Newbie Probably Messed Up (Before receiving the saw even!)

[fogunkb]

Today I ordered the TS 75, some other stuff, and an extra 32" rail. My logic was: in order to cut an 8' sheet or board, I needed a guide longer than that. Naturally, right after my order was shipped, I read that Festool recommends plunging the saw BEFORE sliding it into the wood and lifting it AFTER sliding it past the wood. If that's the case, I should have bought a longer extra rail. So:
1-Are my cuts going to be "sloppy" because I am plunging into the start (or out of the end)? If so, why is it called a "plunge saw?"
2-Is there a way to stop the cut before the end, slide the rail further down the board, and continue the cut and have it come out perfect?
3-Is it going to damage my saw or rail if I DO plunge into the beginning of the cut or out of the end of the cut?
4-Any other suggestions?
P.S. - I'm not a newbie to woodworking, just Festool!
Thanks in advance.

 

[ScooterX]

yeah, you need to add 10" to 12" to allow space before the material as well as after it. the "short" 32-inch rail will still come in handy for cutting small pieces, so don't worry. (it is a lot more convenient to cut a small piece with the short rail, because you can cut front-to-back instead of side-to-side).

 

[Bill Wyko]

I have a TS75 and I use it to cut 1" plexi glass among other things. The TS saws are the finest saws you'll probably ever set hands on. The riving knife may get in the way doing a plunge in the middle of a board but it's never been a problem anyway I've ever used mine. The reason for the extra length is to allow you to set saw in place before you start cutting and to leave it setting outside of your material once you're done. Even though the blade retracts, there's still the possibility of a kick back if you weren't past your cut. (very slight with the riving knife feature.)BTW welcome to FOG. We look forward to seeing your work.

 

[Bill Wyko]

Something else about your saw. It'll sound like it has loose bearings. That sound is just the speed control, nothing to worry about.

 

[Scott W.]

You got 30 days,

Just return the rail & get a longer one. (get one with the holes for the lr32 system). You will love the 75!

Scott W.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Keep the short rail and add a longer one.
The shorty is very convenient for medium sized cross cuts.

 

[fogunkb]

Thanks for the replies so far.
Paraphrasing one of my previous questions:
Has anyone successfully clamped a rail that is too short, ripped until the end of the rail, unclamped, slid the rail further down the board, reclamped, and continued cutting to the end (and ended up with a perfect cut)?
Thanks again.

 

[semenza]

Hi, welcome to the forum

       See this thread on Guide Rails for some more info, and also the links in that thread to some more.

Seth

 

[semenza]

Thanks for the replies so far.
Paraphrasing one of my previous questions:
Has anyone successfully clamped a rail that is too short, ripped until the end of the rail, unclamped, slid the rail further down the board, reclamped, and continued cutting to the end (and ended up with a perfect cut)?
Thanks again.

Hi,

  I have not tried that. I am sure it can be done, but the straightness, quality (at restart point), and precision may be compromised. Plus it will be a pain in the but.  To me it doesn't make much sense to compromise the speed , accuracy, quality and precision of a system like this.
    After you get the saw check out my poll and add your first impressions here .

Seth

 

[Qwas]

Thanks for the replies so far.
Paraphrasing one of my previous questions:
Has anyone successfully clamped a rail that is too short, ripped until the end of the rail, unclamped, slid the rail further down the board, reclamped, and continued cutting to the end (and ended up with a perfect cut)?
Thanks again.

I have tried it. My results were not perfect but it is possible. It will be time consuming to get the rail aligned perfectly. If I did it again, I would look for a 4-6 foot straight edge that I could butt the back side of the guide rail against and then slide the guide rail down the straight edge to finish the cut.

Most of the time you won't be able to clamp the short guide rail. It's not a problem though because the rubber strips on the guide rail hold good on plywood.

To plunge cut at the beginning you will need a couple inches of rail sticking beyond the edge due to the body (and guide points) being longer than the blade. You have the same situation at the end of the cut also.

 

[jonny round boy]

I have the TS55, and 1400 & 800 guide rails....

If I'm doing a long cut, I set the 1400 rail to the line at the start of the cut, and then cut as far as I can (I don't bother with clamping, it's usually unnecessary).

I then remove the saw, whilst pushing down on the rail to stop it moving, and set the 800 rail against the back edge. Transfer the pressure from the 1400 to the 800, slide the 1400 along (using the 800 as a guide), and reapply pressure to the 1400. Grab the saw, and continue the cut.

I've done quite a few cuts like this, and am happy with the results. I don't bother joining rails anymore.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I have the TS55, and 1400 & 800 guide rails....

If I'm doing a long cut, I set the 1400 rail to the line at the start of the cut, and then cut as far as I can (I don't bother with clamping, it's usually unnecessary).

I then remove the saw, whilst pushing down on the rail to stop it moving, and set the 800 rail against the back edge. Transfer the pressure from the 1400 to the 800, slide the 1400 along (using the 800 as a guide), and reapply pressure to the 1400. Grab the saw, and continue the cut.

I've done quite a few cuts like this, and am happy with the results. I don't bother joining rails anymore.

Now this is a cool and advanced technique!

As you get comfortable using the Festool guide rail and saw you'll find that you don't need to clamp the guide rail in most situations. Most people connect guide rails with a pair of connecting rods (which I'd still recommend if you have a bunch of long cuts to make) but I'm going to use jrb's technique.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Its smoother and probably safer to plunge the saw before entering the workpiece on the edge, though it can certainly be done.  I think you would enjoy the process more with a longer rail

Plunging into the middle of a workpiece feels much more stable - I do that all the time, on a long crosscut (with my short arms), I'll cut about 2/3 of the way through, stop the saw, go to the other side of the sheet and continue from there, yeah it works fine as a 'pull saw.'
I've gotta try JRB's technique - very interesting.

 

[Dan Lyke]

Yeah, I've shifted the rail in the middle of the cut, and I've got the mahogany baseboards to prove it. I don't clamp when I'm doing those big long cuts, just  use the friction between the rubber on the rail and the wood, and it seems to work fine.

For alignment, I move the rail, plunge the saw (not running) into the existing cut and jiggle it back and forth 'til I think it's right. I've ended up with a small cut mark once or twice, but it's mostly worked.

 

[Warrior]

I have a TS75 and I use it to cut 1" plexi glass among other things. The TS saws are the finest saws you'll probably ever set hands on. The riving knife may get in the way doing a plunge in the middle of a board but it's never been a problem anyway I've ever used mine. The reason for the extra length is to allow you to set saw in place before you start cutting and to leave it setting outside of your material once you're done. Even though the blade retracts, there's still the possibility of a kick back if you weren't past your cut. (very slight with the riving knife feature.)BTW welcome to FOG. We look forward to seeing your work.

The variable speed of the TS saws is one of my favorite features of these tools. The ability to cut various materials with the appropriate speed expands the possibilities. This feature is also on the Kapex which will be the only miter saw on the market with variable speed. I just recently had to install plexiglass lens covers on some column lighting. I set up my M1212 and cut, it gummed up instantly. I finished the job with my TS75 set on speed 3 and it worked flawlessly.

To keep on topic... the more rails you have the better. One of each up to the FS/2 3000 and you will be rocking and rolling. Two of each would be even better. ;D

Eiji

 

[fogunkb]

If this is the case, I just wasted a lot of money on the 55" rail that I just ordered and the return freight on the 32" rail I am sending back. I have a super-duper aluminum straight edge that I could have butted up against the back of the included 75" rail, made my cut until I ran out of rail, slid the 75" rail up (while keeping it tight to the clamped-down super-duper straight edge), and continued the cut!
Thanks to all.

I have the TS55, and 1400 & 800 guide rails....

If I'm doing a long cut, I set the 1400 rail to the line at the start of the cut, and then cut as far as I can (I don't bother with clamping, it's usually unnecessary).

I then remove the saw, whilst pushing down on the rail to stop it moving, and set the 800 rail against the back edge. Transfer the pressure from the 1400 to the 800, slide the 1400 along (using the 800 as a guide), and reapply pressure to the 1400. Grab the saw, and continue the cut.

I've done quite a few cuts like this, and am happy with the results. I don't bother joining rails anymore.

 

[ScooterX]

for good or bad, there is a consistent "logic" in the Festool kingdom... and paying a lot of money for something and then ignoring that logic is probably not the best way to go about things. Once you give in to the idea that they really have figured it out, that it involves some up-front money (ok, a LOT of up-front money) and that it works GREAT... then you'll see that having the longer rail is the better course.

Yes, you can get by with a short rail and move it along if you have to. Yes, you can also use wrenches as hammers and flat screwdrivers to tighten Phillips screws, in a pinch.

The Festool thing is about efficiency. It just isn't efficient to stop in the middle of a cut, move things, and then hope your cut is still aligned. If what you're cutting doesn't have to be cut near-perfectly, then an ordinary Skilsaw would serve as well as its expensive Festool cousin.

 

[semenza]

The Festool thing is about efficiency. It just isn't efficient to stop in the middle of a cut, move things, and then hope your cut is still aligned. If what you're cutting doesn't have to be cut near-perfectly, then an ordinary Skilsaw would serve as well as its expensive Festool cousin.

Hi,

  Good points above.    fogunkb, You said that you were new to Festool but not new to woodworking.  I am wondering if you have had the opportunity to try the Festool saw before you had purchased it?  If you are thinking that it is going to be for easily breaking down sheet goods that will be cut to finished size on something else then you are mistaken. The fact is that you won't need to  make the finish cuts on a table saw or something else. These saws with guide rails and the right blade are accurate enough, and deliver a cut quality that makes that extra step a thing of the past.  So to me it doesn't make sense to fiddle around  taking extra time to reposition the rail , with the possibility of the cut not being good enough.  Moving the rail along can certainly be done, and because of the precision of the system it will work and deliver good results most of the time, but it is like making the cut twice time and effort wise.  It is nice that it can do it if needed though.
        By going with one rail and shifting it along you will save some money (not a bad thing).  But you also have to consider why you spent $595.00 for a saw and guide rail in the first place?  I bet it wasn't so that you would have to mess around to make the cuts.    Wait till you get the stuff and give it a try for something before you make any pre-emptive decisions.

Seth

 

[fogunkb]

I thought about that last night! Why in the world am I worried about the cost of the extra rail when I'm spending this much on a "circular saw?"!!! I'll probably keep all three rails (with the 75 + 55 connected for 8' and longer cuts, and the 32 for smaller stuff). I'll find out tomorrow (hopefully) when it arrives.
Thanks for the input.

The Festool thing is about efficiency. It just isn't efficient to stop in the middle of a cut, move things, and then hope your cut is still aligned. If what you're cutting doesn't have to be cut near-perfectly, then an ordinary Skilsaw would serve as well as its expensive Festool cousin.

Hi,

   Good points above.     fogunkb, You said that you were new to Festool but not new to woodworking.  I am wondering if you have had the opportunity to try the Festool saw before you had purchased it?  If you are thinking that it is going to be for easily breaking down sheet goods that will be cut to finished size on something else then you are mistaken. The fact is that you won't need to  make the finish cuts on a table saw or something else. These saws with guide rails and the right blade are accurate enough, and deliver a cut quality that makes that extra step a thing of the past.  So to me it doesn't make sense to fiddle around  taking extra time to reposition the rail , with the possibility of the cut not being good enough.   Moving the rail along can certainly be done, and because of the precision of the system it will work and deliver good results most of the time, but it is like making the cut twice time and effort wise.  It is nice that it can do it if needed though.
         By going with one rail and shifting it along you will save some money (not a bad thing).  But you also have to consider why you spent $595.00 for a saw and guide rail in the first place?  I bet it wasn't so that you would have to mess around to make the cuts.    Wait till you get the stuff and give it a try for something before you make any pre-emptive decisions.

Seth