Guide rails

[Warrior]

Hi,

I was considering doing a new years servicing of my equipment like replacing the splinter guards on the guide rails which I will have to do since I will be putting a new base on my TS75. I was also thinking about replacing the green plastic runners as well. But they look fine. they have worn a groove in the saw base but look no worse for wear other than a few scratches. Go figure.

Have any of you had the need to replace these tough green things? If so, why and how long did they last for you?

Thanks
Eiji

 

[glider]

Seems like I read somewhere that you can lift up and move over the "anti-splinter strip".  I need to do some checking (or likely someone will supply the answer here) as one of my splinter strips is a bit dog-eared.

 

[jonny round boy]

Seems like I read somewhere that you can lift up and move over the "anti-splinter strip".  I need to do some checking (or likely someone will supply the answer here) as one of my splinter strips is a bit dog-eared.

I don't move the strip over, as I tried that & it never seems to stick properly. What I do is remove the old strip, clean the strip and the rail, and re-stick it with double sided tape. Not that I'm tight or anything. 

 

[Michael Kellough]

Seems like I read somewhere that you can lift up and move over the "anti-splinter strip".  I need to do some checking (or likely someone will supply the answer here) as one of my splinter strips is a bit dog-eared.

I don't move the strip over, as I tried that & it never seems to stick properly. What I do is remove the old strip, clean the strip and the rail, and re-stick it with double sided tape. Not that I'm tight or anything. 

It's a pain to clean off the old adhesive isn't it? It's really just PSA impregnated paper so it doesn't peel up cleanly in my experience. Rather than using solvents to get a clean surface I reuse the existing adhesive.

I use a heat gun (primarily on the aluminum) to warm up the adhesive. It makes peeling up the rubber off much easierand the adhesive strip stays undisturbed on the aluminum. Starting at one end, I pull up a foot or more at a time and immediately start putting it back down about a half mm farther over (much more if following use of the Panther blade  ) while the adhesive is still warm. When the whole length is done I warm the rubber up a bit with the heat gun and then put a narrow board on the rubber and secure with a bunch of spring clamps.

The bond won't be as good as it was but keep in mind that pressure sensitive adhesives work better with more pressure. I use a small roller for touch up when a spot seems too loose. I am a little more careful about how I handle the rails to avoid loosening the rubber but all my rails have been restored this way multiple times.

 

[Willy S]

I haven?t had to remove/replace any anti-splinter strips yet but I have had excellent results in removing various adhesives with WD-40

 

[Eli]

A fresh razor blade zips the adhesive right off.

 

[Warrior]

A razor or a fresh chisel works great on the rail and you can just rub off the adhesive on the strip with your thumb.