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Post by modjoinery on Jan 16, 2020 17:17:13 GMT -5
Hi there. I just purchased an MT55 after selling my Festool.
I am having a problem where the blade is "brushing" against the work at the end of a cut, and this is leaving a slight kerf mark and some burning of the edge of the workpiece.
I have, so far, only used my MT55 on birch ply and MDF and the issue is present on both.
It seems to me that the blade should not be pushing against the workpiece after the cut is complete.
I am using a Festool track, and there is absolutely no sloppiness or play between the saw and the track, nor is there and wiggle in the bevel mechanism.
Anyone got any light they could shed on this matter? Time is running out for me to return the saw to the supplier.
Kind regards
Jack
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Post by modjoinery on Jan 16, 2020 17:32:15 GMT -5
Just a little additional note: The only way I've found to stop this from happening is to not raise/de-plunge the blade at all until it has been pushed completely through the cut/ beyond the edge of the work.
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Post by kraftt on Jan 16, 2020 18:15:53 GMT -5
I like your solution. Does this happen only with bevel cuts?
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Post by modjoinery on Jan 16, 2020 18:32:34 GMT -5
Hi there. It's not a good solution as it's not always possible to de-plunge the blade after you are clear of the workpiece. Say for instance you are cutting something that is almost the same length as the track you are using... The saw would be off the rail by the time the blade is out of the cut.
No, straight cuts too, but bevel cuts burn more severely.
Cheers
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Post by aas on Jan 16, 2020 22:59:37 GMT -5
If the setup was wrong, surely it would do this the whole length of the cut. In any case, a sharp blade (which I assume it is if it's new) would leave a kerf mark, but should not burn.
What part of the blade is causing the kerf marks - front or back? Are you on Mafell rails?.. have you correctly adjusted the friction between saw and rail front and back? (test them separately)
I would look at the table/bench you are working on - is it inducing pinching of the blade?.. a slightly bowed workbench will cause the work piece to sink into the bow as material is removed and slightly pinch the blade. As the plate is 1.2mm vs a kerf of 1.8mm, this will only be noticed if you de-plunge before the saw has exited the material.
As an asides, I would recommend to plunge before entering and de-plunge after exiting wherever possible.
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Post by Knight Woodworks on Jan 17, 2020 9:46:20 GMT -5
Had is exact issue with a Festool track saw, the problem was ‘toe in”. The blade was slightly out of parallel with the track. I was able to fix it with the help of the Festool supplemental catalog which is available on line.
No idea how to address the issue with the MT55. My suggestion is to contact the vendor and swap it for a new saw if possible. Presumably you paid for a new saw, you should receive a saw that works like it should.
John
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Post by kraftt on Jan 17, 2020 12:08:27 GMT -5
Blade parallel to track is adjustable on MT55, as well as adjusting 90º.
As an aside - I think that the 0.1mm offset of the scoring feature is created by or takes advantage of the tiny bit of flex in the casting (or plunge hinge) created when we put pressure down to plunge. That scoring tab 'leverages' the motor casing against the dust shroud causing blade to minutely go off to the right of s.guard, or possibly flexing motor casing along with blade -89.9º. I could be wrong but I think this is most effective when you also hold your thumb on the base where mafell intended.
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Post by modjoinery on Jan 17, 2020 17:35:58 GMT -5
This has just given me a thought. What if my saw isn't running parallel to the track because the friction knobs are not applying exactly the same pressure??
Is this what you mean when you talk about adjusting the saw blade to be parallel to the track?
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Post by kraftt on Jan 17, 2020 19:53:53 GMT -5
This has just given me a thought. What if my saw isn't running parallel to the track because the friction knobs are not applying exactly the same pressure?? Is this what you mean when you talk about adjusting the saw blade to be parallel to the track? So unless the groove cut in the bottom of the base (keys with rail) was so far out of spec that any base-to-motor-casing adjustment couldn't surmount it, I would say no. Meaning that all the plastic friction knobs / snugging cams do is push one side of your base's groove against one side of the rails rib. As long as both aluminum rib & base groove are clean you're good to go. Conceivably if you really 'cranked' down on one cam as tight as you could go before lightly snugging the other you could offset it but this isn't an issue because the saw wouldn't be able to slide from the first cam being so tight. Therefore snugging is pretty much foolproof, nothing to worry about. The design and fineness of range makes it so going too tight gives instant feedback of too much friction to slide the saw and anything too loose gives feedback of side to side movement. Parallel blade adjustment is done with the four screws on the bottom of saw base and one hidden set screw LINK
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Post by Knight Woodworks on Jan 18, 2020 15:58:49 GMT -5
Jack,
As kraft said, has nothing to do with the friction knobs.
Here is what I know. Many years ago my Festo AFT 55 would burn the work piece as it exited, was especially bad on the MFT. I did some research on line which suggested that the toe in was out of wack. I didn't even know track saws had toe in. As recommended, I followed the procedure outlined in the supplemental manual for Matching Multiple Saws to Shared Guide Rail.
If you are considering doing this I would highly recommend doing an internet search to get more information.
Basically you hang a piece of 3/4" MDF over the edge of the MFT (or whatever). Clamp the guide rail in place. Plunge the saw full depth. Take the saw off the rail being careful not to move the guide rail and loosen the mounting screws. Put the saw back on the rail, adjust the saw until the front of the blade is just touching the material. Then shim the rear of the blade away from the work piece. I believe Festool recommends .006". Carefully remove the saw from the rail and tighten the mounting screws. I found this to be a PITA on the AFT 55 requiring multiple tries. It did however fix the problem.
If your saw is still under warranty you may want to contact the vender for help.
Good luck, hope you get it sorted out.
John
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