TS 55 loose on Makita guide rail

[Badhomeowner]

I searched online and the forms and everything I saw said the ts55 works with the Makita rail with the exception of some accessories. So I made the plunge and bought a 118" Makita rail during the black Friday deals. Went to use it for the first time today and the track saw doesn't get tight on the rail. Do other people have this issue? I have the cams fully engaged and it is still loose. Is there a way to correct this or am I out 230 bucks? I was thinking about using some feeler gauges as a shim somehow but I'd like to know if this is common problem or specific to my saw.

Thanks for any help

 

[acer66]

I have the same setup, well my Makita rail and saw are like 5 years old but I do not have that issue.

Good luck.

 

[vkumar]

There is green adjustment knob that you can adjust the slack between track and saw.  Of course once you take up the slack on this track it may be too tight on the other tracks, so you may have to do this for each track.

 

[squall_line]

There is green adjustment knob that you can adjust the slack between track and saw.  Of course once you take up the slack on this track it may be too tight on the other tracks, so you may have to do this for each track.

I believe the OP is already aware of this.  See also:

I have the cams fully engaged and it is still loose.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Maybe there is something odd about that rail? Lots of people use the Makita rails without complaint. They especially go for that with the longer ones because of the price difference. The FS3000 was over $350 when I got mine.

 

[mrboult]

Is your Saw old? The black plastic shims that work in the cams do wear out.  My 10 year old TS has barely any tightening left I noticed recently, as the shims are worn noticeably thin. They still just about snug to my rail, but they won’t for long.

But otherwise, I also have no experience of this problem when using my fes’ saw and mak’ tracks

 

[Badhomeowner]

Thanks for the replies guys, it's possible the saw is older I bought it second hand a while ago. Anyway to check manufacturer date with the serial number or something?

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Yes, the DOM (date of manufacture) is right on the sticker, lower left corner. The serial number is just to the right of it.