Festool rail length

[derekcohen]

I recently acquired a Festool track saw (older one - AT65 E - which is about 15-20 years old and was used perhaps 5 times! It is like new!). Now I have never used one before - no real need as I work only with solid wood and never with sheet goods, and I have a Hammer K3 slider. It occurred to me that I could, nevertheless, find a tracksaw useful, such as crosscutting panels.

With this in mind, that is it is most unlikely that this saw will go near sheets, what would a decent rail length be? 800mm? 1080mm? 1400mm seems too long.

I value your thoughts and suggestions.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Mark Katz]

Given that you don't work with sheet goods, and have the Hammer, I would suggest the 800 mm rail. I do work with sheet goods and have the 800, 1080 (came with an MFT), 1400 (came with my saw) and a 2700 mm one. If I can do the job with the 800, that's the one I reach for. 

With that saw, you should be able to crosscut panels of about 20" width (500mm) leaving about 6" fore and aft of the cut. If the panels you usually need to cut are more than 20" wide, I think the 1080 or 1400 would be a better bet.

Truthfully though, with the slider in your shop you really don't need a tracksaw except for maybe pieces that are too large or bulky to load onto the K3 or when the K3 is set up for something else and you don't want to change it.

After all that, I guess that you might want to give some thought to what you're usage scenarios are likely to be. If you have a dealer nearby and can get a rail on short notice, you might want to hold off buying one until a use arises for it.

 

[Frank-Jan]

Derek, all those lengths are usefull to me, I do however usually cut sheets.

When there was a problem with my 1080 rail of the mft3, I cut a new one from a spare 1400 that lay unused, the offcut turned out to be usefull aswell, and it fits in the systainer with the saw. (Really handy for cuts like toe-kicks in side panels et cetera)

Just think about the width of material that would be benificial for you to cut with the tracksaw, and add a bit of length for the start and end. 

/edit I typed this reply before reading Mark's post, and I agree that I use the 800 mm length the most (The 1080 is attached to the mft hinge, and gets rarely used)

 

[bobtskutter]

Please consider that you need to plunge the saw blade before you make a cut and that can make the rail flex if it's not fully supported.
If you're cutting sheet goods it's not so much of a problem because the plunge is only 18mm (or so), but if you're cutting something thicker it can be quite tricky to plunge through the stock.  It's often easier to plunge the saw before the cut and then slide it through.  You could end up with 200mm or so of rail just to support the saw before the cut line.

I favor the longest rail you have space to use, maybe the 1400?  The rail is also good for drawing pencil lines, cutting fabric with roller cutters and anything else that needs a long straight bit of aluminum.
Regards
bob

 

[Birdhunter]

i have never felt comfortable plunging my TS55 into any material due to concerns about kickback. i know the saw is supposed to be safe doing so, but I am edgy about it.

Thus, I use a track that is long enough to allow me to plunge to the full depth before touching wood and long enough to fully exit the wood.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I recently acquired a Festool track saw (older one - AT65 E - which is about 15-20 years old and was used perhaps 5 times! It is like new!). Now I have never used one before - no real need as I work only with solid wood and never with sheet goods, and I have a Hammer K3 slider. It occurred to me that I could, nevertheless, find a tracksaw useful, such as crosscutting panels.

With this in mind, that is, that it is most unlikely that this saw will go near sheets, what would a decent rail length be? 800mm? 1080mm? 1400mm seems too long.

I value your thoughts and suggestions.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I have the same saw but mine is clearly old (cosmetically). Mechanically it’s superb and I used it a lot before buying the ATF 75.

Although the 75 is bigger in terms of cutting capacity it weighs the same as the 65. The 65 has a steel base vs. the 75’s lighter base.

The steel base allows the saw to make a longer cut than the 75 because you only need one adjustable gib to engage the rail, because the groove in the steel base is continuous, so the 800mm rail will likely be more than enough. You can also use Makita rails and rails can be cut down to shorter lengths.

My suggestion is to buy the Festool 800 rail and a rail square.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Derek, I have three tracks...a short one, a regular one and a long one. The "regular" on is the 1400 mm and is absolutely the minimum for crosscutting full sheets of typical plywood, etc. The short one is about 2/3 the length (and a different brand 'cause I got it for a good price) and a lot more convenient for in-shop utility use. The long one is about 2500mm and I rarely use it, but can be very handy for more than just ripping sheet goods, including straight line cutting solid stock that is longer than the wagon on a slider.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Jim makes a great point about straight line ripping. That’s probably the best feature of the track saw, although judging by the scale of your work you’ll likely crosscut very long stock before ripping, and then it would fit your slider.

 

[mino]

Will be short, get this, in below order:

1)
2 pieces of: Festool FS/2 1400 LR32
1 piece of: Festool FS/2 800
1 set of: Makita Guide Rail Connector set

2)
1 set of: Festool SYS3 M 137 FS/2-Set

Yes, you want all three rail in one go. That way you can use the 800 rail as reference straight edge when joining the 1400 rails for sheetgood rips.
Yes, you want the 1400 rails in the "holy" version.
Yes, for connectors you want the Makita ones - they do not dent the rail while providing the most secure and accurate joining around.
Yes, you want the full FS/2 accessory set as the rail square is the the jewel there and alone it is too expensive.
No, you do not want the "cheaper" Makita rails. They are less accurate and their anti-slip pads force you to use clamps where Festool works without.

NOTES:
The rail square needs calibration if you require exact 90-degree custs, get a quality engineer's square for that like Starret or Class 1 KINEX etc.

ADVICE:
The rails system is the star of the show. NOT the saw(s). You can make precise and clean cuts with a cheaper Makita when used with the FS/2 system. But you cannot make such cuts with the best Festool saw if the rail system youhave is not up to snuff.

 

[Sparktrician]

Will be short, get this, in below order:

1)
2 pieces of: Festool FS/2 1400 LR32
1 piece of: Festool FS/2 800

Concur, but get the versions of both sizes with the system holes that work with the LR 32 system. 

 

[tsmi243]

Don't forget that the rails are easy to cut to length.  If the 1400 is unwieldy in your shop, you can always turn it into a 1200.  And the leftover 200 piece is handy sometimes.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

i have never felt comfortable plunging my TS55 into any material due to concerns about kickback. i know the saw is supposed to be safe doing so, but I am edgy about it.

Thus, I use a track that is long enough to allow me to plunge to the full depth before touching wood and long enough to fully exit the wood.

The solution to that is the rail stop. It connects to the upward facing groove of the rail and can be set to be the rear limit of the saw's base. It hooks over the base and will not allow the saw to lift.
I use mine this way a lot. If you get an extra one, you can use then as start/stop limits when routing too.
I have yet to purchase an 800 rail, but it is likely next on the list. I have seen more cases lately where it would work and not bother with the 1080. My actual intent was to get a 2424 holey, but they are not the easiest thing to get ahold of, for some reason? Two of the local dealers told me that they have never sold one.
I use my 1900 a lot, way more than I ever thought I would, but I cut a lot of angled parts where the 1400 just won't reach. This is along the same reasoning for the2424. There are times when 1900 is not enough, but the 3000 droops a bit if it is used on something too short for it, plus it's holey.

 

[woodferret]

I find the 800 oddly satisfying with the pistol clamps for cross cutting narrow pieces.  Takes the place of a FSK rail for most cuts in that +-15 deg range.  I've got a 1900 and 1400LR as well, but I've been tempted to cut the 1900 down to 1400 and connect the remaining

 

[mino]

I find the 800 oddly satisfying with the pistol clamps for cross cutting narrow pieces.  Takes the place of a FSK rail for most cuts in that +-15 deg range.  I've got a 1900 and 1400LR as well, but I've been tempted to cut the 1900 down to 1400 and connect the remaining

 

[Coen]

I don't think there ever was an ATF 75

Anyway; If you never cut sheets with it.. what do you cut? Small beams? Get an 800 and done.

Yes, for cutting sheets the 1400 should have been longer. Still wondering when Festool will finally listen  [tongue]
If the 3000 had been holy I would have had one already.

 

[derekcohen]

I don't think there ever was an ATF 75

Anyway; If you never cut sheets with it.. what do you cut? Small beams? Get an 800 and done.

Yes, for cutting sheets the 1400 should have been longer. Still wondering when Festool will finally listen  [tongue]
If the 3000 had been holy I would have had one already.

I envisage cutting the ends of house doors, cabinet panels, bevelling panels ... All these can be done on the slider, but it would require more set up time, and some would be large and cumbersome to handle. Better to cut them on a bench.

Doors can be up to 900mm wide, and perhaps a 1080mm track would be safer. The bench I have built for the tracksaw (and to house systainers) is 450mm wide x 1200mm long.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[bobtskutter]

Derek,
It sounds as though you have a specific use case in mind, one which requires a specific cut length on the guide rail (900mm).
Please consider how the saw attaches to the rail, you will need a certain amount of the saw base on the rail to fully engage the cams that hold the saw to the rail.
Please see this post where I tried to explain this detail.https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/guide-rail-advice/msg644558/#msg644558
I'm probably being overly conservative in my post referenced above, but you do need to be aware of how much "available rail distance" you can't actually use.
Regards
Bob

 

[mino]

In this case, for this specific task, get the 1400, possibly the KP version for easier handling, and cut it shorter as/if applicable.

To (comfortably) cut a 1000mm piece you need about 1350mm of rail ...
+250-300 mm for the start, to place the saw on before the cut
+50-100 mm for the end, so saw is still guided when finishing a shallow cut

That is why the 1600 is optimal for 1250/metric sheets, 1500 is marginal for 1220/Imperial, and 1400 is "cutting it short" even for  1220/Imperial.

You can get more out of the rail if you partial-plunge at the start .... but that is more an emergency than something to plan for as the cut quality can never be same as with a proper full-length homogenous cut.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I don't think there ever was an ATF 75

You’re right, it’s a TS75, the only 75 produced so far.

 

[wmarazita]

I have 4 tracks. A 1080, 1400, 1900, and 3000. Without a doubt, the one I use the least is the 1400.

That being said, if I only had one, I would keep the 1400. The 1400 can easily cut the bottom of a door, as you want. It is a little long for smaller crosscuts, but will work (and you can use your slider). It can barely cut the short side of a sheet of plywood, if necessary someday. It stores very easily. It is the best overall size for me (if I only had one!).

Over the years I added the others for smaller crosscuts (1080), more easily "crosscutting" full sheets of plywood (1900), and easily "ripping" full sheets of plywood (3000). So with those additions, I hardly ever use the 1400 anymore!

The only "known" thing you mentioned that you will likely cut is 900mm (door bottom). I think you would find the 1080 isn't quite long enough for that comfortably. Maybe its doable, but you want to make sure to have enough overhang of the rail on both sides so the saw will always be properly engaged to the track. You would hate to damage the bottom of a nice door if the track wasn't perfectly in place on the door.