Track Saws (Plunge Saws?)

[Chris Padilla]

This will reference the Festool brand as I don't know if it applies to other brands.

The Festool has a built in riving knife. The Festool is also a plunge saw but only to the point of one being able to plunge the blade at the edge of the wood and then driving it across to make your cut. You CANNOT plunge the saw into the middle of a piece of plywood for example...the darn riving knife prevents this from happening.

Has anyone removed the riving knife? I use my saw for plywood 99.99% of the time...I don't really fear the ply binding on my saw as I run it across. I stared at my saw for about 5 minutes and decided to not bother with it at the time.

This weekend I really had a need to plunge it and instead opted for my jigsaw.

Thoughts?

[Sam Murdoch]

Actually you can plunge the Festool into the middle of a sheet. It is a marvelous feature for doing stop cuts - very accurately. An essential piece accessory for this procedure is the stop /hold down. With the saw secure you can easily do this riving knife always in place. I will see if I can locate the part # for the s/h and post it.


OK - It's called the Limit Stop # 491582 here is a link - http://www.festoolusa.com/power-tool-accessories/track-saws/stops-and-accessories/limit-stop-491582

Buy 2 they are cheap and will allow you to stop at both ends of an opening.

[Chris Padilla]

I wondered if it could be secured. It SURE would be a handy feature!!! :)

[Chris Padilla]

Sam,

I don't get it. How does this prevent the riving knife from coming down? The riving knife is what prevents my TS-65 from starting a cut within a sheet of plywood since there is no kerf for it to fit into.

[Sam Murdoch]

The riving knife goes down in all cases but just slightly behind the leading teeth of the blade. You can start the saw anywhere on a work surface and the teeth will engage - you'd better hold on very tight :eek:.

The limit stop holds the saw to the track from kicking back as you plunge. The track needs to be clamped down too of course.

When doing plunge cuts it is typical to set the saw stop to full depth so that you can accurately align the start and stop of the cut with the limit marks on the saw. Plunge cuts are the few times I don't provide full support under my cut but leave room for the saw to cut freely without the need to plunge through more than the surface I intend to cut.


NOW Chris - I see that you are using an TS65 - I don't know if that saw is different enough from the TS55 or 75 or the newer versions still so that all that I describe may not be possible. Sorry if I mislead. You can certainly do what you ask with the newer versions.

[Peter Quinn]

On the TS 55 I've made plenty of plunge cuts in the middle of sheet goods, sink cut outs, flooring inlays, etc. The riving knife is spring loaded or something, it just moves out of the way and becomes engaged once the cut line has been established. As Sam has pointed out the feature was built into the design to the point they put stop and start marks on the saw carriage (they assume full depth setting for accuracy). On the TS 55 the riving knife comes out and in in under 3 minutes, not much of a hassle, I only know this because a co worker assumed he had to remove it for plunge cuts, wouldn't believe that you did not until I showed him. I had to put it back in. Try your knife. Is it actually mounted rigid? I used to use a 5 year old or so TS55 and it definitely had a spring loaded riving knife. Perhaps you have an older design? I bought a makita track saw which has no riving knife and for that I'm thankful. I see very little purpose for it on a track saw except to get in my way. I don't freehand with the track saw, it always follows the track, what I wonder is the riving knife doing? Ever seen a CNC with a splitter just behind the cutter?

[Chris Padilla]

I guess I will have to look at mine more carefully to see if the riving knife can retract in some fashion. If it is rigid, I'm thinking to yank the sucker. A project for tonight perhaps! :D

[Victor Robinson]

The riving knife is spring-loaded, it will simply push up if there's no kerf for it to slip into.

Edit: Ohhhhh, 65! Early adopter :p

[John Schweikert]

Just as Victor said the riving knife is spring loaded on the TS55 and TS75. I have a 75 and the knife drops down once it's over the kerf during plunge cuts, very simple design and effective and never a hindrance. The 65 dates back many years so there are ample improvements on newer models.

[Chris Padilla]

Okay, so I'm not losing it. My OLDER 65 is not spring-loaded and therefore I cannot do a plunge cut UNLESS I remove the riving knife. Thankfully, it was designed this way and simple to remove. BYE BYE riving knife...nice knowin' ya! :D

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[Chris Padilla]

And in case you were wondering how to remove the riving knife on the 65....

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[Peter Quinn]

And in case you were wondering how to remove the riving knife on the 65....

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Thats just how you remove the knife on the 55 as well!

[john lawson]

I use my DeWalt for plunge cutting more often than I thought I would. I have used it for cutting doors out of plywood and putting those doors back where they were cut from when placing the panel on a wall. Looked great. I also use it for furniture repair. I have used the plunge cut so many times, it's a great feature. I assume any of them will do it. Just retract the riving knife, set the saw and plunge away. If you're very careful you can plunge and move back some or forward to precisely put the cut where you want it, then clean up the kerf with a small hand saw.

[Sam Murdoch]

I use my DeWalt for plunge cutting more often than I thought I would. I have used it for cutting doors out of plywood and putting those doors back where they were cut from when placing the panel on a wall. Looked great. I also use it for furniture repair. I have used the plunge cut so many times, it's a great feature. I assume any of them will do it. Just retract the riving knife, set the saw and plunge away. If you're very careful you can plunge and move back some or forward to precisely put the cut where you want it, then clean up the kerf with a small hand saw.

The beauty of using a pair of limit stops - one at each end of the cut in proper relation to the guide marks on the Festool saw - is that you can go right to the line at either end with complete confidence and no backing up or creeping forward. There remains very little wood to remove.

Glad you found time to read your saw manual Chris :).

[Chris Padilla]

Glad you found time to read your saw manual Chris :).

Yes, I finally did Read The Fine Manual. :D