guide rail clamps and plastic strips

[fin]

the 2 guide rails i got a year back have been used a fair bit and with a 2.4mm kerf blade recently. the anti splinter strips were obviously cut back a bit and also a bit worn.

today i warmed em up wif a hair drier and peeled the strips off and repositioned em about a mm further over. i used a wallpaper seam roller to press em back onto the rails. i noticed though that the strips must have stretched slightly as

the strip sticks over the end by a couplea mm.

has anyone done this on their own rails? will i have to set the rails up again as i did when they were new?

also i replaced the 2.4mm kerf trend blade with a 2.2mm kerf blade so the same as the original blade. i bought a stehle 48t blade. seems better quality than the trend blade i had before. so hopefully my cut quality will improve (cutting chipboard kitchen worktops. )

also been looking at getting some better clamps. i currently have the basic screw clamps. what are the rapid clamps like for everyday use?

 

[Frank-Jan]

I would trim the rubber before using it on something crucial.
I have both lengths of the screwclamps the rapid clamps and the FS rapid clamp, I use the rapid clamps the most. (but the others also have their moments)  If I'm not mistaken the dewalt one-hand clamps also work on the festool track (don't have them, but I think they'll work nicer than the festool version)

 

[ear3]

I too like the function of the dewalt clamps better -- they are a squeeze/trigger type, so you don't have to worry about the rail moving as you're engaging the clamp, which can sometimes happen with the screw clamps.  And they have a deeper throat (and are longer) than the rapid clamp.

 

[itasor]

I too like the function of the dewalt clamps better -- they are a squeeze/trigger type, so you don't have to worry about the rail moving as you're engaging the clamp, which can sometimes happen with the screw clamps.  And they have a deeper throat (and are longer) than the rapid clamp.

I have the Dewalt clamps and like them too. Easy to use with 1 hand. They work great to clamp a guide rail down, but they don't work with the MFT because the corner isn't curved so it won't make the turn! Too bad, because they would be perfect for that use too.

 

[Brent Taylor]

I also prefer the DeWalt clamps, but I use the FS rapid clamps a fair bit. I have had to move one of my strip over and it's holding fine, but we will have to see what the colder weather brings to the table, when it was in the 100's the slip strips on the top of the rails warped a bit, but returned as it cooled. B