I designed a Track Saw Guide Rail Hinge for Festool and beyond!

[boycabdesign]

HEY THERE!

I am a long-time reader and first-time poster to these forums.
I have seen so many cool innovations from the creative minds of Festool Users around the world and I gotta say... it has been truly inspiring for a young maker.

Today I am hoping to show my design for a 3D-Printed Track Saw Guide Rail Hinge.

A little bit of backstory...

I bought my track saw around 2-3 years ago now and, since that time, I have noticed one glaring drawback. While the first cut always seems to go well, I always run into issues when trying to make repeat cuts on my track saw. After unclamping, adjusting my work piece, placing the rail into position, and reclamping, I always seem to introduce a slight amount of error which definitely compounds over the course of multiple cuts.

I have seen metal guide rail hinges and I really wanted one, but couldn't justify the cost as I wasn't making income from my hobby. To combat this, I looked at alternative options. I quickly found Peter Millard's Guide Rail Hinge and built it. Honestly one of the best affordable options out there, but I wanted additional functionality as well as something that looked good too. I saw Lukeinthegarage's 3D-Printed Guide Rail Hinge, which definitely had a fun design and was plenty sturdy, but it didn't sit at the right height for my MFT setup.

At this point, I came to the conclusion that the only way to be certain I got everything I wanted in a Guide Rail Hinge was to just design my own. So... with zero prior experience in 3d design, I felt I was capable to taking on this task haha.

Over the course of the next several months, I made prototypes, revised designs, figured out tolerances, and taught myself a bit about modern design. The culmination of my efforts was a Track Saw Guide Rail Hinge that I am really proud of. So without any further fanfare, I would love to show off my take on a Track Saw Guide Rail Hinge.

View attachment 1
this is my original attempt. it is quite plain in comparison and it is not reversible

View attachment 2
this is a Shapr3D rendering showing the type of Hinge I wanted to create

View attachment 3
this would be the End Acceptor to secure the opposite end of the Guide Rail

View attachment 4
when combined with a Guide Rail

View attachment 5
here is the Guide Rail Hinge in its upright position!

View attachment 6
this is the view head-on

View attachment 7
here is the End Acceptor mounted to my MFT

View attachment 8
Aaaand one of the entire set up!

So as you can see, this design works really well and I have made several upgrades to it to increase functionality.

The main revision I made was to make my design Reversible. On the Hinge, this was achieved by first removing the alignment channel at the top of the Hinge Top. After removing it I added extra holes in the middle and at the far side. Likewise, I also introduced a mirrored design on the End Acceptor. The result of these additions/subtractions was a Guide Rail Hinge that could hold a guide rail in any orientation. This essentially means you can secure your Rail to cut on the left OR the right side of the Hinge. This is crucial as not everyone has the same setup as myself. Some people want the Hinge to flip up and away, rather than up and towards the user.

I also added a second hole in the back-middle, which would allow users to gain approximately an extra inch in height when fully raised. The original hole was definitely sufficient, but someone asked how they could make cuts on oversized workpieces.

Unlike many other Guide Rail Hinges, mine features wings on either side of the Hinge's sliding piece. This increases stability and allows for smooth raising/lowering of the Guide Rail.

As a new forum member, I would love to make some friends, hear your feedback, and see what I can improve on. I would love to make this Guide Rail Hinge as packed with features as possible.

Wishing you all the best!

Milton (boycabrera)

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have never seen anyone even attempt to have the rail tilt toward the user? Seems like it would always be in the way.

 

[Vondawg]

Is that what we’re seeing ? It looks like it’s the same as always…I think

 

[boycabdesign]

It's the same as always, but it is also reversible if you did want that.

 

[ElectricFeet]

Today I am hoping to show my design for a 3D-Printed Track Saw Guide Rail Hinge.

…

Nice.

3x3 Tamar has just been through the same process and documented it here.


As a non 3D printer owner, it seems way harder than I thought it would be, contrary to the title of the vid.

Kudos for getting through the process.

 

[derekcohen]

Milton, I would kill to be able to print items, and the hinge you designed looks excellent. I imagine that it is stiffer than the first hinge I made from cutting boards!



I followed this with a hinge in aluminium, simply screwing the parts together. 6mm aluminium sheet is easy to cut on a table saw.









Anyone wanting to build their own can find dimensions here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered Tools and Machinery/MFTRailHingeFenceMk2.html

Now all we need is to print aluminium!

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Mini Me]

I bought a 3D printer to prototype one project and I reckon it paid for itself in under a month. I did two versions of the item, one many years ago and the other after I had the 3D printer, the first took nearly 12 months and the second revision took a few weeks, no waiting for machine time, thousands of dollars cheaper and I am sure you get the picture. Derek, you will regret not buying one earlier because I am sure you will buy one. The time and money saved is huge.

 

[ElectricFeet]

Now all we need is to print aluminium!

Shaper Origin is your friend [wink]

 

[Michael Kellough]

Now all we need is to print aluminium!

Shaper Origin is your friend [wink]

If thinking of milling aluminum with Shaper Origin I’d suggest using brass instead. Aluminum requires lubrication and is a real nuisance when using SO. Last time I compared switching to brass was a huge relief.

 

[boycabdesign]

Today I am hoping to show my design for a 3D-Printed Track Saw Guide Rail Hinge.

…

Nice.

3x3 Tamar has just been through the same process and documented it here.


As a non 3D printer owner, it seems way harder than I thought it would be, contrary to the title of the vid.

Kudos for getting through the process.

Tamar's version is great hey? I would say that it would be perfect for the intermittent or beginner woodworker that won't be using it every day.

I have no doubt that it would get the job done, but I would be weary of the print-in-place hinge 3x3 has used. Imagine the weight of a guide rail in the upright position pushing against a few layers of 3d plastic. While it will be fine in the beginning... over time, I would imagine that the usage would wear down or snap the hinge components. That is one of the reasons I am use M10 hex bolts and a much more structurally sound hinge design. My version is also longer to accommodate deeper cuts and has more versatility overall.

What do you think though?

I spoke with Tamar briefly when she first posted and offered to help on a V2 if she ever felt like it 
I think with her reach/experience and my designs, I think we could come up with something super cool!

 

[ElectricFeet]

If thinking of milling aluminum with Shaper Origin I’d suggest using brass instead. Aluminum requires lubrication and is a real nuisance when using SO. Last time I compared switching to brass was a huge relief.

Ha, yes, I agree brass is easier.

I’ve cut alu on the Origin a few times. The key is incredibly thin passes and a lot of patience. And lots of cheap bits. The first time I tried — naively cutting way too deep — I broke an expensive Amana bit in seconds [crying] Lesson learned.

 

[boycabdesign]

Milton, I would kill to be able to print items, and the hinge you designed looks excellent. I imagine that it is stiffer than the first hinge I made from cutting boards!



I followed this with a hinge in aluminium, simply screwing the parts together. 6mm aluminium sheet is easy to cut on a table saw.









Anyone wanting to build their own can find dimensions here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered Tools and Machinery/MFTRailHingeFenceMk2.html

Now all we need is to print aluminium!

Regards from Perth

Derek

DEREK! I would be 100% lying if I said your guide rail hinge didn't inspire me to make my own. Honestly, your ingenuity with the cutting board and everything else was just so freaking creative.

If you ever decide to get a 3d printer, I am selling the STL files for my Hinge on etsy. Likewise, I also sell the physical version for people without 3d printers
https://boycabrera.etsy.com is my shop, if you ever get curious.