Ts55 REQ angle gauge

[grbmds]

Just went to the site (on my iMac) and selected the Domino 500 manual. I just got a blank gray screen with the buttons I described at the bottom when you bring the cursor down there. So, I closed that window and tried downloading the TS55 supplemental manual. Same thing, except after about a minute, I did get the manual on the screen with the buttons at the bottom of the page to save as a pdf. Then I tried the Domino manual again and it actually downloaded also, but it took about a minute also. I don't have a very good internet connection so, in my case, I think that it just took awhile because of the size of the pdf file. When your screen goes black, do you have those buttons at the bottom of the screen which appear when the cursor is down there. If so, I think it may be downloading in the background and just taking awhile. A lot depends on the internet connection your have and how fast it is. I find I have to be very patient as mine is very slow; inexpensive but slow.

 

[Tinker]

I don't see the buttons.
I also tried a "print copy" from my desktop from which i had printed the entire DF 500 manual.  That comes up black as well. Luckily, i have the copy filed in a notebook, so don't have to worry about that one.  I have a lot of BK work to do today, so will be later before i try any more of Rick's site.  There are other sites that give me the same problem.  The last time i had my computer to my guru's office/shop, he tried with my computer and came up with the same problems.  He is the one who tried the Firefox method and told me of it. So far, even tho I have had the problem with other sites, Rick's is the only one that really concerned me enough to have someone else (my daughter) copy for me.
Tinker

 

[grbmds]

Do you have an Apple store nearby? (It is a Mac, right?) Make an appointment with their Genius Bar and take it in. It's a strange problem because even if there is something wrong with the Acrobat Reader software, Preview (Apple's reader) should read the file. Have you tried reinstalling Adobe Acrobat?

 

[Tinker]

>>>Have you tried reinstalling Adobe Acrobat?

 

[cornfieldcraig]

What I find strange with mine is that it isn't just improperly adjusted.  The stops are at about -.75 degrees and 46.75 degrees.  There's too much travel in the guide, which should be limited to 45 degrees, not 46.5 degrees.  Let me be clear...  this is with the release knob in.  There's more travel with it pulled out.  It's additionally frustrating that I couldn't reach anyone to talk to in Support and no one called me back from Festool.  I left a message at 8:30 this morning.  Called again at midday and again at 5:05 Central after they'd closed.  Both times I reached Brent's personal voicemail.  Does that mean that they have only one guy in Tech Support?  What if Brent's out for the day?  Everyone needs a vacation or a sick day from time to time.  I'm sure Brent's a good and hardworking guy and from what I gather on this forum he does a bang-up job, but I expect to be able to reach someone in tech support during an entire business day.

UPDATE:  Brent called very early this morning.  I'm guessing that he was out of the office yesterday.  He suggested that my problem may be due to the position of the saw as I'm adjusting the bevel and that effectively, I'm twisting the front edge of the saw relative to the back.  The stop IS at the rear of the saw, so it's possible that pressure on the front could kind of twist it.  He suggested placing it on a flat surface and try adjusting that way with both retaining screws well-loosened. 

He further pointed out that while the TS55 is the most accurate circular saw on the market, it's not going to be as precise as as table saw, for example.  That's a bad paraphrase, but captures the sentiment, I think.  That's probably fair.  I do think it's fair to expect at least a precise 0 and 45-degree setting.  Anything else, pretty close is as good as can be expected.  While I agreed with Brent's statement, I did point out that Festool's marketing contributes to perhaps unrealistically high expectations of precision.  Anyway, we'll see when I get back home whether Brent's guess is correct.

 

[grbmds]

It's great you got a response and it's interesting that, at this point, there is an acknowlegement that the saw's frame may "deform" slightly if you push on the saw during tightening of the front knob. While it may be true that it is not as accurate as a $3,000 - $4,000 profesional cabinet saw, I say it's as accurate as many table saws on the market. It just takes a little more attention to what you're doing and how you do it. With a table saw, you are just stuck with whatever accuracy is built in or not built in to the saw. I lived for years with an under powered saw that had a slight wobble in the shaft and forced me to measure every rip cut, miter cut and bevel cut I made with another measuring tool just to make sure it was within my limits of accuracy. The TS55 is, in fact, more accurate than that. It just doesn't easily do all the things a table saw would do.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

He further pointed out that while the TS55 is the most accurate circular saw on the market, it's not going to be as precise as as table saw, for example.  That's a bad paraphrase, but captures the sentiment, I think.  That's probably fair.  I do think it's fair to expect at least a precise 0 and 45-degree setting.  Anything else, pretty close is as good as can be expected.  While I agreed with Brent's statement, I did point out that Festool's marketing contributes to perhaps unrealistically high expectations of precision.  Anyway, we'll see when I get back home whether Brent's guess is correct.

According to my conversation with Brent just now, he did not say that, even in essence. I just wanted to make sure no one got the impression that we (or Brent specifically) are saying that.

 

[ear3]

Is he effectively saying that if you are on a flat surface, with both knobs loose, that when you tighten the back knob first the result is  that the front of the saw should also be in the right position with the angle gauge at 0, not requiring any further up or down adjustment of the front?

What I find strange with mine is that it isn't just improperly adjusted.  The stops are at about -.75 degrees and 46.75 degrees.  There's too much travel in the guide, which should be limited to 45 degrees, not 46.5 degrees.  Let me be clear...  this is with the release knob in.  There's more travel with it pulled out.  It's additionally frustrating that I couldn't reach anyone to talk to in Support and no one called me back from Festool.  I left a message at 8:30 this morning.  Called again at midday and again at 5:05 Central after they'd closed.  Both times I reached Brent's personal voicemail.  Does that mean that they have only one guy in Tech Support?  What if Brent's out for the day?  Everyone needs a vacation or a sick day from time to time.  I'm sure Brent's a good and hardworking guy and from what I gather on this forum he does a bang-up job, but I expect to be able to reach someone in tech support during an entire business day.

UPDATE:  Brent called very early this morning.  I'm guessing that he was out of the office yesterday.  He suggested that my problem may be due to the position of the saw as I'm adjusting the bevel and that effectively, I'm twisting the front edge of the saw relative to the back.  The stop IS at the rear of the saw, so it's possible that pressure on the front could kind of twist it.  He suggested placing it on a flat surface and try adjusting that way with both retaining screws well-loosened. 

He further pointed out that while the TS55 is the most accurate circular saw on the market, it's not going to be as precise as as table saw, for example.  That's a bad paraphrase, but captures the sentiment, I think.  That's probably fair.  I do think it's fair to expect at least a precise 0 and 45-degree setting.  Anything else, pretty close is as good as can be expected.  While I agreed with Brent's statement, I did point out that Festool's marketing contributes to perhaps unrealistically high expectations of precision.  Anyway, we'll see when I get back home whether Brent's guess is correct.

 

[ear3]

Not to pile on here Shane, but I made a call on this precise issue a couple of months back -- and while I can't remember the exact words or who I talked to specifically -- my impression coming away from the conversation was basically the same as cornfieldcraig's, and that I was essentially received with a shrug of the shoulders, and that this was just how the machine was.  I think I might have even related in a previous post how I was a bit taken aback with the response, noting, of course, that it was an anomalous departure from the otherwise excellent service I had gotten to that point.

And I think there are enough posts on the forum about this topic to show that people are not just being prissy about the saw, nor coming in with unreasonable expectations.

Please take these comments in the spirit in which they are being offered, which is that of constructive criticism rather than bitter indictment.

He further pointed out that while the TS55 is the most accurate circular saw on the market, it's not going to be as precise as as table saw, for example.  That's a bad paraphrase, but captures the sentiment, I think.  That's probably fair.  I do think it's fair to expect at least a precise 0 and 45-degree setting.  Anything else, pretty close is as good as can be expected.  While I agreed with Brent's statement, I did point out that Festool's marketing contributes to perhaps unrealistically high expectations of precision.  Anyway, we'll see when I get back home whether Brent's guess is correct.

According to my conversation with Brent just now, he did not say that, even in essence. I just wanted to make sure no one got the impression that we (or Brent specifically) are saying that.

 

[vidkid26]

Im not sure what version of the MacOS y'all are using but if you click on the PDFin Safari it and becomes a black screen, look at the bottom of the screen in the little black box. You should see a +and- and an icon that looks like a file with a  jewelers loop. Next to that is an icon with a screen and an arrow pointing down. Click on that icon and you should see the screen magic right before your very eyes…………….

 

[cornfieldcraig]

My only real expectation is that I get truly precise cuts at 90 and 45 degrees and that the built-in stop should reliably set the saw at those settings easily and consistently.  It comes close, but it at least LOOKS to me like it's missing the mark and I fail to see how moving the guide one way or another fixes this issue for me. 

Here are photos taken of the scale with the saw laying flat on its base on my MFT/3 and both the front and rear clamping screws loosened completely.  At zero degrees, I wasn't touching the saw at all.  At 45, my left hand held the base to the MFT/3 tabletop.  In neither case was I touching any other part of the saw.  Both seem to stop beyond the point that's expected.  If one was a bit past and the other a bit shy, then yes, moving the guide might well cure the issue.  With both beyond where they should stop, it looks to me like my guide has almost 46 degrees of travel. 

I also tried laying the saw on its side on the blade guard, which allows the sole plate to pivot totally without weight to distort the setting.  The 45 degree setting was very close to 45, but still a bit past.  The zero setting was unchanged from the photos.

What I haven't done is to get a 2x and cut it at both 90 and 45 degrees and actually measured the resulting cut.  Maybe they're fine.  But even if they are, it's bothersome that the bevel gauge apparently isn't very precise.

Is this what the rest of you see on your saws?

Zero:

45:

 

[grbmds]

The only true test of whether it is cutting exactly 90 and 45 degrees is to make the test cuts. The markings themselves are not necessarily right on. If the results show that your saw is actually doing what you believe is, then I'd say get service to authorize a return and have them check it (assuming it is under warranty). If the saw is less than 30 days old I'd just return it period. Buy another one from a different store.

 

[DzordanoBruno]

My salesman have 4 of these saws,  and all have samé issue.

 

[ear3]

Yeah, this is the same on my saw -- a function of there being no positive stop on the front end, so that there is a slight drift given that the saw's full range is -1 and 47.

Of course you can make the cut and test it to find the true 90 or 45, but the issue is that every time you change the bevel angle you have to do the recalibration, unless you employ one of the fixes described on the forum, such as using a grub/set screw in the front as a stop, or shimming the bottom.

My only real expectation is that I get truly precise cuts at 90 and 45 degrees and that the built-in stop should reliably set the saw at those settings easily and consistently.  It comes close, but it at least LOOKS to me like it's missing the mark and I fail to see how moving the guide one way or another fixes this issue for me. 

Here are photos taken of the scale with the saw laying flat on its base on my MFT/3 and both the front and rear clamping screws loosened completely.  At zero degrees, I wasn't touching the saw at all.  At 45, my left hand held the base to the MFT/3 tabletop.  In neither case was I touching any other part of the saw.  Both seem to stop beyond the point that's expected.  If one was a bit past and the other a bit shy, then yes, moving the guide might well cure the issue.  With both beyond where they should stop, it looks to me like my guide has almost 46 degrees of travel. 

I also tried laying the saw on its side on the blade guard, which allows the sole plate to pivot totally without weight to distort the setting.  The 45 degree setting was very close to 45, but still a bit past.  The zero setting was unchanged from the photos.

What I haven't done is to get a 2x and cut it at both 90 and 45 degrees and actually measured the resulting cut.  Maybe they're fine.  But even if they are, it's bothersome that the bevel gauge apparently isn't very precise.

Is this what the rest of you see on your saws?

Zero:

45:

 

[cornfieldcraig]

While it's disappointing that my saw isn't quite up to my expectations, thanks to everyone that chimed in to verify that my saw is functioning as designed.  Now I won't bother sending it in for an adjustment.