It's rare that a tool makes me feel like an idiot, but right now my new TSO GRS-16 PE V2 is doing just that.
I've gotten back into woodworking after a long hiatus, and picked up this GRS because I have a long list of projects that start with breaking down sheets of plywood. I thought this would make that easier and more accurate, but instead I am fighting the temptation to whip this thing into the woods with great enthusiasm. I can't see any way for the tool to be at fault so I feel like I must be doing something wrong. I can make 8' rip cuts accurate to a millimeter using a pencil and a guide rail, but when I try using the GRS, my squares often end up... not quite square, to the point that it's obvious on my 8x12" square.
Where I feel like I'm missing something is that I am having a hard time sliding the guide rail to align with my cut mark while also keeping the GRS in full contact with the perpendicular edge. The guide rail has a lot of drag against the board, so I have a hard time getting the square aligned with the cut mark while also keeping the guide rail on the cut mark. If I try pushing the square into place I lose the cut mark while if I try to pull it in with the rail it is ends up almost but not quite sure. With a longer guide rail (e.g. 1400+800) this gets particularly bad.
Tons of people buy these things and seem to like them, so I must be the problem. What am I missing? As it is I have a far easier and faster time simply laying the guide rail along two or three pencil marks.
I've gotten back into woodworking after a long hiatus, and picked up this GRS because I have a long list of projects that start with breaking down sheets of plywood. I thought this would make that easier and more accurate, but instead I am fighting the temptation to whip this thing into the woods with great enthusiasm. I can't see any way for the tool to be at fault so I feel like I must be doing something wrong. I can make 8' rip cuts accurate to a millimeter using a pencil and a guide rail, but when I try using the GRS, my squares often end up... not quite square, to the point that it's obvious on my 8x12" square.
Where I feel like I'm missing something is that I am having a hard time sliding the guide rail to align with my cut mark while also keeping the GRS in full contact with the perpendicular edge. The guide rail has a lot of drag against the board, so I have a hard time getting the square aligned with the cut mark while also keeping the guide rail on the cut mark. If I try pushing the square into place I lose the cut mark while if I try to pull it in with the rail it is ends up almost but not quite sure. With a longer guide rail (e.g. 1400+800) this gets particularly bad.
Tons of people buy these things and seem to like them, so I must be the problem. What am I missing? As it is I have a far easier and faster time simply laying the guide rail along two or three pencil marks.