Repeat narrow rips on narrow timber with tracksaw

[Vondawg]

Yep …plenty of info there and YT like you say and thanks !

 

[bullseye]

Maybe I'm missing something, why not use the add on fence for the track saw?
The Festool saws all come with or have one available.

Can't speak for other saws, other than the Makita one is a joke.

You're not missing something, but I was. Had no idea this existed. Very rudimentary looking, but could do exactly what I'm after. Anyone have experience with it?

 

[mino]

No longer a track saw owner. but if I had to use a track saw to rip thin strips all the time, I'd consider using it like a table saw, as many carpenters in Asia do with their circular saws. It's a very simple jig, and all one needs is a board (top) and a batten (fence) clamped to the top:

Umm. That works*) with a standard circular saw with a non-hiding blade. For a tracksaw you need something along the Basis/CMS modules to prevent the blade withdrawing. Not to mention the mess with height adjustments.

*) notice the lack of anything preventing kickback on that picture .. not very good to advise such an inherently unsafe setup.

 

[Michael Kellough]

No longer a track saw owner. but if I had to use a track saw to rip thin strips all the time, I'd consider using it like a table saw, as many carpenters in Asia do with their circular saws. It's a very simple jig, and all one needs is a board (top) and a batten (fence) clamped to the top:

Umm. That works*) with a standard circular saw with a non-hiding blade. For a tracksaw you need something along the Basis/CMS modules to prevent the blade withdrawing. Not to mention the mess with height adjustments.

*) notice the lack of anything preventing kickback on that picture .. not very good to advise such an inherently unsafe setup.

I wouldn’t promote a homemade tablesaw either but I built one in 1978. Not having a mechanical way to keep the fence parallel to the blade was the biggest drawback (resulting from not getting the blade square to the front edge of the table, due to not having a truly straight edge on the plywood to start with). I spent more time redesigning stuff so I could avoid using it than actually cutting with it.

 

[Packard]

This video uses really crude animation and some weird choices for spacers (who uses cans of Spam as a spacer).  But he does present a workable homemade jig that seems like it will yield repeatable results with no safety issues.

I have a table saw, so I will not be trying this.  But if I didn’t, I would probably give this a try.  The total cost would be a piano hinge and sheet of plywood or OSB.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Maybe I'm missing something, why not use the add on fence for the track saw?
The Festool saws all come with or have one available.

Can't speak for other saws, other than the Makita one is a joke.

You're not missing something, but I was. Had no idea this existed. Very rudimentary looking, but could do exactly what I'm after. Anyone have experience with it?

The edge guide does indeed work fine, but it's more like cutting consistent sized strips from sheet goods, than actually using it "on" thin strips. I suppose you could, but it doesn't seem ideal?

 

[sancho57]

heres a jig that Tom came up with, easy to make and use.
https://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/rip-cuts-in-the-field/

another way is to use the mft angle stop and dogs w a guide rail to set up and cut the narrow strips. I used to have a photo of it but not anymore.