Tracksaw blade not staying perpendicular to surface during cut

[Wes Grass]

Check the TS-75 thread below this. Dave posted manual pages for a Festool 55, that show how to match the track offset to another saw. Yours might have the same sort of adjustment that could possibly square it up.

I'm also assuming the track groove is parallel to the edge if the shoe. If not, using the rail as your reference is probably a better bet.

[Jim Matthews]

Just for grins, can you remove the blade and remount it?

[Aaron Karp]

I’ve tried reseating the blade a couple of times without any change. The good folks at Timberwolf Tools are helping me troubleshoot and I’ll be able to try a couple different blades tomorrow.

[Matthew Hills]

Does this only show up on wider cuts?

Is there any play in the saw/track interface?

I'm wondering if the saw is shifting a bit as your posture adjusts to the saw being far away from you.

Maybe try cutting on the ground, with rigid foam underneath the workpiece?

Matt

[Aaron Karp]

Does this only show up on wider cuts?

I've tried it on cuts that are 12" and 24" long, removing 1-3" of material from the side of the board at a time.

Is there any play in the saw/track interface?

Actually there was when I first started troubleshooting this, but snugging up the saw to the track didn't solve the problem.

I'm wondering if the saw is shifting a bit as your posture adjusts to the saw being far away from you.

I've tried being incredibly meticulous about my posture, keeping the pressure even, staying balanced, pushing from above, pushing from behind, and all create the exact same outcome.

Maybe try cutting on the ground, with rigid foam underneath the workpiece?

I'm cutting on my heavy workbench with a 1" piece of rigid foam under the workpiece. I've never felt entirely comfortable cutting on the floor, so would like to get this to work on the table.

[Jim Dwight]

I'm too old to cut on the floor and don't have the open space anyway in my small shop. I cut on my 3x7 foot outfeed/assembly table with a piece of foam under it. I see no way that would be a contributing factor.

My long rail is 102 inches. So when I cut a piece of plywood I only have 6 inches between the infeed and outfeed to guide my saw as it enters and exits the cut. So I position it to use 4-5 inches on the infeed side. That short 1-2 inch overhang on the exit contributed to my cutting closer to the rail if I did not push the saw straight. If the saw is adjusted properly you cannot put it closer to the rail in the middle of the cut or with >6 inches overhang unless you lift the saw partially off the rail. Part of the direction of your push has to be down.

Are you clamping the rail? If not, you may want to try it. It is not necessary but it would give you one less thing to think about as you make cuts. I do it when I can.

[Aaron Karp]

Want to close the loop on this. I ended up sending the saw back to Timberwolf Tools, where they compared it to their demo saws and reproduced the issue I was having. They said they've never seen anything like this before, but that it does seem to be related to blade deflection/whiplash due to the blade being out of alignment with the shoe. They're sending me a new saw (and a couple of free accessories for good measure).

Thanks all for your help troubleshooting this.

[Ronald Blue]

Let us know if the replacement solves the issue. The main thing is they are working with you to make it right and that's great. Sounds like they are a standup company.