Is a full size guide rail worth it?

[sammy.se]

Hi

I’m debating whether I should invest in a full size rail meaning 2.6m or 3m

I will be making a bunch of cabinets soon and will need to rip long lengths of MRMDF for door rails and stiles

I like the idea of just putting one rail on and not worrying if it’s straight

BUT!

I’ve heard that you still get some deflection in the track because it’s so long, which defeats the purpose. I might as well join two 1.4m tracks and have less hassle storing them.

I’m either going to get a Makita 3m rail or a Dewalt.
I have a dewalt track saw and park side, so I’m thinking the makita one is more versatile with different saws. What do people think?

 

[sammy.se]

Just to add, does anyone regularly use a dewalt saw on a makita/festool track? What’s your experience?

 

[Distinterior]

When I bought my first tracksaw ( Festool TS75) back in 2008, I also bought 2 x 1400mm rails & the joining bars at the same time, thinking I could just join 2 together when I needed to do a long cut.
On the very first job I used it on, I soon got bored & frustrated having to keep separating the two rails and then joining them again whilst out on the job site. Within about 2 days of the saw purchase, I contacted the company I bought the saw from and ordered the 3000mm rail.....I've never regretted it! Shortly after that, I bought a 1900mm rail.

I've since added a few more rails to my collection and it just gives you that much more confidence knowing you dont have to be worried about movement in the rail joints etc.

Potentially, there can be a bit of deflection in the centre of a long rail, as you say, due to its length, but I mainly work with materials that have a pre finished surface, so I also use a vacuum clamp or two in the centre of the rail in addition to the rail end clamps and this prevents any deflection.
Unfortunately, the vacuum clamps dont work on bare MDF or Plywood, but the rubber gripper strips on the rails do tend to "stick" to the surface of MDF & Plywood better anyway.....

Also, ( I hope I'm not teaching my Granny to suck eggs here...!) but be aware, when cutting long narrow lengths of MDF or Plywood, the internal stresses in the sheet can cause the narrow strips to warp when cut.....Just a heads up!

 

[sammy.se]

Thank you!! Very helpful answer. And thanks for the tip about internal stresses! I think I always assumed it wasn't an issue for man-made boards, but it seems like it still is a factor. Thanks.

 

[Slip'n'slide]

I have 3x 1400mm & 1x 800mm rails. I can get to pretty much any length with these and often mix and match on different jobs so i have two ready made sizes for width & length cuts. I've not noticed deflection in the festool rails.. but then again, I'm a signmaker, we work to +/- 15-25mm tolerances.

 

[Sideways]

One of the reasons I swapped from a festool ts55 to the mafell plunge saw was that Mafell (Bosch) have a better system for joining rails and the default rail is a little longer at 1600mm.
I bought the twin rail pack and the first job I did with it was a bunch of nearly 3m rips in 2" softwood.

 

[sammy.se]

One of the reasons I swapped from a festool ts55 to the mafell plunge saw was that Mafell (Bosch) have a better system for joining rails and the default rail is a little longer at 1600mm.
I bought the twin rail pack and the first job I did with it was a bunch of nearly 3m rips in 2" softwood.

What setup did you have when you had the Festool? Joining two rails?

 

[ChaiLatte]

Where will you use the rail? If you need to turn it end-for-end, do you have the space to do so?

Do you ever go anywhere to do work with the saw? If so, will a 3m rail fit in your vehicle?

Where (and how) will you store it when you are not using it?

If the inconvenience of storing it in a place where it is not going to get damaged when not in use (or not having that place at all) outweighs the effort of joining two shorter ones together, then maybe it is not for you.

Especially if you are doing a project and know in advance what cuts you need, joining the rails together, cutting all the pieces that need a long rail and then breaking down the setup will not be a hassle.

Even with a long rail, that would be a good workflow. Imagine how inefficient it would be to cut one piece with the 3m rail, pick it up and put it somewhere safe, cut one piece with a 1.4m rail, and then swap back to the 3m rail.

 

[ChaiLatte]

What setup did you have when you had the Festool? Joining two rails?

I have a Chinese knock off of the TSO one (https://www.axminstertools.com/tso-products-aligning-guide-rail-connectors-grc-12-pair-106358). I cannot speak for the TSO one, but on the one I have, the screws are broached all the way through with the hexagon for the key, meaning the allen key can enter from top or bottom. I have drilled two holes in my guide rail so I can do all the joining from the top.

I made an alignment bar similar to the Betterley one (https://betterleytools.com/products/straight-line-connector-for-aligning-track-saw-rails.html) but if I forget to pack it, a 1200mm spirit level does just as well.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I use 1000mm Stabila level to line up two 1400mm rails. I also have the rails drilled and countersunk so I can screw the rails down - I did this because I had some heavy structural timber to rip and the accuracy was more important than the screw holes it left.

 

[Blister]

I own and use a Festool track saw and 2 rails that are joined with a steel bar and locked with 4 grub screws. I also have the 2 rail clamps the lock the rail onto the board being cut so no movement when sawing. I am happy with the system.

 

[paulrbarnard]

I went with two 1400 rails because of storage. I did buy one as a LR32 so I have that option too. The new Festool joiner is very good for alignment.

 

[HOJ]

Like @Distinterior I got fed up with having to join up my 1.4m rails & then breaking them down, so bought a 3m rail, I use mine regularly for sheet cutting, trimming doors and cutting solid timber and not had a problem with bowing, it does however live in my van, on a carrier, so I can just slide it out and get on, and I quite regularly stick 1.4m rails on the ends of it to be able to cut long lengths of timber, I have also chopped a 1.4m rail into 800/600 rails, these are really handy for kitchen work i.e. worktops etc

Is it worth buying a 3m for one job, doubtful.

 

[sammy.se]

Thank you all, very helpful and lots of food for thought

 

[Sideways]

What setup did you have when you had the Festool? Joining two rails?

The TS55 was my first tracksaw so I bought an 800 and 1400 rail and the Festool joiner bars thinking versatility.
I quickly realised that 1400 was annoyingly short for cross cutting 8x4's and 2200 was just barely usable for the rips.
2x1400 = 2800 would have been OK but having 1600/3200 is better.
I'd kinda like a long one piece rail but frankly storing it safely would be a nightmare for me and not being able to transport it (don't have a van) would make it of limited use.

 

[Doug71]

I have a 3m Festool rail which I wouldn't be without but I do have plenty of room in the workshop to spin it around and store it, and I use it enough to justify the cost.

I get perfectly straight cuts with the rail, it always puts a smile on my face when I use it.

 

[Distinterior]

Admittedly, the majority of my usage of the 3000mm rail is in my workshop and I also do have plenty of room for storage and moving it about.
Mine came in a wooden storage case and I do store it in that when not being used.
On the odd occasion when I take it to a site, it's easy enough to transport in my LWB VW van.

 

[Keith Cocker]

I have Festool and Bosch saws and rails and the Bosch have much better joining systems.

 

[RupertV]

Hi Sammy, yes, I run a Dewalt cordless on Festool tracks (not at present due to semi retirement and health issues) without any issues at all. I opted for the Festool track as it is more versatile than the double sided de walt tracks ( can be used with routers etc) If I was still busy I would definitely have a 3m track. Looking back I would probably have gone for the makita track as it is just as good, as far as I know as the festool, but cheaper.

I’m debating whether I should invest in a full size rail meaning 2.6m or 3m

I will be making a bunch of cabinets soon and will need to rip long lengths of MRMDF for door rails and stiles

I like the idea of just putting one rail on and not worrying if it’s straight

BUT!

I’ve heard that you still get some deflection in the track because it’s so long, which defeats the purpose. I might as well join two 1.4m tracks and have less hassle storing them.

I’m either going to get a Makita 3m rail or a Dewalt.
I have a dewalt track saw and park side, so I’m thinking the makita one is more versatile with different saws. What do people thin

 

[RupertV]

Where will you use the rail? If you need to turn it end-for-end, do you have the space to do so?

Do you ever go anywhere to do work with the saw? If so, will a 3m rail fit in your vehicle?

Where (and how) will you store it when you are not using it?

If the inconvenience of storing it in a place where it is not going to get damaged when not in use (or not having that place at all) outweighs the effort of joining two shorter ones together, then maybe it is not for you.

Especially if you are doing a project and know in advance what cuts you need, joining the rails together, cutting all the pieces that need a long rail and then breaking down the setup will not be a hassle.

Even with a long rail, that would be a good workflow. Imagine how inefficient it would be to cut one piece with the 3m rail, pick it up and put it somewhere safe, cut one piece with a 1.4m rail, and then swap back to the 3m rail.

Even more inefficient if you have to join the two 1.4m lengths just to do one long rip - I have three 1.4m rails and would have two joined together at the start of the day for long rips (permanently joined if working at home. As said in previous post I would definitely have invested in a 3m rail if I wasn't at the end of my working career and so couldn't justify the cost. As for length, most of us pros have vans so the 3m is not an issue. or wouldn't be for me.