Newbie buying guide rails

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Forgive the newbie blabber, but I have a 55" Guide rail that came with my TS55, (yes, should have asked for the LR32 upgraded rail - again, newbie) and I am in the process of buying the LR32 system, and it also comes with a 55" guide rail. To cut full sheets, can I join these two rails together, or do I need to sell one of my kidneys and buy the 118" Rail?
Just can't seem to find any info on this. I realize together they will be 14" longer then a full sheet of plywood, however will I have enough guide rail to do this safely?

 
Yes, you can join rails. you will need two of these.

As for total length, it is my understanding that with the TS55 you will have enough rail to do this safely.

I have the TS75 which has a larger baseplate and come up just a little short (although I do not let that stop me).

I think that the reason for the 118" rail is so that there are not two different sizes of 'long' rails.
 
I have shorter guiderails but have never joined them. Used the 118" rail last week to cut down plywood sheets, very easy with the TS55. If you get the longer rail, make sure you have somewhere to store it! And if you can, go and get it from a dealer's store, they have a history of arriving all bent up when shipped, luckily mine was OK - a store would have to deal with that vs you having to initiate a return / replacement shipment with a mail order company.
 
Welcome to the FOG :)

You will probably want the long rail eventually as it is nice to be able to switch between long and short rails within seconds. Plus a one piece rail won't come out of alignment if bumped.

I would not recommend the Festool joiners but instead Makita's version which is superior, as it has a bottom plate and won't dimple the rail. You will need two, as both Makita and Festool sell their connectors as singles. Makita P-45777 Guide Rail Connector Kit.
 
harry_ said:
I think that the reason for the 118" rail is so that there are not two different sizes of 'long' rails.

Don't forget 491500 , the 197" rail - everyone needs that one!
 
Peter_C said:
You will probably want the long rail eventually as it is nice to be able to switch between long and short rails within seconds.

Very true!  I used the 118" and the 75" last week on the same project, did not have to un-do any connectors etc...
 
As many have mentioned, if you have the funds and a place to store it, the 3 meter rail is great for ripping down sheet goods. 

It is surprisingly easy to mis-align two rails very slightly while joining and end up having a cut that isn't straight. 

It is also very convenient to have a single long rail laying around.

Just some thoughts.

Ken
 
By the 3000 mm track for sure. Joining rails sucks period. I did it for a year and I am so glad I got the 3000 mm.
 
I have had my TS55 a couple of years.  Like you I made the newbie mistake of not getting the LR32 rail.  I have joined two 55 inch rails all this time with the Festool connectors.  No issues at all.  I take my time and everything works great for me.  I am a hobbyist so speed is not a huge deal.  I will likely add the LR32 rail before a long rail but that is just me.  Someday I hope to have both.

 
I've had my TS55 since Aug 2013. It was the first Festool product I bought and I love it! At the time I was upgrading from a cheap store own-brand saw, and my wife thought I was crazy spending so much. I wasn't aware of the LR32 rails so ended up with two FS1400/2 rails which came as a bundle with the saw. They can be joined but as others have said, if you can stretch to it, and will use it, get the longer rail.
 
I have a 1400 normal rail that came with the saw and an extra 1400 LR32 rail.

I can rip full sheets using that setup, not much spare on the length though and wouldn't mind another 200mm on the length of the two, just for better run in and run out.
 
Two 55" (1400) rails joined together are adequate for ripping 4x8' plywood and one 55" rail is adequate for cross cuts.  A little extra length would be nice but is not necessary for the TS55.

I do this professionally and have made thousands of cuts with this set up.

My recommendation is to invest $100 in a Betterley Straight Line Connector.  I use mine every day to quickly and accurately connect rails.  It is well machined and works perfectly.
 
As others have said get the Betterley Straight Line Connector. Once you watch the video you should be convinced. I'm getting one. One of the many things you will learn in your Festool journey, it doesn't stop with the tool. Welcome to the slippery slope of FOG. 
 
SS Teach said:
As others have said get the Betterley Straight Line Connector. Once you watch the video you should be convinced. I'm getting one. One of the many things you will learn in your Festool journey, it doesn't stop with the tool. Welcome to the slippery slope of FOG.
Uh, won't a straight edge or rather 4-8' level do the same thing? So the Betterly is $100, and the rail connectors from Makita or Festool are $40. Instead of spending a ton of money on a single use tool, why not just take the $140 and buy the $299 long rail? Personally I can't imagine working without a long and short rail ready to go.
 
Agreed -- joining rails is a PITA.  The Betterley will come in handy though if you ever have to make super long cuts, say, on boards longer than 9 feet.

Peter_C said:
SS Teach said:
As others have said get the Betterley Straight Line Connector. Once you watch the video you should be convinced. I'm getting one. One of the many things you will learn in your Festool journey, it doesn't stop with the tool. Welcome to the slippery slope of FOG.
Uh, won't a straight edge or rather 4-8' level do the same thing? So the Betterly is $100, and the rail connectors from Makita or Festool are $40. Instead of spending a ton of money on a single use tool, why not just take the $140 and buy the $299 long rail? Personally I can't imagine working without a long and short rail ready to go.
 
Edward A Reno III said:
Agreed -- joining rails is a PITA.  The Betterley will come in handy though if you ever have to make super long cuts, say, on boards longer than 9 feet.
Well you just did sell me on the long rail combined with the one that comes with a TS55 :) Cutting solid surface after joining for 12+ foot counter tops is the reason I bought rail connectors. My 8' level worked perfectly for getting them aligned. For the very few times I will ever be connecting the rails together spending money for a tool like the Betterly just doesn't make sense when I can get the same results utilizing tools I already own. Now for someone who is mobile and works out of a small vehicle that can only haul 55" rails, then yeah, the Betterly would make perfect sense, since it would be used often.
 
I have 2-1400 "holey"rails and a 1900,but have the batterley connector.

If you need to join the rails,the batterley is the way to go,in my opinion .
The reason for my rails is to trim deck boards,but I also want a 118"rail for sheet goods.
If a person is not joking rails very often,then I can see using a level,but for $100,I think the connector is money well spent. Ymmv.

Btw what size rails do you deck builders use?
Charlie
 
Here's the thing about the 118" (3000mm) guide rail.  It's almost 10 feet long.

I have an 8 foot bed on my pickup with a camper top.  The 118" guide rail does not fit inside and I'm not about to strap it to the ladder rack.

As for storage, the ceiling in my shop is a little over 8 feet tall so it won't fit vertically.  My walls are lined with shelves, cabinets and lumber racks so there is no space to store it horizontally. 

I have an assortment of shorter rails (75, 3-55's, 42 & 32) that are hung vertically in the two foot wide space between the garage doors.  Joining them with the Betterley could not be easier.  Before I bought it, I used a straight edge (8 foot Stabila level) to align them but that was a PITA by comparison.
 
Welcome Newbie!

I am kinda new too so I had the same questions. I bought the FS3000 (3 meter) and it is great but.... mine was not strait when I got it out of the box!  [mad] So if you get one check it right away wile you still have the box to return it. The frustrating thing was it was not bent along the thin flat track but it was actually bent along the cutting edge. That means it DID NOT happen in shipment. They messed it up during production while producing the extrusion. And then they shipped it out of the factory without checking it. Really gives me pause on the "Festool Quality"  [sad]. The dealer said it probably bent in shipment but the forces required to deform the track along a 8 in thick extrusion in a perfect arc is just not a plausible explanation. Festool messed it up during production. The second track I got was dead strait. If I was buying two tracks the Betterly would be a must have.
 
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