Third party tracks for festool saw

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Paddy Roxburgh

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Enfield Lock
Has anyone bought/tried 3rd party tracks for festool saws? I need a new track and have noticed a few 3rd party ones considerably cheaper. There's 2 things I suppose, are they proper straight and does the saw fit on ok?
Thanks
 
I expect you already have but if not. Have you had a look on this forum for any posts on possible compatability?
 
I have the st2800 evolution track and it's fine for my uses and for my cheap titan plunge saw.

A makita one will be cheaper than the festool and probably better than the evolution.

What happened to the festool one?
 
Are you looking to extend your existing track, or replace it due to damage? Whilst it’s possible to mix & match tracks from different manufacturers, I wouldn’t recommend it as there are subtle differences between the brands - even ‘quality brands like Makita & Festool - that can make life difficult, depending on what you want to do. I have a video coming out on the subject soon, probably next week, just FYI.

As an example, Makita tracks have an extra ‘anti-tipping’ lip on the Upper-facing t-slot that interferes with some accessories eg parallel guides or rail stops. Also, the main ‘rib’ that the saw runs on is slightly under size on the Makita rail - only by less than 1/5th mm, but enough to stop my Festool saw snugging down onto the rail, which could cause issues if you join Makita & Festool rails together.

That said, I picked up a 3-metre Makita rail back when they were 1/3 the price of the Festool equivalent, cut it down to 2100/900 and it’s been excellent - but I don’t try and mix it with rails from other makers.

HTH. P
 

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