Ps 420 not happy

[Paul G]

I'm curious, do the blade packages indicate max cut depth or does someone need a calculator to figure this out each time?

 

[AlexThePalex]

I'm curious, do the blade packages indicate max cut depth or does someone need a calculator to figure this out each time?

As far as I know the precise depth depends on the saw but most packagings gives an indication. And you can always push the jigsaw to its shalowest position with the blade inserted to see the minimum cutting depth.

 

[Paul G]

I'm curious, do the blade packages indicate max cut depth or does someone need a calculator to figure this out each time?

As far as I know the precise depth depends on the saw but most packagings gives an indication. And you can always push the jigsaw to its shalowest position with the blade inserted to see the minimum cutting depth.

Yea, that's what I normally do, I was just curious about festool blade packaging. I haven't used their jigsaw stuff yet, anxiously waiting for the carvex.

 

[tbellemare]

On page 63 of the 2013 catalog, there is a blade chart that details the blade usage. The fourth column indicates maximum material thickness.

Tom

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

The number portion of the blade name is the length of the portion of the blade with teeth, so minus the T-shank. For instance, the S75 blade is 75mm or 3" of teeth. With the blade inserted into the jigsaw, there's about 20mm (or about 3/4") that will never reach the surface of the material. Sof ro the S75 blade, you get 75mm - 20mm = 55mm of cut depth, or just over 2-1/8". The "S 75/4 FSG", for instance, is written on the shank of the blade.

Like Tom said, there's a chart in the catalog with maximum material thickness for each blade if you don't want to do the math.

It looks like the S105 blade in the photos from the OP, which has a maximum cut capacity of 3-3/8" (85mm). Sorry, counted the teeth and it's the S75 blade in the photos.

 

[sean_hogan]

Right guys sorry I haven't got back sooner, never finished work until half 10 tonight,
Ok think it's safe too say I adjusted the guides wrong, I never realised it was too rest against the roller, sounds stupid I know but I must of misunderstood the manual, as for cutting the notch yes I have done this loads before with a jigsaw not cutting all the way through but never had sparks and melted blades, only do it out of laziness too be fair. Rick the pictures are off my iPhone 5 just focused on the closet point, thanks guys for your input , feel a bit stupid now lol [blink]

 

[dsweetser]

No need to feel stupid, it's just a learning curve. That's what we are here for.

 

[VirtuaLogic]

This topic actually made me double check my settings on the PS420 and I had the guides set too tight as well  [scared]

Probably saved me from a similar accident, thanks for posting!

 

[jonathan-m]

The whole design of these guide brackets is, in my humble opinion, a poor design choice by Festool.

The fact you have to take off the baseplate and then set the brackets with a tiny allen key alone (which doesn't even store on the tool itself), is simply (insert foul language here).
It's just a faff and makes it far too easy to get them adjusted wrong. Which, of course many will, resulting in bad performance of the tool and these kind of horrid experiences.
On top of that the guide brackets cause heating and premature wear on the blades.

No thank you Festool, I'll give your next iteration a try when you've gone back to the drawing board!

 

[kev carpenter]

I want buy another festool jigsaw as my carvex is sitting in my kitchen cupboard as its useless, mafell for me next time i think after the old dewalt gives up but doesn't look like its going to be soon, and mafel might be my next rail saw swell as the new ts 55 doest do it for me either so I'm not upgrading just for new sake as old one is near perfect. i don't think the festal of today are going to hold their high prices like the old festo products do. just my opinion

 

[Rick Christopherson]

The fact you have to set them with a tiny allen key alone (which doesn't even store on the tool itself, is simply (insert foul language here).
It's just a faff and makes it far too easy to get them adjusted wrong. Which, of course many will, resulting in bad performance of the tool and these kind of horrid experiences.

It isn't that the design is bad. It is that too many marketing folks around the world have been over-emphasizing the adjustment, which leads people to over-think the adjustment and also over-adjust the gap.

Because nearly every video out there ends up showing the adjustment, it leaves the operator with the impression that they must be constantly adjusted or tightly adjusted. But the fact is, neither one of those are true.

The adjustment exists because blades of different types can have a drastically different thickness. So even a very loose fit on a very narrow blade can end up being too tight on a wide blade. Therefore, some adjustment must be available. But that doesn't mean that every blade change requires any sort of adjustment.

 

[jonathan-m]

I understand what you're saying Rick, obviously you shouldn't re-adjust the brackets for every blade change.
My opinion however is that there there shouldn't be any adjustments to brackets, at all, ever, regardless of the blade being used. This to eliminate user error all together.
What you just posted, to me, just proves the design can be improved upon. Otherwise no errors would be made.
Anyway, for those with no complaints about their Carvex, more power to you. The tool has it's mertis, but not everyone has the same expectations and uses for a tool.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

But that was exactly my point. There is nothing forcing you to ever adjust them except for a user's preference. Many jigsaws don't even have the lower guides at all. You could simply leave them wide enough for your widest blade, and then close them down when you had a critical cut with a long and narrow blade. But if it wasn't a critical cut, you still wouldn't need to mess with them even when the blade was narrow.

It is an adjustment that is available to you if you need it, but that doesn't mean you have to constantly perform it. Even when set at their maximum width, they will still provide better lateral guidance than a saw that has no lower guides.

 

[jmbfestool]

But that was exactly my point. There is nothing forcing you to ever adjust them except for a user's preference. Many jigsaws don't even have the lower guides at all. You could simply leave them wide enough for your widest blade, and then close them down when you had a critical cut with a long and narrow blade. But if it wasn't a critical cut, you still wouldn't need to mess with them even when the blade was narrow.

It is an adjustment that is available to you if you need it, but that doesn't mean you have to constantly perform it. Even when set at their maximum width, they will still provide better lateral guidance than a saw that has no lower guides.

Omg omg haaahaa I agree with Rick again!

I don't adjust mine often mine just sit little loose so I can stick any jigsaw blade in unless its an unusually thick blade I then will open the guides more.

90% of my cuts using jig saw dont have to spot on sqaure so the guides don't need to be perfect fit for me but I can adjust them for the 10%

The only thing which does really really annoy me! Is that festool has not designed the jigsaw to store the Alan key.  TS, planers and kapex all store the Alan key so why doesn't the jigsaw. 

It really annoyes me such a simple thing they didnt bother with.

 

[tbellemare]

The Trion stores its 2-sided hex key. The Carvex doesn't?

Tom

 

[jmbfestool]

The Trion stores its 2-sided hex key. The Carvex doesn't?

Tom

Nope the Carvex unless I missed it has NO storage for the hex key