TS 55 shuts down

[pilotboat]

I tried trimming 1.5 inch Fir that would be used as stair treads.  The saw seemed as though it was having a hard time.  After the cut, the saw would not start for the next cut.  Does this saw have a breaker in it?  The speed dial was at 6.  The standard blade that comes with was being used.

What going on?

 

[peter halle]

Yes the saw does have safety features that might come into play to help prevent overheating.  Is it same to venture a guess that you were ripping versus cross cutting?

Peter 

 

[ear3]

[member=61189]pilotboat[/member]  It could be that the overheating protection was triggered, yes.  Did it start to work again after you let it sit for a bit?

But I rip 2x material with the TSC all the time and haven't encountered a problem -- the standard blade should normally be able to handle this kind of application.  The only thing I could think of is perhaps the blade has dulled or needs to be cleaned.  This sort of wood can definitely gum up the blade, and it can be like night and day once you've cleaned the pitch off.

I tried trimming 1.5 inch Fir that would be used as stair treads.  The saw seemed as though it was having a hard time.  After the cut, the saw would not start for the next cut.  Does this saw have a breaker in it?  The speed dial was at 6.  The standard blade that comes with was being used.

What going on?

 

[Cheese]

I tried trimming 1.5 inch Fir that would be used as stair treads.  The saw seemed as though it was having a hard time.  After the cut, the saw would not start for the next cut.  Does this saw have a breaker in it?  The speed dial was at 6.  The standard blade that comes with was being used.

I've ripped single items with the standard blade on both my TS & TSC. However if you're doing a series of treads, I'd change to the 12 tooth rip blade. It's easier on the saw and easier on you.

 

[pilotboat]

I was ripping.  The blade is fairly new. The saw was not connected to my CT26.  Could it be possible the saw was getting clogged?

 

[peter halle]

Go with  28 OR 12 tooth blade based on the hardness and thickness of material.  The 48 tooth blade is a crosscut / plywood blade.

Peter

 

[Cheese]

I was ripping.  The blade is fairly new. The saw was not connected to my CT26.  Could it be possible the saw was getting clogged?

The saw blade is getting clogged. When ripping, the space between the teeth (gullets) on a 28 tooth blade are not large enough to hold the wood fibers. You need to install a blade that has larger gullets...the 12 tooth blade.

When ripping lumber, the discarded sawdust is actually long fibers and they are difficult to eject if you’re using the wrong blade. When you cross cut lumber the sawdust is actually small, short chips and they will eject easier.
Install the 12 tooth ripping blade and you’ll be a lot happier.

FWIW...if you take a fairly fine toothed band saw blade made for cutting hardened tool steel, and attempt to cut aluminum with it, the aluminum will shear off every 2-3 teeth of the hardened band saw blade. The reason being is that aluminum also needs a large gullet to clear the chips and if you don't provide a large gullet, the aluminum stock will create its own by removing saw teeth.  [eek]

Bottom line, you have to somehow get rid of the kerf material or it will make your life miserable.

 

[RDMuller]

Were long lightweight extension cords in use?,

 

[pilotboat]

I used extension cords.  They were not lightweight cords but they did have to go as long way(100ft) to a generator.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Like others have said, you need a different blade for ripping. To add to what Cheese said about the gullets getting packed with chips (which is hard to see as it happens) think of drilling a deep hole in wood. When the flutes get packed with chips drilling stops.

And if you press on anyway the tool overheats. Hopefully it will have some kind of thermal overload protection.

 

[Cheese]

Here's a tutorial from Rockler. Pay particular attention to the sections titled, "Number of Teeth" and "Gullet".
https://www.rockler.com/learn/choosing-the-right-saw-blade-for-your-project/

Also of note, in the TS 55 manual on page 5, Festool recommends using a 10 gauge extension cord for 100'.

 

[pilotboat]

Thank you everyone for your responses.  A lesson learned!

 

[Jaybolishes]

I strongly feel the ts55 should only be used on 3/4 material.  Yes you can get proper blades for ripping and crosscutting, but let’s face it, we don’t necessarily all have the patience like we should sometimes to switch blades for that one rip cut you need to make. I went and bought the ts75 because it has the power you need to do all the cuts you want with whatever blade you have on it. (Yes I know you should always use the correct blade) My advice, if you don’t want to buy both the 55 and 75 saws, trade in your 55 for the 75 if you are within the 30 day return period. My 75 blades are wider than my 55 blades, so my tracks are only dead on accurate using the 75 now. Unless I wanted 55 tracks and 75 tracks, I just use the 75 only now to  save myself a lot of extra money and hassle. Since the saw is always gliding on a track, for me the weight difference in saws is not a factor one bit. My 55 always cut out in the middle of cuts, which is why I only use the 75 now.

 

[ProCarpenterRVA]

I strongly feel the ts55 should only be used on 3/4 material.  Yes you can get proper blades for ripping and crosscutting, but let’s face it, we don’t necessarily all have the patience like we should sometimes to switch blades for that one rip cut you need to make. I went and bought the ts75 because it has the power you need to do all the cuts you want with whatever blade you have on it. (Yes I know you should always use the correct blade) My advice, if you don’t want to buy both the 55 and 75 saws, trade in your 55 for the 75 if you are within the 30 day return period. My 75 blades are wider than my 55 blades, so my tracks are only dead on accurate using the 75 now. Unless I wanted 55 tracks and 75 tracks, I just use the 75 only now to  save myself a lot of extra money and hassle. Since the saw is always gliding on a track, for me the weight difference in saws is not a factor one bit. My 55 always cut out in the middle of cuts, which is why I only use the 75 now.

I have a TS55 and a TSC55. I rip a lot of hard 8/4  maple, walnut and cherry with the TS 55 using the panther blade or the 28T if I'm not going to be doing a lot. The TSC55 does have a bit more power.

I feel that a power tool should be able to work to its maximum rated capacity. If you mark the depth of the cut on the track saw you sell me as 2", I would expect to be cutting to that capacity.

I've handled a TS75, nice saw, but I would be miserable using it for breaking down sheet goods. The added weight is just punishment. Of course, I'm describing a production situation where the saw is handled by the user for a few hours a day in many cases. A hobbyists use level might make the TS75 more tolerable.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Jaybolishes]

ProCarpenter I think you meant to say the ts75 does have a bit more power.  But no question if you’re cutting all day the size difference would be a major factor.  But for versatility in cut depth and power, if you are intending only to have one saw, the 75 is a really wise choice. But myself, even though I have both, I only use the 75 given that I don’t want a ton of rails for either the 75 or the 55. But if you got the 55, the panther blade is an absolute must to have.

 

[peter halle]

I admit that I have been lazy changing blades at times.  I also have cut wood with dirty, dull blades and tried to "push thru" just a couple of cuts.  But with the TS-55 saws it really doesn't take any time at all to change the blades.

On occasion I can suggest that #festoolsedge think about doing a video and I believe that this might have been a suggestion of mine in the past after reading about others like me not changing blades to match the work.  How long does it take to change a blade?  Grab a watch and see the trainer and a user go head to head:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BixH1v5nZvI/

[member=101]Festool USA[/member]  ,  it might be an interesting skill building contest for a #Festoolconnect event in the future to have a competition for the fastest times to properly change a blade.

Peter 

 

[Cheese]

I admit that I have been lazy changing blades at times.  I also have cut wood with dirty, dull blades and tried to "push thru" just a couple of cuts.  But with the TS-55 saws it really doesn't take any time at all to change the blades.

I agree...the saw blade is changed within 1-2 minutes.  [smile]  For me, the larger issue has always been, do I have a CLEAN saw blade to put on the saw?

Lately, whenever I change out a saw blade or a router bit, instead of putting it back in the wrapper and placing it in the Systainer, I'll leave the saw blade/router bit + wrapper on the bench as a reminder to clean it. Cleaning blades this often may seem like a pain but it's actually easier to remove the resin/pitch because it hasn't been burned on by multiple uses. Overall the cleaning process is a lot easier and it takes less time.