I really like my DeWalt track saw but I've noticed there are more "extras" available for the Festool including a parallel guide. The parallel guide is used to make consistent rips like you would make with the rip fence of a table saw. I want it for making cabinets and a workbench for my shop and possibly for kitchen and bath cabinet projects.
I saw this thread on Sawmill Creek:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...arallel-guides
It looked like just what I wanted. The pictures are great but there isn't much discussion of how to make it. So I thought I might add that discussion in this thread. I also think the basic method of construction could work for Makita or Grizzly track saws.
First I started to get the pieces. I found the 80/20 at Amazon. They just act as a middle man, the supplier was 80/20.INC. If you google 80/20 you'll find them. I couldn't get their website to work for me, however, so I just bought from Amazon. You want 25-5013 and I bought two pieces 900mm long. That's about 36 inches.
I also placed an order from McMaster Carr. I ordered a 6 inch by 6 inch piece of polycarbonate, their 8574K281 (1/4 thick), some 8-32 nuts you press in I plan to use with the polycarbonate 95117A444, ABS bar 1/2 by 1 by 12 inches 8712K119, and a small piece of aluminum 1/2 by 1 by 6 inches 8975K11. Total for the merchandise was $18.
I placed my last order this week and don't have it yet, I'm hoping it arrives today. I bought a mini hold down clamp (2) 45692, self adhesive rules, 69116 & 69124 and a couple cam clamps 58252 total cost was $39.95.
I forget exactly how much the 80/20 was but it was around $35. So I spent about $100 on parts. Seems like a lot but the Festool guides are about $250.
The hard part, at least so far, is to make the little pieces that slide into the DeWalt tracks and screw to the 80/20. I wanted to try the plastic for it but the inventor of this setup used aluminum so I bought that too. To help with setup, I made some hickory pieces about 1/2 by 12 by 3/4 and 7/8 wide (two different pieces). I tried making it thicker than 1/2 but it wouldn't slide in freely.
I found my thin kerf ripping blade (Freud 24 teeth) was about 1/64 thicker than the track material. I cut the slots in the little 1/2 thick blocks by raising the blade about 1/8 inch and setting the rip blade 1/4 inch away. I tried the cuts in the wooden blocks first. I adjusted a couple times before I was happy with the setup. That and tapping the holes in the 80/20 was as far as I got last Sunday afternoon. A 10/24 tap can be run directly into the hole in the 80/20 - you don't have to open them up with a drill bit.
This morning I started figuring out exactly how wide I wanted the little blocks, how long they should be, and drilling the holes Took all morning but part of the reason was my drill press table wasn't fastened down. I am still setting up the new shop so that slows down working in it. I cut a piece of the hickory, took a stab at the width ripping it on the table saw and set up stops on the drill press and drilled the holes. I got it to narrow and the holes were not right. So I made a couple more blocks before I got it right. Then I ripped all the wood I had left and the plastic to width. I also ripped the aluminum on the table saw using the same Freud ripping blade. It needed a little filing to clean it up but the saw cut it fine - I went slow. The RAS did not cross cut it well, however. It wanted to climb cut. I cut the second piece with my Bosch jig saw.
I think hickory pieces would work. The ABS may be a little more durable. They don't slide as easily as the wood or aluminum, however. I put the aluminum on the 80/20. It slides well and should resist damage better than the others. But if I was starting again, I might just use Hickory.
Before I did the work on the blocks, I glued up a piece for the stop blocks out of some hickory flooring scraps. I'm about to go cut them into the configuration of the stop blocks. It's cold here but the glue should still be set up enough.
I saw this thread on Sawmill Creek:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...arallel-guides
It looked like just what I wanted. The pictures are great but there isn't much discussion of how to make it. So I thought I might add that discussion in this thread. I also think the basic method of construction could work for Makita or Grizzly track saws.
First I started to get the pieces. I found the 80/20 at Amazon. They just act as a middle man, the supplier was 80/20.INC. If you google 80/20 you'll find them. I couldn't get their website to work for me, however, so I just bought from Amazon. You want 25-5013 and I bought two pieces 900mm long. That's about 36 inches.
I also placed an order from McMaster Carr. I ordered a 6 inch by 6 inch piece of polycarbonate, their 8574K281 (1/4 thick), some 8-32 nuts you press in I plan to use with the polycarbonate 95117A444, ABS bar 1/2 by 1 by 12 inches 8712K119, and a small piece of aluminum 1/2 by 1 by 6 inches 8975K11. Total for the merchandise was $18.
I placed my last order this week and don't have it yet, I'm hoping it arrives today. I bought a mini hold down clamp (2) 45692, self adhesive rules, 69116 & 69124 and a couple cam clamps 58252 total cost was $39.95.
I forget exactly how much the 80/20 was but it was around $35. So I spent about $100 on parts. Seems like a lot but the Festool guides are about $250.
The hard part, at least so far, is to make the little pieces that slide into the DeWalt tracks and screw to the 80/20. I wanted to try the plastic for it but the inventor of this setup used aluminum so I bought that too. To help with setup, I made some hickory pieces about 1/2 by 12 by 3/4 and 7/8 wide (two different pieces). I tried making it thicker than 1/2 but it wouldn't slide in freely.
I found my thin kerf ripping blade (Freud 24 teeth) was about 1/64 thicker than the track material. I cut the slots in the little 1/2 thick blocks by raising the blade about 1/8 inch and setting the rip blade 1/4 inch away. I tried the cuts in the wooden blocks first. I adjusted a couple times before I was happy with the setup. That and tapping the holes in the 80/20 was as far as I got last Sunday afternoon. A 10/24 tap can be run directly into the hole in the 80/20 - you don't have to open them up with a drill bit.
This morning I started figuring out exactly how wide I wanted the little blocks, how long they should be, and drilling the holes Took all morning but part of the reason was my drill press table wasn't fastened down. I am still setting up the new shop so that slows down working in it. I cut a piece of the hickory, took a stab at the width ripping it on the table saw and set up stops on the drill press and drilled the holes. I got it to narrow and the holes were not right. So I made a couple more blocks before I got it right. Then I ripped all the wood I had left and the plastic to width. I also ripped the aluminum on the table saw using the same Freud ripping blade. It needed a little filing to clean it up but the saw cut it fine - I went slow. The RAS did not cross cut it well, however. It wanted to climb cut. I cut the second piece with my Bosch jig saw.
I think hickory pieces would work. The ABS may be a little more durable. They don't slide as easily as the wood or aluminum, however. I put the aluminum on the 80/20. It slides well and should resist damage better than the others. But if I was starting again, I might just use Hickory.
Before I did the work on the blocks, I glued up a piece for the stop blocks out of some hickory flooring scraps. I'm about to go cut them into the configuration of the stop blocks. It's cold here but the glue should still be set up enough.
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