TS55 saw blade - broke a tooth

[mwildt]

I have no idea how it happened, but when I used my TS55 saw over the weekend I noticed a tooth was missing on the blade and the one behind had the carbide damaged. I guess there at some point in it's life must have been some 'foreign matter' in a piece of wood. Just happy nothing hit me, when ever it happened (could have been months ago).

I assume if the tooth has broken off there isn't much to repair ? Not like the carbide bit which can be brassed back on.
Since never has happened to me before I assume continue use of this blade would be discouraged ?

 

[jonny round boy]

I assume if the tooth has broken off there isn't much to repair ? Not like the carbide bit which can be brassed back on.

From this statement I'm summising that you've not just broken the carbide tip off, but actually broken off a part of the steel disk? Man, you must have hit something really, really hard for that to happen!

If that is the case then I'd definitely recommend binning the blade, it will be seriously out of balance, and probably warped as well.

Any chance you could post a picture of the blade so we know exactly what damage we're talking about here?

 

[Rob-GB]

Not all is lost. A good saw doctor othertimes known as a resharpening service can easiliy braise on a new tooth or so and fettle the blade to work as new.
They generally charge by the tooth.
In the meantime the blade will not cut as nicely as it used too.
The common culprit is an errant nail or screw cut through at too fast a speed, although I did once cut through some kind of steel mesh embedded in some ply and a colleague once found a 1/2" nut in a sheet of melamine faced chipboard!

Rob.

 

[Rob-GB]

JRB I think we bracketed the problem [unsure] I took the OP to have broken off the carbide tip!
Pictures speak volumes!
Rob.

 

[ccarrolladams]

I consider the safety of the totally enclosed blades on the Festool TS55 and TS75 the single most important feature. In the four plus years I have used Festool TS I have not had a carbide tip come loose. However, in years past with other saws I have had many tips fly off. With the TS55 that is mostly luck. The important thing is if a tip did come off it will only hit the wood.

My suggestion is to only use saw blades recommended by Festool on the TS. Second make good friends with a really excellent grinding/sharpening service.

Third, when cutting material you do not trust, check it with a detector wand. Nearly all of the better shops dealing in woodworking equipment sell those. The wands are similar to those used at security check-points. The one I purchased 3 years ago cost less than a 48 tooth fine blade for the TS55. I consider it a good investment, since just a little stray metal can harm joiner, shaper and planer knives, as well as router bits. With a joiner, shaper or planer there is the down-time changing knives, as well as the cost or repair/replacement.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

mwildt,

I use Forrest Manufacturing Co. in Clifton, NJ (800-733-7111 / 973-473-5236) for all my blade fixings and sharpenings.  They make blades, fix em and sharpen any tool with an edge.  I finally brought them a blade I've had for probably 20 years.  It was brand new looking except for a missing tooth where it looks like the brazing gave up.  You definitely have to consider the cost to fix compared to replacing the blade outright.  Just one tooth is $7 to replace, $5 each for 2.  Sharpening for the 48 tooth is $22.50 + if it takes a special grind.  Then you've got to figure shipping if you choose them and you aren't within driving distance, another $8.50 I believe.  No matter who you go with, keep in mind that not every sharpening service will have the skills to do the work, so choose wisely if you do decide it's worth fixing.  Hey, you could always make a wall clock out of it!

 

[mwildt]

Thanks for the replies and comments. I'll try to get a picture posted tonight.

Thanks for the input on the possibility that it can be repaired. Though it cost wise may not be worth it when you see the damage.

 

[mwildt]

Here is a picture of the blade. To the right of the missing tooth the carbide is damaged as well.

I checked with the forrest blade repair (http://www.forrestblades.com/sharpprice.htm) that was mentioned and I'm estimating it to be something like this, IF indeed it is fixable:

$22.50 - Sharpening for a 42 t blade  (might as well get that done as well since if there was a foreign object it may have gotten dull)
$19.00 - Insert new steel shoulder
$ 7.00 - Replace one tip
$ 2.50 - Test cut
$10.00 - Shipping
$61.00

I could probably do less in shipping and ship the test cut, but I'm leaning this one towards the garbage bin. Feel free to correct me of course.

 

[jmbfestool]

Dont think that can be repaired!  Thats proper broke! The entire tooth has gone.

I aint done that before and I have hit some hard stuff with blades.  I once placed my Makita circular saw on the concrete floor still spinning full speed and I didnt know but a wedge shaped wood was holding the guide back and I didnt realise and BANG! lost about 6 teeth but non broke off like that just the TCT tips came off.

JMB

 

[ccarrolladams]

Each of us has to decide when replacement is more cost effective than repair.

All the 2010 48 tooth fine blades I have bought for TS55 cost USA $61.50 plus Cal/Los Angeles sales tax. Because I am located close to my dealer, Eagle Tool, I picked up the blades, so there was no shipping.

Over the years I have only needed to have carbide inserts replaced a few times and always on far larger and more expensive saw blades.

 

[mwildt]

jmbfestool:

Yeah, it is pretty bad and you can imagine the surprise I got when I noticed. I've never had such failure before and I'm almost the kind of guy that would clean the saw blade teeth after each cut. It would have been quite an impact to rip that tooth off and I've felt nothing like that when cutting. Never dropped the saw either, and with the blade retracted all the time I find it hard to see it getting damaged like this unless it had an internal crack already. But that is impossible for me to conclude since I do not know about metallurgy.

This one goes in the bin and I'll get a new one.

 

[spikfot]

WOW, I've had plenty of tips re-braized but have never seen an entire tooth fly off- that would have made a heck of a racket. It is really strange if the teeth preceding the failure are unharmed. If this is truly the case, I'd say take a chance and ship the blade to HQ, they might be interested in looking at it under magnification. The tooth behind the failure could have been damaged by the lose tooth that failed. 
Just a thought...

 

[mwildt]

Yep, the teeth in front of the broken tooth are fine. I'm leaning towards a faulty blade as well.

Festool, if you're interested in the blade let me know.

 

[ccmviking]

Just get it sharpened without replacing that tooth.  You won't even notice that it's missing.

Here is a picture of the blade. To the right of the missing tooth the carbide is damaged as well.

I checked with the forrest blade repair (http://www.forrestblades.com/sharpprice.htm) that was mentioned and I'm estimating it to be something like this, IF indeed it is fixable:

$22.50 - Sharpening for a 42 t blade  (might as well get that done as well since if there was a foreign object it may have gotten dull)
$19.00 - Insert new steel shoulder
$ 7.00 - Replace one tip
$ 2.50 - Test cut
$10.00 - Shipping
$61.00

I could probably do less in shipping and ship the test cut, but I'm leaning this one towards the garbage bin. Feel free to correct me of course.