TS55 or TS75 for hardwoods (again, I know, I know)

[Dane]

So I am on the fence.  I know this subject has been worked over repeatedly but unlike those that own both saws, I can only afford one and I want to get the most versatile option possible. 

I have read some comments that have said that the 55 will bog down a bit when cutting hardwoods of any significant thickness.  I do build some furniture in addition to my cabinet work and my question is, is the 55 up to cutting hardwood at its full depth?  I am not as concerned about the depth cutting capacity as I am the power that can come of a 10 amp saw.  If I were going to rip 2" walnut,  could I do that without feeling like I was burning up the saw?  Or, how about if I did need to rip a 3 1/2" post- could I rip to 2" then flip the piece and rip the other side?  That would be a once in a while thing, but again, I would like to be able to do it if I needed to.

If not, then I might as well opt for the 75.  Any disadvantages with the 75 other than the size/ weight factor? 

I am attracted to the idea of the smaller saw for doing things like cutting vertically as I seem to, strangely, have to do from time to time.  However, I am a big guy and if the smaller saw isn't going to pass the ripping walnut test, then I need to get the bigger one.

I guess the bottom line is, I don't feel like I need more than 2" of capacity, but I also need the saw to be able to cut that full 2" on whatever I need it to. 

Looking forward to joining the fold, thanks for the help.

 

[Scott W.]

I had the same dilemma..

In the end I went with the 75.

My reasoning, the 75 can cut anything the 55 can but the 55 can't cut everything the 75 can 

Scott W.

 

[graphex]

I was glad I went with the 75 this weekend when I was ripping 2.5" solid hard maple. My blade and setup combination did make it bog down a little bit, but considering I was basically doing one of the most difficult things I could ask the saw to do, it performed well. Not a quick cut by any means, but no burning and a nice smooth finish (especially after I got my clamping technique down).

I was absolutely maxing out my 15-amp circuit in the garage. Luckily I don't have a dust extractor, or it would have blown the breaker for sure. When I have an electrician come out to get me better service in my garage, would people recommend a 20 or 30 amp circuit? (I feel a bit bad about hijacking this thread, but both things have certainly been discussed before on here and it never hurts to get fresh input!)

 

[Dan Clark]

I was glad I went with the 75 this weekend when I was ripping 2.5" solid hard maple. My blade and setup combination did make it bog down a little bit, but considering I was basically doing one of the most difficult things I could ask the saw to do, it performed well. Not a quick cut by any means, but no burning and a nice smooth finish (especially after I got my clamping technique down).

I was absolutely maxing out my 15-amp circuit in the garage. Luckily I don't have a dust extractor, or it would have blown the breaker for sure. When I have an electrician come out to get me better service in my garage, would people recommend a 20 or 30 amp circuit? (I feel a bit bad about hijacking this thread, but both things have certainly been discussed before on here and it never hurts to get fresh input!)

I'm planning on upgrading my garage/workshop circuits - two 20 amp 115V circuits and two 30 amp 220V circuits.  I'll stub the circuits into a surface-mount junction box and then run surface conduit wherever it's needed.

Dan.

 

[semenza]

Hi,

       The 55 will cut 1 15/16" so it will do the 3 1/2" from two sides.  I have the 55. I have used it to rip 5/4 hard maple with  the Universal blade and it went with no bogging. I am sure that the 55 with the Panther blade would do the 2".   Obviously the 75 will do it more easily.   The 75 comes with the Universal blade The 55 comes with the Fine blade.

         75 pros-     power, capacity
         
         75 cons-    weight, takes a little more space on guide rail,  no Cover Plate available, more money for saw and blades.

     And welcome to the forum.

Seth

 

[semenza]

I was glad I went with the 75 this weekend when I was ripping 2.5" solid hard maple. My blade and setup combination did make it bog down a little bit, but considering I was basically doing one of the most difficult things I could ask the saw to do, it performed well. Not a quick cut by any means, but no burning and a nice smooth finish (especially after I got my clamping technique down).

Hi,

    Which blade were you using for this cut?

Seth

 

[graphex]

    Which blade were you using for this cut?

I was using the universal blade that came with the 75. It worked better after I gave it some breathing room by plunging it to 74mm.

Since I was cutting 2.5" x 3" stock (made out of 4 3/4" boards laminated together) getting the guide rail in place so it would stay took a few tries. Since I'm working with two pairs of stock in this case, I planed each pair to the same height, then put the one I'm cutting to the right of the rail clamp and the one I'm not cutting to the left of the rail clamp, and was able to snug it down well. This was one of those cuts better done on a table saw, but I eventually found a good way to do it with the 75 (since I don't have a table saw).

Would a different blade have been likely to do better in this situation? If so, which would be the best? The 75 is the first power saw I've owned, so I'm learning here (as safely as possible!).

 

[semenza]

    Which blade were you using for this cut?

I was using the universal blade that came with the 75. It worked better after I gave it some breathing room by plunging it to 74mm.

Since I was cutting 2.5" x 3" stock (made out of 4 3/4" boards laminated together) getting the guide rail in place so it would stay took a few tries. Since I'm working with two pairs of stock in this case, I planed each pair to the same height, then put the one I'm cutting to the right of the rail clamp and the one I'm not cutting to the left of the rail clamp, and was able to snug it down well. This was one of those cuts better done on a table saw, but I eventually found a good way to do it with the 75 (since I don't have a table saw).

Would a different blade have been likely to do better in this situation? If so, which would be the best? The 75 is the first power saw I've owned, so I'm learning here (as safely as possible!).

Hi,

    I was mostly curious because you mentioned that it did bog some. The Panther blade will do the most efficient ripping. But the cut will be  a little rough.

Seth

 

[Dane]

Thanks for the input everyone.  I have heard this issue of the 75 taking up more space on the rail before as well, why does this matter?

 

[Brice Burrell]

  Dane, it will mean you'll need a longer rail if you want to be able to start the cut without plunging the saw into the stock. I prefer to have enough length to the rail to be able to plunge the saw than start the cut. 

Graphex I think you want 20 amp circuits, if it is your intention to use 115V tools, 30 amp is for 220V.

 

[John Langevin]

Ditto that Brice. Dane you should be sure to use "Spec Grade" 20 A outlets also along with 12 GA cable.
Edit - Let me clarify myself; I was referring to a circuit to handle a TS and CT as that is what I use.

 

[joraft]

When I have an electrician come out to get me better service in my garage, would people recommend a 20 or 30 amp circuit? (I feel a bit bad about hijacking this thread, but both things have certainly been discussed before on here and it never hurts to get fresh input!)

You should tailor electrical wiring to your particular setup. Depending on the equipment you use, sometimes it's better to have a few 15 amp circuits than one 20 or 30. Remember that amperage protection is for the total amount of current flowing through the circuit. In a shop with several workers it may make sense to have a high capacity circuit with several outlets, but in a one man shop it's likely that only machine will be running at a time(excluding the dust collector). Using your 13 amp TS75 as an example, if it's all you're running on the circuit, a 15 amp breaker will protect you better than a 20 amp because it will react more quickly to an overload. And a 30 amp breaker would give you little or no protection at all. The breaker should always be the weakest link.

John

 

[Greg_R]

If I were going to rip 2" walnut,  could I do that without feeling like I was burning up the saw?

I just did a bunch of 5/4 QS walnut ripping with my TS55 and it went through that wood like butter.  2" is certainly thicker but I'd think the TS55 could still work (it just wouldn't cut as fast).

My CT22 + TS55 was blowing my 15A breaker.  I've since upgraded the wiring and breaker to 20A to eliminate the problem.  If you're going to be using the DC+tool combination then you'll want a 20A outlet.  The CT wiring is for 20A... changing the plug over to a 30A plug is an unsafe condition.  While the electrician is there I would have him run multiple circuits covering any potential upgrade that you might get (i.e. put in at least 1 30A outlet and another 20A outlet to cover a large tool & a stand alone dust collector).

 

[semenza]

If I were going to rip 2" walnut,  could I do that without feeling like I was burning up the saw?

I just did a bunch of 5/4 QS walnut ripping with my TS55 and it went through that wood like butter.  2" is certainly thicker but I'd think the TS55 could still work (it just wouldn't cut as fast)

Greg R,

                Just for interest sake, which blade were you using?

Seth

 

[Steveo48]

As hardwoods go, walnut is pretty easy stuff to cut.  If you plan on cutting a lot of thick walnut, I wouldn't sweat it, however, if you are cutting the thick maple like Graphex, then perhaps the 75 is the beast you need.  Oak, ash, hickory and hard maple are all very hard commonly used hardwoods (around here anyway) and if you plan on cutting a lot of the thick stuff then you'll need as much power as you can lay your hands on.  Same goes if you plan on cutting hard exotics like rosewoods.  Cherry isn't so bad, walnut, soft maple and poplar are pretty easy, even when cutting thicker stock.  The proper, sharp blade will also help an underpowered saw get things done as well.

I have a 55 and really like it.  The only knock I've heard against the 75 is it's weight and size when it's not needed.  I've heard the same thing about the rotex 150 too.

Steve

If I were going to rip 2" walnut,  could I do that without feeling like I was burning up the saw?

I just did a bunch of 5/4 QS walnut ripping with my TS55 and it went through that wood like butter.  2" is certainly thicker but I'd think the TS55 could still work (it just wouldn't cut as fast).

My CT22 + TS55 was blowing my 15A breaker.  I've since upgraded the wiring and breaker to 20A to eliminate the problem.  If you're going to be using the DC+tool combination then you'll want a 20A outlet.  The CT wiring is for 20A... changing the plug over to a 30A plug is an unsafe condition.  While the electrician is there I would have him run multiple circuits covering any potential upgrade that you might get (i.e. put in at least 1 30A outlet and another 20A outlet to cover a large tool & a stand alone dust collector).

 

[brandon.nickel]

My reply to this yesterday evaporated.  Odd.  I stated that I'm very happy with the setup I installed in my last two garage/workshops.  I ran two separate 120V-20A circuits, but I put them both into each wallbox (double duplex).  That way you have 120V-40A available anywhere you are.  For large loads (like when I'm running my drum sander + table saw) you just plug one into the left outlet and one into the right.  This works anywhere in the room.  I ran dedicated circuits for stationary appliances that might be on simultaneously (air conditioner, heater, air compressor, dust collector).  Also, make sure your lights are on a different circuit.  There's few things less fun than holding that wood perfectly still while you wait for the table saw to coast down in the utter blackness because you popped the breaker.