TS55 Chipping

[Scott_W]

I have already searched the site and did some reading on chipping and melamine. Most mention chipping on the top side of the melamine, my problem is on the underside of the cut on the rail side. The chipping is pretty bad. I lowered the blade more and it seems to help. Any other suggestions?

Also, my sacrificial tape keeps coming off if it is left stored for a while.

fwiw, bought everything last march, and has seen VERY little use. The saw has maybe cut 8pcs of 4x8 ply in half. Thats it. I still have the majority of my tools not even touched since bought. I changed careers right after the purchase.

scott

 

[mparka]

I had the same issue and solved it by lowering the blade much lower than usual.  I lowered it until the teeth of the saw would clear the melamine completely.  I didn't have any chipping after.

 

[DavidW]

I belive that your blade is not sharp, I run into this problem with my HolzHer verticle panel saw with dull blades. With the verticle panel saw, I am limited to a max of 3/16" on the back side. When I see chip out on the back side I know its time to put on a fresh blade.
David

 

[tiralie]

For me, most chipping on the underside happens when I do not have the melamine fully supported by a sacrificial sheet.
I use two sheets of 4x4 mdf to support a full sheet of Melamine which leaves a small gap in the middle under the melamine if I am ripping a 4x8 sheet in half.  I have noticed I get more chipping  if the melamine sheet is not in contact with the sacrificial sheet because of the space left between the mdf or an uneven floor or pavement .
Because your saw has been lightly used I doubt this is a blade problem, but if there is some corrosion on the teeth because it has been sitting for a while it can contribute to a poor cut.

Aside from the usual culprits (lower quality melamine, toe in etc.) what blade are you using for cutting?

I have found that the standard Festool blade to be good for a couple cuts and then it starts to create a lot of chipping in melamine.
Tim

 

[Scott_W]

Thanks for all the replies. I would hope that its not a blade sharpness/quality issue. I would be quite disappointed if it was. Like I said I may have cut 6-8 pcs of plywood in half, thats it. I would expect the blade to last alot longer than that.

I do not have the backside supported fully, but one would think side the blade is cutting up into the pc, that shouldn't be an issue?

How does one check the "toe" of the saw?

Thanks....scott

 

[tiralie]

Thanks for all the replies. I would hope that its not a blade sharpness/quality issue. I would be quite disappointed if it was. Like I said I may have cut 6-8 pcs of plywood in half, thats it. I would expect the blade to last alot longer than that.

If you are using the standard Festool blade, you will get chipping on melamine after about 2-3 8 ft. cuts.
Use a blade with an TC (triple chip) blade like the Festool solid surface blade or the Freud blade.

I do not have the backside supported fully, but one would think side the blade is cutting up into the pc, that shouldn't be an issue?

Try it. If it doesn't improve your cut don't do it anymore.

How does one check the "toe" of the saw?

Don't know how you would check the toe in but here's a link to a recent discussion on setting toe in.

 

[Scott_W]

Just an update.

I was able to set the toe on the saw , which seemed to be parallel. I may have went a little bit too much, but it seemed to make a big difference.

I also cleaned the blade and set it well below the surface. Unfortunately there were no stores open here that carry a blade for the saw.

I was not able to put a sacrificial support under as I had no material on hand.

Good news is I got a near chip free cut.

I think the majority of the problem was the toe on the saw. The back of the blade may have been hitting the bottom edge on the rail side chipping out the melamine.

thanks for all the help! I am sure I will have alot more questions as I am just getting to using all my festool stuff I bought almost a year ago!  [embarassed]

scott

 

[tiralie]

Good news is I got a near chip free cut.

Scott:
Good to hear. Whadya gonna build?
Tim

 

[Scott_W]

Scott:
Good to hear. Whadya gonna build?
Tim

This project is nothing special, just a small cabinet to organize papers for an office. All melamine.  [sad]

I have a built in project for my own house I am hoping to start in a few months.

scott

 

[Scott_W]

Here is the cabinet I made. The first real project using my festools since I bought them almost a year ago  [embarassed] (other than rough cutting plywood shelving! LOL)

Just something simple for the front counter of an office. Amazing how much work goes into such a small cabinet!

scott

 

[tiralie]

Amazing how much work goes into such a small cabinet!

scott

Scott:
Looks good...although it's a bit difficult to see the detail.
Tim