I Bought a Track Saw...

[Rorschach]

Should have called ahead if you were going to make a special trip.

 

[DBT85]

Should have called ahead if you were going to make a special trip.

Given that its a fifth of the way into the 21st century it didn't occur to me that their website would be so woefully inaccurate.

A mistake I shan't make again.

Never mind, a Titan plunge and bandsaw shall arrive tomorrow. I got the Evo tracks as well as a Freud blade for the plunge saw.

I have to say I have an Evolution compound sliding saw and its bloody excellent for the £65 quid I paid for it from their ebay store. Handled everything I've thrown at it and not missed a beat. Not that I've been using it for anything particularly accurate. I have a Makita non sliding for that if ever really needed.

 

[Doug71]

Should have called ahead if you were going to make a special trip.

Given that its a fifth of the way into the 21st century it didn't occur to me that their website would be so woefully inaccurate.

A mistake I shan't make again.

Not power tool related but I had exactly the same thing in a shop a couple of weeks ago, was with something for the kids. When I showed the staff their website on my phone saying they had a few in stock they just laughed and said "You can't believe that thing, it's never right!"

I felt like giving the staff my two upset/grumpy let down children to look after, I shall always be phoning ahead in future.

 

[PeteG]

So, the B&Q site says Kidderminster has them "in stock" while the net nearest (Coventry!) is "low stock". They both still say the same even now.

So Off I trundle to Kiddy, 40 minutes int he car, 10 minutes wandering, looking asking and 40 minutes back. None in stock, none in the back. Zip.

Colour me one unhappy moggy and I'm sure as poop not driving all the way to Coventry.

I was going to put in an order with Screwfix for the bandsaw anyway so I'll do one larger order. Will also get a replacement blade for the plunge while I'm at it.

Sorry for the late reply fella, I lost a finger to the table saw on Monday so haven't been paying much attention, again!
Cheethamhill had sold a few of the Mac Allister saws during the week, and the Titan saws were still in the back when they let me
have the extra track from the display saw...I did notice a shelf full of Sceppach saws on offer at £70.00, not sure if they were there
the week before, but I'd have still had the Titan.

I fancy getting the Titan bandsaw at some point. I've missed not having one but then I did think I'd have to give wood work up at
one point. I reckon I can find room to fit a small one in somewhere

Do let us know when your goodies arrive and what you think...

 

[MikeJhn]

Ouch, hope you are OK.

 

[PeteG]

Ouch, hope you are OK.

I'm fine Mike Our lass has been a bit upset about it all. I couldn't find my finger at the time, and she later found it on top of the bin.
I think it was a bit much for her. Although, the paramedics did say she did an excellent job putting it in a food bag, wrapping it in cloth
and putting it on ice. I think after that she was upset they couldn't do anything with it...

 

[MikeJhn]

Hope it's not an important one, I feel your pain, it fair turned my stomach just thinking about it let alone what it did to your lass.

Perhaps you ought to tell us what happened, could be a lesson to be learnt by us all.

 

[MikeJhn]

Forgot to add, I apologise for my byline.

 

[PeteG]

Forgot to add, I apologise for my byline.

Bloody love the byline Mike

I was cutting some Pine at 45 degrees on the T/S to make a French Cleat, something I've done a few times. I remove the ZT plate and put
a small sheet of MDF half way through the blade so I've now got an even working surface and then clamp it down...I think, but I'm not
sure if the blade hit a knot and in that split second the wood jumped a little the blade caught my wedding ring. But my finger was ripped off, rather than being cut off, and the reason they couldn't put it back. Even then I'm not sure they would have. They had a team standing by when I was transferred, but the surgeon said he didn't think with my health I'd survive the operation. Didn't actually think my health was that bad but there you go. He also reckoned it'd be a dead finger and in six months I'd be asking them to remove it anyway. I'm back in tomorrow, surgery between five and eight. I've decided not to have a stump, they'll remove the bone in the hand and stitch it up so my little finger will be next to the middle. Apparently I'll be able to grip better with just four rather than having a stump in the way. I found my wedding ring inside the T/S this morning, so wearing it around my neck at the moment until it's repaired

 

[scooby]

wow..I'm really sorry to hear about your accident Pete
My toes were curling, reading how the accident happened. I admire your resilience.

 

[PeteG]

wow..I'm really sorry to hear about your accident Pete
My toes were curling, reading how the accident happened. I admire your resilience.

Cheers Scooby not to worry, you just have to crack don't you. Hopefully all will go well tomorrow and they won't say I can't do anything
for six months!

 

[DBT85]

Toys arrived today, only managed to get one cut in today owing to everything else going on. It was just before that cut that I noticed an extra cooling window on my plunge saw :lol:

Can either have them collect it and then wait to get a replacement delivered or just drop it in to a store. A pain in the ass.

With that said though, the saw worked great. After unboxing I immediately swapped the blade out for the Freud 40t one I bought. Had one in my tablesaw and it always did an excellent job so I had no hesitation in doing the same again. I also immediately removed the anti kickback knob. Just watching Peter Millard wrestling with it was frustrating me, let alone having to use it myself!

I ran the saw with my Charels Numatic vacuum as the extraction and it did a fine job with the wood. There was a fair bit of white splinter guard when I did a small low depth pass to just trim the guard. That pass also scored the surface of the wood for the cuts shown below.

The waste side of some 18mm hardwood ply

and the cut side

Out of the box mine also was not square. I shan't bother fixing it now!

I also got the Evolution ST2800 track. Very happy with that. £70 for 2x 1.4m tracks, 2 clamps and a bag is good to me. I did set about sticking a hole in one end though as I'm not putting the bloody thing away in the bag every time I'm done with it.

Not unboxed the bandsaw yet. Seen a few other videos of it also suggesting that the fence is a bit of a pain but apart from that people seem happy with it, £8 for a blade from tuff saws will probably also work wonders. For my uses right now it makes absolute sense. Maybe one day I'll use it to help build the Wandel bandsaw :lol:

Also took the opportunity in the order to get some safety specks after mine broke, some ear protection and a new 3m mask after mine had reached the end of its life.

Sorry for the late reply fella, I lost a finger to the table saw on Monday so haven't been paying much attention, again!.

Oh flippin eck I thought you were joking!

RIP in peace Petes Finger!

Was it one of those short sharp pains or something rather more ouchie?

 

[PeteG]

Sorry for the late reply fella, I lost a finger to the table saw on Monday so haven't been paying much attention, again!.

Oh flippin eck I thought you were joking!

RIP in peace Petes Finger!

Was it one of those short sharp pains or something rather more ouchie?

I was tempted to ask for my finger back, just wasn't sure if our lass would appreciate it

I didn't really feel anything. I had a fag and a brew and waited for the ambulance, which took over an hour. There wasn't much blood either, not until they removed the dressing at the second hospital which opened up an artery. Then it got really messy and they put me on a drip...

That extra cooling window is very shoddy isn't it, like Mr.Millard said in a recent video, the customer is quality control.

Lovely clean cut from that Freud blade, very impressive...And I hope there's no nasty surprises with the bandsaw when you open it.

 

[scooby]

Waiting a hour for an ambulance, sounds like a bit of a water take to me. Must have been a busy time or somet. Last time I called an ambulance (2015) was for my mum. It wasnt life threatening but not trivial either and they arrived in 10 minutes on a Friday morning.

 

[PeteG]

Waiting a hour for an ambulance, sounds like a bit of a water take to me. Must have been a busy time or somet. Last time I called an ambulance (2015) was for my mum. It wasnt life threatening but not trivial either and they arrived in 10 minutes on a Friday morning.

One of the drivers gave our lass a lift home from Unsworth, took about twelve minutes. I waited and called the ambulance back after about
forty minutes. They couldn't say how long it would be, other than, one will be there. I think it turned up around 10.50 or so, one of the
paramedics said it was 9.46 when I called. There was some discussion between the crew, and I could see they had like a book with a color
chart in it, green, yellow, amber and red. I'm a little hard of hearing and I also have tinnitus and couldn't hear what they were saying.
When I asked, they said that before they can leave, they have to call through what colour I am and hence the conversation.
Gone are the days when folk just bloody well got on with it. There's far too much fannying about nowadays, Brexit being a prime example!

 

[scooby]

Waiting a hour for an ambulance, sounds like a bit of a water take to me. Must have been a busy time or somet. Last time I called an ambulance (2015) was for my mum. It wasnt life threatening but not trivial either and they arrived in 10 minutes on a Friday morning.

One of the drivers gave our lass a lift home from Unsworth, took about twelve minutes. I waited and called the ambulance back after about
forty minutes. They couldn't say how long it would be, other than, one will be there. I think it turned up around 10.50 or so, one of the
paramedics said it was 9.46 when I called. There was some discussion between the crew, and I could see they had like a book with a color
chart in it, green, yellow, amber and red. I'm a little hard of hearing and I also have tinnitus and couldn't hear what they were saying.
When I asked, they said that before they can leave, they have to call through what colour I am and hence the conversation.
Gone are the days when folk just bloody well got on with it. There's far too much fannying about nowadays, Brexit being a prime example!

Agreed. =D>

 

[PeteG]

Don't worry, I'm not going to put any piccies up of "Stumpy", might put one up after the operation if they do a good job,
but here's one of my wedding ring. All considered, I thought it might have been worst than this, very happy to get it back though

 

[MikeJhn]

Phil

Sorry to ask, but is there a lesson to be learnt from this mishap, i.e make sure the clamps are done up tight or even don't remove the ZT plate whatever that is?

Mike

 

[scooby]

Phil

Sorry to ask, but is there a lesson to be learnt from this mishap, i.e make sure the clamps are done up tight or even don't remove the ZT plate whatever that is?

Mike

Phil?

I'm guessing zt plate is a zero clearance insert. Removed due to blade being bevelled, maybe.

 

[PeteG]

Phil

Sorry to ask, but is there a lesson to be learnt from this mishap, i.e make sure the clamps are done up tight or even don't remove the ZT plate whatever that is?

Mike

No need to apologies Mike. I've gone through it a few times in my mind since Monday and I think there's a couple of things.

The Z/T or zero tolerance plate was plastic on my saw with the gap around the blade being quite wide to allow the blade to tilt
at 45 degrees. I removed the Z/T plate a few years back for a home made one in hardwood. This doesn't allow for 45 degree cuts,
so that's when I remove it and use a piece of MDF or ply if I have.

I think the build up to what happened started when I made the decision to do too many things at once, instead of carrying on with the planters ( topic117949.html ) I thought it'd be nice to make a plant stand for our lass.
I don't know if they have a particular name, but imagine two letter "H" with a lap joint so they cross each other, and the plant pot then sits inside the frame. I prepared some Ash on the T/S, it was about 25 mm thick and I had to cut about 30 mm off the width. I rarely cut through timber in one go on the T/S, I tend to make a couple of shallow cuts either side so the blade is never higher than just over half the thickness of the timber being cut.
That way I can use two rubber backed plasterers floats to grip the wood and I'm well away from the blade.
At the same time I also decided to prep some timber for another job, and had done most of that leaving the cleat to be cut. Due to space, and having to keep moving things about, I'd put the T/S away once and then had to get it back out, this also involved moving all the timber from the planters that were stored on the T/S. Perhaps with all the moving about I'd started to rush things a little! Not paying enough attention and rushing.
It's also possible I didn't check the timber I was about to cut thoroughly enough, which I usually do. There were a few knots in it but nothing I thought would cause any issues as such. Although, I could have looked for a much wider piece keeping my hand well away from the blade. It really happened so quick I can't tell you how or exactly what happened. After seeing where the blade caught my ring, I did think that if had been another finger, as soon as I felt the blade I would have pulled my hand away, granted, it would have been cut, perhaps badly but not all the way through, and if it had, it would have been a clean cut. In that case, the finger could have been saved.