Festool Track Saw, Track Issue

[aktrout]

I recently cut eight walnut boards approximately five feet long to edge join and make a table top for a walnut table I am making.  I connected two of my Festool tracks together and made cuts on both sides of each board to join them.  When I went to put them together, they did not fit as well as I thought they should.  It seems like there is a small bow in the middle of them.  It would appear that the problem was caused by not having an exactly straight cut.  The only thing I can think of is that when I attached the two tracks together I did not get and exactly straight cut line.  Any thoughts?  Any suggestions.  Thanks.

 

[ajones]

sounds like that is the issue, use a long straight edge when joining the two rails leave a slight gap between the two

 

[Wooden Skye]

A few questions.

Did you connect with a straight edge prior to final tightening of the connectors? 

Were you leaning over pushing the saw, or walking along as you made the cut?

 

[wow]

You don't say how you adjusted them originally? The ends of the rails are not necessarily square, so if you merely butted the ends together, your connection will not be straight.

One common technique to get a straight edge when joining them is to use a level against the side opposite the strip. Everybody has a level, and the edge of it should be perfectly straight. If you align both rails so they are snug up against the level and THEN tighten the rail connector, you should be good.

Does that help?

 

[ear3]

I raised the same issue in a post a while back.  If you search "Betterley" you can find some threads on it.  Betterley's the name of a straight edge used by some for aligning the rails, though as already mentioned in above posts, aluminum level will work as well.

I ended up just getting the longer rail (3000mm), because I was worried about the joined rails going out of alignment if I was doing a project where I'd have to flip the rail several times, and have not regretted it.  It is possible, though, to achieve straight cuts with rail connectors, provided you take care with the setup and recheck alignment every so often.

 

[JCLP]

I agree with Wow. I use a 4' level on the back edge of the rails and then lock in the Betterley Rail connector and then tighten the screws. I found this works perfectly everytime. Also, I found that by having a very clean and sharp blade reduces the stress on the blade making guiding the track saw down the rails a lot easier. I also use a product called Bladecote from Bostik on my blades. It reduces friction a lot.

 

[Sparktrician]

I concur with using the Betterley Straightline Connector or the use of a 4' level.  I'll also suggest that you can salvage most of the boards already cut with minimal loss by duplicating the process shown by Bob Marino here. 

 

[Stephen B]

[size=14pt]
Agree with need to use a straight edge when joining rails. I leave a 1-2mm gap between the two rails.

However there is another consideration. How long after cutting, did you lay out boards for joining? The release of tension when ripping the boards can cause movement.

Some on the FOG but not me yet, have used  SRSemenza's technique of laying the rail edge along between the edge of two boards so the blade will simultaneously cut both edges. Thus when ripping, any inconsistencies are shared uniformly by both edges.

 

[JCLP]

"Some on the FOG but not me yet, have used  SRSemenza's technique of laying the rail edge along between the edge of two boards so the blade will simultaneously cut both edges. Thus when ripping, any inconsistencies are shared uniformly by both edges."

Great idea. When I use to lay linoleum flooring I would cut both edges at once to ensure a perfect joint. I will use this method when creating glue joints between boards. Thanks for waking up that part of my memory.
Cheers,

 

[semenza]

Here you go http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-how-to/edge-jointing-a-countertop-with-the-ts75-(or-ts55)/msg285830/#msg285830

Seth

 

[aktrout]

Thanks for all the great advice.  I am new to the Festool Track Saw and this is the first time I have joined a number of boards where they had to be cut with the two rails joined together.  I DID NOT leave a space between the two rails, nor did I use a straight edge to check the connection.  Of course in thinking back about it now after reading your suggestions it seems pretty obvious.  I should have of that on my own.

By the way I put the boards edge-to-edge to check them shortly after cutting them and the 1mm to 2mm bow in the middle was immediately apparent.  I don't think it was from movement in the wood, the problem was that the two sections of rail were not perfectly straight.

Thanks for the help.

 

[RJNeal]

Aktrout, are you also using clamps to hold the rails?
There was some discussion here on FOG on when the user was cutting their were also pushing the saw laterally. The clamps would hold the ends and the middle would bow in the middle.
Good luck,
Rick 

 

[aktrout]

Sometimes depending on the circumstances.

Yesterday I re-cut two boards following the suggestions given on how to properly connect the two rails.  I got a much better result and simply used a slightly shorter domino tenon to connect the boards. 

Thanks for the help.

 

[Travisaward]

Does anyone have a problem with having to adjust the bevel for different tracks?  I have 4 different tracks, 1-32", 2-55" and 1-75".  One of the 55 and the 75 are both right on when I set the saw to 0° and they make perfect cuts, but the other two it seams I have to adjust the bevel about a half degree to get a good cut.  It's frustrating because I planned on joining them together at random lengths for projects but if I join the 75" with the 32" the angle will be fine for most of the cut but change once I get to the 32" track.  I was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem or even noticed it.

 

[peter halle]

I have never experienced what you have just described.  I would respectfully offer that you might want to check a couple of things:

1.  If you flip the "bad" rails over, there are two anti-slip black tips of foam.  One is in a wide recessed area and there is one that is a recessed area just wide enough for the strip.  Does the black strip ride up over the "ridge"?.

2.  Again flip the "bad" rails over and look at those same areas.  Place a straightedge across your rail side to side.  Is the foam level with the aluminum ridges adjacent or just a super tiny bit high?  If not there is an issue with your rail, whether it is the foam or the extrusion.  The foam and the ridges should be virtually the same height.

Let us know what you find please.

Peter

 

[Travisaward]

Thank you for your comment. I'll go look at them for I haven't inspected them that closely yet. 

 

[Travisaward]

Ok I checked all 4 rails all over and they seem all identical when it comes to the foam strips and splinter gaurd.  Maybe it's just me trying to get perfection because when I say adjust the bevel it's less than half a degree. Is there a tolerance range the saws were designed with that would be acceptable for the cut to not come out at perfect 90°?

 

[Mario Turcot]

Do your saw base have any play in any track? if the two that are not square have a slightly bigger play it may occur that the saw base do not sits correctly on the track.

 

[John Broomall]

Lots of good advice in this thread. The only thing i would add is that you can only trust your alignment for one pass. Once you pick up the tracks to position for the next cut they can flex or bend and ruin your alignment. The answer is to buy a longer track or be willing to check your alignment on every cut every time.

 

[semenza]

Just for clarity ...........................  I think the problem is with the saw bevel, i.e., tilting the saw not the track to track alignment. I think, but I am not sure.

Seth