TS 75 cutting slightly off/squaring rail on MFT

[Charles Wilson]

I am sure that it is something that I am doing and was hoping that you guys could help me figure it out.

Anyways, I am cutting parts out for a Norm Router Table and have been having problems getting the exact cut on pieces the first time.  I am using the 3 razor blade method of marking (3 measures, three marks) of lining up the guide rail.  I am sliding the wood (razors) up to the guide rail (good wood under the rail) until they flew just a little bit then I am making my cut.  I find that I am fat on the cut anywhere from a 16th to a 32nd of an inch. 

My thoughts as to what I am doing: pushing the wood too far (how do I know) or the chip strip needs to be replaced.

Secondly, just wanted to ask you guys how you square your rail on the MFT.  I have been using a speed square.  Other suggestions?

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[mhch]

lengthy and detailed discussions on how to do it simple:http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2757.0

 

[Corwin]

One issue in aligning your cut to the splinter strip is that the position where the strip is cut is a result of the deepest cut you have made with that strip on that guide rail.  These saws when properly set have a slight toe in attitude, and therefore will cut the splinter strip a little more with each cut where the saw is set to cut deeper that has been done before.  After a rather deep cut, the splinter strip will have been cut back further and future cuts made with less depth will then be located a pinch to the right of the splinter strip.  Since the toe in  setting is minimal, the resulting discrepancy I have described will also be minimal and may not account for the amount you are off.  Achieving close tolerances can be difficult with any machine, as the devil is in the details. 

For some projects, aligning your guide rail to a line may be acceptable -- and the guide rail does work nicely using this method.  But rather than locate off the splinter strip, I prefer to locate the guide rail off the back side of the rail.  Since this back side of the rail is perfectly parallel to the hat portion of the guide rail, this type method will assure that your alignment is based off the same (well, at least a  line parallel to the) line that your tools follow -- and this line is the edge of the guide rail's hat.

With practice, a little care and the proper technique, your saw and guide rail will be capable of producing fine results.  Looking through many of the posts here you will see you are not alone in your difficulties, but there are several answers among those posts, and there are new methods in the works as I write this reply.  So, hang in there and your results should get much better.

 

[semenza]

Hi,

        Your cut could be that much off by  the position of the blades  in relation to the mark.  Are you placing the blades in the center of the mark or to one side or the other?  I am using marking tools that  are set up to place the mark so that ( reading left to right)  the measured distance is at the left edge of the pencil mark. Which means that my razor blades go at/on the left edge of the mark. If I put them in the center or the right edge the cut will be long.  Also if you push the guide rail against the blades enough to flex them and they were positioned accurately then , that would also give you a long cut. I have had this happen.  This is one of those things that the more you do it (once you get  your particular method down) the more accurate and consistent it will be.

Seth

 

[Michael Kellough]

....I am sliding the wood (razors) up to the guide rail (good wood under the rail) until they flew just a little bit then I am making my cut.  I find that I am fat on the cut anywhere from a 16th to a 32nd of an inch. 

My thoughts as to what I am doing: pushing the wood too far (how do I know) or the chip strip needs to be replaced.

Not sure what the italicized words mean but to check if the rubber strip needs to be "freshened" make a cut (no razor blades required for this) and without moving the guide rail, look and see if there is any wood visible alongside the rubber strip. If there is, that is an exact indication of how much the rubber strip has worn. If wood is visible and the amount is consistent all along the length of the guide rail you can probably get good at aligning it by eye with your pencil marks, but, it won't be good for aligning to razor blades until you move the rubber back out enough for the blade to trim. If it is pretty consistent but with a few especially overcut areas you can mark those bad places on the guide rail with pencil so you know not to use those ares for indication of alignment.

 

[Charles Wilson]

Mike,

Very simple.  I wish I would have thought of that.

Thanks to all.

Chuck