Check out Paul Marcel, halfinch shy, TS 75 utube review, the factor splinter guard doesn't cut it for 1/2" and 3/4" stock and needs a modification. I followed the thread from his blog and made the modification, works sweet now.
This the article from his site, note sure if pictures come thru
http://www.halfinchshy.com/search/label/TS-75?m=0Hope this helps
Monday, May 17, 2010
TS-75 Splinter Guard Enhancement
When I first got into woodworking, I pre-mortgaged my first three kids to buy some Festools. As I was new, I opted for the TS-75 over the TS-55 not knowing if the more limited capacity of the 55 would make a difference. Today, I can say... no. Besides the extra unused capacity of the 75 over the 55 (20mm capacity difference), you get bigger biceps because the 75 weighs more, is more cumbersome, and has a splinter guard that only works at significantly deeper cuts.
The splinter guard is the green thingy off the side of the blade in the front. The front of the blade rotates up as it cuts thus lifting unsupported fibers. The fibers under the guide rail are supported by the rail, but the offcut fibers are not unless you lower the splinter guard to press on the fibers (you may not care about tearout on the offcut but many times I do).
The problem is this: the splinter guard is designed for the 55. The TS-55 can engage the splinter guard at a relatively shallow cut depth. The TS-75 uses the same guard and requires nearly 30mm of depth to engage the splinter guard. On a 5mm guide rail, you are cutting 25mm (that's an inch for you 'merican readers). This isn't acceptable when cutting 12mm or 18mm (1/2" and 3/4" respectively) material.
My solution was to attach a substrate to the splinter guard that made the whole considerably longer.
I simply cut a strip of wood 5mm thick by approximately 90mm long. Two #6x1/2" screws countersunk through to the plastic hold it in place. With the saw supported and the blade off the edge of the workspace, I plunged to full depth. I cut off the wood on the other side of the kerf from the green guard with a flush saw then re-glued a portion of that above the wooded pad that isn't under the green plastic just to reinforce it.
Now, the blade is engaged with just a 12mm plunge depth. Given that I always use it on a guide rail, that's a 7mm cut depth with support.
