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Post by chippiegary on Nov 11, 2017 16:35:17 GMT -5
I think we are all really spoilt for choice these days the guys who taught me “sadly all dead now “ wouldn’t believe the conversations I am having about saws quite frankly I think tools have never been better than they are now with different choice etc . I currently own too many circular type saws I know but it didn’t seem that long ago “it probably was “ when all I owned was a 9 inch circular saw “prob a big old makita or hitachi can’t remember “ and quite frequently in the morning on site would finish cutting a roof and in the afternoon would second fix with the same saw we used to cut the bottom of oak Vaneer fire doors to a stanly blade line freehand so rail saws when they arrived were and still are a revelation . Tools have come a long way
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Post by chippiegary on Nov 11, 2017 16:51:31 GMT -5
Apologies aas for going off on lots of tangents “as usual “ from the sound of it the 57 sounds perfect for your needs it’s just not for me I’m sure people will tell me in the future what an amazing saw it is .
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Post by skinee on Nov 11, 2017 18:06:15 GMT -5
You’re right most of the time I do use freehand but having the ability for it to run on a rail is useful if that’s all you have with you , if you are cutting ply or flooring sheets for example on site . Myself I tend to keep my track saw mt55 for mostly second fix work . In reality that’s where the kss saws really shine they are great on and off the rail . I have spent most of my working life I’m 53 without a track saw and I’m pretty competent freehand cutting I just think it wouldn’t take much for tool manufacturers to put track grooves in their base plates just my opinion . But good point nevertheless . I agree Garry, a simple groove, SO easily machined for the mafell/bosch rails, should be a no brainer to put on baseplates by other manufaturers.its really disappointing that metabo(who now have an affiliation with mafell)have failed to put the groove in the ltx 57 in the correct position so that it aligns with the cut in original FSN rails,once again about 1mm out! I'm beginning to wonder if mafell have changed the standard/specifications,if all their newer saws are coming out at 1mm to the right of the original standard that might explain the ltx 57 being the same,i was looking forward to the ltx 57 now I'm looking around again ,could you post some photos of the 57 please Garry,especially the baseplate,thanks
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Post by aas on Nov 20, 2017 16:06:01 GMT -5
The '57 was delivered today. Had a quick look over it. Seems fairly 'cheap and cheerful' - perfect for when I don't want to use a Mafell.
The base seems nicely made, has grooves for Mafell/Bosch rails and Festool/copy rails. Also a T slot like on the KSS40 - not yet seen if it lines up with the crosscut rail.
As an asides, there are adjustments screws in the base with plenty of left/right movement for lining up the blade to your preferred rail system, so I reckon with a bit of tinkering it will possible to get right on the splinter strip.
Blade depth adjustment lock is easy to use, bevels nicely enough with front and back lock nuts.
Nowhere near the league of the KSS40 - but it uses the same batteries and the same rails - I think it will be a good rough saw to partner the little KSS.
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Post by huntsgemein on Nov 20, 2017 23:23:41 GMT -5
A tee-slot? Really? Very interested if it fits the KSS X-cut rails too, if you wouldn't mind checking...
No rush now. Please take your merry time. I currently have a new tool myself to learn how to use efficiently & productively before I could possibly look for another.
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Post by aas on Nov 21, 2017 1:19:19 GMT -5
I'll try and see if it fits on the KSS40 rail, if not, maybe it works on other KSS rails which are bigger I believe. Having said that, I'm not sure on the merits of the T-slot unless it somehow hooks up to the return spring.
Anyone know how many different KSS track formats Mafell have made?.. this would be an interesting proposition if rides the 770 track for cutting chip flooring.
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Post by skinee on Nov 21, 2017 3:40:24 GMT -5
The '57 was delivered today. Had a quick look over it. Seems fairly 'cheap and cheerful' - perfect for when I don't want to use a Mafell. The base seems nicely made, has grooves for Mafell/Bosch rails and Festool/copy rails. Also a T slot like on the KSS40 - not yet seen if it lines up with the crosscut rail. As an asides, there are adjustments screws in the base with plenty of left/right movement for lining up the blade to your preferred rail system, so I reckon with a bit of tinkering it will possible to get right on the splinter strip. Blade depth adjustment lock is easy to use, bevels nicely enough with front and back lock nuts. Nowhere near the league of the KSS40 - but it uses the same batteries and the same rails - I think it will be a good rough saw to partner the little KSS. thanks so much for this info aas ,that is crucial information with regard to the adjustment capabilities ,i will be ordering one today. I think the adjustment screws can be seen at about 7 seconds in the following video.
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Post by kraftt on Nov 21, 2017 10:49:54 GMT -5
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Post by aas on Nov 21, 2017 14:35:31 GMT -5
Thanks for posting that... interesting the pictogram of the base says 'Metabo' for the T-slot - which rail is that?.. anyone know? I had a look with the KSS40 rail - the T slot lines up correctly, and the 'Festool' slot lines up with the second raised section on the rail, but the base of the '57 is too wide, it hits the return mechanism raised section... difficult to explain. Not sure if it would work on the other KSS rails - it needs a larger rail.
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Post by aas on Nov 22, 2017 17:47:55 GMT -5
Quickly adjusted up the base on the '57 today. The adjustment was simple, maximum towards the blade and tighten up. End result, the blade is a fraction of a mm off the splinter strip - which to be fair needs replacing - so pretty much spot on.
Tighten the screws by hand, not with a drill. They are not machine screws into some well engineered fitting - just going straight into the plastic 'hinge' fitting. An over enthusiastic tightening would strip out the plastic.
A couple of quick test cuts off the rail through some 55mm wood, powers through no problem.
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Post by aas on Dec 2, 2017 16:40:20 GMT -5
Spent half the day using the '57 today - some rough cuts in ply covered in tile adhesive and then some stud work with some rough wood. Was glad to not be using a Mafell! Lasted on one 3,1ah battery.
Mostly positive things to say about it. The base is decent and square, has enough power, saw is cheap, blades are cheap!
Negatives : seems slow to run up to speed and lacks torque at low speed, so if you stop mid cut it doesn't like restarting if the blade is even slightly catching - as a plus this does stop it trying to reverse climb out of the cut; I'm not sure on the depth adjuster lock lever - it seems it's a plastic part waiting to break; the blade guard kept catching when pushing into the cut - maybe just the rough wood I was cutting, but it annoyed me a few times.
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Post by huntsgemein on Dec 2, 2017 18:23:38 GMT -5
So, does the "57" lock onto any of the KSS short X-cut rails?
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Post by chippiegary on Dec 3, 2017 9:08:24 GMT -5
Mines gone back but no sadly it doesn’t , I tried kss40/300 track and kss50/kss400 track the closest fit is Festool hk tracks but the base of saw is too wide ,bit strange really unless metabo do a track ?
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Post by huntsgemein on Dec 3, 2017 11:02:45 GMT -5
Metabo do a fairly st'd Festoolesque rail system. So similar in fact that my KSE55 Vario could run on either. But no X-cut mini rails as yet as far as I'm aware. But it seems a bit weird that they provide a "dovetailed" trackway in the soleplate without any corresponding "locking" rail. Maybe there's one intended somewhere in the saw's future? Or maybe they plan to share that soleplate diecasting with some future dedicated X-cutter?
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Post by aas on Dec 6, 2017 15:33:27 GMT -5
Had to size up some 15mm ply - used the '57 on a short Bosch 800 rail. The blade was deflecting and pushing the cut away from the splinter strip, almost to the point of stalling the saw.
When I adjusted the saw to the track, I pushed over the maximum possible towards the splinter strip, but I think it needs a more delicate solution than that, it's not tracking correctly.
When I get some time I will try and adjust the toe - and maybe try a more sturdy blade...
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