Splinter Strip Cutting Speed

[John Stankus]

I might actually have a chance to play with my new TS55 this weekend.  In reading how to set up and trim the splinter strips on the rails, I found two conflicting instructions.  In the instructions packaged with the tool it says run the saw at 6 to trim the  splinter strip.  In the instructions on Bob Marino's webpage it says to run it at 1 for trimming the splinter strip.  Which is right? or does it not matter.

Thanks

John
(teaching Thermodynamics is taking too much time this semester... don't have time to play with the cool tools)

--I should have waited two weeks for the free panther blade deal. too! 

 

[cflansbaum]

I noticed this discrepancy too - my sense is that you can run it at the higher speed if you're laying the guide on a piece of scrap wood when cutting the splinter strip OR at the lower speed if you're just cutting the strip by itself.  Not sure if there's an advantage to either method, but I used the first one w/o any issues...

Carl

 

[semenza]

Hi,

      I have done it both ways. I did not notice any differance in the result. The CT picks up the black rubber "dust " better with the saw on high speed. I think because it gets thrown into the top of the blade housing more.

Seth

 

[Bob Marino]

John,

The lowest speed is the correct none - so you don't burn/tear the rubber strip. I have never run a side by side - cutting the rubber guard on the fastest and the slowest setting, but was instructed that way from years ago.

Bob

 

[John Stankus]

I did it on slow.  It came out ok.    I did mung up one of the strips a little, when I was trimming the splinter guard that mounts on the saw.  I will have to pick up a replacement.

Only problem with slowing down the saw, is I forgot to speed it back up to cut some plywood.  Doh!

I decided to mount the angle assembly in holes 5 and 6 rather than 4 and 5 on the MFT, so that I would not have to shim the work up to the guide.  Am I going to run into any issues with that?

Thanks for the help

John

 

[Bob Marino]

I did it on slow.  It came out ok.     I did mung up one of the strips a little, when I was trimming the splinter guard that mounts on the saw.  I will have to pick up a replacement.

Only problem with slowing down the saw, is I forgot to speed it back up to cut some plywood.  Doh!

I decided to mount the angle assembly in holes 5 and 6 rather than 4 and 5 on the MFT, so that I would not have to shim the work up to the guide.  Am I going to run into any issues with that?

Thanks for the help

John

[/quote

John,

The angle guide can be moved anywhere along the table - no problem.

Bob

 

[Michael Kellough]

...I decided to mount the angle assembly in holes 5 and 6 rather than 4 and 5 on the MFT, so that I would not have to shim the work up to the guide.  Am I going to run into any issues with that?

No problems until you try to rip stuff narrower than the guide rail and you have no back stop for the stock. Most of us keep a collection of various thicknesses of ply or MDF to shim thin stock up to the top of the fence. As Jerry Work has pointed out you can make these thin pieces your sacrificial surface and preserve the MFT surface.

To get the most from your MFT you need to feel free to move the fence to whereever it should be to help you. As Bob said, you can put it anywhere. A lot of us were loathe to move it after struggling to get it square to the guide rail. If you cut a (big as fits) piece of ply truly square, and protect it and keep it next to the MFT you'll find you can quickly and reliably reset the fence to square so there is no reason to hesitate to move the fence to the most advantageous location for the current operation.

 

[Corwin]

If you cut a (big as fits) piece of ply truly square, and protect it and keep it next to the MFT you'll find you can quickly and reliably reset the fence to square so there is no reason to hesitate to move the fence to the most advantageous location for the current operation.

This simply cannot be repeated enough.  Do spend the time to perform the 5-cut method to obtain this most useful tool.  Then take it to the next logical step and make one with a heal (or fence) such that it can index off the edge of your workpiece.  You may find both type useful.

Corwin