hold the rail with cables

[manu31]

hi

here's an easy way to hold the rail and use it quickly

(low quality of pictures)

 

[Michael Kellough]

Steel cable seems like a bit of overkill but if it works...

When I've used a similar rig I used bungee cord because I couldn't find an appropriate spring.
With good technique you don't need anything to hold the rail but some kind of tensioning device
that keeps the rail against the fixture is reassuring.

 

[badtastex]

I was inspired by AlexRs giant MFT and his solution for holding the rail. I like the idea of having a foldable system like the MFT.

Sorry for not using Festool...

The rail is held by a hinged secton on one side an meets up with a pair of round top screws that has been grinded to fit the rail exactly = no slop.

 

[Michael Kellough]

It's good to see practical and functional solutions.

 

[manu31]

. I like the idea of having a foldable system like the MFT.

hi all
i've tried a copy of mft system but i prefer keep the rail on the table rather than set the height of rail whenever you change the height of the wood ; 4 screws and you must go behind the table

@michael : you saw without hold the rail ?

 

[Michael Kellough]

. I like the idea of having a foldable system like the MFT.

hi all
i've tried a copy of mft system but i prefer keep the rail on the table rather than set the height of rail whenever you change the height of the wood ; 4 screws and you must go behind the table

@michael : you saw without hold the rail ?

Most often I don't bother to clamp the rail. If the wood is smooth and the foam strips under the rail are clean the rail tends to stay put.

The biggest risk in cutting with an un-clamped rail is over-cutting the wood. With a system like yours, if the wood you want to keep is under the rail there is no chance of over-cutting and ruining that piece of wood. The fixture won't let the rail move that way. It is possible for the rail to move away from the fixture but that would only result in under-cutting. You have another chance to cut the same piece of wood to the mark.

In another thread someone asked about the difference between the older rails and the version 2 rails that have been supplied for the last several years. The additional open channel that your cable is attached to makes this kind of fixture possible. The older style of rails wouldn't work for this. You couldn't even run the rail up against a piece of wood unless the cut was well short of full depth.