Rail systems

[Nick Gibbs]

We've been asked about rail systems for plunge saws etc.... Are any of them no good/brilliant? We only have experience of the Bosch and Festool. Never used the Mafell.

Thanks

Nick

 

[marcros]

There was a thread that I started recently about the new Scheppach one, which looks good value for money at £219 (saw with a couple of rails). By all accounts it is no Festool/Marfell, but it is half the price, and it would be interetsing to see a side by side comparison.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I have the Mafell KSS 300 which has a short rail for making cross cuts and a 1.4m flexible rail which you can curl up and store in the systainer http://service.mafell.de/index.php?IdTr ... duct=12438 Brilliant

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Nick Gibbs]

There was a thread that I started recently about the new Scheppach one, which looks good value for money at £219 (saw with a couple of rails). By all accounts it is no Festool/Marfell, but it is half the price, and it would be interetsing to see a side by side comparison.

I'll see if we can get one in for testing. Well spotted. Thanks.

 

[katellwood]

I'm happy with my dewalt, only bought it as it was in the clearance area at Axi Sittingbourne and really cheap. came with a 1.4m rail.

Subsequently I have purchased a 2.6m and a 1m rail (for ripping sheets and doors the 1m for crosscutting doors) dewalt rails can be used on both sides so if the rubber wears on one side you can use the other side, I don't think festools facilitate this.

My only drawback is that its 110 volt which means that I cannot plug it straight into the vac for auto start of the vac when I turn the machine on and plugging the transformer into the vac means the vac is on all the time (only a minor issue)


I am contemplating the purchase of the 3" festool for ripping down waney edged boards over 2" and that are too big to manhandle on the saw on my own. whats putting me off is that the dewalt will fit on festool tracks however I do not think a festool will fit on a dewalt track. (should have purchased festool tracks when I bought the above hey ho)

 

[WandrinAndy]

........ came with a 1.4m rail.

Subsequently I have purchased a 2.6m and a 1m rail (for ripping sheets and doors the 1m for crosscutting doors) dewalt rails can be used on both sides so if the rubber wears on one side you can use the other side, I don't think festools facilitate this.

I am contemplating the purchase of the 3" festool for ripping down waney edged boards over 2" and that are too big to manhandle on the saw on my own. whats putting me off is that the dewalt will fit on festool tracks however I do not think a festool will fit on a dewalt track. (should have purchased festool tracks when I bought the above hey ho)

Wouldn't it be great if ALL portable circular saws were made with a base formed to optionally run astride a standard bead size of say 6.5 x 6.5mm...... This would allow us to more easily make our own cheaper DIY rails, and who knows, might even help drop the prices of these great tools!

 

[MickCheese]

I have the Makita one. I am only a DIYer but find it very good.

Mick

 

[Eric The Viking]

+1 for the Makita. I think it's a real improvement on "traditional" hand held circular saws. It's very clean too when used with extraction, and the anti-tipping feature is really good. The rail clamps work well, and it will run on Festool rails and vice versa, the build quality is high, and it says 'made in the UK' on the label.

Lots of plusses, the only minus probably being that joining rails for lengthwise cuts on 8ft sheet stock is a pain. It doesn't work very well, and a long rail is on the shopping list! I think this probably applies to many of them though.

Hope that helps, but you ought to review that amazing Mafell automatic one!

E.

 

[petermillard]

Re. rail compatibility; Festool was the first with a guide-rail system, and the rails were/are an expensive part of that system. When the Festool patents expired a few years ago, competing manufacturers pretty much *had* to make their saws compatible with Festool rails, otherwise it would have been a major sticking-point in getting folks to switch systems. Whilst it would be nice to have a ’standard’ rail system that everyone used, it just isn't in the manufacturers’ interests to make this happen - and even if it did, there’d be no guarantee of cheaper prices e.g. cross-manufacturer lens compatibility in the 4/3 camera system seems to have had little effect on prices...

Probably also worth noting that Festool dealers have more flexibility now to set their own prices, making them much more competitive; I picked up a new TS55EBQ for £225 inc. just before Christmas, as a spare...

 

[Eric The Viking]

Good point, Pete. The Festool system also has some handy accessories, like stops, that won't fit on my rails! :-(

 

[billybuntus]

dewalt rails can be used on both sides so if the rubber wears on one side you can use the other side, I don't think festools facilitate this.

Had thr dewalt demonstarted to me at harrogate trade show a few weeks ago and I was very impressed.

The demo guy said if you use it at 45 degree etc for cuts use only one side of the track for it as it cuts the rubber and therefore won't stop breakout on straight cuts.

I'm very tempted by one.

 

[marcros]

i was looking at the Sheppach, £220 or thereabouts with the 2 1400mm rails. I noticed that I can get a Festool TS55REQ with 2 rails for £290. The latter includes the Festool insurance offer if it is stolen, and is very tempting at that.

i guess that if you are a hobbiest, and new to track saws, whichever one you get, you will be impressed with over a circular saw and straight edge. If you are not new to the system, you may have a few extra points to look at in comparison to the system you are replacing.

 

[Eric The Viking]

dewalt rails can be used on both sides so if the rubber wears on one side you can use the other side, I don't think festools facilitate this.

Had thr dewalt demonstarted to me at harrogate trade show a few weeks ago and I was very impressed.

The demo guy said if you use it at 45 degree etc for cuts use only one side of the track for it as it cuts the rubber and therefore won't stop breakout on straight cuts.

I'm very tempted by one.

Both the Makita and the Festool are designed so that doesn't happen. The centre point of the tilt quadrant should be exactly on the bottom outer edge of the anti-splinter strip. Thus if you tilt it, the blade doesn't cut the rubber any more than when it's first set up. That's certainly the case on my Makita, as I've used it tilted a fair bit.

 

[david123]

+1 for the Makita

+2

 

[roman]

I have the mafell mt55 and the small kss300 with the flexi rail. The latter is a very clever bit of kit, maximising depth of cut due to being so thin, as well as being transported together with the saw in its systainer. However it struggles when placed over shorter material and when used in the middle of a board. The other really clever bit is the cross cut rail that attaches to the saw and gives a healthy 300mm crosscut, the equal of many mitre saws. I know the question isn't really to do with these but they really deserve a mention as there is nothing else like it on the market (til the patents run out). It is my go to saw in most cases. Just as I mostly use my 10.8v drill driver instead of the 18v gear.

I only turn to the bigger saw when the material/depth of cut demands it. The smaller tool in its cross cut state allows me to bring the tool to the material rather than vv and is a non fatiguing joy to use in most instances (it DOES have
its frustrations!) It is best with dust extraction though,as it is prone to getting caked with dust which affects plunge and saw guard return.

The solid rail system made for the larger saw (kss 300 can use it too but loses some depth and cant tilt by more than about ten degrees) is I think superior to the other systems I have used (festool/makita, I've not tried dewalt though
seen it in action) and I say this without bias as I own several festool tools and admire the companys range and approach beyond all others. However the jointing system and narrower rails I think give mafell (and therefore bosch) the advantage. However I look longingly at the festool parallel guides and wish my saws could get something similar. I dont know if the design would permit it. Anyone know? Also the festool gives great versatility in being usable with other festool tools. Nevertheless in a straight shoot out I think mafell wins.

The aerofix is a pretty fab if unessential thing too. (1.1m guide held down by extractor power).

 

[plug]

Anyone got any views on the Bosch rail system, they have a range of circular saws with grooves to use with there rail and Festools.
http://images.bosch-professional.com/gb ... -25417.jpg.


Thinking of getting this. £285 from powertool biz
http://www.powertoolbiz.co.uk/media/cat ... gks65g.jpg