Track Saws and Rails

[Julie Moriarty]

With the Mafell/Bosch rails, there's a substantial connector.



It would seem to me this type of connector would be superior to the two bars you see in other brands.

I saw a video of the Betterley connector aligning Festool rails and it worked perfectly.

The Betterley claimed to align two tracks regardless of the condition of the ends. So if they were banged up or out of square from the factory, it didn't matter. Seeing the Bosch connector in action convinced me it was better than the two bars method.

[Sam Murdoch]

Certainly seems more foolproof.

[Sam Murdoch]

Mafell is very obviously the best engineered of all these systems. The cost is humbling and I don't know that my woodworking would know the difference but there seems to me no doubt that efficiency and accuracy would be improved. Look at this rig - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvwrUMHu2oc Very impressive but can anyone explain how you would justify the need?

[Steve Keathley]

I have the Dewalt and it is fantastic. I have had no problem at all aligning the tracks in the few instances I have had to join them. Operation and cuts are very smooth. I'm sure the others are great as well, but it's my go to tool for cutting down sheet stock.

Best tool invention since the framing square. I love it.

[Julie Moriarty]

In reality, because the inaccuracy is probably not a big deal for most cuts or most woodworkers, then really all you have to do is just periodically check your butt joint to verify that it is giving you reasonable results.

The problem is inaccurate cuts can compound themselves during the assembly process. By the time you're at the end of the assembly, that tiny error can become a big problem.

It looks to me the Mafell/Bosch solution may have solved the rail coupling weakness. That would get me off the fence if that's true.

[Julie Moriarty]

Mafell is very obviously the best engineered of all these systems. The cost is humbling and I don't know that my woodworking would know the difference but there seems to me no doubt that efficiency and accuracy would be improved. Look at this rig - Very impressive but can anyone explain how you would justify the need?

I like the "push button and watch it go" aspect of the saw. If you're doing onsite production work, that saw might pay for itself quickly. But coming down a bit out of the stratosphere is the Mafell KSS 300. Don't know if the rails can be coupled but you have to love rolling up your rail and placing it in the systainer when it's time to pack up and go.

[Rick Fisher]

Really cool having a discussion about Mafell .. I believe the OF-2000 Router from Festool is actually a Mafell router rebranded.. Or the Mafell was a Festool router. Not sure.

I always considered Mafell a timber framing tool company .. Never paid much attention to their track saws.. It does appear that they are the top of the heap in both features and price ..

[Chris Hachet]

I have the Festool track saw and am very happy. I have not had any problems joining the rails but am careful when I do it and check to make certain it is correct. While the rails are important, I think that it is more important that it gives a great cut without splintering even hardwood thin veneer.

Also, the dust collection of the Festool is excellent.

Which is why I think festoon would be the best bang for the buck here

[Will Blick]

Great thread, should become a sticky when done...wee\\\

sorry, original post, BT keyboard batteries die.....

anyway, great web site Julie, nice projects!

Agreed getting Festool rails straight is not very hard, however, they can get crooked... then, you grab em, and whamo, just ruined a few expensive sheets....yep, I ruined some great wood like that, just one accident, as Rick demonstrated, the error continues to double, as you double the distance from the error source. So I bought the 9 ft rail, as its not worth the risk...one less thing to worry about...

nice seeing some of the nice rail selection....love some of the robust forms. Festool rails IMO are a bit flimsy.... too flimsy, they can bow in the middle, so you have to be careful how they are stored. Some of the other rails are of much sturdier design... just another thing to worry about... how important is this? it depends on how much you use the rails and how fast you work, how careless u are, how often you transport the rails, etc. If it was just a rail for cutting, I would opt for the thicker rails to be safe, assuming they have the sizes I need. But in my case, I use the rails with the Festool routers, so I am knee deep in Festool...its a consideration though for others though, as if you plan to use the rails with routers, you can amortize the cost of the rails.

Remember also, the TS75 can easily cut a few sheets at once, with no burn marks due to its extra power and larger blade.... making identical sized pieces a breeze... a very nice feature that is sometimes useful, and not easy to achieve on other cutting methods.

Jointing... long boards are best jointed with single long rails....want to join two 1" thick boards? Cut them together, to assure a perfect joint. Place top board with good side up, bottom board with good side down, after cut, think of a hinge joining the boards where the cuts join...., swing bottom board up, and minor blade angle errors are PERFECTLY cancelled. Of course, if they are small boards, you can try this on a stationary saw, but unless you have a slider, or a huge sled, its hard to keep the boards taught to each other...while on a rail system, this works quite well with underside clamps. Just one of the many amazing benefits of a rail system.

Dust collection....well, IMO, this is Festools claim to fame, they really do design with dust collection as a major priority, and sheets make a ton of dust... oh yeah, and finally a thread that touts Festools low price
Festool TS dust collection is very good if you use sacrificial board the entire length of the cut...but its not perfect...so I still wear a dust mask.

So how valuable rails are to you, depends on what you use them for...if its construction grade cuts, these high end rails are overkill, as others have pointed out, many cheaper alternatives. I have a Bosch Circ. saw and some end clamp rails for Construction cuts...I would not risk damaging my Festool system on construction grade cuts.

The other major benefit as I see it.... space. With the multi use MFT, you can have a TS, Radial Arm Saw, a sliding TS, all in one tool, when finished with the cuts, it now becomes an assembly table. I can see why some people rid their TS, as the foot print is huge considering the space required on inlet and outlet side for moving material. This is also Festools trademark, multi use, easy fold and and transport, or put in corner out of the way. Of course, if you are cutting sheets all day, this would be ideal... so how often you use the equipment also influences the value of the system to each user.

[Matt Meiser]

I bought the long Festool rail, but before I did I used 2 55" rails and never had a problem joining them. That Betterly thing is way overkill. Any straight edge can be used to align them in seconds. My experience was that the sheet I was about to cut up would have a straight edge--usually beat up, but straight.

[Tom Ewell]

I kinda like the idea of a clamped down alignment jig holding the rails while flipping and snugging up the connectors on both sides of the rail. Looks like the Betterley thing would slip into the short rail pocket of the case, too. Can easily amortize the cost of one over the next couple of jobs which is a lot quicker than doing the same with a big rail purchase.

[Joe Adams]

I resisted buying the Betterley for too long because of the price which is ironic considering the ridiculous amount of money I have paid for my Festools.

I always carefully joined my rails while balanced on a long straight edge (Stabila Level) and figured who needs another jig when I already have a proven method. Then one day, I didn't bring my level with me to the jobsite and realized I needed an easier method.

The Betterley is just as accurate if not more so and a whole lot faster. It's small so I can keep it on hand with my rails. Frankly, I used to dread the joining process but now it's a snap and my Stabila can stay safely in its case until it is needed to do its real job. It's been money well spent in my book.

I really don't understand this whole concern with loss of accuracy when making rips with two joined rails. It's never been a problem for me and I do most of my work in stain grade. The truth is my track saw makes straighter rips than my Unisaw.

[John Bailey]

I've got the EZ Smart rails set up with a Makita saw. I like the robustness of the system and the ability to use any saw. I've had no alignment problems.

I use it for all kinds of cuts, but I especially like the ability to straight line rough-sawn lumber and easily cutting non-parallel cuts. I've got an Alaskan Chainsaw Mill so I've got lots of rough cut lumber and the EZ system works perfect for giving me a straight edge. I'm rebuilding a classic Herreshoff sailboat. The ability to easily cut odd shapes for that project is a godsend.

My Dewalt radial arm saw replaced my table saw decades ago. My EZ system is slowly replacing my radial arm saw.

John

[Mike Cutler]

I bought the long Festool rail, but before I did I used 2 55" rails and never had a problem joining them. That Betterly thing is way overkill. Any straight edge can be used to align them in seconds. My experience was that the sheet I was about to cut up would have a straight edge--usually beat up, but straight.

Matt
I think if a person did not have a good, known, straight edge, that would be a prudent possibility and investment. Having a 6' Starrett Machine Rule, I don't think I have a need for it. I do however like the alignment checking fixture, that would be easy to make. One thing I don't see, is that this alignment tool satisfies all of Julie's prerequisites.
It does the initial alignment of two rails, or even multiple rails just fine. Once the co-joined rails are moved however, it's back to one of Julie's initial concerns. That being, maintaining an accurate straight edge during multiple work activities, while moving the rails around and out of the way during the workflow process.


I'm not a cabinet maker, nor do I claim to be one. I don't do wood working for a living, so indulge me in a question asked out of ignorance.

Do any of the cabinet makers here on the board, go straight from any track saw system to final assembly?
It seems that everyone is using the systems to perform an initial breakdown of cabinet ply, and then running the panels through a table saw, or they have a mega bucks panel saw that is doing the initial work.
While I have a Festool TS 75, my actual intended use for it is not really breaking down sheet goods, although I will be using it for that. It's to perform straight line rips on heavy material, and I need the depth of cut, because my EZ rails limit the depth by design. I work alone, so it will also add a safety factor.

[Joe Adams]

Mike,

I am a highly trained professional!

I just completed a project where I did all the cuts on 10 sheets of plywood with my Festool TS55. For rips I used two joined rails and then took them apart for cross cuts. There was a good bit of back and forth so the Betterley was a godsend. I work to a max gap of 1/32 and generally no gap at all and have no problem doing that with a tracksaw using joined rails.

I moved the joined rails a lot and didn't worry about checking them each time. When I pick up a joined rail, I use both hands on either side of the joint and set it on the floor or against the wall until I get the next sheet up on my cutting table. No big deal.

I would normally use my Delta Unisaw with a 52" fence and infeed/outfeed supports but these cabinets were 3' by 7' and it was just easier to do everything onsite. When I use my tracksaw in combination with my tablesaw, there is no need to rough cut with the tracksaw and finish cut with the tablesaw. They perform equally well.

The big difference I found in exclusively using a tracksaw as opposed to a tablesaw is that the process was slower and you had to be careful to achieve repeatability in your cuts.

I often buy S2S lumber and always use my tracksaw with joined rails to establish the first straight edge. This is one of the system's most valuable benefits in my opinion.

I've even done glue ups with boards cut with a tracksaw and I have a Powermatic helical head jointer!

Does a tracksaw give you laser accuracy? No but most woodworkers (myself included) don't achieve that kind accuracy from stationary tablesaws either.