The Best Festool Guide Rail Accessories
Why should you get some guide rail accessories? Well we all know that the Festool Plunge Saw and Guide Rail system is currently the best that you can buy, but are you making the most out of your guide rails? In this blog I’d like to introduce you to a number of the slightly lesser known accessories that are available for these guide rails which will not only make your life easier and improve your work quality but also speed you up.
Festool Anti-Kick Back Stop
This is one of the simplest accessories around, it’s just a plastic casing with a screw attached, but what it gives you is a tool to fight against kick back from the saw. Sometimes when plunging, saws have a tendency to catch and jolt backwards towards the user. Well, the anti-kick back stop prevents this from happening so that you can plunge with the guide rail and TS 55 in complete safety.
Festool Screw Clamps
Next, we move onto some of the clamps available. Above are the screw clamps; these are a really handy addition because with these on the guide rail you can work with a clear surface where the saw is operating. The design of these clamps mean they fit perfectly into the groove provided by the guide rail itself, you wouldn’t even know you were using clamps
Festool Quick Lever Clamp
Drawing on the functions of the clamp above the Quick Lever Clamp can also be used below and above the guide rail, however the one-handed trigger action means that operating it is quick and easy.
Festool FS Rapid
However, if you’re looking for the optimal speed then an FS Rapid is the way to go. This tool is a single clamp that has two components, the first is a fixed jaw that clamps on the underside of your guide rail that you move against the service that you want to clamp to. The FS rapid pistol is then attached to the other end of the rail and as you compress the trigger it tightens against your worktop clamping your rail in place between the pistol and the fixed jaw. It is a one-handed action that is complete in seconds.
Festool GECKO
If you’re working with glossy materials such as melamine sheets, you may often find that traditional clamps don’t hold the material as still as you’d hope. However, the Festool guide rail can be attached by using the GECKO clamp. Two suction pads lock down onto the material and using the attachment you can lock your rail onto your guide rail without the risk of the material slipping and you cutting the wrong line.
Festool FSKS Combination Bevel
The KSKS Combination Bevel is an angle finder perfect for using with a guide rail system. It allows you to accurately cut angles between 0 and 180 degrees. With its lock feature, any angles from walls or worktops can be locked in and directly transferred for your guide rail to follow.
Festool Connector Pieces
As you know guide rails are available in a variety of sizes, some of which are more coinvent to transport. For instance, chances are you going to need to cut a huge bit of material and therefore need a long old guide rail, but what if you can’t get a huge rail in your car/van? Or if the jobs is so big that you really need a 3/4m guide rail? Well these connector pieces allow you to seamlessly fit two guide rails together, so you can work over whatever distances you want – without having transport massive guide rails all over the place. Allowing you to create long guide rails out of numerous smaller ones.
Festool Splinter Guard (s)
Splinter guards are near enough essentials if you want to maintain a high level of accuracy and increase the longevity of you plunge saw. They come in two styles, one is a plastic unit that attaches itself to your plunge saw (pictured right in green) which offers users an improved quality of up-cut.
Whilst the other is a clear strip which sticks to the side of your guide rail. After doing a dry cut the splinter guard will be flush to the line of your saw blade, which would give you precise alignment to your cutting line. When used in conjunction the splinter guards give a fine finish to any material that you’re cutting.
Festool Guide Rail Deflector
Another simple yet brilliant accessory is the Deflector. This fits onto the back of the guide rail and prevents the hose and mains cable from snagging on the rail itself, while the two fins on either side it also keeps them on the right track whilst sawing; so you don’t have the worry about holding your cable and hose to one side.
Click on the video below where Phil from Festool UK talks us through the accessories mentioned above and shows your them in action.
Festool Accessories
So that should give you a good idea of what is available in the Festool range of accessories for the popular guide rail system. These accessories will help make your life easier and allows you to produce work quicker whilst maintaining the accuracy levels that set you aside from the rest.
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