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Post by kraftt on Feb 26, 2020 21:27:50 GMT -5
I see the N.A. 120v 60hz MT55 is now rated at 13.5 amps. (+3.5 amp boost)
Did they build a Cuprex tuned to 60hz or are they just recalculating their 50hz 110v universal motor specs for 120/60 ?
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rob2
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Post by rob2 on Feb 27, 2020 15:52:51 GMT -5
Just tried MT55 with 36 mm hose and it does not fit. There is a small rib on the outside of the saw fitting that interferes, not to mention the Velcro strap. Is MT55 meant to be used only with 27 mm hose?
Also, 27 mm hose (Bosch) falls out often. It seems that the inside of the saw fitting tapers too rapidly, hence I cant get a good friction fit.
Is this a common problem?
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Post by kraftt on Feb 27, 2020 18:10:02 GMT -5
For some reason expecting any hose fitting to work with other connectors in the 21st century is asking too much. I connect a 32mm hose using Tom Gensmer’s tip of connecting only the quick change hose end ‘receiver’ that comes with stock Nilfisk hose. It ‘clips’ over/onto that rib. and won’t pull off.  below: Flex / Bosch style ends vs Nilfisk ends  |
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rob2
New Member
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Post by rob2 on Feb 27, 2020 19:07:02 GMT -5
For some reason expecting any hose fitting to work with other connectors in the 21st century is asking too much. I connect a 32mm hose using Tom Gensmer’s tip of connecting only the quick change hose end ‘receiver’ that comes with stock Nilfisk hose. It ‘clips’ over/onto that rib. and won’t pull off. They don't make it easy, do they? I really tried to like this saw, but flaws ranging from mildly annoying to mind boggling just keep popping up. |
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Post by kraftt on Feb 27, 2020 20:55:45 GMT -5
For adapting my diy dust bag and odd hoses (mini vac etc) I like the Fernco plumbing couplings. I route the rubber lip inside with a quarter round bit and they go on easy. What's bugging you about the saw ?  |
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rob2
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Post by rob2 on Feb 28, 2020 11:14:57 GMT -5
What's bugging you about the saw ? 1. Does not pivot around splinter guard (2 mm off at 45 deg.), which defeats the purpose of trunnions and splinter guard in the first place. 2. Front trunnion can not be adjusted to match other saws/rails. 3. Does not slide as smooth as competitors (no plastic strips, so metal on metal). 4. Inferior rail tightening mechanism. Plastic levers that push against the rail rib flex. 5. This whole hose fitting conundrum above. 6. Scoring function with lateral shift mechanism. While nice in theory one has to be careful when trying to do glue ready cut in lumber. If you plunge/unplunge the saw while still inside the cut the blade will guoge the wood on entrance/exit. This is the most expensive track saw on the market and you still have to DIY it into usable condition! |
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Post by kraftt on Feb 28, 2020 19:07:28 GMT -5
What's bugging you about the saw ? 1. Does not pivot around splinter guard (2 mm off at 45 deg.), which defeats the purpose of trunnions and splinter guard in the first place. 2. Front trunnion can not be adjusted to match other saws/rails. 3. Does not slide as smooth as competitors (no plastic strips, so metal on metal). 4. Inferior rail tightening mechanism. Plastic levers that push against the rail rib flex. 5. This whole hose fitting conundrum above. 6. Scoring function with lateral shift mechanism. While nice in theory one has to be careful when trying to do glue ready cut in lumber. If you plunge/unplunge the saw while still inside the cut the blade will guoge the wood on entrance/exit. This is the most expensive track saw on the market and you still have to DIY it into usable condition! It's true they seem to intentionally cut away from splinter guard the more you progress towards 45º. But scoring lightly forwards or backwards for fine finishes does work quite well, which is what you would want to do anyways for a fine edge. Though most say that the average is 1mm away, so at 2mm I think you need to send it in. I’ve mentioned my own opinion before that mafell may have done this on purpose because whenever cutting bowed / cupped / sagging material the rail will conform quite a bit to the undulation especially when pressure is applied. At 45º any mfgs rigid saw base will lift, in the middle, away from the rail sag and blade can eat into any splinter guard (vs a 90º). I wouldn’t put it past mafell to have thought of this as they expect their tools to be workhorses. 2. Front trunnion can not be adjusted to match other saws/rails.I think you might be talking about the difference in height of rails between Bosch/Maf vs Fest style? 3. Does not slide as smooth as competitors (no plastic strips, so metal on metal).Unless the setting wheels are over tightened I wouldn’t say this is an issue. Germans expect the rest of us to be drinking enough beer. 4. Inferior rail tightening mechanism. Plastic levers that push against the rail rib flex.Haven’t heard this one before, or experienced it. I have experienced blade flex when doing silly things but that's any blade. For those short thick 30% glass filled black nylon arms to flex they would first strip the wheel ribs that adjust them and wouldn’t reset back into place by themselves. I’m unsure how you’re determining this flex and where that much side pressure is coming from. 5. This whole hose fitting conundrum above.Well that’s almost every hose and connector when mating different brands. But there are tons of adapters to solve this. The elegant solution T.Gensmer posted is near perfection as it doesn’t even require an adapter just the receiver. I think they make that Nilfisk hose end receiver for both larger and smaller hoses, just threads onto most any euro hose. The rib on the dust port is a nice touch and a definite plus in this case. 6. Scoring function with lateral shift mechanism. While nice in theory one has to be careful when trying to do glue ready cut in lumber. If you plunge/unplunge the saw while still inside the cut the blade will guoge the wood on entrance/exit. I have some knowledge about how this shift works and it is maintained until about 8~10mm plunge depth after which it moves away from splinter guard about 0.1 ~ 0.2mm. I can’t see it gouging anything lowering & raising the blade. I’ve disassembled my saw a few times and the last time forgot to set any camber (I think on purpose). It’s taught me that one of the purposes of camber is to erase 0.1mm score cut when plunging beyond 8~10mm. The very act of raising and lowering the blade erases any score ridge with a properly set up saw. (fwiw - the saw is capable of quite a bit of adjustment). This is the most expensive track saw on the market and you still have to DIY it into usable condition!mmm, That’s a stretch. Out of the box it’s a badass. I think I’m the only one here bothering with any DIY tinkers. The others here may humor me but they seem to find the available accessories very competent. Not really fair to say that any quality tool is “expensive” if it’s saving you time, and money - that's usually the cheapest solution. |
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Post by aas on Feb 28, 2020 19:57:50 GMT -5
I'd pretty much go with what Kraft replies...
Not sure you need a 36mm on the MT55, the Bosch 27mm should be fine. One of my pet hates is the lack of compatibility across brands.
You could always try the MT55 on Festool rails. The adjusters will need to be re-adjusted, so it's not a good solution to be regularly switching between Mafell and Festool rails - certainly not noticed any flex in the adjuster bars/levers, you can adjust them so tight you can pick the rail up with the saw!
The MT55 has a finished base, it's not metal on metal, it glides smoothly.
The MT55 is only marginally more expensive than the TS55 (at least here in Europe), and is leaps ahead in terms of power, build quality, cut quality, etc. I can't think of any plunge saw I'd prefer to use/own/go back to.
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rob2
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Post by rob2 on Mar 3, 2020 0:57:21 GMT -5
1. Does not pivot around splinter guard (2 mm off at 45 deg.), which defeats the purpose of trunnions and splinter guard in the first place.... I’ve mentioned my own opinion before that mafell may have done this on purpose because whenever cutting bowed / cupped / sagging material the rail will conform quite a bit to the undulation especially when pressure is applied. At 45º any mfgs rigid saw base will lift, in the middle, away from the rail sag and blade can eat into any splinter guard (vs a 90º). I wouldn’t put it past mafell to have thought of this as they expect their tools to be workhorses. 2. Front trunnion can not be adjusted to match other saws/rails.I think you might be talking about the difference in height of rails between Bosch/Maf vs Fest style? 6. ...one of the purposes of camber is to erase 0.1mm score cut when plunging beyond 8~10mm. The very act of raising and lowering the blade erases any score ridge with a properly set up saw. 1. No they have not done it on purpose. Otherwise they would have not advertised it as a feature. Remember that red plastic pointer on the front, which moves and shows cut line when off rail? It is also 2 mm off at 45 deg. Let's not try to sugar coat it, it's a design flaw, pure and simple. I've been using track saws for years, all of them pivot around splinter guard (or close enough) and I've never experienced a sag you describe severe enough to eat into the guard. You'd have to bend the rail into a pretzel to cause that. 2. I'm talking about lateral adjustment of trunnion relative to the base. Only rear one moves side to side (there is even a set screw). Front is locked in place (unfortunately same with Bosch 55 and 85). 6. That is not correct. 0.1mm score remains on the rail side and it is visible. It creates additional problem for edge banding - more visible glue line and poor contact and adhesion along the edge. The score is erased only on the off-cut side. I wish this lateral shift could be turned on and off as needed. |
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Post by aas on Mar 3, 2020 2:30:51 GMT -5
For edge banding, I always run a router down the edge for a super clean finish, never found a plunge saw that is 'that' good.
Maybe get it back to your dealer to look at the issues.
What other plunge saws have you used that you prefer?
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Post by richie on Mar 3, 2020 8:28:01 GMT -5
My mt55 was about 1mm off the strip at 45 when I bought it, so I sent it back to Mafell. Cant find the email but they said something like - sorry, we'll get it set up to meet your expectations- it came back perfect, pivots right round the splinter strip...
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rob2
New Member
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Post by rob2 on Mar 3, 2020 11:00:01 GMT -5
My mt55 was about 1mm off the strip at 45 when I bought it, so I sent it back to Mafell. Cant find the email but they said something like - sorry, we'll get it set up to meet your expectations- it came back perfect, pivots right round the splinter strip... That's interesting. Do you know what they've done? I can't think of any solution other than shims under trunnions to lift the saw. I have a spare base and trunnion manufactured 8 years ago and they are identical to the new ones. After the repair is the red pointer on the front flush with the bottom of the saw? That would be an indication whether they shimmed it. |
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Post by alvychippy on Mar 3, 2020 14:57:55 GMT -5
My mt55 was about 1mm off the strip at 45 when I bought it, so I sent it back to Mafell. Cant find the email but they said something like - sorry, we'll get it set up to meet your expectations- it came back perfect, pivots right round the splinter strip...  worked with one in the past, now using own one.... it always has been deflecting with either rail system any chance, you'd make a video or take few pictures of "how" as I'm truly tempted to start moaning to Mafell to get such just so, as per you say thanks! |
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Post by kraftt on Mar 3, 2020 17:04:45 GMT -5
1. No they have not done it on purpose. Otherwise they would have not advertised it as a feature. Remember that red plastic pointer on the front, which moves and shows cut line when off rail? It is also 2 mm off at 45 deg. Let's not try to sugar coat it, it's a design flaw, pure and simple. I've been using track saws for years, all of them pivot around splinter guard (or close enough) and I've never experienced a sag you describe severe enough to eat into the guard. You'd have to bend the rail into a pretzel to cause that. 2. I'm talking about lateral adjustment of trunnion relative to the base. Only rear one moves side to side (there is even a set screw). Front is locked in place (unfortunately same with Bosch 55 and 85). 6. That is not correct. 0.1mm score remains on the rail side and it is visible. It creates additional problem for edge banding - more visible glue line and poor contact and adhesion along the edge. The score is erased only on the off-cut side. I wish this lateral shift could be turned on and off as needed. Well yeah, the red plastic pointer follows the same arc, relies on the same mechanics, so if your saw is not pivoting around the splinter guard then it would be the same for the pointer. We have discussed this issue in depth last year and no one including myself carried water for mafell in those discussions. Just moved on to accepting the facts / options of the situation - which are: Send the saw in for repair or not. As for my opinion that mafell could have thought the saw is fine the way it is, it’s based on what mafell has done about this issue over the years. Which is nill even though they’ve had years to update parts. If you believe it can be fixed then mafell could also choose to apply these remedies to vendors parts though supply cycles. The MT55 BL was a great opportunity to correct this issue, did they? On one hand we have a couple of reports that some have had their saw repaired to pivot accurately. I would love to see a video but these lucky few call it a day and requests about any visual cues as to what mafell could have adjusted have gone unanswered. No one is happy about the saw cutting away at 45º but no one thinks mafell is listening here or has ever answered here either. I did shim my MT55 to pivot accurately around the s.g. You probably already know this if you’re talking about shimming here and have seen my posts / images on the matter. However even without the saw being shimmed it’s very easy for the blade gouge into the s.g. at 45º from material / rail sag. And very easy to test without running the saw. You seem like a bright fellow, why not try it out and see for yourself? In the end, after experimenting with the shims, I decided to return my saw to stock knowing there will be times I abuse it. 2. I'm talking about lateral adjustment of trunnion relative to the base. Only rear one moves side to side (there is even a set screw). Front is locked in place (unfortunately same with Bosch 55 and 85).
Got it. How much movement do you need? Iirc there is some slop to the two front base screws. 6. That is not correct. 0.1mm score remains on the rail side and it is visible. It creates additional problem for edge banding - more visible glue line and poor contact and adhesion along the edge. The score is erased only on the off-cut side. I wish this lateral shift could be turned on and off as needed.
Absolutely setting camber can erase the 0.1mm score. Camber sets the back of blade at full plunge farther away from s.g. than the front. That means that scoring depth does not see the full circumference of the blade and as the blade plunges deeper the amount of camber set can overcome the 0.1mm score shift to erase the score ridge. But how much is that worth it because you need to be accurate setting it otherwise you will trim the s.g. too and so would also always want to use the same blade. I use 160mm / 162mm / 165mm blades so it’s not as practical for me and, as I may have mentioned before, I omitted setting camber last teardown. I tend to experiment and adjust when my splinter guards are beat up. After I cut new ones I'll leave the saw alone until it’s time to replace them again. I like the scoring feature but as for blades cutting away from it on any other cut I look at it in the light (in my case & yours) that they’re cutting 0.1 away from it already. |
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Post by hecon5 on Jun 8, 2020 17:48:32 GMT -5
My new MT55cc was just shipped, FINALLY, after a seemingly absurd (to me) time to ship (Ordered May 26). Has anyone else had longish delays with Timberwolf lately? They wouldn't ship what they had and the rest of the order later without making me pay more shipping, and I was kind of off-put by that (and being a cheapskate, opted to wait instead of paying another ~$30 for shipping).
Anyway, other than that being irksome (and probably off-topic), Timberwolf mentioned in their shipping emial that the MT55 has a "motor modulation" feature; I remember reading elsewhere that it is something that many have experienced; has anyone had any issues with cutting quality using those slow speeds, other than it seems weird to have a modulation like this? Coming from a background where VFDs are used all the time for exacting speed / torque control, it seems odd to have modulation on the speed like that, but if it doesn't affect cut quality, I don't really care other than think it's odd.
From Timberwolf: |
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