1400 Rail Out of Square

[Joebuck]

Hello All. I recently took delivery of the TSO GRS-16 Guide Rail square which I plan to use primarily to break down sheet goods. Here’s how the maiden voyage worked out:

Using TS55 with a brand new 1900 rail, I made a straight line cut on the long edge of 3/4” MDF. The starting dimension of the sheet was 65” x 40”. I clamped both ends of the rail before making the cut.

I then attached the GRS-16 to a two year old 1400 rail to square the adjacent short edge. I paid careful attention that I had the square properly seated against the first cut edge and made the cross cut leaving at least 1” of cut off.

I then switched back to the 1900 adding on the GRS and made the third cut down the long edge.

Finally I made the fourth cross cut, again with the 1400 rail and GRS-16.

Now the moment of truth. I measured both long edges and found a difference of 1/8”. Not good.

So I started all over again, this time using the brand new 1900 rail for ALL cuts. Result was 1/64” difference on the tape measure. Good enough for me.

My question is this. Was my technique correct in the way I squared up this sheet? In my opinion, I was diligent the entire time, making sure the GRS was seated properly, and made sure to clamp both ends of the rail on each and every cut.

Is my technique faulty or did I just discover my older 1400 rail is jacked up?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[TSO_Products]

[member=71050]Joebuck[/member]  - I drew myself a picture of what you describe your cut sequence to have been and conclude that you are going about it in the correct sequence to achieve good results.

To determine if there is a difference in the straightness or otherwise of your FS 1440 and FS 1900 Rail you need to look beyond the splinter-guard straightness for answers. Focus on and question the relationship of each of your guide rail splinterguard edges to the parallelism of the opposite side of the rail extrusion - the feature to which the Guide Rail Square attaches to,

To determine what you are deriving form the splinter guard on each rail when when squared up usinga GRS-16 You may want to start by attaching the FS 1900 rail to the GRS-16. Then square this assembly up against the nominal 40 inch edge of your workpiece. Next take a Marking knife and make cut marks at the splinter guard  where you art the cut and also at approx. approx 48 inches.

Next exchange the FS 1400 for the FS 1900 rail on the GRS-16. Place this new set-up so the splinter guard of the FS 1900 touches your Marking Knife which you place in the first cut mark. to move the guide rail side ways on th workpiece a small amount, it helps to push down on the GRS-16 and guide rail to lift the anti-slip strips far enoug off the sheet to allow the guide rail to be "walked" in tiny increments left or right as needed. Now you have confirmed that both guide rails were laid out to square from EXACTLY the same spot.

Now, check with your Marking Knife and find the second cut mark you placed earlier with the FS 1400. If both cut marks coincide exactly it suggests that both rails are square and straight at least to these specific locations.

If your FS-1400 has a deformed T-slot at the end where the GRS-16 attaches, this deformation would be magnified as an angular offset some 40 inches along the guide rail.

Let us know what you find. If this does not resolve your question to your complete satisfaction, let us know with a daytime phone number by emailing us directly using
info@tsoproducts.com

hope this helps
Hans

 

[Mario Turcot]

Have you tried to put both rails side by side with both splinterguard in the outside orientation? Try that and see if you have any gap between the rails.