rough edge on kitchen worktops

[brenlixnaw]

ive recently bought a ts 55 eq with blade 491952 48 teeth  and at moment it cuts 18 mm melamine chip board fine but as yet it is chipping 40 mm kitchen worktops along the cut line i turn them upside down and cut in same mannor as ive always done with my old makita saw but its a bad finish any sugestions as to what may be wrong  ???

 

[ForumMFG]

Provide details on the settings you have the tool on and how you are cutting.  Feed rate and such.  

PLAM c-tops?

 

[Wonderwino]

I have found that melamine cuts much cleaner if I slow the feed rate of the saw down.  I experienced some shipping when I ran the saw (TS75) as fast as I could push it down the rail.  When I slowed down to about 6"per second,  it cut very cleanly with a sharp blade.

 

[brenlixnaw]

Provide details on the settings you have the tool on and how you are cutting.  Feed rate and such.  

PLAM c-tops?

ive aligned the blade as described in a post on this forum and seems to be better in workshop but only on scrap pieces got a job on site on Monday so ill know better then  also going to push through slower its a ts55 so fastest speed is 6 so and i went through at full depth about 53 mm may be i expect to much from it ill keep my old Marketa rip saw in van to be on safe 

 

[Holzhacker]

Having cut a fair amount of melamine, I would have to say feed rate and saw speed are likely culprits. Can't remember for sure, I think I was setting the saw around 4. I feed almost slow enough to fall asleep. Works well with no splintering. If I know I'm low on patience that day and have to get a lot done, I run a strip of blue tape along the cut along. Allows me to feed faster.

 

[brenlixnaw]

Having cut a fair amount of melamine, I would have to say feed rate and saw speed are likely culprits. Can't remember for sure, I think I was setting the saw around 4. I feed almost slow enough to fall asleep. Works well with no splintering. If I know I'm low on patience that day and have to get a lot done, I run a strip of blue tape along the cut along. Allows me to feed faster.

cheers for advice guys ill try 4 speed tomorow and as for slow pass speed ill give that a go only problem is work mates think im already too slow at most things but ill carry a copy of this email as a sort of doctors note ,cant go out to shed this evening as wife will kill me  ;D

 

[Tom Ryan]

I seem to remember some posts here that said that the quality of the melamine (or really the substrate for it) has a big effect on cut quality.  Makes sense -- a smooth, homogeneous backing for the melamine should make it easier to get a clean cut. 

You could also try a scoring cut -- 1/8" deep or so -- before cutting the full depth.

Tom in central PA

 

[ForumMFG]

I seem to remember some posts here that said that the quality of the melamine (or really the substrate for it) has a big effect on cut quality.  Makes sense -- a smooth, homogeneous backing for the melamine should make it easier to get a clean cut. 

You could also try a scoring cut -- 1/8" deep or so -- before cutting the full depth.

Tom in central PA

This is very true.  My shop cuts up an average of 3 units of melamine (40 sheets per unit) per week and sometimes we run into this.  We try to buy from the same supplier but sometimes we switch to buy something on sale and we have found that no melamine is the same.  You need to find a company that makes a quality product and stick with it.  Sometimes even the best companies might have a bad run and when this happens we will just send the whole unit back and get a credit for the sheets we used just because of cip out.

 

[woodshopdemos]

Don't underestimate the power of vibration. You do not need to feel it to have it. Clamp the guide rail and make sure that everything is free to cut. Advance the saw in as smooth a speed as is pratical. Experiment and see if you can see where the good and bad cuts happpen. I also use the blade with the higher number of teeth. There is a melamine blade but I think either fine tooth blade works well.

 

[brenlixnaw]

Ive recently bought a ts 55 eq with blade 491952 48 teeth  and at moment it cuts 18 mm melamine chip board fine but as yet it is chipping 40 mm kitchen worktops along the cut line i turn them upside down and cut in same mannor as Ive always done with my old makita saw but its a bad finish any suggestions as to what may be wrong ???

i seem to have sorted out the problem it was that i was turning the worktop (countertop) upside down with laminate side to bottom has Ive allways done with previous saws but now keep face up scribe it at 5mm then go through slow and am very happy with saw results, think when work and money allows ill go for the ts 75 just to cover solid worktops and keep it in work shop and 55 in van  with hind sight i wish id gone to a trade fair to see these tools used properly and then bought them there