Festool Guide Rail - Joining 2 x FS 1400/2 (55") vs. FS 2400/2 (95")

[festoller]

I have to sand and finish a teak dinner table (2200 mm x 1000 mm). There are a few gaps where the lumber was originally glued and I decided instead of filling the gaps it would be better to cut along the gaps and glue it back together properly. 

Unfortunately I only have the FS 1400/2 and FS 800/2 and therefore am in need for either another FS 1400/2 to join the one I have or go directly for the FS 2400/2.

How's your experience with joining two guide rails. I am planing on cutting just once (actually cutting out the gaps) with the TS 55 and then domino and glue the parts back together. Therefore precision is appropriate and I don't know if two joined FS 1400/2 would give me the same accuracy than the FS 2400/2.

 

[mouppe]

I think you will be fine with two joined rails- that is the setup I use.

But you can help yourself by cutting one edge, and then flipping the second piece and cutting the second edge. Mark the place where the two rails are connected and make sure that is in the same place on both cuts. Than any errors will be identical on both edges and will cancel each other out.

Hope this makes sense
Richard.

 

[Wood_Junkie]

I think you will be fine with two joined rails- that is the setup I use.

But you can help yourself by cutting one edge, and then flipping the second piece and cutting the second edge. Mark the place where the two rails are connected and make sure that is in the same place on both cuts. Than any errors will be identical on both edges and will cancel each other out.

Hope this makes sense
Richard.

You should be fine with the rail connectors.  Just make sure you use a known straightedge to lineup the rails and tighten the connectors.  The longer the better.  You could use your FS800, though its a bit short for "comfort" on such a long cut.

If you cut both pieces at the same time you will get a perfect mating surface, guaranteed.

> Somehow clamp and hold the two sides of the table so they cannot move laterally.
> Set guide rail and cut, straight down the middle of the original glue line.  You will be cutting both workpieces simultaneously.  As Richard said, any errors or issues will cancel eachother out.

 

[mosez]

1400+800=2200
dann fehlen dir ja nur ein paar zentimeter f?r den ?berhang am beginn des schnitts. erstens ist das mit einem scharfen s?geblatt ?berhaupt kein problem, direkt zu beginn einzutauchen (die qualit?t leidet kein bisschen, nur solltest du wegen kickback auf der hut sein) und sonst benutze ich hin und wieder die folgende methode:
du ziehst die f?hrungsschienen so weit auseinander, dass noch jeweils eine schraube der verbinder in jeder schiene greift. wenn du zwei verbinder benutzt und beim verbinden die s?ge ?ber die "l?cke" zwischen den beiden schienen stellst, wird der schnitt perfekt grade sein. probier aber vorher aus, ob du an der stelle dann ausrisse bekommst, weil der splitterschutz der f?hrungsschiene nicht gegeben ist.

hoffe, du sprichst deutsch, aber laut profil ja schon? ^^
gru?, mosez

 

[Holzhacker]

Ich glaube der spricht kein Deutsch, mosez. Hat dein Profil nicht gesagt das du aus Mannheim bist oder war das jemand anders? Ich hatte eine Tante in Mannheim, was eine alte Hexe die war, furchtbar. Ich bin aus Kaiserslautern.
Aufpassen mit den schienen auseinander zuziehen. Das konnte etwas schief gehen. Gut das du das in Deutsch schreibst. Das wurde Shane bestimmt nicht gefallen  [big grin] Muss mal sehen wie ich ein umlaut auf meiner machine mache.

 

[Rob-GB]

Festoller, if you are thinking of getting another rail and can go to the exra cost of the longer rail then that would be the better solution.
It would give you greater capacity for future projects too.
Joining rails has not given me any difficulties, I use my FS800 or my FS1080 to help align my two FS1400's for long cuts, I really want a longer rail,
but, I want a Kapex more  ;D So the rail will have to wait.

Mosez is right when he says, make sure your blade is in good condition,sharp, and the cut will be okay to glue up straight from the saw cut.
Though I would not want to start with a plunge cut on this job.
Per Swenson posted a while back about trimming a long bar by using one guide rail to align another and sliding one past the other to make a very long cut. If I remember correctly, I will see if I can find it.
Hope your project works out for you.

Rob.

 

[Rob-GB]

. Das wurde Shane bestimmt nicht gefallen  [big grin] Muss mal sehen wie ich ein umlaut auf meiner machine mache.

The program does not allow a number of characters, some currency signs and special marks such as umlauts, I just had to take an educated guess!
Due to the number of people from around the world that enjoy the FOG the preferred language is English. While I am reasonably good at German I am better at Greek, which would look pretty silly going through this sites filters. [big grin] [big grin]

Gruss!
Rob.

 

[Corwin]

That FS2400 would still be a little less than ideal for that 2200mm cut -- especially if your material is very thick.  If this is one of the few times that you will need a longer rail, you will be fine joining two rails.  But, rather than purchase yet another FS1400 to perform your cut, why not purchase a FS1900 instead.  The longer FS1900 can be joined with your FS800 to make your cut, and will be more useful than another FS1400 down the road.

 

[Wood_Junkie]

That FS2400 would still be a little less than ideal for that 2200mm cut -- especially if your material is very thick.  If this is one of the few times that you will need a longer rail, you will be fine joining two rails.  But, rather than purchase yet another FS1400 to perform your cut, why not purchase a FS1900 instead.  The longer FS1900 can be joined with your FS800 to make your cut, and will be more useful than another FS1400 down the road.

Very good suggestion.

Buuuut, you could also get a 1400, and join both 1400s AND your 800.  The cost of rail connectors is far, far less than the price difference of the 1400 & 1900 rails...

Another thought:  Get the FS1400/LR32  (with the holes).  Cost difference is negligible, but opens up a whole new possibility. 

 

[mosez]

i wrote the post right after posting in a german forum and when i noticed i didnt do it in english, i thought it might work as well -> festoller?s profile...
@holzhacker:
ich lebe bei bonn, also not even close to mannheim...naja, back to english ^^
ill translate the point of my post, anyone chime in if that should really be dangerous (although i dont get why it should be):
i pull the rails apart a little, using two connector bars. thus i get the extra overhang and buy it with the risk of chip-out in the area without rail-splinterguard.

 

[Corwin]

i wrote the post right after posting in a german forum and when i noticed i didnt do it in english, i thought it might work as well -> festoller?s profile...
@holzhacker:
ich lebe bei bonn, also not even close to mannheim...naja, back to english ^^
ill translate the point of my post, anyone chime in if that should really be dangerous (although i dont get why it should be):
i pull the rails apart a little, using two connector bars. thus i get the extra overhang and buy it with the risk of chip-out in the area without rail-splinterguard.

How much are you pulling the rails apart?  You would be okay if this was a very small amount, but if separated by as little as 15 or 20mm there is a greater chance that your saw may experience kickback when either the front or back gib is in this area between the two rails.  I think it better if you join the rails with no more 1 or 2mm gap between them.  So, attempting to gain the additional length you need by separating the two rails is not a good idea in my opinion.

 

[Rob-GB]

I got it confused on earlier post, Per Swenson wrote about linking rails to cut a 30 foot bar 30ft Bar

Some one else must have mentioned sliding a rail along but I can't find it.
Per's post is worth a look if you haven't seen it already.

Rob.

 

[RDMuller]

I used to join two of the 55" (give or take)  together for longer cuts.  The joiner works reasonably  well.  The downside is that once you have them together, you no longer have a 55 for some quick shorter cut and you are messing with the longer joined unit.  The happiest day was when I purchased one that is 108"  (give or take).  Much much much faster to have it and a 55 available.  I also bought the shortest one that is around 36".  Again very handy.  I have joined the 108 and the 55 together for solid surface work.  Talk about slick as opposed to anything else a small shop with one man can do.  The fabrication was done off the back of the truck and in the kitchen.

Bottom line, don't put 2 together, don't buy the 95", buy the 108 as it is great for plywood here in the US

 

[Wonderwino]

I have joined 3 rails to make several 17' joint-ready cuts on a bar I built several years ago.  I lined up the rails using a 6' level on the spine as I tightened the top connector, rolled the rails over and repeated on the bottom connector.  The rails I joined were a 1400, 3000 and 1900 with the 3000 in the middle.

 

[Corwin]

Uhm.....  The OP is from germany, and wants to cut a 2200 x 1000mm teak dining table.  He's not looking to cut US plywood or join a bunch of rail to make a really long cut.  He has a FS1400/2 and FS800/2 rail and wants to know what he should get to make the required 2200mm cut.  So, to resolve his issue, he will need to purchase an additional guide rail, as the 2200 (1400 + 800) doesn't provide any of the required overhang.  I would recommend that he have something more than 250mm of total overhang so he won't have to plunge into his work.  So, he will need to either get 1) a FS1400/2 to add to his existing FS1400/2, or 2) a FS1900/2 to add to his existing FS800/2, or 3) purchase either a FS2700/2 or FS3000/2 to use alone on this cut.  I think option 2 or 3 would be the better options as they offer a rail size that he does not currently own and that would be more useful for some future project.

 

[festoller]

Thank's a lot for all the suggestions and first hand experience so far!

I spoke to Festool Service Germany the other day and they confirmed that joining two rails would be as accurate as one if done properly.

I really liked Corwins idea (LS32) and of course it would make sense, but to fully use the LS32 guide rail I would have to purchase the rest of the LS32 package. It's probably a nice addition to my workshop, but I am not sure if I really need it. Still if I buy another FS 1400 it will be the LS32, just in case!

Now about my exsisting rails, it's actually a 1080 (MFT) and a 1400. That would make 2400 mm for the 2200 mm cut, but since I really want to avoid a plunge cut in this pretty hard teak (single cut for glue up) the 2400mm I have doesn't seem to be sufficient and therfore my conclusion for now would be to buy another FS 1400 but the LS32.

Now here's another problem I have to solve:

The 2200 x 1000 mm plate is made out of 4 single boards (=3 cuts). After 15 years the plate is a little out of shape and slightly "bent". Fortunately it's bent rather symetrical along the short side with a nice "U" shape of 3-4 mm (both sides are almost 3-4 mm higher than the center).

You can't really see the "curve" without a level or so, but what happens if I Domino the boards (reference from the top) after cutting? Wouldn't the curved top cause another gap through the Dominos or can this be neglected?

I tested the whole thing (2 cuts, hand planing and ETS sanding) on a smaller teak coffee table made from the same boards, but smaller (1000 x 700 mm) and therefore I really don't want to plane down the big plate and then cut again, also because a lot of thickness and width would be lost from the 28 mm plate. If the plate is screwed back on the frame most of the U shape can be corrected anyway. It's just about the Dominos, but maybe my concern is exaggerated and the gap would vanish after clamping anyway.

I know without photos it didn't happen, I'll post some later!

 

[festoller]

Here's a photo of the refurbished coffee table (right) and the big dinner table (left). Same lumber and time built!

[attachimg=1]

As you can see it's worth spending the time to refurbish the top since it brings out the natural colour and texture of the teak (almost like walnut, grey brown), although the single planks are now less equal in colour and texture. Still I like the new finnish better than the old (I guess) shellac finnish.

The new finnish is 4 coats of OSMO Top Oil (also used for kitchen tops and I hope it's as sustainable as promised)! Each coat sanded with P240 and as final step pollished with the Festool Vlies S800 (#482780) and the OSMO Oil care and clean that is recommended for the Top Oil. This last step really improved the finnish although it's supposed to be matte. The Oil care can also be used to clean and spot repair damages from usage.

 

[festoller]

I finally decided to buy the FS 1900/2 since I probabyl won't need the LS32 in the near future.

I'll post an update on how the 1900 joined with the 1080.