On Mar 1, 11:12=A0am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Has anybody here ripped lumber with a track saw? Narrow stuff? (Would
> > that be the only reason to hang onto my table saw?)
>
> Once .... To make a table top, I bought a heavy, wide plank of bubinga
> that I couldn't muscle into my shop. I rested one end on a saw horse
> and the other end on the bed of my pickup. First, I used my Festool
> TS55 on a tract to cut it to length, and then, ripped on side to
> width. (I left a waney edge on the other side.) It cut okay, but I
> wouldn't do it as a normal practice. Also, the teeth are crosscut
> rather than rip.
Festool makes a rip blade for their saws.
http://www.festoolusa.com/products/plunge-cut-circular-saws/blades/saw-blad=
e-panther-14t-495372.html
http://www.festoolusa.com/products/plunge-cut-circular-saws/blades/standard=
-12tooth-saw-blade-496305.html
>
> By the way, I placed a slab of foam insulation under the wood so the
> protruding saw teeth wouldn't cut into the bed cover of my pickup.
I've heard of using the 4x8 sheets of styrofoam as an underlayment
when cutting. I have a cutting table with a particleboard top that
gets cut while using.
Back on topic.... I think it depends on your building style. If you
are comfortable being away from a table saw (many aren't!) you will
like the convenience, the free space in the shop, and the ability to
take your setup anywhere. The Festool is much more than a guided
saw. That thing is a real precision instrument. I had heard about
the smooth cuts, and the ease of use, but when you see someone that is
completely fluent in the use of this tool (as is Karl - he even made
his own mods to the system!) it really drives home how useful this
device is as a real tool.
********************************
I agree with your reasoning, and are part of the way with you on using
guided saws. I still love a table saw for the quickness and ease of cutting
the exact size you want, every time.
I made my own track saw of sorts by gluing and screwing a good straight
plywood edge, about 3 inches wide, onto a piece of 1/4" hardboard. I make
it a little wider than the distance from the edge of the saw shoe to the
blade, then trim it with the saw guiding along the ply. Oh, and I have a
piece of laminate on the edge of the ply, so it does not wear.
The advantage of having the saw ride along on top of the hardboard is that
the material you are cutting does not get marked or scuffed, and you can
measure what you want to cut, and put the edge of the hardboard on the
measurement, and cut with the knowledge that you got it right.
I also have one set up for a router with a straight bit to cut dados and
rabbets, with one side from the ply straight edge set for a 3/4" bit, and
the other side set for a 1/2" bit. I also have a double side set up for a
3/8" and a 1/4" bit I keep an 8, 5 and 3 footer of each type around, for
ease of handling.
-- Jim in NC
"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Has anybody here ripped lumber with a track saw? Narrow stuff? (Would
> that be the only reason to hang onto my table saw?)
I have the T-75 and it's a pleasure to use but I'm trying to imagine how I
would rip a 2X4 down to a 2" width using the T75.
Many years ago, when all I had was a "Skilsaw" I would fasten it to the
under side of a half sheet of plywood in order to rip dimension lumber.
It was not the most precise nor the most efficient method but it worked for
me for a few years.
Now I'm able to consistently rip 1/16" thicknesses on my Delta and I
wouldn't give that saw up for anything short of death.
Max
"Morgans" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Back on topic.... I think it depends on your building style. If you
> are comfortable being away from a table saw (many aren't!) you will
> like the convenience, the free space in the shop, and the ability to
> take your setup anywhere. The Festool is much more than a guided
> saw. That thing is a real precision instrument. I had heard about
> the smooth cuts, and the ease of use, but when you see someone that is
> completely fluent in the use of this tool (as is Karl - he even made
> his own mods to the system!) it really drives home how useful this
> device is as a real tool.
> ********************************
> I agree with your reasoning, and are part of the way with you on using
> guided saws. I still love a table saw for the quickness and ease of
> cutting the exact size you want, every time.
>
> I made my own track saw of sorts by gluing and screwing a good straight
> plywood edge, about 3 inches wide, onto a piece of 1/4" hardboard. I make
> it a little wider than the distance from the edge of the saw shoe to the
> blade, then trim it with the saw guiding along the ply. Oh, and I have a
> piece of laminate on the edge of the ply, so it does not wear.
>
> The advantage of having the saw ride along on top of the hardboard is that
> the material you are cutting does not get marked or scuffed, and you can
> measure what you want to cut, and put the edge of the hardboard on the
> measurement, and cut with the knowledge that you got it right.
>
> I also have one set up for a router with a straight bit to cut dados and
> rabbets, with one side from the ply straight edge set for a 3/4" bit, and
> the other side set for a 1/2" bit. I also have a double side set up for a
> 3/8" and a 1/4" bit I keep an 8, 5 and 3 footer of each type around, for
> ease of handling.
>
> -- Jim in NC
Pshaw!! I could have written that, even down to the use of guides with
routers. Same story.
You've been reading my mail..............or maybe I read yours. ;-)
Max
On Tue, 1 Mar 2011 08:20:41 -0800 (PST), Robatoy
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Has anybody here ripped lumber with a track saw? Narrow stuff? (Would
>that be the only reason to hang onto my table saw?)
When trying for the best quality work with hardwood, I will cut my
stock oversize, let it "rest" for a day, then cut to final
width/length. The theory being that stresses in the wood may release
after the initial cut and the wood might shift a bit.
With the second cut I will joint and rip a small amount off relatively
long and short pieces. I wouldn't care to do that with a track saw,
and although I imagine it can be done, it would be difficult to have
the same level of control.
"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Has anybody here ripped lumber with a track saw? Narrow stuff? (Would
> that be the only reason to hang onto my table saw?)
Yes, I have used it in place of a jointer to straighten a board.
For narrow stock you have to realize that the track is relative wide and may
be wider than the stock you are ripping. You will need a balance piece of
the same thickness to insure that the track does not tilt off the work being
cut if that work is narrow.
Clamps are available to absolutely insure that it does not move however the
two rubber strips on the bottom of the track do not let the track move
during a cutting procedure. It talkes a little getting used to, trusting
the track to not move, but it does not move. The only thing you need to be
sure of is that the piece you are ripping is wide enough such that at least
one of the bottom rubber strips is in contact with the piece being cut.
Karl and Co. are probably out on site today, but he and Leon both use
the '75. I saw where Karl breaks down the sheet goods before final
sizing with his setup. The cuts from that Festool setup were really,
really smooth.
>> IIRC <<, I asked him if he actually needed to cut down with the track sa=
w, then size on on a table saw. Once again, IIRC, he said no. I got his o=
n site demo, and I have to tell you, while I don't do enough of that kind o=
f work anymore to make the Festools work for my business model, that TS75 w=
ill probably be on the list soon.
I have access to a gorgeous SawStop saw almost anytime I want it, and
haven't had a table saw in years.
I know many cannot live without their table saw, and it is certainly
an almost indispensable piece of machinery for many operations. But
for me, not so much.
When I first learned to build cabinets, it was on site. We didn't
take a Powermatic or a big Delta to the job site in the 70s. We cut
down our sheet goods using the best quality circular saws guided by
60" and 100" pieces of virgin heavy extruded aluminum mullion we got
from the commercial glass guys we worked with at the time. That was
our version of a guided saw.
About 15 years ago I got rid of my old table saw thinking I was going
to get (through a deal I worked with a friend) an *excellent* Jet
model that had been returned to Woodcraft. It fell through, so no
table saw for me. But then it made me think, why do I need one?
(I know this may cause of flood of incredulous disbelief from ardent
table saw defenders to post away their own personal life changing
experiences with their saws - but remember, I am talking about me, not
you.)
When I build a cabinet these days, it isn't a houseful like Karl and
Leon. It is usually a "two or three off" for a bathroom or utility
room. This compliments the way I learned to build them perfectly.
When I started out, we built cabinets on site as needed, but a full
complement of them was fabricated by a cabinet man in a full shop
starting when we were a month away from needing them.
My current cabinet guy can and will make me doors cheap. And I don't
have any money in cutters, time in material selection, no do I have to
take 3X as long to build them since I don't do it often enough to be
efficient with the processes. Also, if I see a flaw I don't like, I
don't have to rebuild; he does.
I buy 1X2 S4S maple cut to 3/4"x2" for rails and stiles. I buy
prefinished plywood for the drawers, and 1x6 or 1x8 for drawer fronts,
and if there is a lot of them, I have the cabinet man do it.
I determined MANY years ago after building all the cabinets in a house
a few times (with no small sense of pride) that my time was better off
being used somewhere else. I was trained as a woodworker/cabinet
maker/trim installer/carpenter, but there higher and best use of my
time on a job site, and when things are humming, I am not on one site
long. I must say, I do miss the the fun I had building a houseful.
Back on topic.... I think it depends on your building style. If you
are comfortable being away from a table saw (many aren't!) you will
like the convenience, the free space in the shop, and the ability to
take your setup anywhere. The Festool is much more than a guided
saw. That thing is a real precision instrument. I had heard about
the smooth cuts, and the ease of use, but when you see someone that is
completely fluent in the use of this tool (as is Karl - he even made
his own mods to the system!) it really drives home how useful this
device is as a real tool.
Just my 0.05....
Robert
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:916c737d-e33f-4f2a-bd83-cd835aeb1d84@d12g2000prj.googlegroups.com...
>Karl and Co. are probably out on site today, but he and Leon both use
>the '75. I saw where Karl breaks down the sheet goods before final
>sizing with his setup. The cuts from that Festool setup were really,
>really smooth.
>> IIRC <<, I asked him if he actually needed to cut down with the track
>> saw, then size on on a table saw. Once again, IIRC, he said no. I got
>> his on site demo, and I have to tell you, while I don't do enough of that
>> kind of work anymore to make the Festools work for my business model,
>> that TS75 will probably be on the list soon.
And Co. was off sick today, still kinda feeling like crap when the magic
brown pill wears off, but any way... when building the Domino/rabbet joint
drawers for this job I used the 75 to cut the 1/2 maple plywood sheet up
into more managable pieces to cut on the TS for drawer bottoms. I find that
my track saw cuts end up being my reference edges when cutting on the TS.
My track saw cuts are much smoother and often more square than the factory
edge and corners. If the TS is available it is faster to do repeated cuts
once the stock is a managable size but the track saw with the parallel
guides are quite capable of managing the task.
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> On Tue, 1 Mar 2011 08:20:41 -0800 (PST), Robatoy
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Has anybody here ripped lumber with a track saw? Narrow stuff? (Would
> >that be the only reason to hang onto my table saw?)
>
> When trying for the best quality work with hardwood, I will cut my
> stock oversize, let it "rest" for a day, then cut to final
> width/length. The theory being that stresses in the wood may release
> after the initial cut and the wood might shift a bit.
That's a good plan. Would have saved me a certain amount of scrap.
> With the second cut I will joint and rip a small amount off relatively
> long and short pieces. I wouldn't care to do that with a track saw,
> and although I imagine it can be done, it would be difficult to have
> the same level of control.
"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Has anybody here ripped lumber with a track saw? Narrow stuff? (Would
> that be the only reason to hang onto my table saw?)
Just for discussions sake, how thin is "thin"? With my TS55 on a sacrificial
flat surface, (with plywood sheathing on the floor perhaps) I can split a 1"
wide piece of wood lengthwise as long as the guide is properly supported on
both sides and is properly clamped down. Agreed a table saw with
featherboards and a push stick would be my preference for such a cut, but
then table saws aren't as easily transported to a work site.
> Has anybody here ripped lumber with a track saw? Narrow stuff? (Would
> that be the only reason to hang onto my table saw?)
Once .... To make a table top, I bought a heavy, wide plank of bubinga
that I couldn't muscle into my shop. I rested one end on a saw horse
and the other end on the bed of my pickup. First, I used my Festool
TS55 on a tract to cut it to length, and then, ripped on side to
width. (I left a waney edge on the other side.) It cut okay, but I
wouldn't do it as a normal practice. Also, the teeth are crosscut
rather than rip.
By the way, I placed a slab of foam insulation under the wood so the
protruding saw teeth wouldn't cut into the bed cover of my pickup.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
> Festool makes a rip blade for their saws.
I tend to go a little finer with my cuts. For ripping with my TS55, I cut
with a 25 tooth blade and for crosscutting, I use a 48 tooth blade. However,
I'm most often doing this with cabinet grade veneered plywood and not just
cutting standard timber where I'd more likely use the blades you posted.
> I've heard of using the 4x8 sheets of styrofoam as an underlayment
> when cutting. I have a cutting table with a particleboard top that
> gets cut while using.
Cutting on foam board tends to reduce dust as well as being easier to
manipulate and move around. I have trouble moving partical boards around, so
the foam board on top of a cheap door is my preference. Foam board does
however, cost more than your simple partical board.
"Max" wrote
Pshaw!! I could have written that, even down to the use of guides with
routers. Same story.
You've been reading my mail..............or maybe I read yours. ;-)
*************************************************
Funny!
It goes to follow that form follows function. That is why most airplanes
look like airplanes.
I've been using that system for many years, before I had a quality table
saw. It makes working alone much more manageable, too.
-- Jim in NC