New TS 55R would not cut 44mm 1/2 hour fire door

[kev carpenter]

I know kev, its always when you think  it will be a breeze  because it a hollow door yo the staple... and blunt the saw ....
Kev do you get your ts55 blades shapened or do you just buy new...cheers

I get mine sharpened at my ironmongery shop lsk for 10GBP, but if you hit staples on rough blade it takes the teeth right of the the blade and the blade is scrap after that.

 

[green fever]

panther blade part number 496301 twelve teeth for your saw, ts55 r, universal blade has twenty eight teeth part number 496302, then fine tooth  48 , part number 491952, if you cut a lot of the WET BOARD try this blade number 496308 , 48 teeth, for corian and laminates , if it's fitted to your saw just look at the colour of the blade as it has a red broken line on it you should set speed between 2 & 5 , just use the correct blades for the materials you are cutting don't throw £10- £12 for resharpening unless you have to, as the maths stack up three sharpening will buy you one panther blade , i have around a dozen or more blades for the 75 & the 55 and i can tell you money i have saved using the correct blade is worth the 2 minutes to change a blade , have a quick look on this forum ( the cool video ) of Phil beckley cutting with the various ts 55 blades then choose for yourself, all the best , green.

 

[sean_hogan]

Watch this video [big grin]

 

[bigsully77]

hi guys thanks for all the advise........ bought a panther blade today for to cut the same type of door ....it blasted through it no problems....lesson learned .....
i know where to come for advise from now on.....
thanks again [smile]

 

[Laminator]

This brings back memories of long ago when I purchased a 40 or so tooth blade for my 7 1/4 Porter Cable saw and was shocked at how it wouldn't cut anything over 3/4 plywood and seemed to struggle with that. 

It has got to be  one of the most disappointing things in life to spend the $$$ for a tool and have it fail miserably to perform something a cheap tool had no problem doing.

All is well that ends well.

 

[fastbike]

So what's the real deal on the Panther? My brand new Festool catalog, as well as the FestoolUSA site show 495372 as the 14 tooth Panther blade and a 2.5mm kerf.

I had also heard that the new panther had the same kerf.

 

[leakyroof]

So what's the real deal on the Panther? My brand new Festool catalog, as well as the FestoolUSA site show 495372 as the 14 tooth Panther blade and a 2.5mm kerf.

I had also heard that the new panther had the same kerf.

. I went through this recently. There is a 2.2mm kerf blade, and a 2.5mm kerf blade. The tooth count is close, but I think the tooth style is slightly different between the two.  Using the 2.2 kerf keeps your splinter strips on your guides  in sync with all the other 2.2kerfed blades, but if you cut wood that would benefit from the thicker blade, Festool offers it.

 

[leakyroof]

See if this helps:
[attachimg=#]

  Yep, the hook angle is different. Tooth count is almost the same. Thanks, pictures being worth a bunch of words and all that [wink]

 

[GarryMartin]

The blades have been standardised to a 2.2mm kerf. The part number above is an old part number.

See http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/which-festool-blades-do-you-mainly-use-on-a-ts55/msg257637/#msg257637 for further details.

 

[woodworldchicago]

The part number above for the Panther (495372) is actually a current item number. This is the only current TS55 blade which does not have a 2.2mm kerf. As Leakyroof pointed out, the Standard blade (496305) is a different blade with different specs. Don't be fooled by the picture of the Panther which is stamped on both of these blades. One was not released as a replacement for the other.

 

[GarryMartin]

That post with the chart is from 2011.  The graphic I posted is from the 2013 Festool USA catalog

Thanks for the clarification.

Seems strange that the earlier chart listed the part number and a successor, but I can see from the Festool USA website that 495372 still seems to be a current and available part.

 

[leakyroof]

That post with the chart is from 2011.  The graphic I posted is from the 2013 Festool USA catalog

Thanks for the clarification.

Seems strange that the earlier chart listed the part number and a successor, but I can see from the Festool USA website that 495372 still seems to be a current and available part.

  Although I expect Shane et all to clarify things about this poor blade sometime, it's just a thicker, more aggressive blade for tougher wood/timber. Just doesn't follow the standard kerf thickness of the other blades. [smile]

 

[woodworldchicago]

We've had a couple customers call regarding this...so that no one has inaccurate information on the 2.5mm kerf Saw blade #495372, it is indeed a current item.

I've checked our dealer resources which show the item Status as Active & double-checked this with the offices in Lebanon.

Chip

 

[fastbike]

That was exactly why I asked my question. In this case I can't imagine what Festool was thinking since the "standard blade" on a TS55 is the 48 tooth fine blade.

I think the confusion is from Festool developing a new Panther blade with a 2.2 mm kerf and calling it the "standard blade"

Think of it this way:

Coarse cutting rip blade with 2.2 kerf and 12 teeth = Standard Saw Blade 496305
Fast cutting rip blade with 2.5 kerf and 14 teeth = Panther Saw Blade 495372

 

[GarryMartin]

We're all friends here.

It appears there are a number of discrepancies across regions, across documents and within websites, and it has not been made any clearer over the years.

In the UK, we have a "Panther" blade (496301) under a different part number that seems to be identical to the US "Standard" blade (496305) which we can't buy (NAIUK). I'm sure there are differences in other countries and this tends to be an International forum, even if run by Festool USA.

And even in the US, and on the Festool USA website, information isn't always entirely accurate. See the below, where the same web page says the kerf is 2.2mm and 2.5mm. It obviously can't be both.

http://www.festoolusa.com/power-tool-accessories/track-saws/blades/standard-12-tooth-saw-blade-496305

I'd politely suggest that it's best to choose whichever blade matches your required use based on the characteristics of hook angle, tooth shape, number of teeth and kerf thickness and go from there. Choose a great dealer that takes the time to point out potential discrepancies to you in advance, and can advise on which blade might be best for your purposes, and you won't go far wrong.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

The saw blades in 2013 Festool USA catalog and on Festool USA website are correct. There are no errors or mistakes.

The blades have different part numbers in other countries simply because of different packaging requirements. The specifications should be identical.

If you need assistance choosing a blade, I would encourage you to call our toll free number below in my signature and speak with one of our application specialists.

Shane