TS 55: working with short pieces

[nikev]

Hi,

I have to trim down some small pieces of maple, about 1 inch wide by 12 inches long (need to take off about 1/8 inch on the the long end). Any ideas how to do this with the TS55 and guide rail?? I can't seem to find a reasonable way to clamp the small pieces to the rail.

Thanks in advance,

Nike

 

[MikeDeuce]

Random thought (not sure if it would actually work):

What if you double-stick tape them (with carpet tape or similar heavy duty double stick tape) to wider stock of the same height/length?

The tape I use is good enough for the router, so I could imagine it working well for the odd job... not so much for production runs.

 

[fidelfs]

You can search on the John Lucas website.  He tested the small pieces with the guide rail.

You have to use another piece wider and probably the same length.  The rail anti slip strips will prevent the pieces to move so you can make the cut very easy.

I tried it and worked find.

;D

 

[Dan Lyke]

When I cut the tapered legs on my cord organizer I had an additional challenge: Because the oak came from the scrap bin, the end profile was actually trapezoidal. I still got a pretty decent cut by three things:

• Wait for the saw blade to come fully up to speed well away from the wood and cut fairly slowly.
• Push down on the saw (and therefore the rail) more than you normally would to make sure that little rubber strip on the front is gripping the wood.
• Yes, as others have suggested, use some other wood to support the back of the rail.

I did destroy one piece of oak while getting the technique down, but overall it worked amazingly well.

 

[nikev]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll try them out....

 

[Brian 57]

I may very well have misunderstood the problem, but for this and a number of other problems, I find the Festool clamps #498750, $32 per pair, invaluable. Using these with a suitable length of backer board, (MDF or ply), clamped along its length under the guide rail, you could even do your cuts in batches.
Regards

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Brian,
Are you referring to the FSZ 120 clamps?  The model number on those is 489570.  Just wanted to make that clear, in case people go looking for these on the Festool site.

Here's a link: FSZ 120 clamps.

Matthew

 

[Brian 57]

You're right, Matthew -apologies.
Regards