TS55 REQ throwing out significant amounts of sawdust

[jamiljonna]

Hello,

I have had my TS55 REQ for over two years. About a year ago I had the original blade sharpened and started using my Freud blade (also recently sharpened). At the time I did not notice any issue with dust collection. Then I let my brother-in-law use my MFT/3 and TS55 for a while. He accidentally hit the top of rail guide with the saw (minor damage). I did not notice the sawdust issue immediately thereafter but I assumed he damaged the blade in some way.

The odd thing is that when I switched out the Freud blade with the original blade, I still had the same problem. So I was wondering if anyone had input on what might be causing issues with the dust extractor system. Essentially, I get a long spray of dust coming from the front edge of the saw. It seems to me like it is way more than normal but I have checked everything I can possibly think of and yet still cannot resolve the problem: made sure the blade bay and dust extractor tube have no clogging; emptied and cleaned the dust extractor bag; checked suction level of dust extractor; inspected the saw blade and housing, etc. 

Many thanks ahead of time for any help you can offer.

 

[Gregor]

You might want to open the cover and check if some bigger piece (wood or from the rail) wedged itself into the path to the exhaust port (or somewhere else inside) which could explain the spraying.

 

[jamiljonna]

You might want to open the cover and check if some bigger piece (wood or from the rail) wedged itself into the path to the exhaust port (or somewhere else inside) which could explain the spraying.

Thank you [member=53905]Gregor[/member], I will check that today and get back!

 

[RKA]

That spray out the front is somewhat common and can be reduced by keeping the blade enclosed. It's possible the kerf marks on your MfT have increased in width from use. I would lay down some scrap ply under your work piece (or cheap foam board) and try again to see if you notice a difference in dust collection.

 

[mleny77]

I've noticed that when the splinter guard is not all the way down I get saw dust creeping out. Try replacing it?

 

[jamiljonna]

I've noticed that when the splinter guard is not all the way down I get saw dust creeping out. Try replacing it?

Hi [member=59661]mleny77[/member], I already replaced the splinter guard. But thanks for the suggestion.

 

[semenza]

You might want to open the cover and check if some bigger piece (wood or from the rail) wedged itself into the path to the exhaust port (or somewhere else inside) which could explain the spraying.

This was my first thought. It can be hard to see a couple spots inside without removing the side cover.

Have you done cuts with wood on both sides of the blade or just edge cuts since you noticed the problem?

Seth

 

[jamiljonna]

Have you done cuts with wood on both sides of the blade or just edge cuts since you noticed the problem?

[member=1619]SRSemenza[/member] Yes, I have. I will check more closely to see if there is any difference but I know for sure that edge cuts throw up dust. Do you think that is relevant because it could indicate where the problem lies?

 

[semenza]

Have you done cuts with wood on both sides of the blade or just edge cuts since you noticed the problem?

Yes, I have. I will check more closely to see if there is any difference but I know for sure that edge cuts throw up dust. Do you think that is relevant because it could indicate where the problem lies?

No, I don't think it points to where the problem lies. I just know that edge cuts allow more dust to escape so wanted to rule that out.

Seth

 

[Gregor]

One other thing comes to mind also: do you have the hole in the cover (where one can access the blade screw) covered?
I found that closing this improved suction at the bottom.
Also: is the gree anti-tearout (or the plexiglass window) missing?

 

[RichardinMK]

I had a similar problem when cutting a load of pine.  After removing the side plate covering the whole blade, I found a significant build up of rosin and sawdust partially covering the exhaust chute.  A good clean up with blade cleaner spray and a dab of liberon wax and it is as good as new.
Hope that may solve your problem
Richard

 

[jamiljonna]

I had a similar problem when cutting a load of pine.  After removing the side plate covering the whole blade, I found a significant build up of rosin and sawdust partially covering the exhaust chute.  A good clean up with blade cleaner spray and a dab of liberon wax and it is as good as new.
Hope that may solve your problem
Richard

[member=33133]RichardinMK[/member], that does indeed appear to have been the problem because after taking the cover off and cleaning things out, the dust issue does seem like it has been reduced somewhat. I also think I was making a newbie mistake in not adjusting the splinter guard to the material. It needs to be adjusted more often than I realized.

In any case, I am attaching a few pics of what the saw looked like after removing the cover. It certainly did not seem like a significant amount of blockage to me!

View attachment 1View attachment 2View attachment 3

 

[jamiljonna]

One other thing comes to mind also: do you have the hole in the cover (where one can access the blade screw) covered?
I found that closing this improved suction at the bottom.
Also: is the gree anti-tearout (or the plexiglass window) missing?

[member=53905]Gregor[/member] As you can see, the plexiglass is not missing. That is what I was referring to as the "splinter guard," but I know the actual splinter guard is green. Also, I do not see any small hole. Do you?

 

[jamiljonna]

That spray out the front is somewhat common and can be reduced by keeping the blade enclosed. It's possible the kerf marks on your MfT have increased in width from use. I would lay down some scrap ply under your work piece (or cheap foam board) and try again to see if you notice a difference in dust collection.

[member=21249]RKA[/member] The more I think about it, this really seems like it is my primary problem. The improved dust collection happened when I was cutting plywood off the edge of the table. Yet even in that position the dust collection was surprisingly good. However, most of the time I am doing edge cuts along a well-worn groove in the table. It is much wider than the blade width because I have used the same area since I purchased the table several years ago.

I guess I need to flip my main cutting groove to the other side of the table. Or replace the top of my MFT/3. Actually, in a related thread someone suggested using "Bondo" to fill the grooves in the table (after vacuuming). I suppose I should try that first.

Thanks!

 

[Gregor]

One other thing comes to mind also: do you have the hole in the cover (where one can access the blade screw) covered?
I found that closing this improved suction at the bottom.
Also: is the gree anti-tearout (or the plexiglass window) missing?

[member=53905]Gregor[/member] As you can see, the plexiglass is not missing. That is what I was referring to as the "splinter guard," but I know the actual splinter guard is green.

Sorry, non-native english speaker here - stuff might get lost in translation.

Also, I do not see any small hole. Do you?

I do, as I didn't say 'small': middle picture the rectangular one, through which you access the screw when changing the blade.
Covering this will give better suction at the bottom, some people use the ABSA-TS, other just gaffa tape or a sheet of flat magnetic rubber.