Crosscutting and Trimming

No other saw on the market can outperform a Festool for splinter-free, fine crosscutting. With other saws, the problem is two-fold; getting a straight cut, and achiev- ing a splinter-free cut. The TS55 handles these problems effortlessly.

Tips for Successful Crosscutting

►► Use the correct blade for the cut.

►► Crosscutting fine veneered wood should use the fine crosscut blade. The Alternate-Top-Bevel teeth will slice the wood fibers best, with virtually no chipping.

►► Crosscutting soft lumber, or lumber-core veneers should use the fine crosscut blade or the combination blade. With fewer teeth than the fine crosscut blade, the combination blade will be more aggressive for cutting, yet still provide good chip-free cutting.

►► Crosscutting thick hardwood lumber, and difficult to cut lumber should use the coarse crosscut blade. The coarse tooth-count of this blade provides very aggressive cut- ting of difficult material, but won’t provide as smooth of a finish as the finer blades.

►► Cutting plastic-veneer countertops or solid surface materials should use the fine laminate blade. The Triple- Chip-Grind of this blade lasts longer in hard materials and reduces chipping in man-made materials. The

triple-chip-grind will provide good cuts in wood veneers, but not as good as the alternate-top-bevel fine crosscut blade.

►► For small offcuts, overhang the workpiece from a work table or saw horses (as shown below). For larger offcuts, support both the primary piece and the offcut.

►► If the offcut is reusable, use the outrigger splinter guard to prevent chipping.

►► Make sure the workpiece is secure. The lightweight door shown in the example below would slide on the table if not clamped down.

►► Make sure the guide rail is secure if it can move during the cut. In the example below, starting the cut with the saw behind the workpiece can cause the guide rail to tip up and move. (The guide rail clamps are below the guide rail, and not visible.)

►► Don’t start the cut by plunging the saw into the wood, as this can lead to tearout at the bottom-back of the saw- blade. Start the cut with the blade down and behind the workpiece (as described on page 11), and advance the saw forward into the cut.

►► Setting the blade depth too shallow (just barely penetrat- ing the underside of the workpiece) can cause tearout on the underside of the cut.

Festool Dust

Extractor

Fine Cross-

cut Blade

Workpiece

Overhangs Table

Veneer

Door

Workpiece

Clamp

Supplemental Owner’s Manual