How NOT to treat your guide rails.

[RMDavis]

Anyone else manage to damage or destroy your Festool tools? I need somebody to commiserate with..

I've had a rough few days with my guide rails:
1. Be sure to confiŕm all the locking knons are tight:


2. Make sure your MFT guide rail is properly supported BEFORE you cut...

 

[Coen]

Yes, I routed into my rail in about 2005. And someone else let my TS 55's running blade kiss another rail.

It doesn't affect the working of the rail. Replace the strip and problem solved.

 

[luvmytoolz]

All perfectly normal!

Happens to us all!

A memorable one for me was years back a mate decided he was going to get rich by doing work on a massive CNC he took out a huge loan on. The very first time I was over after he set it up he wanted to show me how it worked, and promptly drove the cutter straight into the edge of the table leaving a 1/2" gash about a 2 feet long. He missed the rails luckily, but was a tad embarrassed and upset.

 

[hdv]

My rail has a deep gash in it from when I did not properly hold my TS55 and it jumped out of the guides when I had a bit of kick back. Every time I see it I still feel a little depressed.

But, like luvmytoolz said, it happens. You are in good company. I don't know of any woodworker who doesn't have some memento of one or more mishaps.

 

[peter halle]

My butt cheeks tightened up when I injured mine, but looking back I now consider it the first scratch on a new work pickup. Check to make sure that you don't have any aluminum burrs on top, and carry on. Along the lines of my analogy, I know someone who had just brought home a brand new van only to have his son take a rock and "draw" along the side of it. Fresh from the dealer lot.

Feel better?

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have a small track saw bite on one of mine. (1080?) It happened when cutting vertically, on an assembled unit. It was really hard to get in position, for the cut. Gravity and the saw's own return spring conspired against me.

 

[Cheese]

I’ll always trade chunks out of an aluminum rail for chunks out of skin and bone.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Those blemishes don’t affect the functionality. Just consider them reminders to focus on the process of the moment.

 

[Packard]

I think you can cut away the damaged sections and end up with a couple of shorter rails. Shorter rails can be useful.

As a rule, I suspect that track saws are safer than table saws. I’m not sure that track + router is—they seem to be about the same. For drilling 32mm spacing holes, I think CMT’s template system with a drill is faster and safer.

You can use CMT’s template with a plunge router and a 14mm bushing, but it is slower (and I suspect, less safe)>

 

[danrush]

Does this count? I was in a hurry loading up after a long install and forgot the rail and attached square on my truck's roof. Pulled out on the highway and saw at least a couple cars and maybe a truck run then over. Rail was trashed, but other than a bit of road rash the TSO square was just fine.

 

[RMDavis]

I do feel a bit better to know that I'm in good company.

 

[onocoffee]

Does this count? I was in a hurry loading up after a long install and forgot the rail and attached square on my truck's roof. Pulled out on the highway and saw at least a couple cars and maybe a truck run then over. Rail was trashed, but other than a bit of road rash the TSO square was just fine.

This rail looks like a great candidate to cut down into 346mm sections and use as Guide Rail Extenders a la the TSO GRE-13.