Perfect Perpendicular cutting with TS55

J

jar45

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Messages
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I have trouble consistently making perpendicular cuts with my TS55.  I do not have a MFT table.  But support the sheet or board on a 4'x8' table. The table has 2, 3/4" sheets of ply stacked, so it is stable  I typically used a sheet rock style T-square to help align the track, square with the board or sheet good.  This does a reasonable job. I can usually make a cut within about  2 mm or less of square.  But I think there should be a better and easier way.  Such as attaching a 90° brace to the track.  As I've got more experienced with the saw, I've begun to strive for more accuracy and consistency. Maybe I am asking too much.  If I was still using a typical box store circular saw, this question would not be asked.
Thanks
John
 
I don't mean to state the obvious, but have you checked to see whether the saw is truly at a zero degree bevel when it is at the zero stop? The stop on my TS55 REQ was actually not set exactly to zero (to give a perfect 90 degree cut). If you've already done that, sorry for suggesting the obvious. If you find it it is not set correctly from the factory, search for other threads on FOG. There are about 2 or 3 others. Festool service can also give you direction on how to set the stop. I have always found service helpful and the information solves my problem.
 
Thanks for the comments.  The saw blade is 90° to the base, I see no lateral movement of the saw when resting in the track.  Yes I do use 2 Festool clamps to secure the track to a work piece or bench.  I was thinking there may be an accessory on the market to help guarantee a perfect alignment of 90°.  I may need to pay closer attention to the edge used for the squaring the track.  I do think my cuts are improving. 
 
So what you actually are saying is that you have trouble squaring up sheet goods?
You have to start by making the long side straight (factory edges rarely are). Then use that side as your reference for the square cut. (most of the time I make the parallel cut before the crosscutting)
 
jar45 said:
Thanks for the comments.  The saw blade is 90° to the base, I see no lateral movement of the saw when resting in the track.  Yes I do use 2 Festool clamps to secure the track to a work piece or bench.  I was thinking there may be an accessory on the market to help guarantee a perfect alignment of 90°.  I may need to pay closer attention to the edge used for the squaring the track.  I do think my cuts are improving.
Click to expand...

Are you having problems getting a square cut vertically; meaning when the saw is set at the 0 degree stop?

Or are you having problems getting a square cut horizontally; meaning the guide might not be lined up square to first edge?

I'm unclear from your last post which it is.
 
From reading the posts, I believe that the issue is not whether the saw blade is cutting perpendicular to the thickness of the workpiece but rather the inquiry is about easily making a cut square (perpendicular on the surface of the work) to another cut when breaking down sheet goods.

Peter
 
Yes to Peter's comment.  My question is on making a cut, perpendicular to a previous cut in the same plane.  Again, I am getting better with practice using a large sheet rock (dry wall) square which is 22" by 48".  The dry wall square is dead on with my Starrett combination square.  I need to hold the both dry wall square and TS track at the same time while alighning with my measurement and clamping.  The large square often slips a tad.  Maybe a  cheap off the shelf speed square would work better.

Again, I was looking for an accessory that would make this a simple, consistent and accurate cut.  Apparently there is not a large need amongst Festool owners.

Thanks again
John
 
John,

I don't think that there isn't a need, but rather that Festool has a "typical" in mind.  In the Festool work flow you would rip a clean edge on the long side of a piece of sheet good, then rip in the long dimension the "width" of your needed pieces, and then using those fresh edges would make cross cuts to length using the MFT.

Once you get past the long rail on the long dimension of the MFT then you are up to your own devices as to ensure 90 degree accuracy. 

Peter
 
sicd_steve said:
Festool have this accessory

Guide Rail Accessory Kit - 497657
Click to expand...
I have this kit and tried out the protractor, and to be honest I find I can't rely on it to be extremely accurate over a long distance (ie 1200mm). Even when set at 90 degrees and tightened down, it seemed to have a bit of flex in the whole system that does not rule out error. I am pretty sure I could get 2mm unintentional deflection over 1200mm.

If I'm doing something wrong I would love for someone to give me some advice, as it seems like a nice piece of metal that isn't used all that much (which might also be due to the fact I don't do such long perpendicular cuts much - leave that to the reliable MFT  ;D)

 
For starters ditch the drywall t-square, ones like the empire or johnson ones are fine for drywall work where you are going to be accurate enough to mud the joints. But they are hardly accurate enough for case work. They can be an 1/8" or more out of square on the long end. A large speed square or a home made jig is a cheap and much more accurate option. Festool Kit is another excellent option especially if you are going to be making cut at different angles other then 90 degrees. In my shop I use a large two foot speed square that I made from a scrap of 3/4" MDO that I know is square and it has worked for me so far, it gives me a nice solid surface to but the track up against.

I am sure there are lots of better options, but bottom line is the drywall t-squares are notorious for going out of square.

Adam
 
MaineShop said:
For starters ditch the drywall t-square
Click to expand...

I agree with Adam, get rid of the t-square, start with a fresh straight edge and use a story stick to mark your cut on each side of the board. The just line up the track with the marks. :)
 
Thanks again for the suggestions and comments.  Turns out the Empire drywall T Square is off as suggested by Adam, about 1mm / foot.    Today I made an initial cut with TS55, then used that edge and a Starrett Combination Square to make a perpendicular line to the edge.  This line was then carefully extended to the end of the sheet.  To make the sides parallel, I used a Festool tape to measure in mm, marked the sheet of ply at both ends, set the track in place and made the cut.  Much better, and I can improve with practice.    I think the story stick is a good idea to make two sides parallel.  It would help in making a more precise and consistent cut. 

John
 
Here's a "trick" to test your drywall square....
make a perpendicular mark with it
flip it over(this may be slightly tricky because they're generally not designed to be flipped) and see if the lines meet up.
if they don't the out of square is exaggerated by 2x factor.(if the lines are 1/4" apart then the square itself is out 1/8".
I see what you're trying to do and why you're most likely having problems.  Your process isn't a really good one.  As Peter said, usually the long straight line rip is made first.  Then that cut is the only "GOOD" edge the board has.  You could then make perpendicular crosscuts that would be more accurate even using the drywall square method which I personally don't recommend.  I hope this comes across as constructive as that's how it's meant.  If I'm off base please feel free to tell me as I only want to help
 
Thanks Rob, appreciated the comment. Your idea is similar to one used in making a Table Saw cross cut sled where the back fence is tweaked until a cut line is exact.

Hey, I am a DIY, student of the art of woodworking. Ideas are always accepted.  I posted earlier that if I was using my PC circular saw, I would not have posted the question.  I will be shortly taking the Festool Essentials Course in Indy and expect to learn a lot.

John
 
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