ts55req: cutting capacity in white oak?

[adcolor]

Hello, I'm a bit exasperated.

I'm ripping 1-1/4" white oak. My saw has the standard blade installed. I am barely able to cut in 1/4" depth increments. The blade has not been used that often (worked that hard). I am adding in that: I can stall the saw in 1/4" depth of cut without a much effort.

As the saw warms up the cut depth capacity lessens. Is this symptomatic of a failure?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tjbnwi]

Change the blade. The 28 tooth will work better, the 12 tooth is really what you need.

My best guess is nothing is wrong with the saw, doing exactly what it should.

Tom

 

[nickao]

The reason I sold my TS 55 was because it just doesn't have the power for the harder woods. Try cutting ipe with that saw, it's a joke.

The TS 55 , from my perspective, is a great saw for sheet goods, anything harder than red oak it really struggles, no matter the blade. I find my Makita is at least 20% more powerful in real word cutting. And for the harder woods, exotics etc, it's a TS 75 or my table saw.

You just aren't going to get the very good performance(if depth of cut and speed of any kind is your concern) cutting hardwoods with the TS55. If hardwoods are your thing get the TS 75 or use the table saw, keep the TS 55 for the sheet goods.

 

[adcolor]

To me, cutting 1-1/4" white oak should not be a difficult task. The saw is working for sure, earning its keep.

 

[adcolor]

I realized I knew someone that has this saw and likely had some insight on this.
He has the standard 48 tooth, the 28 tooth, and the 12 tooth. He had a recent experience with cutting some 2" walnut (two 1" cuts) and suggested that the larger gullets of the lower tooth counts would work better at cleaning out the swarf/saw dust.

I bought the 12 tooth and am surprised how well it worked. It is more sensitive to thin/edge cuts with this blade (easier to leave rough/swirl mark cuts), but it works. Guess I will have to add the 28 tooth at some point too.

The edge cuts definitely are 'dirty' cuts. Lots of saw dust on the cutting table.  And the cuts are straighter than my jointer cuts (will have to explore why that is so). Probably due to table lengths for a start (heavy, moderately long boards with no in/out feed support -- and me not he-manning it enough).

To be fair, it's only a 10 amp saw, so that needs to be kept in mind.

Thanks for your replies!

 

[Stone Message]

I cut oak more than any other wood. I also cut hard maple and beech which can also be quite challenging. The 48 tooth blade is not the best for ripping and you should look at either the Universal blade (which I use in my CMS-TS) or the Panther blade.

The mechanics of cutting along the grain requires the blade to have the ability to move the sawdust created. It does this in the gaps between the teeth and so for better efficiency you need bigger gaps which means less teeth. This is particularly true for bandsaws where many people fail to use a coarse blade for ripping or re-sawing. If the space is not there for the sawdust then heat is generated which burns the wood and damages the blade.

Before I got the Universal blade I was able to cut those hard woods quite well but it was not a quick process.

Peter

 

[Holmz]

To me, cutting 1-1/4" white oak should not be a difficult task. The saw is working for sure, earning its keep.

Even with my MT55 running 230v, I have to go slow in 8/4 hardwood.
I should probably change the blade.

Going to 110v and a motor with less power would not help at all.

 

[ear3]

I actually find the TSC55 complained less in thick woods than the TS55, one of the reasons I sold the corded version once I got the cordless.

 

[Oldwood]

I have the TS75 and even with a panther rip blade you need to temper your expectations when cutting thick hardwoods. The saw will cut but I need to feed slower than I would like. I had 2500 board feet of white oak to strait rip and I am trying to do that as quickly as possible. For occasional use it is satisfactory but it is not a high production process.

 

[blaszcsj]

What is the part number for the "Panther" blade? The universal is 496304

 

[tjbnwi]

What is the part number for the "Panther" blade? The universal is 496304

496305 for the 12 tooth TS-55 Panther.

495378 for the 16 tooth TS-75 Panther.

Tom