Festool Guide Rail & TSO Guide Rail Square: Cheap jig for repeatable cross cuts.

Woody Knotsensplintahs said:
1/4 degree at 12 inches equals 0.052 inches

1/4 degree at 96 inches equals 0.419 inches

Thanks.  I had no idea how to do the math. But your math validates what I was saying. 

If you are ripping long pieces, you cannot rely on a square alone.  You need to verify with a second measurement.

If I am using just one squaring arm, I’m using my 32” long track only, and typically cutting 12”, 16” and 22” long pieces.  The results, if I work carefully, are almost always acceptable.

I originally bought the Festool track saw as a way to breakdown sheets of plywood to manageable sizes.

If Kreg had come out with their large capacity edge guides for circular saws a few years earlier, I probably would have gone with that instead of the Festool.

I see online that people are building entire kitchen’s worth of cabinets using those edge guides. 

It was only later that I found that I could get sufficient accuracy to cut to finished sizes.

I still use the table saw if I am cutting multiple pieces of the same size.  I find it much faster than the track saw in that case.
 
I have a nice table saw with an excellent fence but do not have a good outfeed table, so the Festool track saw system I bought many years ago has been a lifesaver for working with panels.

I believe that the methodical way I use the track saw provides every bit or more precision than I can achieve with my table saw setup. I spend a bit more time with the Festool system than I might with the table saw, but I prefer the results.

I am a DIY hobbyist so the extra time does not debit a business equation.

 
 
The reason I use the table saw for repeated cuts, is I have to be careful and precise just once for the entire production run for that cut size.

With the track saw, I have to be precise and careful with each cut.

I have two roller stands (I cannot recall the brand).  I use one for in-feed on my table saw and the other for out-feed.  The out-feed stand was retired when I built a MFT-style table to replace it and also function as a glue-up station.

The roller stand is also a boon for when I am off-loading sheets of plywood from my van onto the saw-horse supported foam panels that I use for my track saw. 

I set the roller to be slightly higher than the track.  I lift the end of the panel onto the roller stand and then onto the track “table”.  It makes life much easier.

In any case, it was a dual function roller stand, first acting as an out-feed support and then later acting as an assist in off-loading my van.

1252_stand_1_300.jpg
 
My idea of a good outfeed table is an eight-foot by eight-foot platform covered with a slippery surface.

I have witnessed and experienced too much carnage with table saws to enjoy using them. I use table saws but do not enjoy using them.

I also acknowledge that joiners exist because table saw operations are not as precise as many would assume. A little wobble during the feed can negate the precision assumed to be afforded by the fence.

Anyways...
 
Woody Knotsensplintahs said:
My idea of a good outfeed table is an eight-foot by eight-foot platform covered with a slippery surface.[…]

A roller stand accomplishes the “slippery” factor.

There is a gap between my table saw and my outfeed table of about 1 foot.  I mounted the table on height adjustable feet.  It is slightly lower than my table saw height—just enough that 1/4” plywood can bridge the 1 foot gap and not hit the edge of the outfeed table. It is probably 1/8” to 1/4” lower than the table saw.

The effect of that is to reduce the friction between the stock I am cutting and the outfeed table. 

I’m not trying to talk you into using the table saw.  (I avoid using my radial arm saw except where it is clearly the sensible tool.  It is the scariest tool in my shop.

 
I have similar rollers that I use with my chop saw.

I also own/operate a Radial Arm Saw that I have, in the past, used to make rips, DADOs, and all manner of strange cuts. Despite their well-deserved reputation as dangerous tools, I have never experienced, witnessed, or heard a first-hand story about an actual accident with a Radial Arm Saw. In high school, we were taught how to protect ourselves when operating a radial arm saw. I recall the protocol every time I turn mine on.

With a table saw you are never 100% protected from a vicious kickback scenario.

Even if everything is safe and sound 99.9% of the time, I don't like the odds. That 0.1% is a real son of an emergency room visit.

Anyways...

 
Woody Knotsensplintahs said:
In the interest of fair play, I want to add that I just noticed this photograph at the TSO website, where I see that the TSO parallel guide can indeed be used in the manner I was interested in.

I suppose the emphasis on the product as a parallel guide system sold as matched pairs of rails distracted me from noticing the related use of a cross-cut jig and the specific mounting option available to connect their Paralelle Guide rails directly to the Guide Rail Square.

I wish I noticed this sooner. I already have another parallel guide setup, but will probably buy into the TSO system at some point now that I recognize the added value.

Thank you!

[member=70323]Woody Knotsensplintahs[/member] – and all the others who responded:
I am attaching a link to an earlier video edited to focus on just the use of the Guide Rail Square in combination with only ONE Parallel Guide T-track and FlipStop assembly:
   
       

We are always trying to find an effective and convenient way for our customers to locate helpful how-to-use information about our products. Your posts and comments encourage us to do more!

Thank you for creating this FOG thread to remind us that this kind information is helpful.

Hans

 
I wish I'd seen this previously. It wouldn't have worked for me at the moment because I don't have a long enough track -- I needed to crosscut 8 boards at 1500mm -- but I'll definitely file it away for future use.

I ended up following the advice in the below video, cutting a spacer to the same width as my rail and using it as a fence. Worked great. Eventually I'll put some dog holes in my table but for my current project, this spacer did what I needed.

Make_Perfect_Repeatable_Cuts_with_any_Type_of_Circular_Saw._-_YouTube__2025-08-17_12-55-44.png


 
Hi,
I arrived at this solution after being disappointed with my attempts to rely on the accuracy of the hole placement in my MFT-styled table top. I have bench dogs, bench dogs to Guide rail clips, and bench dogs mounted set by sliding stop blocks. I am never satisfied with the accuracy of the 90-degree cross-cuts.

I have used the TSO square successfully for a variety of projects over the years. It always outperforms the bench dog setup in terms of precision. Still, I enjoy using jigs for repeatability, so I have been looking at some guide rail square products that include accessories, such as those I cobbled together.

Bench Dog tools make a square and accessory system that seems attractive. China offers several solutions.

But I already own and enjoy my TSO guide rail square.

It seems like one-half of the TSO parallel guide system could be utilized as a jig for repeatable cross-cut lengths, but I have seen no mention of this specific use in their product literature.

So, one morning, while contemplating all the choices and nearing a decision to purchase a Bench Dogs package, I walked out to the shop and saw how easy it was to bolt together the pieces and parts I had lying about.

I used:
1 x Incra T Track of a suitable length
2 x 1/4" 20tpi bolts in the through holes provided in the TSO guide rail square.
2 x 1/4" 20tpi bolts in the through holes drilled in the stop block.
1 x chunk of scrap wood fashioned into a stop block with a channel just a little less deep that the depth of the T Track.

It was pretty darn easy.

The bolts in the photos have been replaced with examples ideally sized for length.

FWIW, I enjoy using the 1/4" x 20tpi hardware on all my jigs and keep a lineman's can wrench 7/16" socket driver handy. I enjoy the secure feeling I get with using a hand tool and the compact profile of the small nut, so I have less need for thumbscrews, which others might prefer and can very easily obtain.

Thank you.
Thank you for sharing as this is a great idea.
 
Very clever; I'd switch to wing nuts to make it even easier to adjust
Maybe not wing nuts but knobs with threads that go through. Very cheap on Amazon. I use them frequently for jigs. The image is from Amazon. They sell in lots of 20 in the smaller sizes. Smaller lots for the larger sizes.

$8.00 for the 20 knobs. Best used with a fender washer or a nylon washer instead of the resin knob against the wood panel.

P.S.: I have a radial arm saw (the most dangerous tool in my shop) which I use with care, but it does a good job on cross cuts up to about 18” wide (I never actually measured).

MOZEAT LENS 20 Pack 1/4-20 Knob 6 Star Knobs 1/4 Inch 20 Female Threaded Hexagon Head Thru Knob Clamping Knobs Jig Knobs T Track Bolts, Black, 554350_3_VNKWeQdRd​

1760643374748.jpg
 
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