5 Quick Tips to keep your Tracksaw - and you - Happy [video 553]
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- Опубликовано: 7 дек 2023
- Back on the tracksaw trail this week and in this one I’m sharing five quick tips to help keep you and your tracksaw making great cuts. Enjoy!
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Great tips! It’s my first video that I’ve seen on your channel but I really like your approach to woodworking 👍
Thank God for Peter Millard. Finally I have permission to give up on getting everything square. 😂
So basically, "caulk and paint make a carpenter what he ain't".
Words to live by.
The over accuracy thing is something I suffer from. I’ve spent most of my working life in the mechanical engineering field (mostly in the Royal Navy). In that world half a mm wrong is like the length of a football pitch. When working with wood I often have to take myself to one side and give myself a damn good talking to! Top video as always.
Thanks!
Thank you! 🙌👍
Square enough cabinets 😄
Always!
Wise words about consistency over perfection! Striving for the ultimate finish can leave one stuck/paralysed, over-analysing, over-thinking things to come up with "the best" solutions, where getting on with "good-enough" is probably the right & best option - albeit difficult to see while you're stuck in the middle of a mental unilateral-debate! Thanks Peter, as always. 🙂
Also worth adding that when you invest in the best tools to get the best accuracy possible and your STILL out…. frustrating just isn’t the word to use anymore 😂
Really appreciate a pro that takes a realistic approach to working with wood.
Super informative video, thanks. By coincidence I always say that its not always the quality of the items you make. It the quality of the time you spend.
Hi Peter as always Top shelf tips , you would have to be one of the first to give the best advice ever " have fun with your woodworking " like you said everyone is after the Perfect / Square piece , with that comes a lot of headaches , if your just having fun and its for you , Who cares , I remember you telling me a long time ago " just having a go is a win , and you can only get better " 👍
Thanks! 👍
Thank goodness YOU also can make panels not perfectly square. Switching from a tablesaw to the MFT and tracksaw getting square panels have been my bane! Close, but never just tits. Getting better but some days I throw my hands up and just use the tablesaw.
Mmmmm...... "Don't be obsessed with accuracy"..... so I probably shouldn't have spent two hours getting a couple of ceiling joist level to within 0.5mm when my first attempt was only about 1mm out. 😂
Great video Peter. Sound advice about dialling back on the quest for accuracy too. I am guilty of doing this far too often and wasting lots of time aiming for the unachievable with less than perfect tools and materials. A wise old friend once said to me "You're hanging a bedroom door boy, not a bonnet on a Rolls Royce".
Good advice, Peter. Put your energy into making what shows as accurate as possible.
Super tips but no.5 is the best, almost a tip for living life!
You have an excellent channel. Obviously deep experience, shared in an engaging, common-sense manner with great clarity and high production value. Many thanks.
Thank you! 👍
Sage words indeed Peter. Excellent as always.
Thanks David! 👍
What more could you want🤔
A router 🎯😳🎉
Spot on. Nothing is square in construction (tolerances, deflection, expansion/contraction). Having a part square to itself when needed, yes. Anticipating and compensating is the art.
Have chased those square cuts for a long time, 06:34 made a fabulous moment. Thank you.
Some good tips. As someone who actually did used to maintain submarines and build jet engines, my most tackled with thought is super accuracy and find myself forever having to tell myself that it'll be alright on the night. But it's a constant struggle to pull myself out of that engineering mindset even just enough to allow myself that acceptable leeway that woodworking forgives.
Famously submarines are one place where choice of material turns out to be crucial!
Excellent thanks Peter.😀
Excellent advice. Thank you!
I would add to your list to clean your blades. If you are cutting solid timbers, you will get resin build up on your saw teeth. Before you need to replace the blade (and always do that before you think you should) cleaning off the blades and getting rid of that resin will improve the cut.
A great saying “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”. That can be applied to complicated joinery where a dowel or a domino will be just as good or to exact measurements where consistency is usually more prized.
On the question of squareness, I am usually more bothered by that than an exact measurement. If you are building multiples, I find it easier to get squareness than to remember which way around a piece goes. To get squareness, means checking everything before you cut using whatever tools such as engineer square or digital callipers and then clamping everything down so that can’t move. Finally, cut the first bit oversize to use a test; if it’s right or wrong, accurate or inaccurate, you’ve got a bit of timber to refine it with.
I cut nasty timber all the time. What's your recommended method of cleaning resin?
@@eitantal726 I use isopropyl alcohol which I buy in 5 litre containers and then spray on
Thanks. Yes, I do mention cleaning the blades. 👍
I soak mine in clothes washing stuff, work real good@@theofarmmanager267
Totally agree about recent RUclips obsession with accuracy. Consistency is the key. Back in 1970s and 1980s, I could scratch build large kitchens for very wonky 19th century terraced houses in SE London that looked great and lasted at least 30 years to my knowledge. WPB plywood, yacht varnish, very long 6mm screws with 5.5mm pilot holes such that they could mold in and out to the walls while remaining perfectly level horizontally. A modern Howdens or Wren dead square set of cabinets would have looked wrong
Great tip for the tape
All good tips as ever chap. The most valuable being consistency over accuracy and not getting too bogged down by accuracy. A fraction out on a panel don't matter, as long as it's mirror is the same fraction out. Besides, even if you had every machine 100% accurate, the wood will let you down😂 Bloody stuff!
Cheers Stu! I have a precision engineer pal who says the same ting about metals! 😂 👍
I have always worked to the theory that consistency is far more important than accuracy.....and if you master being consistent, the accuracy follows naturally.
When marking out I always use a knife and a solid steel rule wherever possible, and a clamp on ruler stop for repeat measurements. And as I am an old fart, and have to wear glasses for close up work, I have found that a pair of those magnifying over-glasses with a built in LED light makes precision jobs a heck of a lot easier.
Snap. And great tip bout the over-glasses: I'll have to get a pair
Another tip is to make the measurements with the same tape or ruler. Putting siding on a building, the other guy would measure and call out to me and I would measure and cut. The pieces were consistently 3 or 4 millimeters off. Finally checked his tape against mine and found the problem. So, at least check them against each other when you start.
Hahaha I remember having a debate with someone who was using a class 1 tape claiming he was the most accurate. I had to tell him that the other 20 blokes on site where using standard class 2 tapes so being the odd one out his work would be wrong haha
Man I love your videos! And I agree. I’m a beginner woodworker and I have gotten frustrated so many times with marking wrong or cutting the wrong side of the line! But practice and repetition has allowed me to become more consistent and accurate. Thanks again for putting these videos together! They are an absolute inspiration for me and what I like to make!
Well some jobs are all about accuracy, others not so much. Those which adhere to the "if it looks right, it'll be right" maxim, with a lick of wabi sabi thrown in, are very much more my cup of tea.
Thank you Peter for sharing these track saw reminders. Manufacturers would do well to include these in their manuals (for those of us who read them). I’ve heard that it’s a good idea to leave a 1/16” (or 2mm) gap when connecting 2 sections of track. This is intended to reduce the possibility of the tracks bowing slightly when tightened. I’d be interested in your thoughts on this technique. Thanks for making us better!
I Think festool does writes it their Manuel for the track or connecting bars
That’s interesting. Not heard that before. makes sense I suppose and also helps with the ends of the rials not being cut square from the factory either. il leave a little gap next time I join two up. thanks.
Thanks Peter great video
Great video Peter!! You are the Best!
I’ve just finished a project of building cupboards into alcoves either side of a chimney breast. I spent a small amount of time making practice mockups as it the was biggest track saw project I’ve done and first time with a biscuit jointer. Most important lesson, particularly when dealing with wonky walls... learning what can be covered up with a bit of caulk!
Hi Peter, as always great tips and advice, thanks Take care👍
Thanks 👍
Hi Peter, I have to confess, I never let precision get in the way, much as I'd like to! Great tips on the splinter guard.👍🏼
Words to live by, thanks Mandy! 😂👍
Thank you for your positiv video and mindset. Greetings from Germany
Thank you! Best wishes from London! 👍
also, the rails can be out of square on their sides (especially if bought separately) so them too can use a trim, to be in line when joined 😁
Yep. Experienced this with both my festool and Makita rails. atleased one side was always out.
👍
Thanks buddy! Great tips
I’m still loving the vids - don’t get time to play with the woodwork much and I can’t get in the “workshop” so it’s all outside… that said I made a large hanging cabinet for the office and finally got it hung last month using lots of your tips and studying all of the videos - the mid range tracksaw, the mft,, the domino jig, the cheap plastic dogs the acrylic roller painting, the bandsaw squares, the Blum hinges - I’m really really happy with the result so thanks again for your content.
I’m still enjoying watching the shorts and delving into the fuller videos a bit less frequently.
Keep it up!
Mft/dogs/tracksaw have been a game changer for me for less than £350 quid.
Thanks! Cabinet sounds like a great. 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop yes it’s above my 3d printer so I doubled up on the wall hangers and brackets but I made the whole thing as proof of concept. It’s the calm accurate measurement that you did especially on the budget series that I’m more chuffed about trying to get! I’m also going to design and print an adapter to deflect the sawdust to a right angle away from me out of the top of my macallister saw!
Thanks again for the content and engagement!
Thanks Peter, great tips as usual, good point about perfectionism, I'll take that from you ! 😉
Fantastic top tips !
Good advice👍
Thank you for another great tracksaw video.
It was watching your tracksaw and the shaker door videos (plus your responses to my questions in the comments) that convinced me that I needed a tracksaw. Although it is not my most used tool it is certainly my favourite one and it has allowed me to get a much higher standard of finish on several projects.
Hi Peter, "what else could you want?". The Strawbyte waste side jig(s) of course.
Hey Peter. Love your work 👍
Thank you! 👍
Remember the kerf when you measure. I had and still do labor to cut parallel and or equal measurements. I have a Festool and the TSO parallel guides. I looked intently at the guide markings to make sure that I was cutting a certain width piece of plywood. I stared and stared to make sure the marks were equal before I cut. I cut. The width of my cut was 1/8 inch NOT enough. I did not allow for the kerf of the blade when I made the cut.
Always - that's the whole point of the splinterguard, it represents the cut line. 👍
Great tips
Tip-top tape tip; ta!
I've never thought of that, especially using blue tape. I'll have to buy a roll, as my beige tape is too similar to MDF or plywood in colour.
Yes, makes a big difference, getting the contrast! The Tesa tape I bought from my local decorator shop is stupidly expensive, but very good. I use it sparingly, while searching for something cheaper! 😂
First time watching your vlog. Subscribed straight after. I always can tell a good tradesman or in your case a good teacher.
Thanks and welcome! 👍
Just bought a track saw after watching your introduction series. If I lose a finger tomorrow I’m suing! Also bought the silver line nail gun. Definitely suing.
Another great video. I've been using a track saw for years, but I still learned several new things. I'm too obsessive to agree with your last tip though.
Another tip is, watch what builders do when they are working in/on your house. I learned that the finish work is usually top notch and everything underneath is very sturdy, well laid out, but not made to tight tolerances. I have recently completed a very large open wardrobe in my hallway. I made a strong timber frame, which everybody remarked looked "good" and everyone said was "really solid", but was I going to finish it nicely? I finished it off with acoustic panels, felt with wooden slats. The panels have a bit of flexibility. I was off on the frame by about a millimeter over the vertical length on one side, but with the panels on it, the wooden slats from ceiling to floor, it looks amazingly tight and neat. I was worried I'd hate it because I know what's underneath, but all I see is a successful project. Make your designs easy to finish beautifully and make the as good as it needs to be. No more.
Thanks Peter for another great video, I have also found at times unsquare panels when using the track saw, and sometimes an unstraight edge on long cuts, but as you rightly say, let it go, I've yet to work in a perfectly straight and square house! Thanks again keep well and keep'em coming
My splinter guards always wear out quickly. Maybe there is a problem with my saw? Or I need to tighten up the adjusters,but this doesn’t allow the saw to slide so easily.
Anyway I’ve started making a lot of my pencil marks for the left side of the guide rail. Simply deduct 185mm from your measurement, which is the width of the Festool guide rail and you are now using a fixed point of reference, no more inaccuracies due to the wear that has occurred to the splinter guard. And no urgency to replace or reposition the guard either. I will be trying the Makita guard next time.
Another great video Peter!
Thanks, Gary
Excellent tips here. The rubber guards are pretty cheap and easy to replace, so I change mine out every year or so... especially on my short 39" rail I use for 90 degree cuts (pretty much lives with a with a TSO rail square on it).
I'm just like you, I prioritize consistency over iper-accuracy. And I don't care about trimming the splinter guard all the way on the first cut, as sooner or later I'll join two rails or make a cut that will cut the rest of the splinter guard.
Wood working should be fun, Now I have spent a fair amount of time practicing to get to the fun part. Made some unique display cases for my wife's Christmas Bazaar booth recently. Lots of molding, and custom angles, tons of tweaks hidden under filler and paint. To setup, only took 10 minutes, with no fasteners needed. Everything slotted together with a decorative top cap to hold it tight. She got as many complements about the displays as she did for the decorations she was selling. There not perfect by any means, but they look good they made her look good, and they were fun to build. What made it a fun project was the precision I had because of the track saw. The pieces could be cut precisely without costly cabinet saws, Miter stations, and any other high end tools. Most of the pieces were cut and fitted using my trusty track saw, palm router to add ascents, and a 5" orbital sander.
On aging eyes. Mine seem to have just dropped to the next landing on the staircase of degeneration and loss of quick re-focusing. I have cheap reading glasses for holding phone and books up. Another pair of cheap reading glasses for reading stuff on my knees. A proper pair from optician for desktop computer screen at arm's length. Don't need glasses for further away. Vari-focus is too expensive and not precise enough for me. I'll swap some warm white LED bulbs for cool white in the workshop shed - the light temperature seems to be the greatest factor such that I can read the finest of grey print on a blue background on old medicine boxes that I take for reference the optician's showroom. Time to add a cool white reading lamp in the living room too
‘Let it go’ - probably the best tip out there!
Any local recommendations for Festool blade sharpening?
I drop mine off at my local timber yard and they come back a week later, slightly oily and much sharper. 👍
Fantastic tips, Peter! Thanks a bunch! 😊
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
And happy holidays!
Thanks, and Happy Holidays to you too!
Good Stuff
oh sure, i don't have an obsession and i would be so happy if my only issue was fence and rail is not square - my cuts are beveled most of the time,if i would settle for consistency, my cabinets would be diamond shaped 🙃😁
Hi Peter, any tips for the gripper tape on the underside of the guides? I guess keeping them dust-free is a start. Don't think mine stick as well as they should and I invariably use clamps...
Not all grippy strips are the same, and the Festool ones are amongst the best I've used; you can get them as a spare part though I have to confess I've never tried fitting them to a third [party rail, so not sure how well that would work. Worth a try though, I'd imagine. 👍
Great vid Peter. That inaccuracy was the thing that got me when I moved from a massive, heavy, static, cast iron panel saw to a track saw. I could literally throw wood at my well-tuned table saw and I knew it would be spot on square every time. The mobility advantage in a track saw seems to bring slight inaccuracy but as you say, c'est la vie, it is close enough when I got pushed for space after downsizing. Despite thinking I could one day get another large workshop, it will be easier and a lot cheaper to take the track saw with me 1400 miles now I am emigrating than 1/4 of a ton of table saw!
Anyone know a good place to sell a used Axminster panel saw with sliding table and extensions... and a bandsaw... and a 1 metre static belt sander... and a chip extractor, and and hobby grade wood lathe... workshop air filter... etc etc etc 😢
Love it! Got any tips for squaring the blade up on the Festool TS75? The 90 stops in mine weren’t quite 90 degrees from the factory. I believe festoon say it should be sent in for servicing. Seems like it should be easy enough to diy it but it seems fiddly enough that it’s not so straight forward to get it perfect.
No direct experience of the 75 but assuming it’s the same as the 55 then there are grub screws to finesse the 90° stop. Try and get hold of the Rick Christopherson supplementary manual - google it, it’ll come right up - as he details the process. If it’s a brand new saw though, I’d return it. 👍
Forgive me, if somebody has already added this:
6. A quick and easy base for fully supported cutting with a track saw (or any circular saw) is a 4x8 sheet of rigid foam. You can cut into it a zillion times before you need to replace it. Also, and I realized this far too late in the game, you don’t need to keep it full-size! Two 4x4 sheets are much easier to move around and work just as well.
If you have 2 joining rails, do you square cut them with a mitre saw, if so, does it require a special blade? Also do you recommend any specific anti slip strips for the track saw, not the splinter guard, thanks
Another great track saw tip video. Your track saw stuff is probably the best I can find on YT.
One question: I have Makita tracks, and the ends of the tracks are a little beat up (from the previous owner), and when joining the two longer tracks together using TSO connectors, the seam between the two tracks doesn't quite close up tight, meaning that the two tracks aren't perfectly in line with each other. A few times, I've ended up with a long cut that isn't straight. I've learned to do some fussying when connecting two tracks, but that does take time. I've considered attempting to clean up and square up the track ends using the crosscut sled in my table saw, and I wonder what you think of that idea?
Thank you! Yes, you can trim the ends of the rails square easily - I’ve cut plenty of aluminium with the stock 48t blade on my plunge saw and it works fine for the occasional small cut. Go for it! 👍👍
I often remind myself, and I think at some point, I’m going to make a placard to hang on my wall that says, “we are not building a watch”.
Great video again Peter! Q. Do you ever check the blade and sole plate are in alignment - similar to that of the blade and mitre slot on a table saw?
Thanks! And no, not something I've ever done; I figure that if it's out enough, I'll notice, and if it's not then it doesn't matter! 👍
Another informative video Peter, thank you. If you are ever at a loose end (which I doubt) could you do a vid on clamping larger cabinets /Drawers please? I always have a problem with the clamps pulling the cabinet or drawers out of square. I’m in the process of making my granddaughter a large 4 drawer cabinet (using dominos) and used my Mft table to ensure it was square which it was, but as soon as I clamped it up it was out of square 😤
Maybe it’s my clamps or maybe it’s me but it is really driving me nuts!!
Thanks for your time.
Barry
Cheers Barry! I did a video on clamps generally, and the sash clamps and f-clamps were mostly used on larger cabinets. But honestly, keeping carcasses square during the glue-up was the main reason for creating my ‘square enough’ clamping guides. They’re simple to make, and there are lots of alternatives that perform a similar function out there, it some kind of internal / external guide would be my choice. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop thanks for your quick reply Peter, il knock up a few clamping guides, hopefully that will solve the problem for the remaining 3 drawers. Thanks again and keep the great vids coming!
@@10MinuteWorkshop just completed another wide drawer but this time I used 2 band clamps, seemed to work great and the drawer remained square, don’t think they exert as much clamping force as a standard clamp but with dominos it should be fine……I hope!
Great info as always Peter! Thank you.
I have a Makita track saw and recently ordered a second length of rail. I’m curious about your method to join the rails with only one joining bar. I often see rail joining bars sold in pairs, with the option of one bar underneath the rails and another in the top t-track. Have you found that using two connector bars per join is overkill?
Thanks! No, you should always use two bars when connecting rails for making cuts - one is OK for just a very light pass when trimming the splinterguards though. 👍
Hi Peter do you have any recommendations for building shelves units? I see in the video you hanging a white shelving unit and I want to do something similar. Do you have any videos on that or help you can give? Thanks
There's an entire playlist on shelves and storage. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop thanks
People worry to much about the ends of the splinter guards. But really when your making cuts you shouldn’t be using the very ends to lineup on your makes. as Peter said the saws not supported at that point anyway. either extend your track or make two passes.
Great video 👍🏼 how many teeth would you recommend for purely cutting plywood 12-18mm. I was advised by a company to use an 80 tooth blade but find I get burn marks and like you mentioned “ like the saw is a bit underpowered “ feeling or draggy/sticky..i maybe went for too many teeth?
Cheers Ant
I am guilty of using the stock 48t Festool blade for most things, and it cuts plywood very well. When I use the 28t universal blade in MDF it’s hard to see the difference between it and the 48t, but in plywood the 48t is a better cut. 👍
Where’s the fun in that, haven’t you heard of tape measure roulette 🎉
Hello Peter. Where can one find the green 3D-printed dust cover for the track saw? It’s not in your store. Thanks.
The blade cover? It’s from Strawbyte workshop 👍 - www.strawbyte.com/merchandise
The blade cover, that’s it. Thank you!
1:02 Would this be also true when I'm swapping between blades for cross and rip cuts that have the same kerf?
I'd always check them - just a quick test cut to see that the blade's aligned. 👍
Best tip of 2023: lose the perfection, find the joy.
👍👍
Do not see the link for Makita splinter guard
It’s right there in the ‘useful links’ section 🤷♂️ - Makita 3-metre splinter guard - amzn.to/3GjVyXu
Festool clear 1.4m splinter guard - amzn.to/3N5hUja
6:51 how to fix this corner?
Depends what you mean by ‘fix’ ??
Hi Peter, being so old and having such poor eyesight should you still be woodworking? 😂😂😂😂 from an equally old and poor sighted woodworker 👍
Probably not! 😂
The first splinter cut issue is just stupid, having the saw wobble while half off the track is something that should not happen with a tool in this price range? Add another tensioning knob in the middle or make the saw fit the track without wobble? The current system is lacking, granted when on site cutting over a standard 1200mm board with one track isn't that often but when needed I hate when the saw gouges the splinter guard or workpiece at the start. This saw should run true with however much of it is engaged in the track ridge?
Another tip: Don't tell everybody that you were "out" by half a mil on every cut.
😂 👍