Festool track clamp.

[pe2dave]

Following on from Peter Millards, I knocked up this.
T nuts (that 'nearly' fit the Festool track) at Bangood - on long dely.
Plastic is 2mm stuff I've seen Paul Sellers using and find very useful (from displaypro.co.uk I think)
Works well.

I spent 10 mins with a file (about .6mm too wide), or 2 mins with angle grinder.

 

[Distinterior]

Dave,....Forgive me for questioning you, but to ensure accuracy and repeatability, isn't the edge of the track supposed to be tight up against your metal dogs...??

You picture "seems" to show the tapered plastic is tight in the slot but the rail is not against the dogs...!??

 

[pe2dave]

Dave,....Forgive me for questioning you, but to ensure accuracy and repeatability, isn't the edge of the track supposed to be tight up against your metal dogs...??

You picture "seems" to show the tapered plastic is tight in the slot but the rail is not against the dogs...!??

Both plastic pieces are identical. So long as the edge of the track is parallel to the dogs, all works fine.

 

[Distinterior]

Both plastic pieces are identical.....

Really...??

Surely, it would be more logical and far more accurate to have the tapered slot cut so that as its pushed forward, it locks against the rail edge? Do you follow my thinking?

I'm pretty sure I saw an Australian guy on YouTube who made a pair of those adaptors and his were made as I've described above.

 

[Spectric]

Surely, it would be more logical and far more accurate to have the tapered slot cut so that it as its pushed forward, it locks against the rail edge? Do you follow my thinking?

Yes I can see your thinking, that way the dogs do the alignment and the tappered slot pieces just lock it in place. It would not take much error to make a noticable difference over the length of a guide rail.

 

[pe2dave]

Lots of ways to skin a cat? It works, which is what I care about.

 

[Distinterior]

Yes I can see your thinking, that way the dogs do the alignment and the tappered slot pieces just lock it in place. It would not take much error to make a noticable difference over the length of a guide rail.

Exactly!

With all respect to Dave,....Using his method, if there was 0.5mm difference between the front and rear adaptors, and he performed the 5 cut method over a length of 600mm material, he may well end up with an out of square panel.

Making the adaptors the way I described would ensure repeatability and accuracy.

Dont get me wrong Dave,...I'm not criticising the idea, it's just that it can be improved.

 

[gcusick]

David Stanton is the Australian chap, as memory serves. @petermillard, of this parish, spoke to him on one of his recent videos. I’m pretty sure that his (DS’s) devices pulled the edge of the rail hard against the dogs.

This thread on the forum:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/securing-a-tracksaw-rail-to-bench-dogs.135669/#post-1558830
has a lot more on the subject.

 

[petermillard]

Very neat, and if it works, it works! But just to clarify, on the original Dave Stanton design - and the ones I made after my chat with him - the wedge pulls the edge of the rail tight against the Benchdogs.