I’m considering the purchase of the Festool guide rail. My primary use for this will be to guide a router to “joint” veneer. Having two rails of different lengths seems like a convenient option but they would have to be connected on the large jobs to a length of ten feet. For those of you who have experience with this guide; can I rely on the connector to maintain a truly straight edge?
Thanks for all your help.
Replies
You may be worrying about something which doesn't matter in practice. Veneer (I presume we're talking about commercial sliced veneer here? That is, .025" thick?) can and does stretch across the grain, and it does it fairly easily. Say your Festool staightedge had a bow of .03" along its 10' length. (I actually have no idea of what straightness Festool achieves.) You could easily pull that out of the veneer when you tape the leaves together.
My concern was more that there would be a pronounced offset and/or kink right at the juncture of the two guide rails. But according to Banyon, that doesn't happen.Thanks for the reply.
sapwood,
I use my Festool system all the time for cutting lengths between 8' and 10' -- routing, sawing with the plunge saw, and also cutting with the Jigsaw. I use the connector, since I don't have room in my shop to store long guides. I have connected two and three separate rails, depending on the situation. I have done this both in the shop and on-site in people's homes.
The straightness has never been a problem for me, as the Festool guides are as close to perfect as one can expect. Even when stretched out 8'+ they remain accurate.
If you have other questions about Festool, feel free to join the Festool group. Here's a link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FestoolOwnersGroup/
Edited 4/5/2006 1:38 pm ET by BanyanTree
Thank you for the input. That helps.
I use two 55" rails (attached with two connectors) to cut plywood with their CS. The guides are straight enough for that purpose, but I don't have the router set-up, so it would be hard for me to say if accuracy would be an issue in your application.I do have a small problem with the saw catching right at the intersection of the two rails. I deal with it by giving the saw a little extra push as it approaches the attached guide rail. The fact that it catches does not seem to affect the quality of the cut, however. If you're loaded down with cash and have the storage space, you'd probly be happier with a single guide rail that was long enough for what you have in mind. If you already have a suitable router, and are not lusting after a Festool router, you might want to check out the cost of the EZ Smart long guide rail/router set-up.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
There was a huge discussion of the guide rails a few weeks ago on the Festool Owners Group - a Yahoo group. That might be a good source for information directly from Festool owners. As I recall some were good and some weren't.
There is very little debate about the accuracy of joining Festool guide rails.In our discussions, the only issue that people mentioned is that at the connection point, the saw can get hung up for a moment. This has happened to me. But the cut quality and accuracy is not affected at all.
Edited 4/7/2006 9:10 am ET by BanyanTree
Burt - As you certainly know by now, there have been a small number of reports of people having difficulty with the joint between two Festool guide rails. I have not personally experienced the problem. The vast majority of Festool guide rail users report no problems. If you get guide rails that do have a "bump" at the joint, Festool will replace them within the first three years of ownership. As mentioned earlier, using a longer rail certainly resolves even the chance that a problem might exist.
Similar rail alignment issues have been discussed with the EZ Smart rails, such as the discussion in this thread at Sawmill Creek:
http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=32716
No system is perfect, but as long as the manufacturer stands behind the product, we have no reason to complain. Both Festool and EZ Smart have excellent reputations for customer service.Daviddubya - Cave Creek, AZ
David,
In this case, I thought that the best way for this person to get info on the Festool rail, was to listen to the Festool owners. When I refer someone to the Festool Forum, it gives the person a chance to evaluate Festool without any coloring from me.
Burt
Burt - The simple fact that you refer a person to the Festool forum provides coloring from you. Get real!!!Daviddubya - Cave Creek, AZ
While I love using the Festool guide rails with my Festool circular saw - I don't bother using it with my Festool router. I use an adjustable jig from a ShopNotes design for dado's.I think the problem with joining 2 festool rails is not that they are manufactured with a defect (bump), but that a very slight gap can occur if the connecting rods aren't tightened perfectly. A gap almost too small to notice can still produce an alignment problem over the 4+ feet length of the rail. It's not a show stopper, just points out that you need to take some care when joining 2 rails and you need very precise accuracy.I would really like to have an 8'+ guide rail (in addition to a 55" one), but just can't get myself to spend the money for it.
Oh, yea of little faith!
You have taught me well, Burt.Daviddubya - Cave Creek, AZ
Have a nice Easter!
I have the Festool saw. The guide rails are very straight. However, I can not joint veneer with it. The problem is that the guide rail puts virtually no pressure on the veneer. As a result, the veneer will chip badly. To joint veneer, I place the veneer between to long straight boards and use clamps to put pressure on the veneer. I then use a router with bearing to joint the veneer between the clamps. The clamps have to be moved so that the router can reach the area where the clamps were first placed. If you figure out how to use the Festool guide rails to joint veneer, please let me know. Thanks.
Thank you for this reply. I too now use two boards and clamps along with a trimmer bit. This Is OK but depends on the straightness of the guide board. I use a 10 inch wide piece of mdf that I trimmed straight by using a 3x3 aluminum angle as the guide. My system works well enough but I know there is a bit of error involved. And, it's limited to the 8 foot mdf. If the Festool guide cannot be clamped down, then I'm gonna pass. Thanks again.
The Festool guide can only be clamped down on the ends. It can not be clamped down in the middle.
Would using double-stick tape be an option for fastening the guide to your work in the middle? If it does not tear the veneer upon removal it may be an option. Interested to hear feedback on this.Richard
There's no reason to use double-sided tape. The clamps on the ends of the guides prevent it from sliding. Even if you don't use clamps, the guides are unlikely to move since they have anti-slip strips on them.I regularly cut 8' lengths, and I've never had a rail slip on me!
Edited 4/15/2006 6:59 pm ET by BanyanTree
I do not have this problem. Maybe you could try cleaning your strips on the bottom or changing out the rubber strip along the edge.
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