Shopsmith Forums

I wasn't being serious about that, but after looking at the patent in more detail I'm getting the idea that the base of the saw can be rotated relative to the blade so that if the user pushes the saw off line servo motors will turn the base so that the blade stays in line with the original path. I still don't see how that prevents binding because it doesn't remove the lateral force, it would just assure that force is perpendicular to the blade path.

Looking further I can see that the servos that can change the angle of the blade relative to the tool base can also move the blade closer and further from the base. So as you push the tool forward into the cut the blade is moved side to side and angled to stay in line. Not sure what they do if you get too far away from the line or exceed the limits of the angle adjustment, perhaps it raises the blade in the way the Shaper Origin raises a bit, or maybe it has a brake.

Yeah, they just launched a new cordless tracksaw, the TSC 55 K (viewtopic.php?p=283250#p283250), which is supposed to detect any lifting off of the track and they use an e-brake to stop the saw before a kickback can happen. There is talk about Festool incorporating the Sawstop technology into the Kapex to prevent accidental injuries. Will this be a mechanical brake or an e-brake for the Kapex? It is possible that they intend to make a new tracksaw that can be used on/off a track guiderail. When operating off track, it would have to behave similar to the Shaper Origin. According to the 2nd video that I posted above, Festool gives the option of either marking tape (like SO) or by putting down two special markers on each end of the cutline. At least according to the patent this appears to be the intent, i.e. multiple applications. Perhaps they intend to use servo motors, as you mention, to change the orientation of the saw cut, similar to how SO does it, but if it goes too far they must have some way to detect this and trigger the e-brake to stop any potential kickback. So, the TSC 55 K was a first step to test out this part of the technology before adding the rest.

They also mention that the tool could use a reciprocating saw like a jigsaw/sabersaw and follow around curves because the shaft can be rotated on the horizontal plane to follow a specific radius. That would be incredibly valuable if they can make it an attachment to the basic tool. There is a lot detail in there but most of it is explaining the guidance and reference system.

In the case of saws a brake makes more sense than raising the blade so you don't need to get the blade back into the cut. It should allow you to realign the tool with the blade still in the cut slot.

+1 Ed