Les
The problem is that using the Triton is
effectively the same as using a standard table saw but with a more vibration and run-out (less mass to absorb vibration
). Either way unless you can get a triple chip high angle saw blade designed for MFC (melamine faced chipboard - the industry term) on a portable saw you experience a varying amount of chip-out on the underside of the cut, or the top side if hand power sawing conventionally. Even were you to find such a blade you'd probably still experience chip-out (because lightweight set-ups do tend to vibrate), especially if sawing poorer DIY grades of MFC such as Contiboard (note to George: try to get a better quality board such as Egger, Sonae, Caberdecor, Finsa, Kronospan, etc from a trade outlet - they tend to chip-out less). It is for this reason that the trade moved to scoring blade saw benches many years back. Personally, I don't know of any blades which fit the bill for use on a portable saw. I've tried various combinations of blade (Freud/CMT/B&D - not impressed by Trend, a bit overpriced IMO) on my pair of hand power saws (Elu MH265 and Bosch GKS85B). The best solution to date has been a fine tooth Freud triple chip blade on the Bosch GKS86B saw running on the Bosch rail system, but even that generates a certain amount of chip out despite the rail system with its polyurethane insert strip being, in effect, one half of a zero-clearance insert :? . The best one-tool solution I've seen to date is Maffell's self-feeding saw/track system , the
PSS 3000, which can be used to make a reversed scoring cut before making the main cut, but that
really costs :roll: . To my mind this means that using a router will ultimately deliver a better quality edge at an affordable price, especially if care is taken to utilise a very sharp/new cutter and make all the cuts from the same face of the material. The issue is not really one of whether or not a Triton is used, it is one of the tooling solution required, IMO.
As to not understanding the problem of chip out - with respect I'm on my second
Altendorf, an F45 (sort of like a grown-up Felder, only bigger and heavier) and I still do the occasional bit of MFC machining (about 40 or so jumbos - 2600 x 2000mm sheets this year to date - mainly for drawers :roll: ). When absolutely pushed I'll even get involved installing the finished product ](*,) . Even so, chip-out on MFC is one of the greatest bugbears when working the stuff, even for those in the t(ir)rade, like myself.
Scrit