Adapting Makita guide rail

[southern_guy]

I have a 3000mm Makita guide rail which works perfectly with the TS55, or at least it did until I went to fit my new parallel guides to it. Because the Makita rail has a lip on the top channel to stop the Makita saw tipping, the guide rail won't attach. As I purchased the parallel guides intending to use them with the long rail, I was less than happy to discover this.

I have found that the parallel guide will fit if the top green screw is loosened completely, but that doesn't seem the ideal solution. I am tending to think the answer is simply to run my router down the rail and remove the lip. I have a pair of 2000mm MFS rails which should make it easy to precisely route off the lip.

Has anyone who has purchased a makita rail contemplated this?

I have never routed aluminium before, but have seen many a reference to it being done. What sort of bit do I use, and at what speed?

 

[southern_guy]

OK, did a bit of research, and with a standard twin fluted TC bit on low speed, and with the help of the MFS, I removed the lip on the Makita guiderail. I now have a 3 metre rail with virtually identical profile to the festool rail, and it takes the parallel guides!!!

 

[ajones]

Well done.. but why did you not buy the festool rail?

 

[Frank-Jan]

My guess would be the difference in price.... ( in Holland it's 33%)

 

[southern_guy]

As Fran Jan said, the makita rail was significantly cheaper

 

[Hoover]

couldn't you have notched out the area on the parallel guides for that extra makita lip?  This topic came up on another board and that's what I suggested there.  But since you have the festool saw and not the makita, the anti tipping lip isn't necessary for you.

 

[Brice Burrell]

couldn't you have notched out the area on the parallel guides for that extra makita lip?  This topic came up on another board and that's what I suggested there.  But since you have the festool saw and not the makita, the anti tipping lip isn't necessary for you.

Sorry, but did you even bother reading the thread before you replied? [scratch chin]

 

[woodwreck]

Having the Makita rail and discovering this issue after the fact, I decided that modifying the Festool attachment was the lesser of two evils and cut the notch in it, not the rail. All it took was a 1/16" saw kerf with the fence 1/16" out or something like that.