Guide rail saw fit

[Claimdude]

Hey All,

I recently acquired a new 106" guide rail for my TS55. I have two 55s. My saw is adjusted for a tight fit but smooth unrestricted slide action on my two 55s (the two 55s were acquired new about 4 or 5 years apart). When I place my TS55 (the one that fits the older rails) on the 106" it is so tight it won't slide at all. No visible damage to the long rail and I tried the fit along the length of the long rail with same results. I double checked my saw to my short rails and they fit and slide perfectly.

I sent an email to my dealer and am sure he will respond tomorrow but just wondered if anyone here has had this problem with their guide rails in the past?

Thanks

 

[Ken Nagrod]

I've had slight differences among my rails.  Nothing that causes me to have to adjust the saw for each rail.  That would be a pain.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Hey All,

I recently acquired a new 106" guide rail for my TS55. I have two 55s. My saw is adjusted for a tight fit but smooth unrestricted slide action on my two 55s (the two 55s were acquired new about 4 or 5 years apart). When I place my TS55 (the one that fits the older rails) on the 106" it is so tight it won't slide at all. No visible damage to the long rail and I tried the fit along the length of the long rail with same results. I double checked my saw to my short rails and they fit and slide perfectly.

I sent an email to my dealer and am sure he will respond tomorrow but just wondered if anyone here has had this problem with their guide rails in the past?

Thanks

Are the 55s the new style or the old style? There was quite a bit of variation in the width of the spine on the old style guide rails. I have several and the narrowest was 15.8mm and thew widest 16.1mm. With the ATF saws it was really a pain because they require a screwdriver to adjust the jibs.

I have five of the new style rails and they're all either 16 to 16.1mm and with the TS saws it's quick and easy to adjust the jibs.

 

[Steve R]

What does your micrometer measure out on the new and old rails?

Also as stated it is easy to adjust current TS55s to the rail. Would wonder more if they both saws match the trim strip the same.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Claimdude]

Hey All,

I recently acquired a new 106" guide rail for my TS55. I have two 55s. My saw is adjusted for a tight fit but smooth unrestricted slide action on my two 55s (the two 55s were acquired new about 4 or 5 years apart). When I place my TS55 (the one that fits the older rails) on the 106" it is so tight it won't slide at all. No visible damage to the long rail and I tried the fit along the length of the long rail with same results. I double checked my saw to my short rails and they fit and slide perfectly.

I sent an email to my dealer and am sure he will respond tomorrow but just wondered if anyone here has had this problem with their guide rails in the past?

Thanks

Are the 55s the new style or the old style? There was quite a bit of variation in the width of the spine on the old style guide rails. I have several and the narrowest was 15.8mm and thew widest 16.1mm. With the ATF saws it was really a pain because they require a screwdriver to adjust the jibs.

I have five of the new style rails and they're all either 16 to 16.1mm and with the TS saws it's quick and easy to adjust the jibs.

Michael,

I just checked the measurements and they are as follows:

106" new rail is 16.35mm
55" rails 15.9 to 16.01mm

Measurements taken at various points along each rail. I have thought some more about the age of my 55s and believe that the oldest is 5 or 6 yrs (bought with an ATF55) and the newest is about 2 or 3 yrs old and came with my current TS55. The newest came with clear splinter guard if that helps in determining age.

While I agree that adjusting the TS55 is MUCH easier than the ATF55 it still creates a variable that, in my opinion, is not consistent with Festool quality and price. If I am cutting with my 106 and have opened the cams slightly and then change back to a 55 for a couple of cuts without remembering to readjust the cams then I will damage my splinter guards. Additionally, if I have a 10ft cut I need to make and join my 106 with one of my 55s then moving the saw across the joint in the rails would likely cause a bump or distortion in the movement of the saw possibly along with excessive side to side movment due to narrower ridge on short rail causing the cut edge to not be as clean and straight as it should be.

Looking at your measurements and mine it seems the 106 is out of tolerance enough to cause a problem. It appears a .1mm variance is OK but the .35mm variance is enough to require cam adjustment.

Thanks again for ya'lls thoughts on this.

Jack

 

[Alan m]

thats not acceptable. return the rail. give festool a ring , im sure shane holland will set you right

 

[JSands]

I have wondered this same thing....
my single TS75 is a perfect fit in some rails, and too tight in other rails...
I am curious what Festool says about this issue...

 

[Claimdude]

thats not acceptable. return the rail. give festool a ring , im sure shane holland will set you right

I spoke with Bob yesterday and received an email from him today that they would ship me a replacement 106 rail. I'll let you guys know how it comes out.

Thanks to Bob Marino!

Jack

 

[Brice Burrell]

.....Also as stated it is easy to adjust current TS55s to the rail. Would wonder more if they both saws match the trim strip the same.

Cheers,
Steve

Steve, yes, they would cut the same.  The saw's adjustable gibs ride on the outer side of the guide rail and the fix nubs on the saw's base are on the inside.  This keeps a consistent distance from the rail to the blade, as long as there's no slop in the fit.    

 

[Steve R]

.....Also as stated it is easy to adjust current TS55s to the rail. Would wonder more if they both saws match the trim strip the same.

Cheers,
Steve

Steve, yes, they would cut the same.  The saw's adjustable gibs ride on the outer side of the guide rail and the fix nubs on the saw's base are on the inside.  This keeps a consistent distance from the rail to the blade, as long as there's no slop in the fit.    

Brice, thanks. My question was more are both saws having the same issue on the same rail. My 55 and 75 are only a year old, I didn't know if the bases had changed over time. Prior to the piece of the quote you cut up...I asked about putting the micrometer on the rails to see what was what. I was trying to locate and eliminate the issues to find the problem.

Thanks for your help Brice!
Cheers,
Steve

 

[ccarrolladams]

I have been buying and using TS55 since January of 2006. I still use that one a lot and have subsequently bought 5 more, including the newest received in May 2011. All 6 are within 0.20mm of each other with respect to the splinter guard. Some use the older style gibbs and some the current style.

Similarly I still use the first 3 1400mm guide rails I got in January 2006, 1 with the TS55 and an extra 2 I bought at the same time. Subsequently I made use of the policy to pay extra for other style rails with the additional TS saws. My TS75 came with a 1900mm rail. The most recent TS55 came with an LR32 1400mm rail. My 5000mm rail was part of a 2010 TS55 deal.

It is strange anyone has problems interchanging rails and saws. All of my rails and saws work with each other in any combination. All of the cabinet makers working for me owns a personal TS saw, either 55 or 75. All of those also work fine with all my rails.

 

[Holzhacker]

I have 5 rails, 1 of which is a an LR32 rail, not that that should make a difference. I can't remember adjusting my TS75 for any of them. I'm thinking a bad rail or something between the saws.

 

[Claimdude]

Hey All,

I recently acquired a new 106" guide rail for my TS55. I have two 55s. My saw is adjusted for a tight fit but smooth unrestricted slide action on my two 55s (the two 55s were acquired new about 4 or 5 years apart). When I place my TS55 (the one that fits the older rails) on the 106" it is so tight it won't slide at all. No visible damage to the long rail and I tried the fit along the length of the long rail with same results. I double checked my saw to my short rails and they fit and slide perfectly.

I sent an email to my dealer and am sure he will respond tomorrow but just wondered if anyone here has had this problem with their guide rails in the past?

Thanks

Are the 55s the new style or the old style? There was quite a bit of variation in the width of the spine on the old style guide rails. I have several and the narrowest was 15.8mm and thew widest 16.1mm. With the ATF saws it was really a pain because they require a screwdriver to adjust the jibs.

I have five of the new style rails and they're all either 16 to 16.1mm and with the TS saws it's quick and easy to adjust the jibs.

Michael,

I just checked the measurements and they are as follows:

106" new rail is 16.35mm
55" rails 15.9 to 16.01mm

Measurements taken at various points along each rail. I have thought some more about the age of my 55s and believe that the oldest is 5 or 6 yrs (bought with an ATF55) and the newest is about 2 or 3 yrs old and came with my current TS55. The newest came with clear splinter guard if that helps in determining age.

While I agree that adjusting the TS55 is MUCH easier than the ATF55 it still creates a variable that, in my opinion, is not consistent with Festool quality and price. If I am cutting with my 106 and have opened the cams slightly and then change back to a 55 for a couple of cuts without remembering to readjust the cams then I will damage my splinter guards. Additionally, if I have a 10ft cut I need to make and join my 106 with one of my 55s then moving the saw across the joint in the rails would likely cause a bump or distortion in the movement of the saw possibly along with excessive side to side movment due to narrower ridge on short rail causing the cut edge to not be as clean and straight as it should be.

Looking at your measurements and mine it seems the 106 is out of tolerance enough to cause a problem. It appears a .1mm variance is OK but the .35mm variance is enough to require cam adjustment.

Thanks again for ya'lls thoughts on this.

Jack

Received my new 106" guide today and the saw fits perfectly. The ridge measurement is 16mm on the money.

Tanks to Bob Marino for getting a new guide shipped out ASAP.

Jack