tracksaw 45* bevel cut annoyances

[treesner]

Is it just me or was the bevel cut feature of the track saw under thought? When you tilt the saw to 45* it wants to wall over so right off the bat the balance is off and required one hand holding down on the saw guide (if you want to move you risk the saw tilting and messing up the cut in that area. It seems like they could add some kind of lock feature to the track saw that it doesn't want to tilt off the track. Also I found that what is marked as 45* on my saw is slightly off, i had to recut all the bevels on my box with the saw set to slightly over 45 to get a more seamless joint.

 

[ben_r_]

I believe I once saw a mod someone had done where they attached a modified Limit Stop (491582) to the base of the saw so that it would follow the base as it sat on the track and kept it from being able to tilt over. I agree that it shouldnt be needed, but at least there might be a fix.

 

[Svar]

Makita track saw has anti-tip feature. However, I would not rely on any of those features, built-in or homemade. The saw still wants to tip, pulling the track upward with it just enough to throw your angle by 1-2 degree. Just press down the base plate with your hand.

And, yes, 45 deg mark may not be an accurate indication of your actual bevel. There are many things that contribute: slop in the trunnions, track not sitting flat on your board, saw trying to tip, etc. So, just take trial and error approach.

 

[ben_r_]

Personally Id save those angled cuts for my table saw. But if the piece is too large or you dont have a table saw, ya gotta do what ya gotta do to get the job done.

 

[Holmz]

A 45 on the edge is not too bad.
Worse is a 45 out at arms length
and worse than that is on a skinny board where the rail wants to teeter.
(Which is clearly table saw territory.)

I need to find the table saw.

Hauling full sized sheets to a table saw is the opposite extreme, and is where a track saw shines.

 

[Corwin]

I believe that you can use the Parallel Side Fence for the TS55 as an outrigger to keep the saw from tipping -- just install it upside down. You can also use the Rods and Guide Stops from the OF1400 router, if you have those, to do the same type outrigger for your saw. Either of these 'solutions' will require that you have a piece of like thickness material to the right of the Guide Rail for this outrigger to ride on.

 

[ben_r_]

I believe that you can use the Parallel Side Fence for the TS55 as an outrigger to keep the saw from tipping -- just install it upside down. You can also use the Rods and Guide Stops from the OF1400 router, if you have those, to do the same type outrigger for your saw. Either of these 'solutions' will require that you have a piece of like thickness material to the right of the Guide Rail for this outrigger to ride on.

Huh, interesting idea. I wonder if the TS 55 Cover Plate (491750) would work. I have one of those.

 

[tjbnwi]

Tom

 

[Corwin]

I believe that you can use the Parallel Side Fence for the TS55 as an outrigger to keep the saw from tipping -- just install it upside down. You can also use the Rods and Guide Stops from the OF1400 router, if you have those, to do the same type outrigger for your saw. Either of these 'solutions' will require that you have a piece of like thickness material to the right of the Guide Rail for this outrigger to ride on.

Huh, interesting idea. I wonder if the TS 55 Cover Plate (491750) would work. I have one of those.

I have the Cover Plate also. The problem here is that the Cover Plate doesn't hang down far enough to ride on the material. You could add a piece to the Plate to correct that issue, but then the Cover Plate's Rods are short, so it would only work on lesser bevels.

Easy enough to just purchase lengths of 5/16" rod and make your own outrigger, or skate. Make some for your routers too.

 

[treesner]

Tom

nice! i wish it would work on the from so you didn't have to hold onto it. seems like it would be pretty easy to make something that has two track saw bolts one in front and one in back then a piece of wood across the saw and wing nut tighten into the bolts

 

[FastEasySmartTOOL]

Just tossing another idea out there... but I've found a Vac Sys holding the workpiece at 45° such that the saw can effectively be "level" comes in very handy for this task [wink]

Pricey solution to a problem that shouldn't exist... but the Vac Sys is pretty sweet. See demo of the application right around the 2 minute mark of the video (if I did this correctly, it should automatically play from the correct spot).
=1m58s

 

[Svar]

Pricey solution to a problem that shouldn't exist.

This is unavoidable problem unless you can defy gravity or want to add significant weight to the saw base.

 

[treesner]

Pricey solution to a problem that shouldn't exist.

This is unavoidable problem unless you can defy gravity or want to add significant weight to the saw base.

the saw should pivot on center not on edge but this would cause another issue of it where the blade comes out. when you go to cutt at 45* you're like really the saw just falls over.. would like to see the german engineers dial this in

 

[Svar]

the saw should pivot on center not on edge but this would cause another issue of it where the blade comes out.

Yes, then you'll lose some important functionality, such as cutting close to a wall etc. A removable outrigger suggested previously would work in many cases. I've cut plenty of miters building hardwood furniture and the only thing I trust is simply holding the base down with my hand firmly against the rail. All other methods allow for some slop that can easily throw off your angle by 1-2 degree.
I don't see a big problem here. When you trim edges with your router it will also fall over if you let it go. No one complains about that.

 

[ben_r_]

When you trim edges with your router it will also fall over if you let it go. No one complains about that.

Yes they do. Thats why Festool makes offset bases and why some use the track guide and rods to create their own offset bases.