TS-55 Track Question

[pmarcusm]

I just recently bought a TS-55 (3 weeks ago and still haven't fired it up) and I have been watching various videos and I am seeing that the users are not actually clamping the track down to the piece being cut. Does the friction strips really hold well enough to not need them to be secure.
I have the 55" and the 42" that came with the MFT and I need to join them together to get my 8' cuts. I will have 97" of track for the 96 " cut, is this going to work or do I need more track length to make this without any issues, or do I get to spend EVEN more money to get another additional track longer than 42"?

Marcus

 

[Alan m]

the rubber strip will easily  hold the track.
make sure there is no dust under it as it will reduce the grip.

you will need another 55" rail to cut the 8 ft way.
you need some track  at the start and at the end of the sheet so that the green alighnment  guides are on the track  . if you done have thtose guides on the track you wont get a straight cut at the start or end.

 

[semenza]

The tracks will hold very well on most materials without clamping.  I have made .... I don't know how many ..... thousands of cuts with out clamping. When you are first getting the hang of the saw clamping is a nice precaution or when cutting things with a slippery surface or maybe not having a real even support surface.

With the tracks you have you will not have enough room to make 96" cuts without a plunge start  and an in the wood retract.  And just barely at that.  It is OK to cut like that but you will find the cuts  may be slightly off at the beginning and end when the blade moves up and down.  The 42" and 55" rails are both good to have. My suggestion is to add a 75" rail which will give plenty of length  for 96" cuts when connected and also plenty for 48" cuts.  or go for a 106" or 118"  rail to avoid the nuisance of connecting rails for long cuts.

Seth

 

[Jeff Zanin]

Under many conditions it is not necessary to clamp the rail for sawing but it doesn't hurt other than slowing you down.

You will need more than 97" of rail to make a 96" cut.  There are longer rails - I have the TS75 but with the TS55 I think you could use the 106" for a 96" cut. 

But keep in mind the longer rails are nat as easy to transport and store as the shorter ones.  You could also get another 55" or the 75" and join that with your 55" for the long cuts.

Most of us end up with various rails of different lengths. 

Keep in mind the LR 32 rail (496939) which is slightly more than the regular rail but might be useful if you decide to get the routers and accessories that make use of it.

Jeff

 

[pmarcusm]

OK, thanks guys for the quick response. On my way to Woodcraft after the son's basketball game. I realized that i would really need the 75" for the Baltic birch 5x5 sheet goods that I have been using a lot here lately.
My first project is cutting replacement plywood seats for kitchen chairs that my wife wants to recover and of course they are not square, so the TS-55 with get a good workout on its first trip out of the box.

Thanks again for everyones input.

Marcus

 

[pmarcusm]

OK, I went and bought the 75" track yesterday and finally got out today and made my first cuts with the saw and all I can say is WOW!!
I at least did a honey-do first. My wife bought and old table and chairs and she wanted to re-cover them. I proceeded to remove the existing cover and found a total of four and the wood was really old plywood that came apart. With all that said, I laid out the pattern so that I could make one cut and have two of the sides cut. The track saw made short order of that job. I wanted something straight forward to start with and this saw is fantastic to use.
This makes life easy now. I was cut the 5x5 Baltic on my table saw to a rough cut to break down the sheets.....NO more of that, cause I own a Festool track saw  [big grin] [big grin] [big grin]

Again, thanks to the responders of the original question about the track

Marcus

 

[Wuffles]

It's a slippery slope now Marcus, you've been warned.

 

[pmarcusm]

Trust me! I lost my footing a last summer. This is just the latest systainer and accessories that found its way home with me.
I 1 domino, 2 sanders, 1 MFT and accessoriers and now TS-55
So, now it's just keep sliding and have fun!!

 

[socaljohn]

So what CT are you leaning towards for your next "fix"?

 

[pmarcusm]

DANG IT! I knew there was something missing on the list....CT26 was item number 2.
Can't live without that one.
It seems to follow you like a puppy dog.

I am now hearing voices.....OF 1400 is what I am hearing constantly....