TSC 55 performance question.

[Marven]

I love my TS 55 for shop work.  Last summer I took it with me to cut 3 Habitat roofs.  It was nice to give the guys on the roof factory edges all around! 

But I love my battery powered tools.  My question concerns the power of the TSC 55 with only one battery.  Will it power through 1/2" OSB?  I'm sure it will cut with two but that means I need to have 4 batteries with me so two can be charging.

Long time lurker.

 

[Cheese]

My question concerns the power of the TSC 55 with only one battery.  Will it power through 1/2" OSB?  I'm sure it will cut with two but that means I need to have 4 batteries with me so two can be charging.

I'm sure it will cut through 1/2" OSB...it's really more a matter of how many cuts can you make with one battery. I've cut 3/4" ply with one battery.

 

[ben_r_]

Its an expensive tool in its cordless variant. Id just prepare to need and have four batteries.

 

[flair woodworks]

You could try three batteries. Keep two on the tool and one on the charger and just rotate through them.

 

[Cheese]

You could try three batteries. Keep two on the tool and one on the charger and just rotate through them.

+1...That’s exactly what I’ve done when working outside. 

When the top battery on the TSC gets close to empty, I'll grab the fresh battery from the HKC and then throw the depleted battery on the charger. That way I've got 2 batteries on the TSC (it cuts a lot faster) and when I need to use the HKC (with a Hardi board blade) I'll just pull a battery from the TSC.

 

[Holmz]

....  Last summer I took it with me to cut 3 Habitat roofs.
...

Where did you take it to? And how did you get there?

If it is via an airplane, then maybe the rules have changed?? There was an embargo on batteries...

 

[DB10]

....  Last summer I took it with me to cut 3 Habitat roofs.
...

Where did you take it to? And how did you get there?

If it is via an airplane, then maybe the rules have changed?? There was an embargo on batteries...

[member=40772]Holmz[/member]
It's all down to the WH level of each lithium battery, this is stated on the underside of the battery. When I brought some batteries back from NA in May this year the rules were pretty simple. Batteries have to be separate from the tool and also have to have the contacts taped over and must be carried as hand luggage.
I believe the upper limit for the WH is 105, a 5ah battery is 90. The only batteries I found that were to high were the Dewalt 6 & 9 ah Flexi volt batteries.

 

[Holmz]

....  Last summer I took it with me to cut 3 Habitat roofs.
...

Where did you take it to? And how did you get there?

If it is via an airplane, then maybe the rules have changed?? There was an embargo on batteries...

[member=40772]Holmz[/member]
It's all down to the WH level of each lithium battery, this is stated on the underside of the battery. When I brought some batteries back from NA in May this year the rules were pretty simple. Batteries have to be separate from the tool and also have to have the contacts taped over and must be carried as hand luggage.
I believe the upper limit for the WH is 105, a 5ah battery is 90. The only batteries I found that were to high were the Dewalt 6 & 9 ah Flexi volt batteries.

Good info Bruss!

I recall postage was a problem... Maybe it is worse?

 

[Marven]

Where did you take it to? And how did you get there?

I only go to builds that I can drive my Chev Van Toolbox to.

 

[Marven]

I will try the three battery idea.  Thanks to all.

 

[ben_r_]

So the two batteries do not drain proportionally? The top one is used up first?

 

[Gregor]

So the two batteries do not drain proportionally? The top one is used up first?

Would only make sense in case one is only tapped when the saw detects a high load, but as it would be way simpler to just put them both in series (to get a higher voltage so the drivers need to shunt less ampere for the same effective power) I would be very surprised in case the TSC works that way.

 

[Cheese]

So the two batteries do not drain proportionally? The top one is used up first?

On my TSC, the top battery is always 1 charge level lower than the bottom battery. Even when both batteries are recharged and at the same level, after using the saw for a bit, the top battery is once again 1 charge level lower. I assumed it was by design.  [eek]

 

[Gregor]

So the two batteries do not drain proportionally? The top one is used up first?

On my TSC, the top battery is always 1 charge level lower than the bottom battery. Even when both batteries are recharged and at the same level, after using the saw for a bit, the top battery is once again 1 charge level lower. I assumed it was by design.  [eek]

What happens when you swap them once they're at that condition?
Your batteries might have slightly different characteristics and you might have put them always in the same slots (or the display has a quirk, or do you use charge indicators on the batteries?)...

 

[live4ever]

So the two batteries do not drain proportionally? The top one is used up first?

On my TSC, the top battery is always 1 charge level lower than the bottom battery. Even when both batteries are recharged and at the same level, after using the saw for a bit, the top battery is once again 1 charge level lower. I assumed it was by design.  [eek]

Mine does the exact same thing.  The batteries can be fully charged, but the top slot always indicates one level less.  Swapping the batteries between the two slots doesn't change that.  I thought maybe the last light was bad on the top indicator had gone out and that I should send the saw in at some point...

 

[DB10]

So the two batteries do not drain proportionally? The top one is used up first?

On my TSC, the top battery is always 1 charge level lower than the bottom battery. Even when both batteries are recharged and at the same level, after using the saw for a bit, the top battery is once again 1 charge level lower. I assumed it was by design.  [eek]

Mine does the exact same thing.  The batteries can be fully charged, but the top slot always indicates one level less.  Swapping the batteries between the two slots doesn't change that.  I thought maybe the last light was bad on the top indicator had gone out and that I should send the saw in at some point...

Mine has always been the same, I just put it down to the characteristics, maybe someone from Festool can chime in.

 

[Cheese]

What happens when you swap them once they're at that condition?

Your batteries might have slightly different characteristics and you might have put them always in the same slots (or the display has a quirk, or do you use charge indicators on the batteries?)...

The 3 batteries I swap between the saws are two 5.2 batteries and one 4.2 battery. Because the swapping of batteries between the charger, HKC & TSC is completely random, I suspected it was just the way the TSC worked.

Maybe a valid test would be to fully charge a 4.2 and a 5.2 and place the 5.2 into the upper slot. Use the saw for awhile and then monitor the saw upper/lower LED's. Would/should the upper 5.2 battery indicator ever show 1 level lower of charge?

To answer your final question, the LED level I'm referring to is the dual display on the TSC.

 

[ear3]

Just another random observation about TSC battery performance, but I have noticed that the charge tends to drop down to one bar fairly quickly, but I get a lot of mileage thereafter just from that one bar until it starts blinking -- in other words, it takes a lot longer to go from one bar to blink than it does from three bars to two, or two bars to one.  I assume it's just a sensor sensitivity issue.

 

[MrToolJunkie]

I never pay much attention to it as I get lots and lots of cuts from one set of batteries. I can work for a long time and do not lose charge overly quick.