mounting a ceiling air filter

[Upscale]

On Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:10:23 -0700, "Lobby Dosser"

Very carefully. I use a wheelchair and have to work with what I've got. Cutting up heavy sheets goods such as a 4x8 sheet of plywood is extremely awkward for me. Often for safety's sake, I've had to use a hand saw or jig saw to cut down sheet good to make them less unwieldy. It takes time and effort,things I hate wasting. That's why I'm considering the track saw. And since my table saw resides in a friend's garage, I only get to use it in Summertime and there's nothing like an infeed or outfeed table for me to use. The good thing is that my friend can help me ~ when he's there.

Frequently, I get the whatever store I order plywood from to pre cut some of it for me, but they often charge for that service and won't/can't cut to exact size. I have to get them to cut oversize and the cuts they will do usually have splintered edges all to hell. A track saw could put much of that control back in my hands.

[Lobby Dosser]

OK, that answers that one. Thanks. :(

By 'track saw' you mean the Festool, right? How will that help?

I may have to use SWMBO as a push stick. :()

Yeah, that's pretty much what you get around here. They'll do one or two cuts free and the rest at $0.50 a cut, but only to the nearest 1/2 inch and it's a crap shoot whether ot not you get someone reasonably competent on the panel saw. NTM whether or not the blade is in decent shape.

I'm thinking about building a panel saw for sheet goods. So far it's the only way I can think of to safely cut them by myself. Though I may try some lightweight sheets through the table saw first. It was two years before I allowed myself to drive due to my loss of reaction time and I've yet to face the table saw. Astonishing how much of what you do goes on outside the brain.

[RicodJour]

I think the track saw will be just the ticket for you.

Now you get to sell your TS to the friend to help finance the Festool purchase. ;)

R

[Upscale]

On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:45:37 -0700, "Lobby Dosser"

I have plenty of requisite strength if needed, but for me, it's all about reach, or lack of it in my case.. A panel saw type of apparatus would be suitable. Basically, something to hold a sheet of plywood upright solidly, but several inches off the ground. Essentially, it would be a panel saw without the saw part and I'd be adding the Festool track saw to the party. Being able to lean down and up gives me 5' or more of cutting reach which would be great for 4x8 plywood.

I suppose I could also lay a sheet of plywood flat on an table or something and use the tracksaw, but not being able to lean over it, I wouldn't have the reach to cut 4' across the sheet. At the very least with 4x8 wood, I'd be cutting half, going around to the other side and pulling the saw the rest of the way. Not all that safe and not great for splinter free edges.

[Upscale]

I was looking at some Laguna panel saws with push button operation. One of them cuts to 0.08 tolerances IIRC. THAT'S what I really need. However, I don't have the space to set one up and I certainly don't have the discretionary $10,000 funds to buy it.

[Upscale]

On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:13:04 -0700 (PDT), RicodJour

A little correction. I refer to it as "my table saw", but I did sell it to him several years ago for a paltry $100 and dinner in a decent restaurant. The benefit to me is that I get to go over there and use it frequently, in the summer anyway.

[Lobby Dosser]

While I've been brainstorming what to do I thought about the possibility of having some sort of pulley arrangement for the panel saw. Maybe counterweights to pull the saw through a cut. Another option you might want to consider is using the panel 'saw' as a router platform. I think this might be fairly easy with Festool. IIRC the 'track' part works with their saw and router.

Are you planning to put this in your friend's garage, or in your apartment?

[Lobby Dosser]

GASP!

[Upscale]

On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:30:15 -0700, "Lobby Dosser"

Apartment, my living room to be exact. It would be nice if I had a spare room that I could dedicate to woodworking, but it's not to be. The biggest problem will be dust of course. I've got a balcony, so I might consider using that for the occasional plywood cut. Today actually, I'll be going down to order a Festool Domino and CT22 dust collector so, I'll see how satisfied I am with it collecting dust inside and then consider other possibilities.

[Upscale]

On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:31:12 -0700, "Lobby Dosser" >> have the discretionary $10,000 funds to buy it.

To be honest, the $10,000 dollar ones are the lower end. The push button ones start coming in at about $25,000. Their "panel" saws are in fact table saws with computer operation. Certainly take up more floor space than anywhere I currently have access to.

[Jerome Meekings]

If you clamp the festool rail your procedure of "cutting half, going around to the other side and pulling the saw the rest of the way." will be perfectly safe (assuming a sufficent overhang of the rail) and will give you splinter free edges as well.

You will be unable to tell where you started and stopped

However the Mafell Portable Panel Saw System PSS 3100 SE would be perfect for you though your bank account would feel the pain.

the video is in Russian but it is not a problem.

[Upscale]

On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:29:54 +0900, [e-mail]

I have to wonder about that. There's been times on the table saw with its 60 tooth carbide blade that I've been feeding a sheet of plywood, taken several seconds to reposition myself and then fed the rest of the sheet through.

Invariable, the plywood has shown some type of burn mark and almost as often has left some type of defect to the edge of the plywood. I'm sure it hasn't shifted during my repositioning, but I get similar problems anyway. The only way I've been able to avoid it was continual feeding all the way through. I guess the solution there would be an automatic feeder of some type.

Interesting tool. Considering what I'm about to spend on my Domino with accessories, the Mafell is not all that out of line.

[Lee Michaels]

"Jerome Meekings" wrote

expensive when it cost more than a Festool.

I would have to learn some russian and have a 230 volt plug to use the thing. But it is nice.

Have you seen this thing in action?

[Swingman]

Although there will always be the occasional awkward cut, I do think the TS55, along with a low, cutting/assembly table, would be a system that would make your plywood cutting chores a lot easier for you ... and possibly open up a whole new world of enjoyment.

I can verify that, in conjunction with a Festool dust extraction unit like the CT22E, there will also be a lot less sawdust to deal with.

Although there will always be some sawdust generated when using any circular saw, I would say that the combo effectively removes about 95% when used properly.

[keithw86]

I'm planning on buying a OF 1400 (and maybe a TS55 later) this weekend and was wondering about dust collection. Can I use my existing dust collection stuff (i.e. are the ports "standard")? I *really* don't want to buy into festering dust stuff. It might be a deal killer.

[RicodJour]

Yabbut the Festool blade retracts when you stop so the blade doesn't spin against the wood and burn it when your stop the saw. The edge will be fine as long as you don't disturb the track while repositioning.

I think you may want to look into making a trestle leg adjustable table that would allow you to clamp the workpiece and track and put the whole shebang at a height and angle that works for the cut and workpiece size. Some DeStaco clamps sliding in T-track would probably be the ticket. That way when you're cutting with the piece at an angle to maximize your reach, the piece and offcut would stay put.

Yep, that's one interesting tool. I wonder how long it will be until they come up with an automatic track saw with a stored cutlist capability. Morris, CNC and wood...?

R

[Swingman]

AFAIK they are not standard, but there should be adapters that will work.

On the other side of the coin, Leon got us both adapters for the CT22E to work with the Kreg K3 pocket hole jig ... I just made a couple of face frames for a cabinet job and repaired a family heirloom table for someone in the last week or so and that's the first time I've ever used the Kreg jig with NO sawdust whatsoever, none, zip, nada!

That said, all bets are off as to the effectiveness of Festool 'tool dust collector ports' with other dust collectors or shop vacs, but they should work, after a fashion, with the right adapters.

There is a fairly decent "package" discount when buying a DE with a saw, and the DE works with all other Festool tools.

The beauty of the Festool components is that they are designed to work together. You plug the Festool into the DE and the dust collection starts and stops with the tool; plus their variable speed function works well with various tasks ... like with a sander, where you may have to cut back on the DE suck so that the sander doesn't get stuck to the workpiece ... not kidding.

[Robatoy]

[snipped all kinds of usefulness for brevity's sake]]

Solid surface guys love that feature. It gives a consistent downward force which 'breaks' when the pad on the sander tilts and loses 'da suck'. Those guys use 'full-on' suck, so the variable suction of the Festool doesn't get used all that much so you'll see a lot of Fein vacuums in those types of shops. I have used and liked both. For maximum sander suck, the Fein Turbo III is hard to beat. Fein sells and adaptor which will convert the Euro-style connector to a normal one, or back.

On the topic of the Festool TS75, Dave Eisan gave a quote on a 'kit' yesterday. The Multi Function table DEEEluxe, 108" track, clamps and a TS75 for the price of a mediocre hybrid table saw. Nothing to talk about.

He also dug up an older Bosch barrel grip Jigsaw, brand new, which I drooled on and had to buy. Big ol' motor, cast shoe. The variable speed and toolless bit change were new to me (on a Bosch) even though the Milwaukee Topgrip had those features, and I liked that saw a lot too, but glad to have a Bosch barrel grip again. When a design works, don't change.

[RicodJour]

I didn't see that one coming. I figured you had the Festool jigsaw. I've had a couple or three Bosch jigsaws over the years, and I liked them, but I love the Festool. The cut is truer to square than the Bosch or DW jigsaws I've used, the dust collection is superior, and the splinter guards work great.

Resistance is futile.

R

[krw]

Hmm, not promising. I could save a couple of hundred bucks and just buy a Bosch (if I can find one). Again, I don't want yet *another* dust collector in the way.

That would be nice.

I don't really need a saw right now (and would rather replace my SCMS, but the Festool sale is a good deal). I really need a plunge router (to go with the still-in-the-box Mortice Pal). I guess I could put off the decision about dust collection and the TS55 for a few weeks.

I do that with my SCMS now. I just haven't bothered with the other tools.