Cutting Melamine Coated Particle Core Board with the Festool TS 55 Plunge Saw 

    Andrea changed blades and installed another "special saw blade." The 489-457 is designed for laminated floors and polymer materials.
   While in this view, the cuts look pretty good, on closer inspection there is chip out much like the samples shown on the last page.  Since they are so similar, I have not posted them here.

 
 

    Here is the final set of test cuts. This is the blade I call the cabinetmakers blade, since it gives me the same great cuts as the similar named blade on my table saw.  To Festool, it is the "Fine Tooth Saw Blade" 491-952.

  Here is a typical 2 inch segment.

 
 

   And if I back away for a broader view, it just gets more of the same — perfect cuts.

   I mentioned earlier, that the other side shows all perfect cuts. Here is the broad view of that side.

 
 

   

   So, what can I summarize: 1) the blade does make a difference and I choose the Fine Tooth Saw Blade 491-952;   2) adjust the guide rail guides as tight as you can and still have forward movement; 3) use a dry lubricant (no silicone) on the guide rail; and 4) tie the hose and cord up so that movement on the rail can be totally unrestricted. I can add: use the best quality white melamine particle core board that is available to you.
   It is not a matter of liking to use this material so much as to getting the best quality cuts that you can when you do use it. In my shop, I want cuts as dependably good as I can get on the cabinet saw. The Festool Plunge Saw setup gives me that each and every time.

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