Got a new tool from Festool for the guiderail

[Bill Wyko]

The Festool rep was at Woodworkers Source a few days ago. I don't have room for the table so this is the next best thing. A miter gauge for the rail. It comes with the miter gauge, links to extend your guide, a plastic piece to go on the end so your hose and cord won't hang up, a stop lock and 2 clamping gozindas.

[Matt Meiser]

Bill, make sure you spend some quality time with the angle gauge before the return period runs out. That's the one Festool product I've seen consistently get bad reviews. Apparently it doesn't hold its position well. Some people have locked theirs into the 90 degree position. There are apparently some mods to keep it from slipping but I get the impression its with limited success.

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks Matt. I think you are supposed to use it in conjuction with the table clamps. Set the angle then lock it down. When it comes to miters I only trust INCRA. I got this to make crosscutting narrower pieces easier and for all the accessories it has.

[Matt Meiser]

I read that too. The hose guide is almost a necessity and the clamps are very helpful in slippery conditions (i.e. on Melamine) and I found them helpful with 2 rails joined together the other day to help get the rail aligned on my marks.

[JayStPeter]

I put a screw in my angle unit to lock it at 90*. There are some other methods that are supposed to make the thing hold a setting. Check out the thread I started titled "fixed" my angle unit in the 'Jigs, Inventions, Tool Enhancements' section of the festool owners group board for a starting point to see what others have done.
Just when you think that thing is working well, it slips and hoses you. I am enjoying using it now that it's locked in place for 90* crosscuts. I really like the way it works. If it held a setting it would be one of my favorite Festool accessories. But, as delivered it's not acceptable. I just finished shimming a bunch of drawer slides with pieces of cereal box because that thing slipped and caused some of my panels to be out of square on a shop cabinet I very quickly threw together (without checking my cuts apparently). That's when I "fixed" it.

[Dave Falkenstein]

John Lucas has a bunch of helpful information on Festool products on his web site. Here's one page on a modification to the Angle Unit:

http://www.woodshopdemos.com/fes-au-1.htm

[Jason White]

The folks at Festool Owner's Group (FOG) aren't big fans of this accessory. Basically, the big complaint is that it doesn't stay at the angle you set it.

www.festoolownersgroup.com.

Jason


The Festool rep was at Woodworkers Source a few days ago. I don't have room for the table so this is the next best thing. A miter gauge for the rail. It comes with the miter gauge, links to extend your guide, a plastic piece to go on the end so your hose and cord won't hang up, a stop lock and 2 clamping gozindas.

[James Biddle]

I read that too. The hose guide is almost a necessity and the clamps are very helpful in slippery conditions (i.e. on Melamine) and I found them helpful with 2 rails joined together the other day to help get the rail aligned on my marks.

I might be in the minority, but I seem to spend more time leaving the hose guide off so I can use the clamp that's trapped as opposed to the benefit I get. Are many of you able to use the guide without "guiding" the hose and cord onto the hose guide rather than just work around the guide?

[Matt Meiser]

I've found I don't use the clamps for probably 75% of the cuts, which is a total of 4 4x8 sheets and 6 wainsoating panels so far. Without the hose guide, I need to be conscious of the hose or it might pull out of the saw, which means I'm paying less attention to the cut. With the guide, if the hose want to go over the end of the rail, it doesn't get hung up doing so. I have seen a few times where I couldn't use the guide because it would have prevented setting the saw down on the rail where I could plunge the saw before starting to cut the material.

[JayStPeter]

I might be in the minority, but I seem to spend more time leaving the hose guide off so I can use the clamp that's trapped as opposed to the benefit I get. Are many of you able to use the guide without "guiding" the hose and cord onto the hose guide rather than just work around the guide?

I rarely use clamps. Less than 5% of the cuts I'd say. It does depend on the type of cuts you make and materials used.
I use the hose/cord guide when I can, but find it tough when making 4' cuts with the 55" rail because I'd rather have the extra inch or two of rail to get the cut started. It gets tight with the length of the saw base. It can be done with the hose guide in place, but placement has to be exact. It's even tougher with oversize MDF. I prefer to use the hose guide though and I'll sometimes stop the cut and stick it back on once I can.