Makita "Holy" Rail?

[Mike Goetzke]

I have all Makita rails so my saws are adjusted for them. Is there a way to convert a rail to have 32mm shelf holes?

Thanks

 

[mino]

Basically, just get the Festool one ...

 

[Coen]

Sure. Buy a Festool one and then use the router to drill a 32mm hole pattern in the Makita rail. Or get someone with a nice CNC to do it for you. But the later is probably rather costly

 

[Sparktrician]

Be aware that the holes in Festool rails are not perfectly round.

 

[smorgasbord]

Is there a reason for non-roundness?

 

[mino]

Is there a reason for non-roundness?

First, you can never place the slide precisely so some lateral wiggle margin is a must.
Second, more important, a round hole can never be precise and practical at the same time. You need a flat section for referencing to work and the pin to be able to get in reasonably easy at the same time.

IMO there is no point in CNCing the Makita rail - just buying the Festool one is more cost effective. Can be done though.

 

[smorgasbord]

When you say "lateral wiggle" is that in line with the direction of the track, or perpendicular to the direction of the track? Just curious

Tolerance for fit is a whole engineering discipline. For round holes where centering is important, tapering (making things cones instead of cylinders/cylindrical holes) is usually more precise, but I suspect for the purposes of the LR32 system, ultimate accuracy isn't important.

 

[mino]

When you say "lateral wiggle" is that in line with the direction of the track, or perpendicular to the direction of the track? Just curious

Yes.

The slide position vis-a-vis the track is defined by the reference rib, so a drilled hole is not an option. Besides, a flat run of a bit in a CNC is inherently more accurate /on a given CNC/ than a drilled hole. Or even a small-bit-made circular hole.

 

[woodferret]

There's also bounciness of the rail/plate while moving it around. Trying to pin a conforming hole would be an exercise in frustration. Two points is enough.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Basically, just get the Festool one ...

Problem is the raised guide rib is a little different width between the Makita ans Festool but might have to deal with that.