Squaring Fence and guide rail on MFT

S

sroxberg

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Feb 21, 2007
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Is there an easy, accurate way or trick to setting the MFT fence and rail at 90degrees?

I got really close, but needed it perfect.

Any tips or guides available for that?
 
sroxberg said:
Is there an easy, accurate way or trick to setting the MFT fence and rail at 90degrees?

I got really close, but needed it perfect.

Any tips or guides available for that?
Click to expand...

The way I square up the fence and Gude rail is to use a carpenter's square - mine is a Starrett FS-24 - 24 inches on the long side and 16 inches on the short side. Set the short side against the rail and loosen the end lock on the fence.  Wiggle the fence just enough to make sure that it is square with the rail, tighten the end lock and you're good to go.  Be sure the rail is locked into place before you do the squaring up.  It takes less time to do than to describe.  I do it every time I loosen the rail or the fence.

A quick search of the Starrett site doesn't show that they make it any more, but they are readily available at your local wood working shop I should think.  Lee Valley has one available at http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32587&cat=1,42936,42944&ap=1 that looks like a pretty good one to me.
 
Thanks Clint,

I never consider those types of squares to be very accurate, but the Starrett name usually is, and at that price is should be accurate.

 
I assumed that the holes on the table were square, and measured from them to give my fence an accurate 45 and 90 degree position, then I drew lines on the table so I could quickly re-align the fence the next time.

 
I have a 12" plastic quick square.  There is a lip on one edge that fits into the back rail(not sure what Festool calls it0.  i set the lip into the top groove on the rail and slide it up against the back of the guide bar.  make my adjustments (almost never needs adjustment unless i have changed the angle), tighten everything up and I'm good to go.  I make a couple of test cuts to check for square.
Tinker
 
I use the framing square, the 15" engineers square from Enco, the orange plastic drafting square...and then I check it all with a cut. I put a 2 ft piece of MDF against the "squared" fence and under the guide rail until about 1/2" in showng. I make sure the guide rail is seated front and back and I make the cut. I then flip the freshly cut board over and place the guide rail down on it. It should be a perfect fit to the guide rail. If it is off, some further tweeking is necessary...but that is the dure fire way of testing square...and be carefu not to let any saw dust or material of any kind against the fence. The cut piece of MDF can be kept around and marked as "square."
 
I use the protractor (angle finder?) that comes with the guide rail add-on set. Very handy tool.
 
Well, there's accurate and then there's accruate.  You say you need it perfect?  I've got the Enco square, and it's not perfect.  I've got plastic drafting triangles, and they're not perfect.  I've got a Starrett try-square, and it's not perfect.  They're all very good, usually good enough, but when I want "perfect," I use the "double error squaring method" described here by Rick Christopherson:
http://home.att.net/~waterfront-woods/Articles/Double-Error-Squaring.html

If you want zero detectable deviation from 90 degrees over a width of 500mm, then use that method with a set of Starrett feeler gauges.  Takes five minutes, but it works every time.

Regards,

John
 
James Metcalf said:
:'(Beware - Beware-  :o  This square is now aprox. 1/2 the thickness it was when we all bought ours.I bought a second square few weeks ago and they are not as they were.
The Enco square in "Getting the most from the MFT" manual.  Here's the Enco link:
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=638-7628&PMPXNO=949950&PARTPG=INLMK3

The thickness was what made it so good.
Click to expand...

What's the thickness of the "old" model?  More or less--no need to get out the micrometer.

Ned
 
Another good option to square the MFT's rail is by using that handy little MFS template. I have found them to be accurate in most cases. It is thick enough to just clear the angle stop.
 
Ned

The older version is a small amount over 3/8" thick. I also notice it is about 1/4" less in width to the inside, thus keeping the outside dimension the same for the catalog.
 
clintholeman said:
The way I square up the fence and Guide rail is to use a carpenter's square - mine is a Starrett FS-24 - 24 inches on the long side and 16 inches on the short side. Set the short side against the rail and loosen the end lock on the fence.  Wiggle the fence just enough to make sure that it is square with the rail, tighten the end lock and you're good to go.  Be sure the rail is locked into place before you do the squaring up.  It takes less time to do than to describe.  I do it every time I loosen the rail or the fence.
Click to expand...

Does anyone have trouble with the guide rails moving when setting up to square?  My guide rail wiggles about an inch (on the end away from the joint), when applying pressure, so I am unsure if it will lay back down to the same position.  I.E. set up to square, lift up the guide rail, place wood, then make a cut.  How do you ensure that once setup square, the MFT will remain this way?  Also, how often does you check for square?  Once a day?  Every cut? When it calls you???
 
John Sonnenberg said:
My guide rail wiggles about an inch (on the end away from the joint), when applying pressure,
Click to expand...

Hi John,

Do you have the front bracket installed?  Do you have it adjusted so that the guide rail is supported by the front bracket, and the bracket's tab goes all the way into the slot of the guide rail?

Both brackets must be used to locate the guide rail, and must be adjusted whenever the material thickness changes.

HTH,
Ned
 
Ned Young said:
Do you have the front bracket installed?  Do you have it adjusted so that the guide rail is supported by the front bracket, and the bracket's tab goes all the way into the slot of the guide rail?
Click to expand...

Front Bracket?  Ummm, no.  Sounds like operator error.  I will go out to the shop at lunch and see what I have missed.  Guess it pays to read the manual at some point.  Thanks for the help Ned.
 
John Sonnenberg said:
How do you ensure that once setup square, the MFT will remain this way?
Click to expand...

There are two reasons I'll check for squareness:  (1) each time I re-install the fence after removing it; and (2) if I bang the fence hard by accident.  Otherwise, I've found the fence stays dead-square.

Regards,

John
 
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