grizzily T10687 TRACK SAW with 160mm 56t aluminum/plastic blade. Any one try it ?

[aluminumwelder]

the reviews i've read says the track has a little side to side wooble, but other wise is good. anyone use it to cut polycarboante yet?
the tenru blades are about $60 on ebay. total cost over $300 for the set up to cut down 4x8 sheets.

 

[Shadowglen]

Wow I just looked this up I am going to look at this a little more but for that price I think I will take the plunge. Looks like a simple inexpensive track saw system I run mostly Dewalts but I have had good luck with Grizzly in the past.

 

[Salmoneye]

I paid little more than that for my DeWalt cordless track saw set up and it's awesome.
Keep your eye out.

 

[Shadowglen]

going with the Dewalt setup with 2 59" tracks that can be joined.

 

[aluminumwelder]

i GOT THIS
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=Scheppach SAW&_sop=15&_udlo=30&_udhi
it is a scheppach cs55 track saw about $200 shipped.

just used it to cut 8 sheets of 1/16th polycarbonate down to 4 sheets about 14x36" in size.

worked just fine using an aluminum/plastic cutting blade.

it saved hours of work and the cuts look much better than our old score and crack method.

I placed an order for the grizzly 4' long track and clamps which are currently on back order. so I can go an entire 8 feet without stopping.
Right now I have to go 4 feet and then stop and slide the track down.

highly recommended.

 

[fmg]

If you want performance and reliability not to mention a 2+1 warranty then FESTOOL is the way to go.

 

[aluminumwelder]

broken cs55 afer cutting about 60 sheets.

i was cutting 20 sheets of 1/16th thick polycarbonate today.
The saw had kickback even at the slowest of speeds. Now given that with the protective wrap it was probably 1 3/8" total thickness that is pushing my luck. I did 4 or 5 cuts and put that stack to the side. Got my second stack of 20 sheets and had some minor kick back throughout. as I finished my last cut blade started to wobble I thought, not big deal probably just got loose. Well the bushing/nut that centers the blade was cracked/broken. I"m trying to find my users manual so I can call and get replacement part.

I did recenter it manually, but obviously it's best to get it fixed right.

Now am I sorry that I went with a cheap tool? Nope, once I get replacement nut I'll just know to cut fewer sheets at a time.I think around 16 is a safe amount.

 

[fmg]

i was cutting 20 sheets of 1/16th thick polycarbonate today.
The saw had kickback even at the slowest of speeds. Now given that with the protective wrap it was probably 1 3/8" total thickness that is pushing my luck. I did 4 or 5 cuts and put that stack to the side. Got my second stack of 20 sheets and had some minor kick back throughout. as I finished my last cut blade started to wobble I thought, not big deal probably just got loose. Well the bushing/nut that centers the blade was cracked/broken. I"m trying to find my users manual so I can call and get replacement part.

I did recenter it manually, but obviously it's best to get it fixed right.

Now am I sorry that I went with a cheap tool? Nope, once I get replacement nut I'll just know to cut fewer sheets at a time.I think around 16 is a safe amount.

I have had my Festool TS55 now for at least 6 years and have cut hundreds of sheets of 1/8" Dibond and then some.The only thing I have replaced is a couple of blades.This saw is a beast and has paid for itself many times over.
Cheap tools are a load of old toss!

 

[aluminumwelder]

I have had my Festool TS55 now for at least 6 years and have cut hundreds of sheets of 1/8" Dibond and then some.The only thing I have replaced is a couple of blades.This saw is a beast and has paid for itself many times over.
Cheap tools are a load of old toss!

Im sure my saw could cut loads od diabond that is only 1/8" thick
it cut through 1/2" of polycarbonate no problem
1 3/8" will cause problems though
i order the $2 part and the $8 shipping fee today
for a tool i use a few times a month it will work fine

 

[artbot]

i've got the ts75 and i like to clamp three sheets of 3/4 plywood together and cut them all at once. festools for all their green/gray euro whatever have
very powerful cool running motors. the only tool that i've ever thought was equal to festool is those that Flex makes.

 

[FatCat]

Can't say firsthand about the Festool, but I am certain they make a quality tool. I've had my DeWalt track saw for over a year and a half and really couldn't live without it now. Very quiet, smooth motor - I really like the smooth start feature. I've cut MDO, PVC, Max-Metal, 10mm coro, light aluminum, HDU and all sorts of lumber. Very nice saw for around $450 with track. Just bought my first replacement blade which is the only thing I've purchased beyond the saw and tracks...

 

[artbot]

here at this shop i think we should have a cut speed competition. track saw vs cnc. we have a lot of singles like a 40 x 60 1/4" acrylic print. two guys, two prints one guy heads to the cnc the other to the track saw. who finishes first? to me it'd have to be the tracksaw. no checking zero, depth, no file, no squaring to the table, faster cut, smoother edge. one addition to my track saw area is one of these.

i clean the area between cuts. it produces 10 times more air than a compressor (and i have a 25 horsepower v4 air compressor)
http://www.plumbersurplus.com/Prod/Makita-UB1101-Blower-Variable-Speed/94664/Cat/1114

 

[aluminumwelder]

3 sheets of plywood is not the same as 20 sheets of polycarbonate


First photo shows the material I was cutting
2nd photo shows the damaged bushing. IN fairness I was cutting on a piece of warped plywood as a base with a piece of 2" styrofoam on top, the uneven surface was the #1 reason for the kick back and eventual failure of the $2 part which you can buy from grizzly part # 61 or #65 forget which one.

4th picture shows acculated shavings when NOT using a vacuum.
3rd picture shows epoxy putty put around perimeter edge in hopes of making flow of chips to back more effcient. It helped a littlle, but you still need a vacuum.
5th picture shows an angle grinder cutting out a 1x2" area.
Last photo shows 1x2 piece of aluminum which is the new better positined dust/chip removal port.

While I appreciate the opinions of those with you with saws twice the price of the $200 saw I picked up, this thread is more about what you can do with a cheap saw, what goes wrong, and how you can modify saw to be better. cutting 20 sheets of plastic is going to be hard on any saw due to any slight misallignment causing 20 shear forces moving against the saw, cutting a few sheets of plywood with the same saw would be much easier dibond is a piece of cake.

I have a blower like that makita, I paid $30 on ebay for it. I'm sure your's is much better, but at $185 it should be. For the occassional use I have these tools are fine for me.

 

[aluminumwelder]

burned up the motor today

SO I WAS cutting a mere 4 sheets of 1/8" thick abs, total of 1/2" thick, and i burned the motor brushes up.
The carbon brushes overheated and one of them melted the plastic housing around it, causing the motor to fail.
I called up grizzly and order the new brush and housing.

ABS tends melt and cause a lot of drag on the blade. I should of known better than to try and cut through so much at once.

I finished the job with a cheap black and decker cordless circular saw and straight edge and a manual scorer.

So obviously if you are going to push this saw to it's limits' it's not the saw for you. Hoepfully the replacement parst will get it back working again, but they are on back order for a couple of weeks.

 

[Hicalibersigns]

So obviously if you are going to push this saw to it's limits' it's not the saw for you. Hoepfully the replacement parst will get it back working again, but they are on back order for a couple of weeks.

If you are happy with this thing, then I am happy for you. I will wager that the value of your time that you have spent working on it and modifying it would have easily paid the difference between it and a DeWalt or Fesstool and you would have the added benefit of no aggravation.

[h=1]“The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory.” -- Aldo Gucci[/h]

 

[aluminumwelder]

perhaps

perhaps you are right, but my guess is I've tested the tool to it's breaking point and now know when it will fail and will not have future issues. It's 9amp motor vs the 12amp motor is a disadvantage, but it is also half the price.
And I'm not here to say anyone is foolish for buying something more expensive. If I used this everyday, I'd get the more powerfull brand, but I dont' and there maybe others out there that appreciate what happens when you overwork the cheaper tool.

All of the saws, dewalt, festool, have poor discharge point placement, forcing chips to rotate 180 degress before being sucked out.

For those of you with plunge saws what blade are you using to cut ABS? and not have it melt/drag on the blade? I got an expensive Tenru 56 Tooth blade, which is made for aluminum, and also plastic. I don't quite buy that since I use different aluminum and plastic blades on my table saw. Maybe frequent greasing stick application is in order?

also scheppach customer service in USA is sending me fixer upper parts this week for free. I'm going to cancel my grizzly order. they are the same saw in case you haven't figgured that out yet.

since their information is so hard to find on line below is their information
http://www.colovos.com/contact/
[FONT=&quot]Customer Service: 1-800-266-9079[/FONT]

 

[aluminumwelder]

i go the replacement parts for free installed them and the saw works fine again.

for those of you that need a track saw occassinally or do not need to cut more than about 1" thick material at a time, this saw is very nice and on sale use coupon code below $250 shipped.
Track Saw
Price: $179.95
Guide Rail for T10687Save for laterRemove this item
T24872 - Guide Rail for T10687
Price: $49.95
T25094 - Accessory Pack for T10687
Price: $24.95
Applied Coupon or Pricing Code:
13SUM7J9KGYTLW

Merchandise: $254.85
Merchandise Adjustment: -$25.49
*Shipping: $19.95
**Subtotal: $249.32