preventing Kickback TS 55

M

Mrs C

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Sep 9, 2015
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Help!  I am struggling with kickback ripping hardwood when using a saw blade with fewer teeth (18).  I don't have any problems with the fine blade that came with the saw (except that I get burn marks and it finds it hard work, hence the change in blade)

What am I doing wrong? I have turned the speed down, is that my problem?

Thanks
 
Make sure you have enough rail on the "starting side" to approach the wood rather than try and drop into it. Hope that makes sense.

You could also invest in a kickback stop 491582.
 
Not sure exactly what the issue might be without more specific info, but one possibility: sometimes when ripping a thick piece of wood, you may think you have left yourself enough clearance at the front of the cut/rail, but the blade plunges so far down that you actually bite into the wood at the start of the plunge, which will definitely cause kickback.  So make sure you leave plenty of clearance at the start of the cut, and do a test plunge without starting the motor to make sure the blade can get up to speed at full depth of plunge.
 
[size=13pt]Particularly with the ripping/Panther blade,  ensure the saw blade has reached the set full speed before you plunge. As suggested by Bohdan, reset speed at 6. Also you could purchase a stop attachment to insert in the rail.

http://www.festool.com.au/epages/tooltechnic.sf/en_AU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/tooltechnic/Products/491582

[size=8pt]Affixing to the rib, or guide on top of the Festool FS Guide Rail, the Limit Stop can be used to provide secure stop points for repetitive cutting and for routing with most Festool routers. With a seamless fit to the rear of the TS plunge cut saw's sole plate, the Limit Stop also helps reduce the risk of kickbacks for plunge cut starts.


[member=58040]Mrs C[/member] [member=36526]Bohdan[/member]
 
I am pretty sure that you are more likely to get kickback when the cutting part of the saw blade is closer to parallel with the stock as it starts to make contact as the force is then almost horizontal. When the blade is coming into contact with the stock at a greater angle the horizontal component of the force is much lower.

Part of the clue is in one of the posts above about having enough of the rail at the start to allow the saw to be fully seated on the rail and fully plunged before the actual cutting starts.

This is why plunging cuts can be tricky and the use of the anti kickback stop is important.

Peter
 
I have a kickback stop - the whole lot moved!  Yes, I am left handed. 

Sounds like the distance before the cut starts is my problem, as well as perhaps the speed.

Next dim question -  (but I would rather ask dim questions than lose fingers that I cant replace  [unsure])  If you plunge the saw well in advance of where the cut starts, is there enough weight on the track to stop the whole thing moving? At what point do I need to start clamping stuff down?  I have got a stop at the end of the piece that I am cutting to stop it moving forward and a piece to the left and to the rear to support the track.

Many thanks

P.S. The TS55 is a fab piece of kit - it has already paid for itself in converting bits of wood into nice things that would have cost a small fortune to buy!
 
Yeah, it depends.  On stuff less than 1", usually you can start the saw with enough of the base on the workpiece such that movement is not an issue.  There is a suprising amount of friction hold created by the weight of the saw pressing the rubber strips onto the workpiece surface.  Once you get higher up in thickness, though, I think clamping is wise.  I tend to clamp more often than not for all thicknesses just to be safe. 

Another solution is to tuck a scrap piece of equal thickness under the front of the rail so that it will not flex.

Mrs C said:
I have a kickback stop - the whole lot moved!  Yes, I am left handed. 

Sounds like the distance before the cut starts is my problem, as well as perhaps the speed.

Next dim question -  (but I would rather ask dim questions than lose fingers that I cant replace  [unsure])  If you plunge the saw well in advance of where the cut starts, is there enough weight on the track to stop the whole thing moving? At what point do I need to start clamping stuff down?  I have got a stop at the end of the piece that I am cutting to stop it moving forward and a piece to the left and to the rear to support the track.

Many thanks

P.S. The TS55 is a fab piece of kit - it has already paid for itself in converting bits of wood into nice things that would have cost a small fortune to buy!
Click to expand...
 
I'm left-handed myself and on occasion been pressing the blade towards the rail instead along it.
Might be a contributing factor..
Good luck!
 
Mrs C said:
I have a kickback stop - the whole lot moved!  Yes, I am left handed. 

Sounds like the distance before the cut starts is my problem, as well as perhaps the speed.

Next dim question -  (but I would rather ask dim questions than lose fingers that I cant replace  [unsure])  If you plunge the saw well in advance of where the cut starts, is there enough weight on the track to stop the whole thing moving? At what point do I need to start clamping stuff down?  I have got a stop at the end of the piece that I am cutting to stop it moving forward and a piece to the left and to the rear to support the track.

Many thanks

P.S. The TS55 is a fab piece of kit - it has already paid for itself in converting bits of wood into nice things that would have cost a small fortune to buy!
Click to expand...

I clamp almost all the time.

Now "plunging well in advance"... perplexes me.

The saw blade is like a car wheel going in reverse...
if you are headed forward and the wheels are spinning backwards (like in a cartoon), then saw is pretty much trying to squat onto the wood (or snow or mud) as the upwards motion of the blade is sucking the saw's chassis down.

If the same wheels are spinning in reverse and you try to be move in reverse then it is trying to climb on up and out and onto the top.

If we were driving cars we wan to stay on top of the snow and mud.
For a saw, you generally want to head forwards.

For saws and routers they call this a climb cut, because it is climbing.
On a table saw it looks like a spear launcher.
 
Sell it. Save money. Buy the the makita. For some reason I get less kick with the mak.
 
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