Julian Tracy
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- Joined
- Oct 25, 2007
- Messages
- 529
I don't know... here's an idea - how about using a tablesaw!
Right tool for the job.
Julian
Right tool for the job.
Julian
TS55 and 8/4 Lumber
- Thread starter Steve F
- Start date
WarnerConstCo.
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- Apr 14, 2008
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- 4,205
I would just pitch it through the pm66.
Unless you have one straight edge, it's hard to edge join a long thick board on a TS.
IMO, this is one of the most undervalued features of the Festool Track system. I have a killer 12" jointer with long beds, but when I have long thick boards that need to be edge joined, I whip out the TS75 and a long rail. Nothing does the job as nice, or as fast. Hand planes have 17" - 22" bed lengths, not a great reference for 8 - 10ft long boards. Specially if you want seamless joints.
Of course, if you don't have other uses for the TS75, hard to justify purchase, agreed.... but you already own all the rail accessories, which makes the plunge a bit less painless (excuse the fun pun). Maybe borrow one?
IMO, this is one of the most undervalued features of the Festool Track system. I have a killer 12" jointer with long beds, but when I have long thick boards that need to be edge joined, I whip out the TS75 and a long rail. Nothing does the job as nice, or as fast. Hand planes have 17" - 22" bed lengths, not a great reference for 8 - 10ft long boards. Specially if you want seamless joints.
Of course, if you don't have other uses for the TS75, hard to justify purchase, agreed.... but you already own all the rail accessories, which makes the plunge a bit less painless (excuse the fun pun). Maybe borrow one?
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2010
- Messages
- 1,042
A few ideas here:
Is your saw plugged directly into the outlet or into an extension cord or dust extractor? You'll get maximum power plugged directly into the wall.
- Set the saw for half depth and make the first pass. Then without moving the rail of flipping the board, set the saw for full depth. This will make it easier for the saw to handle as you're only sawing 1" of stock.
- Surface the stock first which will reduce the thickness
- Saw through half way from one side, saw the rest from the other side going wide of the cutline then use a flush-trim bit in a router to finish it.
- Sliding table saw - the real "right tool for the job"!
Is your saw plugged directly into the outlet or into an extension cord or dust extractor? You'll get maximum power plugged directly into the wall.
Thanks for the suggestions. Except for my festool saw and sanders and a Dewalt plunge route, I am a hand tool person. So, no stationary tools at all. Good to know I'm not the only one tripping the circuit breaker. I did have the saw plugged into my CT26. I ended up using an extension cord to plug the CT26 into a 20 amp outlet and finally got it to work.
When i first got my TS55, I agonized over getting a TS75 instead. I just thought the lighter weight of the TS55 was important and that I would just somehoe make it work on 8/4 lumber. 80% of what I do is with 4/4 wood. I had a very generous offer from a NJ FOG-ster to come over and let me use his TS75. As amazing as that is, I need a more permanent solution, since I plan to do a few more of these. I guess I will keep my eyes open for a bare TS75 (without the rails), but given the resale value of Festools, I always tend to buy new. I guess I could get it with a longer rail. I feel myself sliding . . . HELP!
Steve
When i first got my TS55, I agonized over getting a TS75 instead. I just thought the lighter weight of the TS55 was important and that I would just somehoe make it work on 8/4 lumber. 80% of what I do is with 4/4 wood. I had a very generous offer from a NJ FOG-ster to come over and let me use his TS75. As amazing as that is, I need a more permanent solution, since I plan to do a few more of these. I guess I will keep my eyes open for a bare TS75 (without the rails), but given the resale value of Festools, I always tend to buy new. I guess I could get it with a longer rail. I feel myself sliding . . . HELP!
Steve
Kevin Stricker
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- Joined
- Feb 6, 2009
- Messages
- 481
It's all about the blade. A 48 tooth 6.25" blade is equivalent to a 100+ tooth 10" TS blade....you wouldn't rip 8/4 stock with that would you? Go with the Panther or the 28t Tenryu and you will have a completely different experience. I actually keep the Tenryu on my TS55 75% of the time, the 48t universal is only used for crosscutting veneer ply or melamine. The Tenryu's kerf is the same as the universal blade so you don't have to worry about messing up your splinter guard.
Brice Burrell
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- Mar 13, 2007
- Messages
- 7,385
Kevin Stricker said:
I'm with you about the 28t Tenryu, they also make a rip blade that I like better than my old style Panther.
Chris, yeah, sliding TS really is ideal, but very few on this list have the space or budget for such a beast. Hence the value of the Track system. List members here seem to specialize on squeezing the most work capacity out of the least amount of physical space..... and to that end, I love your suggestion of...
> Saw through half way from one side, saw the rest from the other side going wide of the cutline then use a flush-trim bit in a router to finish it.
Yep, what heck, the rail is the reference for the saw cut, so why not use the rail for the reference to a flush trim router, which will prob. produce a better edge. I wonder if the back of the rail is equally straight, I assume it is.... does anyone know?
Great suggestion, giving this forum the "more work, less space" montra.....
Of course, this is a great one-time solution, but if its something you plan to do often, then.... well, you know.....
> Saw through half way from one side, saw the rest from the other side going wide of the cutline then use a flush-trim bit in a router to finish it.
Yep, what heck, the rail is the reference for the saw cut, so why not use the rail for the reference to a flush trim router, which will prob. produce a better edge. I wonder if the back of the rail is equally straight, I assume it is.... does anyone know?
Great suggestion, giving this forum the "more work, less space" montra.....
Of course, this is a great one-time solution, but if its something you plan to do often, then.... well, you know.....
alan, 1/2" wide router bit, that is a lot of wood removal in 2" thick hardwood, vs. cleaning up a decent two stage plunge cut. The bit would surely start to burn the wood... never tried it... my guess is, you would need a means to keep the bit cool over such a long run, otherwise you end up with a burnished cut, vs. a glue ready cut.
This IMO is another big advantage of the TS75 over the 55.... the added power, allows you to get through the wood faster, which equals less heat, which equals a cleaner cut. I am not knocking the TS55, I can see its appeal if you cut 1" or less sheet goods all day. The TS55 is adequate and less bulky, so it comes down to what do you do most, how often, and how strong you are.
just my two cents...
This IMO is another big advantage of the TS75 over the 55.... the added power, allows you to get through the wood faster, which equals less heat, which equals a cleaner cut. I am not knocking the TS55, I can see its appeal if you cut 1" or less sheet goods all day. The TS55 is adequate and less bulky, so it comes down to what do you do most, how often, and how strong you are.
just my two cents...
I was faced with the same problem this weekend. I purchased a 10' long piece of rough cut 8/4 Red Oak to be cut into 2x2 pieces to make some molding. Despite outfeed tables and roller stands, there was no way I was going to hoist that slab up onto the table saw or jointer with any hope of getting a straight, smooth cut.
Courtesy of Bob Marino, I bought a new TS55 12 tooth Panther blade and additional rail joiners (thanks Bob). It was actually pretty easy to join up my two 1400 rails with the rail off of my MFT, use a 48" straightedge to make sure the three rails were aligned, then just eyeball a straight cut down one edge. I did not even clamp the rails to the board, since the rough lumber (and the weight of three rails) kept the rails from slipping.
I used the method of making a 1" deep cut, then setting the saw to maximum depth and making a second cut. Since my board was a little bit thicker than 2", I flipped the board, aligned the track with the almost completed cut and separated the pieces with a 2mm shallow cut.
The cut from the new Panther blade was much better than I expected. The cut edge is rough, like the board had been sanded with 40 grit, but there is very little blade score. I think one of the keys here is careful alignment of the rails to eliminate any "bump" as the saw passes over the joint.
I did not feel like I was stressing the saw at all. It did not seem to get any warmer than usual, I was pushing about as hard as I would cutting a normal piece of plywood, and it was hooked into the outlet on my CT22 just as I normally do. No issues with popped breakers.
This worked so well, I went ahead and ripped a stack of 12' 4/4 red oak to their final dimensions, and never even powered up my jointer or table saw.
Courtesy of Bob Marino, I bought a new TS55 12 tooth Panther blade and additional rail joiners (thanks Bob). It was actually pretty easy to join up my two 1400 rails with the rail off of my MFT, use a 48" straightedge to make sure the three rails were aligned, then just eyeball a straight cut down one edge. I did not even clamp the rails to the board, since the rough lumber (and the weight of three rails) kept the rails from slipping.
I used the method of making a 1" deep cut, then setting the saw to maximum depth and making a second cut. Since my board was a little bit thicker than 2", I flipped the board, aligned the track with the almost completed cut and separated the pieces with a 2mm shallow cut.
The cut from the new Panther blade was much better than I expected. The cut edge is rough, like the board had been sanded with 40 grit, but there is very little blade score. I think one of the keys here is careful alignment of the rails to eliminate any "bump" as the saw passes over the joint.
I did not feel like I was stressing the saw at all. It did not seem to get any warmer than usual, I was pushing about as hard as I would cutting a normal piece of plywood, and it was hooked into the outlet on my CT22 just as I normally do. No issues with popped breakers.
This worked so well, I went ahead and ripped a stack of 12' 4/4 red oak to their final dimensions, and never even powered up my jointer or table saw.
I was cutting a 1 3/4" glue lam door down to use as a top for my new workbench and the TS55 was struggling some with it. I pulled out the TS75. I had never used it before, but I was waiting for a task like this. It is a brute. Powered through the same cut like it was butter. The difference is very noticeable. Here's a pic of my project.
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