period, so I had it sent back and they fixed it (I tried it with another plug it cable first, so I knew it wasn't that). I also had to fix the cable of our atf55 before, which was out warranty, and  didn't have the plugit yet.
I too thought it was the thermal protection at first, but the next time I tried to use it, it didn't work from the start. (And because of the loose wires, it sometimes made contact and would then slow down when the contact was broken again)

 

[Forrest Anderson]

If, like you said, the cuts you where making weren't straining the saw, and it wasn't running hot. It could also be a broken power cable inside the saw...
I too thought it was the thermal protection at first, but the next time I tried to use it, it didn't work from the start. (And because of the loose wires, it sometimes made contact and would then slow down when the contact was broken again)

On the same theme, I have had intermittent operation of my TS55 due to the plug-it plug not being inserted properly into the socket. This causes arcing between the terminals, which degrades them. Because the plug can be stiff to engage in the socket, it's easy to think that you've got it engaged, when in actual fact you haven't.

Forrest

 

[semenza]

Chris, Your primary issue is that you are using the wrong type of blade for the specific cuts. This is overloading the saw electronics and placing the saw into a self-protection mode. Using the correct type of blade reduces the load on the motor.

If that is the case, then this saw is not intended for finish work.

Hi,

    A long cut in composite decking could not really be considered finish work IMO.  And trying to rip anything other than pine or sheet goods with the Fine blade ( the one that comes with the saw, and is a cross cut blade)  would put a strain on the saw. It will rip with no trouble at all using a ripping blade.  I would not expect any circular saw to perform well with the wrong type of blade for the cut.
    I too had the saw shut down when trying to rip with the Fine blade.  I was cutting  5/4" PT.  :  This was with the older ATF55 and blade changing was a bit of a pain on that one. So I decided to give it a try for just the one cut I needed. Got about 3 feet very slowly, and then it shut down.  Swapped to the Panther, and it flew right through. 

Seth

 

[b_m_hart]

Trying to rip some 2x4s to make some shims (using the stock blade) and my TS 55 seems to be stuck in limp mode.  I cut three or four pieces that were just under three feet long, and it went into limp mode.  OK, I say, I remember reading this thread, time to go eat some dinner.  I go back 30 to 40 minutes later, and it's still stuck in limp mode.

This leads to two questions:

1) Should I be using a different blade for this?  Just trying to rip some 2x4s on a slight diagonal (heh, so 1A - does that still count as ripping?)...
2) I'm kinda concerned that it's still stuck in limp mode.  How long does it normally take for this to change?  I'd say it's 50ish degrees outside right now, so it's not like it's hot outside...

 

[Warrior]

Trying to rip some 2x4s to make some shims (using the stock blade) and my TS 55 seems to be stuck in limp mode.  I cut three or four pieces that were just under three feet long, and it went into limp mode.  OK, I say, I remember reading this thread, time to go eat some dinner.  I go back 30 to 40 minutes later, and it's still stuck in limp mode.

This leads to two questions:

1) Should I be using a different blade for this?  Just trying to rip some 2x4s on a slight diagonal (heh, so 1A - does that still count as ripping?)...
2) I'm kinda concerned that it's still stuck in limp mode.  How long does it normally take for this to change?  I'd say it's 50ish degrees outside right now, so it's not like it's hot outside...

I would check the power source. I thought my 75 was having a problem when I was doing some onsite work. It was not spinning up to speed after a cut. I realized I was plugged into an outlet that was on a dimmer switch. I plugged into another outlet and all was well. It's not very likely that this is your problem but you never know. Some outlets in older houses don't put out enough. In my previous house I had some exterior outlets that wouldnt even run my 6.8 amp compressor.

Eiji

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Trying to rip some 2x4s to make some shims (using the stock blade) and my TS 55 seems to be stuck in limp mode.  I cut three or four pieces that were just under three feet long, and it went into limp mode.  OK, I say, I remember reading this thread, time to go eat some dinner.  I go back 30 to 40 minutes later, and it's still stuck in limp mode.

This leads to two questions:

1) Should I be using a different blade for this?  Just trying to rip some 2x4s on a slight diagonal (heh, so 1A - does that still count as ripping?)...
2) I'm kinda concerned that it's still stuck in limp mode.  How long does it normally take for this to change?  I'd say it's 50ish degrees outside right now, so it's not like it's hot outside...

I would check the power source. I thought my 75 was having a problem when I was doing some onsite work. It was not spinning up to speed after a cut. I realized I was plugged into an outlet that was on a dimmer switch. I plugged into another outlet and all was well. It's not very likely that this is your problem but you never know. Some outlets in older houses don't put out enough. In my previous house I had some exterior outlets that wouldnt even run my 6.8 amp compressor.

Eiji

I don't own one of these saws, but, was thinking along the same lines - was the extension cord being used the proper gauge? I had a benchtop TS that showed a significant increase in power when I changed to a heavy gauged extension cord.

Mike

 

[b_m_hart]

Disconnected the power and vacuum tube, fired it up, and away I went.  I slowed down a bit and things went fine.  Now I have to wait until tomorrow (it's getting a bit late, don't wanna annoy the neighbors) because of my rush to get things done earlier.  Bah.

 

[Brice Burrell]

B_M, no question the stock blade isn't that great for ripping thicker stock. On 4/4" it works okay, but 2x's you may want to try a Panther or the Universal blades if you have to rip stock greater than 4/4".

 

[b_m_hart]

B_M, no question the stock blade isn't that great for ripping thicker stock. On 4/4" it works okay, but 2x's you may want to try a Panther or the Universal blades if you have to rip stock greater than 4/4".

Yeah, I figured that's the case.  I just slowed down and didn't run into any issues last night, but I didn't do that much more work before I called it.  Thanks...

 

[b_m_hart]

I went and got a panther blade last night - holy crap, what a difference it made!  I made a little jig and ripped through nearly 40 shims last night, when the standard blade was causing the saw to freak out after 4 or 5 the night before...