New TS55 REQ Motor Popped

[ccochran]

Hello,

I received a brand new Festool TS 55 REQ for Christmas and used if for the first time yesterday to rip down a 4’x8’ 1/4” sheet of birch plywood. Halfway through the second cut, the motor made a pop sound and pieces of copper shrapnel shot out from the saw, striking my arms. There was a distinctive burning smell coming from the saw. I stopped using the saw immediately and unplugged it to examine it. I heard loose material in the motor housing and fished out a few strands of copper windings. So I took the plastic grill off the motor housing (the part with Festool written on it) to take a closer look where I found more copper windings ranging in length between 5mm to 20mm.

I setup the saw following the instruction manual and the Festool YouTube videos. That is, I attached the rail to my material, tightened the cams so that the saw wouldn’t move along the track, then backed off slightly until the saw moved freely with 0 play. Then I made my first cut to register the splitter guard with my saw. That all went well and my first cut was perfect and lacked any splinters on the 1/4” birch. I did notice the saw producing a rattling sound during the first cut but remembered a Festool video saying that was normal: it was just the electronic speed controller rapidly adjusting the motor speed.

My wife purchased the saw from Amazon just before Christmas so I’m within my 30 day return period. Should I just return it and get a new one?

Thanks,
Colin

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Colin,

Welcome to the forum, I wish it were under better circumstances. I'm sorry to hear about the failure on your saw. Definitely coordinate with Amazon to get it replaced or contact our service department (number below) for warranty repair.

If there's anything I can do to assist, please feel free to contact me.

Shane Holland
Festool USA
765-894-2172 (c)

 

[ccochran]

Shane,

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll go ahead and return it via Amazon. Any idea how this could have happened, have you encountered this problem in the past? Also, do you think this has anything to do with the TS55 recall?

Have a nice weekend,
-C

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Well, even the best designed products sometimes have issues. I suspect there was a faulty component in the saw that caused the failure. I have never heard of or read about this particular problem in my 8+ years with Festool. It has absolutely nothing to do with the recall, which was due to a problem with the plunge mechanism, not the motor or any electrical component.

Shane

 

[ccochran]

Okay, thanks for the info Shane. -C

 

[duburban]

That sounds really dangerous. Any time I hear an engine rev or strain I think of the potential grenade situation.

 

[ccochran]

That sounds really dangerous. Any time I hear an engine rev or strain I think of the potential grenade situation.

Yeah, I was definitely startled... I immediately shut it off and made sure all my fingers were still attached! In the end though it wasn't as bad as it sounds--just a mess really. But always remember to wear safety glasses

 

[Sign Guy]

looks like the conductors would have to convert then make 3 or 4 turns ↑ ← ↓ ← ↑ ←
no wait, more like ↖ ↙ ← ↖
or ↰← ↲↙
and then hit both arms.

 

[duburban]

That sounds really dangerous. Any time I hear an engine rev or strain I think of the potential grenade situation.

Yeah, I was definitely startled... I immediately shut it off and made sure all my fingers were still attached! In the end though it wasn't as bad as it sounds--just a mess really. But always remember to wear safety glasses

Safety Glasses... I should really get back into that.

 

[Worm Drive]

I noticed my 55 making noise when I was moving it around. I turned it on it side and an 1/8" long piece of copper fell out of the motor. It has been working fine since and had forgotten about it until I read this post.

 

[ccochran]

I noticed my 55 making noise when I was moving it around. I turned it on it side and an 1/8" long piece of copper fell out of the motor. It has been working fine since and had forgotten about it until I read this post.

Hm... Not good, you may want to see if there is more in there by taking off the grill.

 

[ccochran]

My replacement TS55 REQ is arriving today. Does anyone have any extra tips to ensure it is working properly?

E.g., special adjustments to the blade to ensure its cutting straight, etc., before I operate the saw?

Thanks

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

If you sent your saw into our service center, they will have done everything to ensure it's 100% before it goes out the door. Including checking adjustments.

 

[ccochran]

Thanks Shane for the quick response. I returned my saw to the vendor (using the 30 day return policy) and then purchased a new one. My concern here really is shipping, I'm worried that the box may get dropped etc. on the way here, knocking it out of spec or something. So I'm wondering what I can do to ensure everything is good to go before I operate it.

Perhaps I'm just paranoid now after the first TS popped.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Yeah, I think you may just be apprehensive and I can understand that. The saws are checked for spec before they ship from Germany. They are in that nice Systainer with plenty of protection.  In my 8+ years as a Festool dealer and employee, it's be extremely rare that a saw is not perfect out of the box. It's more often that the new Festool customer tinkers with it out of the box and does more harm than good. So, my recommendation would be to make some cuts. If it's not good, give our service department a buzz and they can help you out. But, I'm confident it'll be on the money.

Shane

 

[ccochran]

The new saw is working flawlessly. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

The new saw is working flawlessly. Thanks for the help guys.

Excellent!  [thumbs up]

Again, sorry for the troubles with the first one.

Shane