Safest way to store rails

[Coen]

I store them horizontal in Festool bags, except for the FS1080 that is attached to the MFT thingy (but still horizontal). That last one not in bag is also the only one that keeps losing it's anti-splinter strip.

 

[demographic]

I made up a plywood box for the rails that lives in my van, its far and away better than the very underwhelming Festool rail bag.
I sometimes knock up wooden clips (With rotating top clips to ease fitting/removal) to hold them onto walls where I set up impromptu workshops.

I never have them resting on the no clearance strip and have got enough control of any potential obsessive compulsive disorder to realise that having the advertising writing the right way up is far less important than having the strip and consequently rail on good condition.
Im a carpenter by trade, not an advertising exec.
For the true Ob-Coms amongst you all, maybe the best way to show just how Ob-Com you are would be to show us the letter you wrote to Festool asking why the writing on the rail is upside down when the rail is stored properly.
Otherwise, fail yer not proper Ob-Com, yer just more bothered about lables than function.
IMO like.

 

[4nthony]

Im a carpenter by trade, not an advertising exec.
For the true Ob-Coms amongst you all, maybe the best way to show just how Ob-Com you are would be to show us the letter you wrote to Festool asking why the writing on the rail is upside down when the rail is stored properly.
Otherwise, fail yer not proper Ob-Com, yer just more bothered about lables than function.
IMO like.

Ok, but are you just a carpenter, or a "Festool-certified" carpenter?

 

[luvmytoolz]

Love it Anthony, that's brilliant!

 

[demographic]

Ok, but are you just a carpenter, or a "Festool-certified" carpenter?

Nice one, well made.

 

[Miso]

Thank you all for advice. It is priceless. Based on it I made this transportation/storage case

 

[Woodhack]

I don’t think they’re super susceptible to bending in storage. I don’t think you want to be careless about it, but you’ve got plenty of flexibility in how you store them.

I have, for years, stored mine on little hangers I made out of scraps and attached to the underside of a heavy duty shelf. I spaced them out so there is a hanger every couple of feet and very close to each end. The goal was to have them be easily accessible while not taking up any othewise usable space.

I’ve never had a problem.

That's a slick idea right there!

 

[Packard]

I store 4 guide rails on my garage door using Fastcap's brackets. I have Makita which have soft anti-chip so I mounted the brackets up-side-down. I also store my TSO parallel guide system on the garage door too. (this image is from Fastcap - I mounted the brackets with the green lock knob down)

View attachment 377482

I would say that the image is showing the track stored upside down with the splinter guard resting against the hooks. Over time that will damage the splinter guard and make it less effective.

I have no practical experience to back that up, just judging on the image and the fact that the splinter guards wear out or come loose from the track in normal usage.

 

[Packard]

I bought the bag made to carry the rails. It has a loop on one end. I hang the bag on a hook on the wall. Then I can grab the bag for outside jobs or just unzip the bag for in shop jobs

I know my personality. That is an extra step that I would quickly abandon. But I have no objection for anyone else using the bags.

Buying tip: If you want a bag for Festool’s 32” track, consider buying a folding chair. Many come with zip bags, and likely that price of the chair and the bag is less than Festool’s bag alone. This combo is $42.00. It looks like a draw string closure, mine has a full length zipper. Shop around.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I struggled with splinter guards coming loose on the ends of my rails. I think for me the biggest issue is infrequent use. Since I started storing my rails fully supported on horizontal shelves, I haven't had a single issue with splinter guards.

 

[Miso]

I am just hobbyist making stuff occasionally in non-heated garage. I do not want them to be bent in freezing temperature for several months even though it is alluminium so it should not be a problem but I do not want to realize it the hard way. In case I made I transport them home. For instance, my high precision steel square is not supposed to be exposed to temperature less than 5 °C according to manufacturer

 

[Packard]

I have festool rails, but did the same, "upside down". I was worried it would mess with the splinter strip.

I have a 3000, but that beast fits laying down on a small space at the top of my systainer storage cabinets.

The worry is that the hook was designed to carry weight and the locking mechanism was not. But the rails are light, so likely to be OK. The original design seems short sighted though.

 

[Packard]

From a space perspective, I like hanging the rails from a fiberglass peg. One peg can handle several rails. But to get at my least used (32”) rail, requires that I remove the two more frequently used rails first. So a plus (less space), and a minus (less access).

 

[Michael Kellough]

I just stand them up leaning against the wall. Shortest first (closest to the wall) and finally the 2700, which barely fits. Easy enough to access and no pressure on the splinter guards this way.

 

[Packard]

I just stand them up leaning against the wall. Shortest first (closest to the wall) and finally the 2700, which barely fits. Easy enough to access and no pressure on the splinter guards this way.

I have concrete floors. I would worry about the ends resting on the floor. Not an issue with vinyl or wood floors though.

 

[luvmytoolz]

I have concrete floors. I would worry about the ends resting on the floor. Not an issue with vinyl or wood floors though.

Mine including the ones I bought around ~45 years back have spent their whole life standing on concrete or bitumen without any issues or deformation. I did try hanging them but that process didn't last long.

I do hang the FS rails off hooks though as they're a little more awkward to place.

 

[Vondawg]

Im with you @Michael Kellough ive been standing mine up on a concrete floor in the shop for many years ..no problems and when I moved them in a heated situation …for the first time I had to replace the splinter strips…got YEARS Of use but now get to try the black Makita ones

 

[JohnnyEgo]

Mounted on a cleat so I can keep it on the wall or take it with me. You can see it hanging out in it's usual space in the background of this shot of my messy garage while I was repainting my dueling tree:

Long one is mounted with three of the FastCap rail clips to my garage door.

 

[peter halle]

Very Nice!

 

[4nthony]

What a great holder, love it!

Unless I do a big wall reorg, I'm out of vertical space. I recently opted for the horizontal approach. I dismantled my daughters old IKEA crib and have a bunch of dowels that I used for the racks. I would also like to add a 3000 rail to my quiver and would still need horizontal storage to accommodate it. When that happens, I'll either need to whip together another holder or increase the distance between each rack.