Use case for rail with jig saw?

[tbeaulieu]

Hello, I'm curious to hear what use cases you have for using a rail with the jigsaw? To me I use my track saws a ton. Not so much my jigsaw, and if I did, it wouldn't be for a straight line like that. Note that I'm just a hobbyist.

 

[squall_line]

One of the cases I can think of would be cutting something thicker than the TS55 or TS75 could handle, but that would be acceptable to use a jigsaw for.

I've seen a lot of use cases for cutting rigid foam insulation with a jigsaw rather than a tracksaw, for instance.  The track helps stabilize the cut and theoretically also the blade.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

^^ This is what I've used the jigsaw adapter once or twice for....trimming the ends of a thick panel, such as a desk or table top that is thicker than my track saw can handle. While the jigsaw can certainly be run alongside of a clamped-on board for this, using the track and a nice slow cut with the appropriate blade can provide a nice result. I will admit I have not done this often, but having the adapter in the arsenal isn't a horrible thing.

 

[Packard]

Or perhaps cutting something with an abrupt end.  The jigsaw stops vertically; the circular saw stops with an arc.  But the cut on the circular saw will be vastly superior.  So it does not make sense to me.  I would start with the circular saw and finish the cut with the jig saw.  What would the saw blade do the splinter guard on the track?

 

[Peter_C]

Although I use a jig saw fairly often I have not seen a need to straight line rip using a guide. Cutting 2" rigid foam is done with the TS55, and so far I haven't done thicker but I might and should I need to use a jig saw with the rail I would just do so with the jig saw foot against the backside of the rail. My jig saws are not Festool, but even if they were I wouldn't bother buying the rail adapter.

 

[Cypren]

What would the saw blade do the splinter guard on the track?

The jigsaw guide base runs on the back side of the rail (referencing off of the upward-facing T track) rather than the front edge, so it has no interaction with the splinter guard.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I will admit I have not done this often, but having the adapter in the arsenal isn't a horrible thing.

This is where I am with it, pretty much the same as the trammel. I may not use it much, but it is something to keep in mind as an option.

 

[Cypren]

The way I look at it is that it was a tossed-in freebie with all the other stuff I wanted in the Carvex accessory kit. I've never used it, but I'm not going to complain, either. Maybe one day it'll find a use.

Festool isn't the only company that makes a rail-guided jigsaw -- Mafell does also -- so clearly there are people out there who think it's a useful feature.

 

[Cheese]

Festool isn't the only company that makes a rail-guided jigsaw -- Mafell does also -- so clearly there are people out there who think it's a useful feature.

And you don’t need an adapter..  [smile]

 

[MaineShop]

I have used the jigsaw adapter to cut up fiberglass panels. The track saw made a horrible whine going through it and the jigsaw was much easier to tolerate and since it killed blades fast it was much cheaper to just replace jigsaw blades.

 

[bruegf]

I've used mine to cut 4" thick foam cushions from a 4x8 sheet of foam using the Festool jig saw blades for foam.  Got a very neat perpendicular cut that I think would have been difficult with anything else I had available.

 

[GarryMartin]

FWIW, Festool don't recommend you use the guide rail adapter for the jigsaw on stock greater than 18mm thick due to blade deflection.

 

[Dr. P. Venkman]

FWIW, Festool don't recommend you use the guide rail adapter for the jigsaw on stock greater than 18mm thick due to blade deflection.

That's interesting.  Why would deflection be any more of a risk on the guide rail vs. freehand?

 

[Michael Kellough]

FWIW, Festool don't recommend you use the guide rail adapter for the jigsaw on stock greater than 18mm thick due to blade deflection.

I used a Mafell P1 (on Bosch track) with a new coarse Festool blade to rip 35mm hard maple and the blade ran a couple mm off course every 150mm or so. Luckily in ran into the waste side so I was able to clean up the cut satisfactorily.

Maybe the Mafell special double wide blade could have tracked straight in that difficult cut… Does anyone make a jigsaw blade specially for ripping? After decades of using jigsaws and buying MANY Bosch blades I’m chagrined that I do know.

 

[Michael Kellough]

FWIW, Festool don't recommend you use the guide rail adapter for the jigsaw on stock greater than 18mm thick due to blade deflection.

That's interesting.  Why would deflection be any more of a risk on the guide rail vs. freehand?

Freehand you are constantly self-correcting, like on a bandsaw. You may have noticed when following a straight line with the jigsaw that the shoe is not parallel to the line.

This happens with circular saws too. People assume you can just run the circular saw shoe against a straight edge and the cut is golden. Sometimes. With a thin blade it might wander off line and or burn one side of the kerf if you force the shoe to be parallel to the guide when it isn’t parallel to the blade. And very few ordinary circular saws have a way to adjust the shoe.

 

[Packard]

Bora makes a jigsaw guide and since it will never be a precision device even with a Festool track, I favor the cheap option.

The 50" setup costs $160.00, for the edge guide and adapter.  They also make a 100" size.