Holy Rail (FS1400-2/LR-32) Symmetry

D

dlu

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On my holy rail the edge of the first hole on one side is 9mm from the end of the rail, on the other it is 10mm. I realize that when the system is being used the way it is supposed to be used this shouldn't make any difference. However...

Today I was adding some shelf pin holes to an existing cabinet and after striking out with my Woodhaven jig, decided that the best plan was to use the LR-32 rail and drilling fixture on the OF1010. So I cut a spacer block to make it easy to set up the rail and went to work. When I switched to the other side of the cabinet I noticed that the holes weren't going to line up with the rail and I needed to make a new spacer block - no problem, just annoying.

It seems like the obvious solution is either:

  • a) Figure I'll never need to do this again and forget about it, or
  • b) Trim the long end of the rail to match the short end.

I'm leaning towards B, it seems like it will work and would avoid hassles in the future – or am I missing something?
 
You are correct that in the Festool LR-32 system nothing references off the end of the rails.  If you want the ability to use the end of the rails for a reference point in the future, then trimming would be the route I personally would take.

Peter
 
Peter Halle said:
You are correct that in the Festool LR-32 system nothing references off the end of the rails.  If you want the ability to use the end of the rails for a reference point in the future, then trimming would be the route I personally would take.

Peter
Click to expand...

Thanks, appreciate the sanity check - besides my rail being off, I discovered that the system holes in the cabinet were off by 2.5mm between the sides. Not sure how that made it past quality control...
 
I was thinking about getting into the LR-32 system.  I have a FS 1400 55" Guide Rail, it seems excessive to have to buy a new guide rail with holes.

Is there any way to have holes drilled into my existing rail?  I assume the two are the same, except one has holes in it.

Thanks.
 
My rail is not the same at both ends either....using the stop 16 up and out, you are only using the last hole for the thumb screw that holds the end stop in place...the end stop registers off the 2nd and 3rd holes which are accurate to the 32 mm system which I'm sure you already know. My lovely bride wanted another shelf in the cabinet above our fridge to store her Grandmothers silverware chest...rail would not fit in the cabinet....unless I cut it down to 20 inches......Kreg jig to the rescue... I put 2 5mm self pins in the existing holes which aligned the jig and drilled the rest of the shelf holes front and back...I think they are about 20 bucks...I was a hero, and got red meat and potatoes for dinner that night instead of the dirt and leaves she normally tries feeding me...and no rail was hurt by a saw in all of this...lol
Greg
 
rmhinden said:
I was thinking about getting into the LR-32 system.  I have a FS 1400 55" Guide Rail, it seems excessive to have to buy a new guide rail with holes.

Is there any way to have holes drilled into my existing rail?  I assume the two are the same, except one has holes in it.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

See converting a standard rail into a holey rail.

You will need to borrow an existing holey rail.
 
Corwin said:
How will you accurately trim the longer end to match?
Click to expand...

Miter saw, dial caliper, and courage  [smile]

The rail will cut easily – I've done it before to salvage a long rail that UPS had its way with. So as long as I can get the rail squared up in the miter saw and accurately set up to cut 1mm I should be good.
 
Why bother trimming the rails and going through all the angst?  The stop blocks give you the correct spacing when they're used, either to give the necessary increment from the end of the material, or to provide correct spacing when joining two rails to make a longer rail. 

When I first bought into the Festool system, I bought two 1400mm standard rails which I still have.  Then when I decided to switch from another system to the LR 32 system, I acquired two 1400mm holey rails and subsequently found a (now discontinued) 1080mm holey rail for sale by a FOG member.  In retrospective, I'd rather have bought the two holey rails up front and called it done.  Last time I checked, the holey rails were that same price as the standard rails, so why not just get the holey rails and call it a day?  Also look at the time you'd need to invest in converting the rails and compare your "wage investment" against the cost of buying new holey rails.  Also be aware that the holes in the holey rails are really ovals, and so far, I've never managed to find any oval drill bits.  [smile]
 
Sparky, other than buying a 1080 holy rail, I had the same experiance as you and agree. just get the holy rails when you buy yer TS 55
 
Sparktrician said:
Why bother trimming the rails and going through all the angst?  The stop blocks give you the correct spacing when they're used, either to give the necessary increment from the end of the material, or to provide correct spacing when joining two rails to make a longer rail.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the stop blocks don't work when you're reworking a cabinet in place as they prevent you from getting the rail flat on the material you're putting the holes into (unless you can remove parts of the cabinet or put holes in it) and trimming is really not that big a deal.
 
I would recommend using your LR32 and make a template to fit your workpiece.

I was working on a new outfeed table/workbench over the weekend.  I was kind of winging it as I went in reference to dimensions.  After my dry fit, I measured for drawer slides.  My dimensions did not coincide with 32mm system sizes and I was not satisfied with the hole placement options with the LR32 standoffs.  I wanted my bottom holes to give my drawer slides 1mm of clearance from the “floor” of the cabinet.  My solution was to cut a piece of 19mm ply the interior size of my carcass sides.  I then used the LR32 and OF1010 to punch the holes in the necessary arrangement.  That created the template I used with the Festool 5mm stubby drill bit.  The length of the bit combined with the thickness of the template worked out beautifully.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Question on the Holy rail..Are there other use(s) for the holes other than just shelf pins?
 
skids said:
Question on the Holy rail..Are there other use(s) for the holes other than just shelf pins?
Click to expand...

Sure. Drawer slides, hinge cups, making your own MFT tops with exact 20mm holes 96mm on center.

I also bought my holey rails with my TS55 when I got into Festool not knowing whether I'd want/need the LR32 which seemed extravagant at the time and not really understanding its' utility. Now I'm so far down the rabbit hole it's dark and cold and I'm scared.
 
LOL..very well said, I recently had this conversation with my wife on whether to charge ahead or just sell all I had..$3k later, and MFT 3, CT 26, work center, multiple clamps, a Domino, and Domino set and I in that same dark scary place.

I have the need to drill shelf pin holes, and I need another rail, but not sure I want to commit to the LR32 just set. I want to get proficient at it with something cheaper first, just not sure there is anything thats any good. Maybe Kregs system? Or the Woodpeckers T Square? Not sure what else does the 32mm spacing that isn't a complete PIA to set up. It's at least good to know the other things folks use the Holy rail for. 
 
skids said:
LOL..very well said, I recently had this conversation with my wife on whether to charge ahead or just sell all I had..$3k later, and MFT 3, CT 26, work center, multiple clamps, a Domino, and Domino set and I in that same dark scary place.

I have the need to drill shelf pin holes, and I need another rail, but not sure I want to commit to the LR32 just set. I want to get proficient at it with something cheaper first, just not sure there is anything thats any good. Maybe Kregs system? Or the Woodpeckers T Square? Not sure what else does the 32mm spacing that isn't a complete PIA to set up. It's at least good to know the other things folks use the Holy rail for.
Click to expand...

For now you're probably better off with the Kreg jig for shelf pins. It looks like it works well for one off situations. The LR32 shines when you need those holes at precise locations, i.e. inset at exactly 37mm, or 224mm. If you're just throwing some adjustable shelving in it is overkill (although nice to use).
 
Yes that is exactly what i was going to do organize my systainers into the Festool AZ shelving which I believe is based off the 32mm set up. So basically I am just building boxes with 32mm holes in them, never drilled shelf pins before be good to hone some skills with as little financial commitment as possible. Woodpeckers makes a jig too, just found it. Kreg is cheaper though, but both are BY fAR cheaper than the Festool set up.  [smile]
 
skids said:
Yes that is exactly what i was going to do organize my systainers into the Festool AZ shelving which I believe is based off the 32mm set up. So basically I am just building boxes with 32mm holes in them, never drilled shelf pins before be good to hone some skills with as little financial commitment as possible. Woodpeckers makes a jig too, just found it. Kreg is cheaper though, but both are BY fAR cheaper than the Festool set up.  [smile]
Click to expand...

That's what I used mine for recently. Check this out, he didn't use any jigs for this . And he has every Festool from the looks of it.
 
I wanted to use my 1010 to drill out the holes, would be a new use for it and it drills cleaner holes (not that is matters in this application). But quickly realizing it's a PIA to set up a 1010 with a guide bushing.
 
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