would you kneel on your guide rail?

[ct22vac]

I am a frequent viewer of This Old House.  My local PBS station is rerunning the recent duplex renovation project in East Boston.  Tom Silva was doing some flooring work in the kitchen and needed to make long straight cuts to insert a strip of flooring.  He used a Festool saw and vacuum to do this.  I noticed he was kneeling on the guide rail as he moved along the floor to make the cut.  I have never seen anyone else do this in any of the demo videos I have seen.  Are these guide rails rugged enough to do this?  I have the TS55 but I would never consider kneeling on the guide rail.

Larry

 

[Brice Burrell]

Larry, I would only if the floor was relatively flat. But as a general rule, I would have to say no.

 

[jonny round boy]

As long as the rail is supportedalong it's length & there's no chance of it bending, I don't see a problem with it. I've done the same myself on a few occasions whilst ripping down 8'x4' sheets of MDF stacked on the floor.

 

[Tinker]

As long as the floor is flat and the bar is supported flat on the floor or subfloor, I would do the same.  I have been out of construction for a long time, but i have seen a whole lot worse.  Hey, when bulding concrete footing forms over rough ground, all sorts of stupid things are/have been attempted.  this situation sounds perfectly safe to me.
Tinker

 

[fcraven]

Yep,

Do it all the time, although I just think about some positive presure on the guide, not necessarily kneeling. Oh, and this assumes everything is supported and flat. I don't want no bent guide rail.

 

[Hoover]

As others have said, if the rail is supported (i.e. by the floor) then there is no chance of damaging the rails.  You could jump up and down on it.  From what you are describing though, he was kneeling on it.  He's not a big guy, so he was probably putting about 30 lbs. of weight on the rail.  Not much weight and nothing to worry about.

 

[Per Swenson]

Hi All,

Miss Me?

Any hoo, kneel on the guide rail?

Of course. What, you think they are delicate dainty tools?

I was away on a install these last few weeks and while there I also did

the ceramic tile back splash. Spanning the space ( 5 foot ) where the stove goes

I used the 8 foot guide rail as a ledger.

Friends they aren't shiny ornaments.

They are tools.

Nice to be back.

Per

 

[Michael Kellough]

Hi All,

Miss Me?

...

Nice to be back.

Per

Great to hear from you again Per.
The forum has really been growing and
there are a bunch of folks that never even
heard of you.

Looking forward to more of your posts.

 

[Corwin]

Yep, was wondering 'bout you the other day.

So, when you're down there kneeling do you say a little prayer for the guide rail?    ;D

Glad you back.

 

[Eli]

I think a little body weight is good insurance it won't move.

 

[greg mann]

Hi All,

Miss Me?

...

Nice to be back.

Per

Great to hear from you again Per.
The forum has really been growing and
there are a bunch of folks that never even
heard of you.

Looking forward to more of your posts.

For any of you who don't know who Per is, well,  he's Bob's kid.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Hi All,

Miss Me?

Any hoo, kneel on the guide rail?

Of course. What, you think they are delicate dainty tools?

I was away on a install these last few weeks and while there I also did

the ceramic tile back splash. Spanning the space ( 5 foot ) where the stove goes

I used the 8 foot guide rail as a ledger.

Friends they aren't shiny ornaments.

They are tools.

Nice to be back.

Per

Welcome back Per!

We have to get an album set up for you in the Gallery, so new members can develop a full appreciation for who you are and what you accomplish!

Thanks,
Matthew

 

[Per Swenson]

And for those who are not familiar with Bob....

Heez the Geez on the right.

Per

 

[Matthew Schenker]

...Not to be confused with this Bob:

He'd never kneel on a guide rail...or would he?

Matthew