Festool Parallel Guide supports

[TomGadwa1]

This is my version of a support for the parallel guides which will prevent them from dipping or tipping away from the workpiece while they are being lined up. Especially useful when setting them on a long workpiece that is hanging off an edge. They in no way are attached to the guide via screws or clamps and thus will not dent or scratch the guides. The trick is in the use or rare earth magnets. I used six sets of magnets for each guide support for adequate holding power. I employed the LR32 system to line up my holes with precision by just marking them with the pointy through hole 5 mm bit. I finished the holes with a 3/4 inch forstner drill set into a tabletop drill press to maintain accurate alignment of the rare earth magnets and drilled for the thickness of the magnet. I used oak hardwood for the holders as I feel it will hold up over the long term better than say plywood or melamine. I sized the bottom pieces to allow them to slide freely in the channel on the guides. The corresponding top of the holder has a set of magnets that are exactly in line with the bottom holder piece as the holding power depends on accuracy. To prevent the guides from getting scratched in any way I applied the nylon slip material to the bottom of the support pieces.
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Above are the supports before installing them.
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Above one is installed one not.
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Both installed end view.
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Showing one at the end and the other slid toward the middle of the guide.
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Three quarter view. They are real easy to use just place the bottom piece into the channel on the guide and set the top piece over it and the power of the rare earth magnets will hold the pieces together and support the guide with no clamp marks or drilling up the guides or any other way that could compromise their integrity.

 

[nclemmons]

Very inventive approach.  I assume there is plenty of holding power through the aluminum channel for the magnets?

Thanks for sharing.  I may try that same approach.

neil

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Nice idea Tom!  Only problem or limitation would be needing more of the length of the parallel guides, I believe.

 

[RDMuller]

Excellent idea, I am going to try it.  This will improve the use of the guides on pieces that are longer than the support system that you have underneath it.  I hate to have to drag around a 9' table for cutting 8' lengths.  I believe someone had suggested a bracket type approach several months back, but it required drilling if I remember right

 

[rnt80]

This is a really inventive, orginal approach to a very basic and obvious flaw with the parallel guides.  I purchased the guides about a year and a half ago as I was gearing up for a whole house job that was going to require the cutting down of a lot of plywood.  I hadn't used the guides since then until last week.  I started work on a small kitchen and had to rip down about 10 sheets of 3/4" ply and the guides helped to make quick work of that.  However, I found myself questioning how it is that Festool missed this obvious flaw before the guides were released.  In addition to that why hasn't Festool offered an aftermarket fix such as new adjustable stops that would prevent the guides from tipping?  I certainly don't have the entire Festool arsenal but I can't remember another Festool offering that required a user provided fix before it could really be used properly.

 

[sancho57]

Thats one issue that has disappointed me with the PG. I use to MFTs to support the guides after placeing the ply Im cutting under sacrificial ply I put on the MFTs first.

This will save me alot of extra work putting and removing the ply.

 

[Burchie]

I use a small spring clamp at each end to keep the assembly from tipping, but it would be nice if an anti-tip device were integrated into the tool.