Stupid Question TS 55

[USMCGRUNT]

Hello all,

This is my first post as I am not a Festool owner yet. Maybe after this post I may be. I have only been serious (hobby) woodworking for a couple years now. I have a small garage shop and had a question about the track saw.....

I am a newb, so please don't kill me. If I have a piece of "rough" lumber how do I rip two straight edges? Even say if it was S2S on the faces through a jointer, how would I get the straight rips if the edges weren't parallel?

I have read and watched a ton of videos and it always appears to me that the guys are eyeballing it when they lay the guide rail down. I couldn't measure from one side since neither side is true yet. What step am I missing here? Thanks!  [eek]

 

[tjbnwi]

I do eyeball the the guide rail to the grain. I try to remove as little material as possible. Once I have one straight edge the other edge is easy.

My video on straight line ripping. In it I'm using he anti-kick back pawl to set the rail in form the edge about 3mm, if it looks good to the grain I make the rip.


Tom

 

[ear3]

Welcome to the forum.  As Tom mentioned, the placement of the guide for the first cut is completely arbitrary (within reason, obviously).  You just need to establish one straight, square edge and then everything else follows from that.  You can make the second cut either with the tracksaw or with a table saw, if you have that in your shop.  The TS55 (or 75) is great for jointing rough lumber, and some people even prefer it to a stationary jointer, especially for long boards.

One note about ripping rough lumber, though.  You'll want to be cognizant of releasing tension in the board when you take a substantial bite off one of the edges.  So say, you want to rip a 9 inch board to a width of 6 inches -- you do the first edge, taking off maybe just an eight or a quarter inch to set the edge, then you take 2 3/4" off the other edge to get to the final width.  Depending upon the type of wood and the grain pattern it might happen that after that second cut the board will suddenly develop a crook.  And then your only solution is to cut it down narrower than you originally planned.  That's why it's good -- especially if you see that the wood has some knots or obvious disturbances in the grain, to make that second cut a bit wider than your target width.  Wait a little after making the cut to see if anything happens to the board, and adjust accordingly, or simply make the third and final cut to width.

 

[Holmz]

Gunney - Once you trip the sinter strip then just scooutch it around until it removes a whisker at point of minimal cut.
The measure from the straight side and mark the other side...
Scooutch the rail around until the splinter strip is on the line, clamp-it, cut.

If the board is a USAF board (Propeller), or Tenth Mountain Division style (bowed like a ski), then you need to jointer it at a shop or have push for a while with a hand plane to get it flat, otherwise the cuts will be parallel to the warped/twisted surface.

 

[USMCGRUNT]

Thank you all very much for the responses. And not to be bias, but I absolutely understood Holmz analogy...It made everything come together so easy..haha!!

This is exactly the information I was looking for. Looks like I'll be off to purchase my first Festool. Thanks again everyone!!

 

[Carl Prentiss]

[welcome] to the FOG, Jarhead.
-Charlie

 

[USMCGRUNT]

I ended up pulling the trigger today. My TS 55 REQ will be delivered on Tuesday. I also purchased an additional 55" rail and connectors.

I will be making my first small rip in my Chestnut trusses to straighten one end and then taking the rest off of the opposite end to my final 5 1/4 width. Undecided if I will do that on the table saw or just have fun with my new Festool. Thank you all again for encouraging me to enter the Festool world.....ha

 

[Holmz]

I could picture the first cut at 5-1/2.
Then maybe the part twangs into a bow.
You bring the one side straight.
If I was doing a few, and had a table saw, then the last 1/8" would be with the table saw.
It is easier to cut straight with a track saw but cutting parallel means smooching the rail around for each piece? A table saw is usually repeatable.

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

If I were you I would buy a panther blade.  It will make the cuts in the chestnut faster and the saw will not have to work as hard. 

 

[Kev]

Take care connecting your rails ... over tightening the connectors and also assuming they're aligned by butting them together has lead to tears for some.

[member=61011]USMCGRUNT[/member]

 

[deepcreek]

Look into the Betterley StraightLine Connector for fast, easy and accurate joining of guide rails.

 

[chrisrosenb]

Look into the Betterley StraightLine Connector for fast, easy and accurate joining of guide rails.

You could save yourself some money by making your own.

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