New TS 55 REQ rattles

[AFM56]

What is going on the new TS 55 REQ saw?  While the saw seems to cut as advertise,  it is making a very concerning noise.  It  is a rattling-like noise  --- something you might hear when something is out-of balance or when an internal part not being properly secured or vibrating excessively.  It is very repeatable -- like every time when the saw spools up, when saw spools down.  The sound becomes more intermittent as you make your cut.  (disappearing most of the time when under load.)
I called Rockler where I purchased my saw expecting to arrange an exchange but was told the sound I described also appeared when Rockler made its  presentation on the saw last week.  This is not good and certainly not the sound of a quality/precision instrument.  Is this a bad batch here or something else?  Anyone else have the new TS 55 REQ that could comment on  rattling-like noise or not?
-Thanks
Art

 

[rnt80]

That sound should go away as you break the saw in.  If you poke around enough on the forum you'll find threads about it in relation to the ts55.  Welcome to FOG btw.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Backlash from the gear drive. Keep cutting.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to being a new owner of a Festool Guided Saw.

The sound you are hearing is the gear backlash interacting with the MMC electronic speed control. This is specifically addressed in the Supplemental manual that is available for download. As a new user, I strongly recommend you download this manual. It will tell you a lot about your saw that you won't otherwise know.

http://www.waterfront-woods.com/festool/TS55REQ.pdf

 

[Rick Christopherson]

That sound should go away as you break the saw in. 

No, the sound will not go away. You just don't notice it as much when you get accustomed to it. Saying that the sound goes away suggests that it is not normal, but it is normal. You will find this with any variable speed, gear driven tool. (Routers are direct-drive, so they do not have this sound.)

For many years this had been assumed by some to be a Festool-only occurrence, because they were the only ones making variable speed motors with gear-drives. When DeWalt and Makita came out with similar saws, it was more obvious that it was a basic principle of the variable speed electronics and gear backlash. That's why this question doesn't get asked as frequently anymore. It is more common and less unexpected than it used to be.

 

[Mavrik]

It worried the hell out of me when I got my TS55.
Then it was stolen and I got a new one, which had exactly the same sound.
Then I read it was normal. Part of the constant speed control thing.
Now it is just part of the sound the saw makes.

 

[semenza]

Hi Art,

Welcome to the FOG!  [smile]

As has been said all is fine with the saw. Just the electronics at work with the speed .  You can play a bit at hearing it by pushing the saw faster  / slower (changing the load) while making a long cut.

Seth

 

[Foghat]

Page 15 of the Supplemental guide explains it: "Pulse Width Modulation" and it's to do with the variable speed control and MME electronics.
As mentioned above.
Foghat