Tablesaw, tracksaw, bench..... opinions please!

[baldkev]

Dagnabbitt spectric, now youve thrown my plans into doubt!

I like the matchfit bits, looks to be a good idea.
How much lip do rail clamps have? If they fit in a t slot, they could be an option....

I like the front apron also having the slots. Another option could be to make an L shaped bench extension which attaches to the bench via a vertical dovetail runner ( but at 1m wide, I'll probably cope! )

 

[baldkev]

Or, would the rail clamps slot nicely into a dovetail hole?

Edit to say, i know they arent dovetail shaped, but thinking if they fit within a dovetail shaped slot, i wouldnt need to buy other kit ( im tight )

 

[Mickjay]

Or, would the rail clamps slot nicely into a dovetail hole?

Edit to say, i know they arent dovetail shaped, but thinking if they fit within a dovetail shaped slot, i wouldnt need to buy other kit ( im tight )

Axminster sell a router bit for cutting slots for rail clamps, much cheaper than microjig if you already have rail clamps.

 

[baldkev]

Ah
Im about to buy a tracksaw, so will have the clamps.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Yep it'll be removable but pinned down somehow. I'll probably avoid screws for obvious reasons. The back section can be pinned down with the batten, just needs a 6mm rebate. The zero wear is a good point. I was aiming at having it sacraficial so i dont need to move a sheet around and store it.

my polystyrene sheets are only about 400mm wide by 1200mm long so with some cloth tape they concertina easily so I lust have a 400mm block and a smooth mostly unmarked bench/assembly top you can easily cut a full sheet of insulation down to mimic my setup.

Yep, I believe he often gets things cut by his supplier to save splitting large sheets. I have read a few of the tracksaw/ mft threads, i dont think I'll go full mft, but you never know. At the moment i can see a few well placed dog holes would be great and I'll set up a few for stops whilst sanding etc.

if you have a little extra cash then the Parf guide is a good investment as when setting up your bench top you can put in a grid of 3mm holes with it very quickly and easily, this allows for you to have all the accuracy of the Festool grid system but you are able to enlarge only the dog holes you need and additional ones are trivial to add anytime you want.
It also means that you can add them to other items. Some of my items are here this was from 2013 & I keep adding in some other things. BTW the workmate stops are a perfect fit

 

[TRITON]

Hi Triton you make some great points of which I agree with. I am a cabinet maker based here in Northern Ireland and I am blessed to have both a good cabinet saw and a rail saw. The 55 is very good at dealing with sheet material and most thinner repeatable long cuts I do prefer to use the Fusion3. In my humble opinion it's nice to have both machines, the big Laguna is scary accurate and will produce highly accurate long cuts all day long but resizing a full sheet really is a good deal safer with the TS55. You are correct that a good Bench's that's flat is needed and of course the room to work the sheet. If you have the room then save your pennys and have both. Louie

Hi Lou.
I agree wholeheartedly. each tool has its place in our inventory(im also a qualified cabinetmaker)
One of the main issues is on this type of thread is fanbois. Or blinkered fanbois to be exact.
Any talk about tablesaws is a screeching noise to their ears and they want to fight you tooth and nail should you recommend the table over the track.
I think they all see themselves as German shopfitters or something, resplendent in their black and red waistcoats and tool pockets. To them that is the epitome of cabinetry.

Good choice of saw, currently theyre the favoured brand for the pro furniture maker and actually not badly priced either. Took a look at something to compare to the festool price wise(Fusion 2), but for me its more about space than having a nice big cast iron saw.

 

[Louie10]

Hi Lou.
I agree wholeheartedly. each tool has its place in our inventory(im also a qualified cabinetmaker)
One of the main issues is on this type of thread is fanbois. Or blinkered fanbois to be exact.
Any talk about tablesaws is a screeching noise to their ears and they want to fight you tooth and nail should you recommend the table over the track.
I think they all see themselves as German shopfitters or something, resplendent in their black and red waistcoats and tool pockets. To them that is the epitome of cabinetry.

Good choice of saw, currently theyre the favoured brand for the pro furniture maker and actually not badly priced either. Took a look at something to compare to the festool price wise(Fusion 2), but for me its more about space than having a nice big cast iron saw.

I enjoyed your reply Triton you did make me smile, being opened minded is important personal speaking I have slot to learn mate so your advice and others is great for me. Your opinion would be valued on my next possible purchase. I am toying with maybe buying a long rail for my 55 probably. The 2700 basically for sheet goods of course. I am not happy with the price and what's worse I was reading an article where a fella bought the festool long rail only to find it wasn't straight out by about 3mm and he claimed that festool said that in their opinion this was within exceptable tolerances! So I am not sure and then of course the makita track rail is considerably cheaper but again some say not in the same league in terms of build quality to festool your opinion I would value. Regards Lou.

 

[Doug71]

I enjoyed your reply Triton you did make me smile, being opened minded is important personal speaking I have slot to learn mate so your advice and others is great for me. Your opinion would be valued on my next possible purchase. I am toying with maybe buying a long rail for my 55 probably. The 2700 basically for sheet goods of course. I am not happy with the price and what's worse I was reading an article where a fella bought the festool long rail only to find it wasn't straight out by about 3mm and he claimed that festool said that in their opinion this was within exceptable tolerances! So I am not sure and then of course the makita track rail is considerably cheaper but again some say not in the same league in terms of build quality to festool your opinion I would value. Regards Lou.

Louie, if you are thinking of getting the 2.7m rail it might be worth spending a bit more and getting the 3m. The extra bit of length means it's not as fiddly setting it up, also handy if you ever need to cut down a sheet at an angle.

I have a 3m Festool rail and it's dead straight, the first one that got delivered wasn't though but that was the fault of the couriers

 

[sometimewoodworker]

I enjoyed your reply Triton you did make me smile, being opened minded is important personal speaking I have slot to learn mate so your advice and others is great for me. Your opinion would be valued on my next possible purchase. I am toying with maybe buying a long rail for my 55 probably. The 2700 basically for sheet goods of course. I am not happy with the price and what's worse I was reading an article where a fella bought the festool long rail only to find it wasn't straight out by about 3mm and he claimed that festool said that in their opinion this was within exceptable tolerances! So I am not sure and then of course the makita track rail is considerably cheaper but again some say not in the same league in terms of build quality to festool your opinion I would value. Regards Lou.

What I use is the Betterly straight line jig I have a 1400mm, a 1010 holly rail and 2 800mm rails and 2 Festool rail joining sets, the Betterly jig guarantees that I have a perfectly straight combination of rails every time. In my opinion the 2,700mm and 3,000mm rails only make sense if you are very frequently ripping full sheets, have a safe storage place and can inspect the rails prior to purchase. FWIW here there is no guarantee that the rail will even reach you without getting bent in transit! And the import agents will not cover damage by any courier company, so you are SOL if it’s not perfect!

 

[Spectric]

The problem with ali track is that it can go east to west or north to south but cannot cross, with the dovetail slots you can have fences that can take any angle by running diagonally across the slots. Ali track unless it has the dovetail profile is also more prone to be jacked out of it's slot if just screwed down.

For me the actual clamps are so useful, do not need space behind and easy to slide into place and clamp your work down. With a front apron you can work round a corner easily. The clamps also fit into the Makita tracksaw track if you need to clamp that down, cannot say if they fit other tracks though but this also means the Makita clamps might be a cheaper option if they have the same profile, the track is a square slot compared to the dovetail shape of the other.

 

[Louie10]

What I use is the Betterly straight line jig I have a 1400mm, a 1010 holly rail and 2 800mm rails and 2 Festool rail joining sets, the Betterly jig guarantees that I have a perfectly straight combination of rails every time. In my opinion the 2,700mm and 3,000mm rails only make sense if you are very frequently ripping full sheets, have a safe storage place and can inspect the rails prior to purchase. FWIW here there is no guarantee that the rail will even reach you without getting bent in transit! And the import agents will not cover damage by any courier company, so you are SOL if it’s not perfect!

Thankyou pal for your input, you make very valid points here, I work mainly with hardwoods, usually white oak but i do resize a few sheets throughout the year, I have thought often of investing in a longer rail the 2700, but a recent comment from a fellow carpenter online scared me in respect that his long rail wasn't straight, infact out by 3mm! He claimed then that festool declared it was within tolerances which surprises me as Festool have always set the bar so high! Thankyou again buddy andi will look 8nto this item you mention. Kind regards Louie

 

[Louie10]

The problem with ali track is that it can go east to west or north to south but cannot cross, with the dovetail slots you can have fences that can take any angle by running diagonally across the slots. Ali track unless it has the dovetail profile is also more prone to be jacked out of it's slot if just screwed down.

For me the actual clamps are so useful, do not need space behind and easy to slide into place and clamp your work down. With a front apron you can work round a corner easily. The clamps also fit into the Makita tracksaw track if you need to clamp that down, cannot say if they fit other tracks though but this also means the Makita clamps might be a cheaper option if they have the same profile, the track is a square slot compared to the dovetail shape of the other.

Great advice buddy, I am now looking at the Betterly Jig, again its expensive and with the connectors another 1400 rail and the jig 8ts really just as cheap for a long rail option so not sure which Avenue to go down now! Lol. Louie

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Thankyou again buddy andi will look 8nto this item you mention. Kind regards Louie

the makers are here Betterly I got mine virtually as soon as it was released, years ago, and it works as perfectly now as it did then

 

[baldkev]

Do the 3m rails come in a wooden box? I thought i read that sonewhere?

The concertina idea sounds good, a hole could be incorporated into the base

@Spectric, i believe makita and festool rails and clamps are the same prifile, so interchangeable

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Great advice buddy, I am now looking at the Betterly Jig, again its expensive and with the connectors another 1400 rail and the jig 8ts really just as cheap for a long rail option so not sure which Avenue to go down now! Lol. Louie

the shorter rails are far more useful in my opinion and with the jig as good or better, don’t forget to get the LR32 version of the rail

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Do the 3m rails come in a wooden box? I thought i read that sonewhere?

They do, but as I mentioned my countries import agent will not guarantee them. so how good is the box? Not very I would think.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

The concertina idea sounds good, a hole could be incorporated into the base

I was wrong about the width they are 600mm x 120mm and cost about 50p each

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

Those polystyrene sheets look like an excellent solution - I use my tracksaw on a Bora Centipede and it'd be nice to have a top that folds up too. Ta!

 

[Spectric]

i believe makita and festool rails and clamps are the same prifile

So is the profile rectangular or dovetail, for the slots it obviously needs to be angled so it cannot come out of the dovetail groove but the dovetail profile works great in the track.

 

[MikeK]

Do the 3m rails come in a wooden box? I thought i read that sonewhere?

I think the FS3000/2 was shipped in a wooden box a while back, but mine arrived in a cardboard box with a wooden frame inside for support.