krkww
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by krkww on Apr 11, 2016 19:12:05 GMT -5
I did my best to consider all of the council I've received along with the options available. In the end, or should I say this is the beginning, I placed my order for the MT55 today along with a couple of 160 rails, clamps, connector and the angle guide. I opted for the 110v version since I do not have a generator nor do I want to have to haul one around to power the 230v version. I wanted to simplicity of plug and play here in the states and no hassle in the field. I anticipate delivery on Wednesday so I'll report back when I've had a chance to test drive everything.
Thanks again to all for your input and help with my first Mafell order.
|
|
|
Post by Knight Woodworks on Apr 11, 2016 19:23:03 GMT -5
Congrats on your soon-to-be new saw. Please do let us know how it works for you.
John
|
|
|
Post by holmz on Apr 12, 2016 3:21:29 GMT -5
You can hardly screw up whether it is 110 or 230v. First off the rails are better and cheaper, and idiot proof to hook together. Secondly the Bosch jig saws may fit on the rail (??, and the Mafell does for sure.
It was easy for me as the power here is 230v and so is the CT26, if/when I cut in the US I will use a transformer or a 220v line.
I forgot if you said where in the US you are located?
|
|
krkww
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by krkww on Apr 13, 2016 7:51:00 GMT -5
I forgot if you said where in the US you are located? Northwest Arkansas
|
|
krkww
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by krkww on Jun 14, 2016 20:29:06 GMT -5
Has anyone else purchased a new tool only have it sit for weeks and weeks before you can get to using it? Life happened and after receiving my MT 55 back in mid April, I finally pulled it out of the box and put it to the test.
I want to thank Red for his help understanding modifications to be able to use the 240 volt version here in the US. In the end I settled on the 110 volt version since it was more compatible with the way I will be using it and the equipment I already have.
The only damage I noted from shipping was the black end cap on one of the rails had a section broken off. Not certain if I could expect a replacement part since it has been so long since delivery. Everything else was in good order.
I kind of chuckled at the operations manual.
The only adjustments I needed to make to the saw were snugging up the rail adjusters to eliminate play and the set screws to bring the base perpendicular to the blade. I love the way everything feels and moves: smooth and firmly, no slop or evidence of cheap components or engineering.
I made some practice cuts on scrap plywood to make sure everything was dialed in and I understood how the saw worked and responded before I bit into the 1.375" X 42" X 72" solid black walnut slab I needed to square and crosscut to length. With the rails I ordered the crosscut jig and was reasonably pleased with how accurate it was. Even attaching the 60" rail to the end of it saw it very close to the line I prepared using the 3-4-5 squaring method.
The first cut I made into the black walnut I had the speed dial set at 6 and there was smoke everywhere. Forthunately I left myself some margin so I was able to cut off another half inch from that end and dial down the speed to 5. This yielded a very clean, splinter free cut with no burning. I removed the blade and cleaned the black pitch off before proceeding. Wow, what a blade changing feature! Could it be any nicer? Now to the other end... Again I left myself some margin and made the cut at speed 5. There was less burning but still more than what I can except. Removed and cleaned the blade again then I dialed it down to 4 and cut another half inch off. That did the trick, smooth, clean, splinter and burn free. I then cut it to length using this speed.
Overall I ended up 1/32" out of square. This seemed reasonable for such a large slab but I'll have to try to tweek that next time. I'm open to ideas...
I have to say that I was also pretty pleased with the performance and quality of the tracks. In addition, it was quite easy to connect the crosscut jig to one of the rails. That little rail adapter is not cheap but once you use it and experience the ease of making the splice, it takes the sticker shock away a bit.
Sadly, that was the end of my first experience with my new plunge saw. I enjoyed it and look forward to using it again and making it pay for itself.
I welcome any constructive feedback on the burning issue and if anyone sees anything else that might help me with squaring the large slab.
I appreciate all of your previous thoughts and comments. I look forward to getting to know you all better.
Kevin
|
|
|
Post by lincoln on Jun 14, 2016 23:06:20 GMT -5
Hey Kevin, nice to see you got to use the saw. You don't mention which blade you were using - the 32 tooth fine cut for timber would give you a much better finish. Lincoln.
|
|
krkww
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by krkww on Jun 15, 2016 6:45:41 GMT -5
Hey Kevin, nice to see you got to use the saw. You don't mention which blade you were using - the 32 tooth fine cut for timber would give you a much better finish. Lincoln. I'm using the 48 tooth blade that came with the saw. So in this case less is more?
|
|
|
Post by Eoj on Jun 15, 2016 20:12:33 GMT -5
With the blade change made so easy by Mafell ,having blades with different tooth counts will give the best results .
So Kevin , did you have track overhang at the start of the cut ?.......or did the saw have to plunge directly into the wood at the start of the cut ?
|
|
krkww
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by krkww on Jun 15, 2016 21:03:17 GMT -5
Since the table top is only 42" wide, I had good overhang with the 60" rail on the front and back.
Looks like I will need to grow my collection of blades sooner than I thought I would. Of all the well engineered features on this saw, I think the ease of blade changing made my eyes pop and me say "wow" the loudest.
As long as we're on the subject, which rip blade is recommended best for solid timber: the 16 tooth or 24 tooth? Generally I would be ripping around an inch or thicker. I would like to think I might achieve a glue ready rip if the boards are flat enough.
|
|
|
Post by reflector on Jun 15, 2016 23:34:44 GMT -5
Try the Tenryuu blades. I've had really good luck with the 12T one in ripping construction plumber, given it'll have a lot of tooth marks. I have yet to try the 28T blade but I like the Tenryu blades for their thin kerf (Effectively thin as the Mafell one*, except for the 52T one which is a super thin kerf blade) and they're silent compared to the sound of the motor on the MT55cc. I got to hear the difference (With hearing protection since the motor is still plenty loud) and I'm fairly convinced that I'm sticking with their blades for the MT55cc.
*My mistake. See post below.
|
|
|
Post by holmz on Jun 16, 2016 0:40:34 GMT -5
Since the table top is only 42" wide, I had good overhang with the 60" rail on the front and back. Looks like I will need to grow my collection of blades sooner than I thought I would. Of all the well engineered features on this saw, I think the ease of blade changing made my eyes pop and me say "wow" the loudest. As long as we're on the subject, which rip blade is recommended best for solid timber: the 16 tooth or 24 tooth? Generally I would be ripping around an inch or thicker. I would like to think I might achieve a glue ready rip if the boards are flat enough. One of my main reasons for the MT55 was the blade change... And I have ~10 blades. have I ever changed it?... Well no it does bog on rips in 8/8 stock, so maybe I should... And the 100m of drywall I cut probably did not make the blade sharper.
|
|
krkww
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by krkww on Jun 16, 2016 7:58:46 GMT -5
Try the Tenryuu blades. I've had really good luck with the 12T one in ripping construction plumber, given it'll have a lot of tooth marks. I have yet to try the 28T blade but I like the Tenryu blades for their thin kerf (Effectively thin as the Mafell one, except for the 52T one which is a super thin kerf blade) and they're silent compared to the sound of the motor on the MT55cc. I got to hear the difference (With hearing protection since the motor is still plenty loud) and I'm fairly convinced that I'm sticking with their blades for the MT55cc. I purchased a Tenyru blade for my Kapex and absolutely love it so thanks for the heads up on blades for the MT 55. Where do you purchase them from?
|
|
krkww
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by krkww on Jun 16, 2016 8:27:45 GMT -5
Try the Tenryuu blades. I've had really good luck with the 12T one in ripping construction plumber, given it'll have a lot of tooth marks. I have yet to try the 28T blade but I like the Tenryu blades for their thin kerf (Effectively thin as the Mafell one, except for the 52T one which is a super thin kerf blade) and they're silent compared to the sound of the motor on the MT55cc. I got to hear the difference (With hearing protection since the motor is still plenty loud) and I'm fairly convinced that I'm sticking with their blades for the MT55cc. A quick search reveals that the kerf and plate size on the Tenyru blades are 2.2 + 1.6 respectively. Compared to the Mafell blades at 1.8 & 1.2, that would seem to indicate the rail strips would be cut narrower and/or need to be replaced. Thoughts?
|
|
|
Post by reflector on Jun 16, 2016 10:03:14 GMT -5
mafell-users-forum.freeforums.net/thread/653/sawblade-dataI have measurements of the blades. The only time I have a sawblade that cuts "off" the strip is with the Freud Diablo, but that blade has the biggest plate to kerf difference. Also I am mistaken about the kerf on the Tenryu blades, for some reason I thought only the 52T blade that comes with the MT55cc has a thin kerf. 1.8/1.2, I take back what I said about the Tenryus. Onlky the 52T is 1.6/1.0.
|
|