Guide rail cutting edge

[Drich]

Hello.

I bought a roll of the cutting edge for the guide rail as mine were old and coming off on the ends. I installed them and I see they are coming off already on the ends again. I cleaned the rail off before installing the new strip.  That box was not cheap at around 60 bucks with tax. Is it worth calling Festool? I did stop by the dealer and he said it was newer stock.  Thanks

 

[Lincoln]

It's a known problem and an annoying one. I usually put a spring clamp on each end of the rail to hold the strip down and leave them on overnight. Has worked for me, but not much help if you need the rail straight away.

 

[rst]

I put a piece of clear shipping tape over the ends of my rails when replacing the strip.

 

[Rick Herrick]

In the last week I have found that 6 of my 8 rails have this problem.  I think there was general consensus that the Makita brand, that is black, is the better strips to use.  I have a roll I bought years ago and I will try it.  I think enough people here indicated the F* brand just didn't cut the mustard.

 

[tsmi243]

I think there was general consensus that the Makita brand, that is black, is the better strips to use.

^^^ yep

 

[Drich]

thanks for the info, I should have looked on here first before buying the festool ones. Stupid me for thinking. Looks like the Makita is the way to go. I'll check them out and I bet they are cheaper too.

 

[cpw]

When Sedge was demoing replacing them in one of the videos he used a Domino like a roller to really get pressure on the adhesive between the strip and rail.

 

[jeffinsgf]

If you have the space, store your guide rails flat on a shelf. I built a special shelf unit to hold my rails fully supported. No more peeling edge strips.

 

[Vtshopdog]

I add a dab of E6000 clear adhesive to each end.  Always have a tube of it around as it's super handy for many purposes.
They still come loose eventually but takes quite a bit longer than adhering with just the factory PSA glue.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/E6000-2-oz-Clear-Adhesive-237032/203279322

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I store mine, hanging by the end hole, with a slightly angled screw. Pocket screws or trim-head screws work well for this, because of the smaller head, and still available fairly long.
The angled screw allows it to slide back against the wall, giving it at least some pressure against the strips. That is probably not as good as lying flat, but I just don't have a way to do that, with a 3M rail.
The only one I have ever had peel away at the end, was the one I left in the back seat of my truck. Overnight is freezing temps was likely the problem.

 

[Packard]

I switched to Makita’s splinter guard. 

Cold weather compromised the adhesion on the Festool strip, and I store my saw in an unheated garage.  So far, the Makita strip is holding up well.

But since that time, others have entered the fray.  Have any of you tested the other splinter guards (and do all of them use one?)?

1. Kreg
2. Mafell
3. Bosch
4. DeWalt
5. Ryobi
6. Others???

That is all I can think of right now.  I know that there are several others out there.

Mafell does not cut any corners on quality.  I would imagine that theirs would cost as much as the Festool’s does.  But, how does it perform?

I have found that Bosch’s products are generally well-engineered and well-made.  I use a Bosch hose with my saw.  Works fine.

I did make sure that both the track and the strip were both at room temperature before applying the strip (and I cleaned the track with alcohol).  Pressure sensitive adhesive is heat activated. You can generally remove products adhered using pressure sensitive adhesive by applying heat (usually with a hair drier or heat gun).  So, it makes some sense to apply the strips when both the strip and the track are at room temperature or slightly warmer. 

 

[jonnyrocket]

When Sedge was demoing replacing them in one of the videos he used a Domino like a roller to really get pressure on the adhesive between the strip and rail.

I followed all of the best practices that have been shared on FOG when I replaced the splinter guards on 6 rails:
- removed all old adhesive with a solvent.
- let the rails thoroughly dry before attaching new ones ( i waited 2 days).
- bought a fresh box of splinter guard from the local rockler which had just restored their festool lineup after the long hiatus.
- used a roller to evenly and thoroughly apply pressure when attaching.
- clamped along the entire length of the rail using wood strips on top and bottom of the rail.
- applied clear shipping tape to the ends to help keep them in place.
- stored rails flat, horizontal, fully supported on piece of plywood suspended from ceiling.

My results: after one summer in the Pacific North west in a non-airconditioned space, the splinter strips all detached from the adhesive strip and separated from the rail in the middles. The ends were still attached to the rail with the packing tape. The adhesive that comes on the splinter guard was still attached to the rails.  :-X 

Conclusion: Environmental factors, such as Temperature swing, Humidity, and Min and Max temperatures really have more impact on the anti-splinter strips than has been accounted for in its current iteration. And from what I observed, it’s the interface of the plastic strip to the current adhesive that is the weak spot.

Any adhesive experts out there, please chime in with a good alternative to what Festool is currently using.

 

[Lincoln]

I switched to Makita’s splinter guard. 

Cold weather compromised the adhesion on the Festool strip, and I store my saw in an unheated garage.  So far, the Makita strip is holding up well.

But since that time, others have entered the fray.  Have any of you tested the other splinter guards (and do all of them use one?)?

1. Kreg
2. Mafell
3. Bosch
4. DeWalt
5. Ryobi
6. Others???

That is all I can think of right now.  I know that there are several others out there.

Mafell does not cut any corners on quality.  I would imagine that theirs would cost as much as the Festool’s does.  But, how does it perform?

I have found that Bosch’s products are generally well-engineered and well-made.  I use a Bosch hose with my saw.  Works fine.

I did make sure that both the track and the strip were both at room temperature before applying the strip (and I cleaned the track with alcohol).  Pressure sensitive adhesive is heat activated. You can generally remove products adhered using pressure sensitive adhesive by applying heat (usually with a hair drier or heat gun).  So, it makes some sense to apply the strips when both the strip and the track are at room temperature or slightly warmer.

The Mafell doesn't use adhesive, it slides into a shaped slot in the edge of the rail extrusion. You feed it in, with some soapy water for lubricant (if needed). Then a plastic wedge, that's supplied with replacement strips, is tapped into each end of the slot to pinch the rubber strip in place, then the plastic rail end caps are put back on.
The rubber strip is quite a complicated profile, compared to a flat strip, but it's very easy to replace and is rock solid.

 

[Packard]

I switched to Makita’s splinter guard. 

Cold weather compromised the adhesion on the Festool strip, and I store my saw in an unheated garage.  So far, the Makita strip is holding up well.

But since that time, others have entered the fray.  Have any of you tested the other splinter guards (and do all of them use one?)?

1. Kreg
2. Mafell
3. Bosch
4. DeWalt
5. Ryobi
6. Others???

That is all I can think of right now.  I know that there are several others out there.

Mafell does not cut any corners on quality.  I would imagine that theirs would cost as much as the Festool’s does.  But, how does it perform?

I have found that Bosch’s products are generally well-engineered and well-made.  I use a Bosch hose with my saw.  Works fine.

I did make sure that both the track and the strip were both at room temperature before applying the strip (and I cleaned the track with alcohol).  Pressure sensitive adhesive is heat activated. You can generally remove products adhered using pressure sensitive adhesive by applying heat (usually with a hair drier or heat gun).  So, it makes some sense to apply the strips when both the strip and the track are at room temperature or slightly warmer.

The Mafell doesn't use adhesive, it slides into a shaped slot in the edge of the rail extrusion. You feed it in, with some soapy water for lubricant (if needed). Then a plastic wedge, that's supplied with replacement strips, is tapped into each end of the slot to pinch the rubber strip in place, then the plastic rail end caps are put back on.
The rubber strip is quite a complicated profile, compared to a flat strip, but it's very easy to replace and is rock solid.

Very interesting.  In terms of cost and durability, how does it compare with the Festool system?

 

[Lincoln]

Very interesting.  In terms of cost and durability, how does it compare with the Festool system?
[/quote]

No comparison, really. The only advantage Festool rails have is the number of accessories available for them.
Don't get me wrong, I use both and don't have any serious gripes with Festool rails, apart from price.

 

[RJNeal]

Over here on the west side we or at least I have a heat problem with the guide strip.
I have even a brand new rail lose its strip as I pulled it out of the box it was shipped in as soon as I got it from the delivery driver.
I have switch to makita five or six years ago. Never looked back.
Just make sure you clean your tracks with acetone before applying the new strip.
Rj

 

[Cheese]

Mafell does not cut any corners on quality.  I would imagine that theirs would cost as much as the Festool’s does.  But, how does it perform?

The Mafell splinter strip gives me the cleanest sight line of the group. There's a very sharp contrast between the red splinter strip and a pencil mark. The cut edge of the Mafell splinter strip is also smoother than the edge of the Festool splinter strip because the Mafell is rubber vs the HDPE used on the Festool strip.

Note in these photos the difference in splinter edge smoothness when looking at the consistency of the gap between the Starrett straightedge and the cut edge of the splinter strip. This allows for faster, easier rail placement on pencil marks with the Mafell rail.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

 

[jeffinsgf]

I take it the Festool saw work with the Mafell rail?

 

[Packard]

Mafell does not cut any corners on quality.  I would imagine that theirs would cost as much as the Festool’s does.  But, how does it perform?

The Mafell splinter strip gives me the cleanest sight line of the group. There's a very sharp contrast between the red splinter strip and a pencil mark. The cut edge of the Mafell splinter strip is also smoother than the edge of the Festool splinter strip because the Mafell is rubber vs the HDPE used on the Festool strip.

Note in these photos the difference in splinter edge smoothness when looking at the consistency of the gap between the Starret straightedge and the cut edge of the splinter strip. This allows for faster, easier rail placement on pencil marks with the Mafell rail.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

The Makita strip looks and feels like rubber.  I think it is. 

I’m also interested in the answer to Jeff’s question above.  (And how it compares price-wise.)

 

[Cheese]

I take it the Festool saw work with the Mafell rail?

Ah...no. The Mafell saw will work with the Festool rail however.

At this time I'm trying to synchronize the Mafell MT 55 with the Festool TSC 55 and the HKC 55 so that each will work on the same Festool rail and the saw blade cut lines will coincide with one another. I'm not there yet because I do have many bigger fish to fry.