[mafe]

Simple speed square rail square - easy peasy

Simple speed square rail square
easy peasy.

A quick and clean, easy peasy, no nonsense rail square.
As I were looking for inspiration, for rail guides on the big www, I saw this clever version, believe it was at Festool owners group, but could not find it again - but thank you to the guy, who came up with this clever idea.
A short rail square is not as precise of course, but for a lot of construction work, it will be plenty and it can be made in a matter of minutes, all you need is a bolt, washer, star knob (wing nut) and a speed square.

That's it.
18,5 cm / 7 inch speed square mounted on the rail.
Almost too easy, laugh.

Here you see how it works.
Just push it up against the wood you want to cut.

A standard bolt, where two sides are grinded in, to fit the width of the T-track on the rail.
You can also buy a special made bolt.

Just like this.

No drilling needed, just use the angle slot.

Smiles.

Slide it on to the rail, push the square lip hard against the rail edge and tighten the knob.

Work.
I told you it was easy.
You can see the acrylic version, I were working on, on the table, that was what set it all off, this will be next part of the blog.

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or even straight cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Hi Dave, thanks.
This one is so easy, it's almost too easy… laughs.
It was nice to get, this monkey off my back.

 

[mafe]

Rail square acrylics DIY - can be made for any rail

Festool / Makita rail square DIY
this one an acrylic version-

This is the first version, I started on, as I went on, I found out, that a plywood version would make more sense, as it was easier to make, cheaper, more sturdy and could be made by every one, but I decided to finish what I started, so here it is.

When doing construction work, its useful to be able to make fast straight board cuts in many situations, these cuts don¨t need to be furniture precise, but within a mm or so pr. Meter, is more than fine. This is where these rail squares are brilliant, no setup, just a pencil mark for the size and you can make a nice straight cut.

This square can of course be made for any brand of rail, my rail saw is a Festool, but I also made a rail jig, for my Makita and even have both brands of routers, that run on the rails.

This is what we are making, an acrylic rail square.

You can buy a rail connector, but I decided to make one, as I have some thick aluminium laying around.
First up, cutting a piece that fits the width of the T-slot, or I actually made it a wee to big, so I could sneak in.

Hmmmm, not impressed with the cut quality, perhaps my metal blade is worn out.

A little sanding and it's a fit.

I read, that you can make them self locking and centring by giving the sides a 45° cut, so I try this.

Like so.

The top a wee more narrow, than the T-slot.

Finding the centre.

Time for cutting some acrylics.

I'm happy with this.
Now mark the T-slot position and leave the edge sticking out a little on the cut side.

Marking a straight line.

Drill holes, I choose three, to connect to the rail connector.

Colouring with a Sharpie.

So it's easy to see where the marks are.
A pointed drill bit is set in first hole and kept there, while marking the others.

Clear marks.

Drilling the holes.

This was where I found out, I should upsize my bolts…
So making the holes bigger.

In the connector also.

Grinded the heads of the bolts down.

Marking for the bolt heads.

A rabbet to accommodate the bolts.

It seems to work, but also make the build too complex and make too much room for mistake…

Other side.

Now it can be squared up.

Mine were not square at all, so I needed to kake the holes wider.

Like so.

We got a square, but I want more stability.

This was where I came up with the slide on thingy, that could have made the whole project more easy…
Also where I started building the plywood version…

Gluing layers of acrylics together.

Making sure they are straight.

Shaping a little to remove sharp edges.

Here you see the underside, basically it can be replaced with a similar solution, to the one I use in the plywood version…
But I will finish it off, as it is all about having fun.

Hold in place thingy profile ready.

Will be mounted like this.

Epoxy.

Clamps to hold it, while it dry.

Carefully took it off, to make sure I did not glue it to the rail.

Small piece of acrylics cut with a hole drill.

Hole in the side drilled for bolt.

Then a hole in the fence.

Countersink it on the back.

Wing nut and locking washer.

So it can turn.

Less is plenty, band aid for fools…….

Back side of rail square.

Front side.

Slide in place and tighten bolts.

Ready to use.

Back side.

One more hole drilled.

Just so it can hang on the workshop wall, when not in use.

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or some straight cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

 

[DavePolaschek]

Rail square acrylics DIY - can be made for any rail

Festool / Makita rail square DIY
this one an acrylic version-

This is the first version, I started on, as I went on, I found out, that a plywood version would make more sense, as it was easier to make, cheaper, more sturdy and could be made by every one, but I decided to finish what I started, so here it is.

When doing construction work, its useful to be able to make fast straight board cuts in many situations, these cuts don¨t need to be furniture precise, but within a mm or so pr. Meter, is more than fine. This is where these rail squares are brilliant, no setup, just a pencil mark for the size and you can make a nice straight cut.

This square can of course be made for any brand of rail, my rail saw is a Festool, but I also made a rail jig, for my Makita and even have both brands of routers, that run on the rails.

This is what we are making, an acrylic rail square.

You can buy a rail connector, but I decided to make one, as I have some thick aluminium laying around.
First up, cutting a piece that fits the width of the T-slot, or I actually made it a wee to big, so I could sneak in.

Hmmmm, not impressed with the cut quality, perhaps my metal blade is worn out.

A little sanding and it's a fit.

I read, that you can make them self locking and centring by giving the sides a 45° cut, so I try this.

Like so.

The top a wee more narrow, than the T-slot.

Finding the centre.

Time for cutting some acrylics.

I'm happy with this.
Now mark the T-slot position and leave the edge sticking out a little on the cut side.

Marking a straight line.

Drill holes, I choose three, to connect to the rail connector.

Colouring with a Sharpie.

So it's easy to see where the marks are.
A pointed drill bit is set in first hole and kept there, while marking the others.

Clear marks.

Drilling the holes.

This was where I found out, I should upsize my bolts…
So making the holes bigger.

In the connector also.

Grinded the heads of the bolts down.

Marking for the bolt heads.

A rabbet to accommodate the bolts.

It seems to work, but also make the build too complex and make too much room for mistake…

Other side.

Now it can be squared up.

Mine were not square at all, so I needed to kake the holes wider.

Like so.

We got a square, but I want more stability.

This was where I came up with the slide on thingy, that could have made the whole project more easy…
Also where I started building the plywood version…

Gluing layers of acrylics together.

Making sure they are straight.

Shaping a little to remove sharp edges.

Here you see the underside, basically it can be replaced with a similar solution, to the one I use in the plywood version…
But I will finish it off, as it is all about having fun.

Hold in place thingy profile ready.

Will be mounted like this.

Epoxy.

Clamps to hold it, while it dry.

Carefully took it off, to make sure I did not glue it to the rail.

Small piece of acrylics cut with a hole drill.

Hole in the side drilled for bolt.

Then a hole in the fence.

Countersink it on the back.

Wing nut and locking washer.

So it can turn.

Less is plenty, band aid for fools…….

Back side of rail square.

Front side.

Slide in place and tighten bolts.

Ready to use.

Back side.

One more hole drilled.

Just so it can hang on the workshop wall, when not in use.

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or some straight cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Definitely over-engineered, but it looks like you had fun!

 

[mafe]

Rail square acrylics DIY - can be made for any rail

Festool / Makita rail square DIY
this one an acrylic version-

This is the first version, I started on, as I went on, I found out, that a plywood version would make more sense, as it was easier to make, cheaper, more sturdy and could be made by every one, but I decided to finish what I started, so here it is.

When doing construction work, its useful to be able to make fast straight board cuts in many situations, these cuts don¨t need to be furniture precise, but within a mm or so pr. Meter, is more than fine. This is where these rail squares are brilliant, no setup, just a pencil mark for the size and you can make a nice straight cut.

This square can of course be made for any brand of rail, my rail saw is a Festool, but I also made a rail jig, for my Makita and even have both brands of routers, that run on the rails.

This is what we are making, an acrylic rail square.

You can buy a rail connector, but I decided to make one, as I have some thick aluminium laying around.
First up, cutting a piece that fits the width of the T-slot, or I actually made it a wee to big, so I could sneak in.

Hmmmm, not impressed with the cut quality, perhaps my metal blade is worn out.

A little sanding and it's a fit.

I read, that you can make them self locking and centring by giving the sides a 45° cut, so I try this.

Like so.

The top a wee more narrow, than the T-slot.

Finding the centre.

Time for cutting some acrylics.

I'm happy with this.
Now mark the T-slot position and leave the edge sticking out a little on the cut side.

Marking a straight line.

Drill holes, I choose three, to connect to the rail connector.

Colouring with a Sharpie.

So it's easy to see where the marks are.
A pointed drill bit is set in first hole and kept there, while marking the others.

Clear marks.

Drilling the holes.

This was where I found out, I should upsize my bolts…
So making the holes bigger.

In the connector also.

Grinded the heads of the bolts down.

Marking for the bolt heads.

A rabbet to accommodate the bolts.

It seems to work, but also make the build too complex and make too much room for mistake…

Other side.

Now it can be squared up.

Mine were not square at all, so I needed to kake the holes wider.

Like so.

We got a square, but I want more stability.

This was where I came up with the slide on thingy, that could have made the whole project more easy…
Also where I started building the plywood version…

Gluing layers of acrylics together.

Making sure they are straight.

Shaping a little to remove sharp edges.

Here you see the underside, basically it can be replaced with a similar solution, to the one I use in the plywood version…
But I will finish it off, as it is all about having fun.

Hold in place thingy profile ready.

Will be mounted like this.

Epoxy.

Clamps to hold it, while it dry.

Carefully took it off, to make sure I did not glue it to the rail.

Small piece of acrylics cut with a hole drill.

Hole in the side drilled for bolt.

Then a hole in the fence.

Countersink it on the back.

Wing nut and locking washer.

So it can turn.

Less is plenty, band aid for fools…….

Back side of rail square.

Front side.

Slide in place and tighten bolts.

Ready to use.

Back side.

One more hole drilled.

Just so it can hang on the workshop wall, when not in use.

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or some straight cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

I might redo it, so it becomes like the plywood version, for now it will stay on the wall. It had a purpose, it made the thinking for the plywood version possible, sometimes we have to cross a lake, to get water.
Smiles, thanks, yes I had lots of fun, even finishing it, was not as fun, once I had the plywood version made, as I liked that a lot better.

 

[mafe]

Rail square acrylics DIY - can be made for any rail

Festool / Makita rail square DIY
this one an acrylic version-

This is the first version, I started on, as I went on, I found out, that a plywood version would make more sense, as it was easier to make, cheaper, more sturdy and could be made by every one, but I decided to finish what I started, so here it is.

When doing construction work, its useful to be able to make fast straight board cuts in many situations, these cuts don¨t need to be furniture precise, but within a mm or so pr. Meter, is more than fine. This is where these rail squares are brilliant, no setup, just a pencil mark for the size and you can make a nice straight cut.

This square can of course be made for any brand of rail, my rail saw is a Festool, but I also made a rail jig, for my Makita and even have both brands of routers, that run on the rails.

This is what we are making, an acrylic rail square.

You can buy a rail connector, but I decided to make one, as I have some thick aluminium laying around.
First up, cutting a piece that fits the width of the T-slot, or I actually made it a wee to big, so I could sneak in.

Hmmmm, not impressed with the cut quality, perhaps my metal blade is worn out.

A little sanding and it's a fit.

I read, that you can make them self locking and centring by giving the sides a 45° cut, so I try this.

Like so.

The top a wee more narrow, than the T-slot.

Finding the centre.

Time for cutting some acrylics.

I'm happy with this.
Now mark the T-slot position and leave the edge sticking out a little on the cut side.

Marking a straight line.

Drill holes, I choose three, to connect to the rail connector.

Colouring with a Sharpie.

So it's easy to see where the marks are.
A pointed drill bit is set in first hole and kept there, while marking the others.

Clear marks.

Drilling the holes.

This was where I found out, I should upsize my bolts…
So making the holes bigger.

In the connector also.

Grinded the heads of the bolts down.

Marking for the bolt heads.

A rabbet to accommodate the bolts.

It seems to work, but also make the build too complex and make too much room for mistake…

Other side.

Now it can be squared up.

Mine were not square at all, so I needed to kake the holes wider.

Like so.

We got a square, but I want more stability.

This was where I came up with the slide on thingy, that could have made the whole project more easy…
Also where I started building the plywood version…

Gluing layers of acrylics together.

Making sure they are straight.

Shaping a little to remove sharp edges.

Here you see the underside, basically it can be replaced with a similar solution, to the one I use in the plywood version…
But I will finish it off, as it is all about having fun.

Hold in place thingy profile ready.

Will be mounted like this.

Epoxy.

Clamps to hold it, while it dry.

Carefully took it off, to make sure I did not glue it to the rail.

Small piece of acrylics cut with a hole drill.

Hole in the side drilled for bolt.

Then a hole in the fence.

Countersink it on the back.

Wing nut and locking washer.

So it can turn.

Less is plenty, band aid for fools…….

Back side of rail square.

Front side.

Slide in place and tighten bolts.

Ready to use.

Back side.

One more hole drilled.

Just so it can hang on the workshop wall, when not in use.

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or some straight cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Here a woodworking video to enjoy:

 

[lew]

Rail square acrylics DIY - can be made for any rail

Festool / Makita rail square DIY
this one an acrylic version-

This is the first version, I started on, as I went on, I found out, that a plywood version would make more sense, as it was easier to make, cheaper, more sturdy and could be made by every one, but I decided to finish what I started, so here it is.

When doing construction work, its useful to be able to make fast straight board cuts in many situations, these cuts don¨t need to be furniture precise, but within a mm or so pr. Meter, is more than fine. This is where these rail squares are brilliant, no setup, just a pencil mark for the size and you can make a nice straight cut.

This square can of course be made for any brand of rail, my rail saw is a Festool, but I also made a rail jig, for my Makita and even have both brands of routers, that run on the rails.

This is what we are making, an acrylic rail square.

You can buy a rail connector, but I decided to make one, as I have some thick aluminium laying around.
First up, cutting a piece that fits the width of the T-slot, or I actually made it a wee to big, so I could sneak in.

Hmmmm, not impressed with the cut quality, perhaps my metal blade is worn out.

A little sanding and it's a fit.

I read, that you can make them self locking and centring by giving the sides a 45° cut, so I try this.

Like so.

The top a wee more narrow, than the T-slot.

Finding the centre.

Time for cutting some acrylics.

I'm happy with this.
Now mark the T-slot position and leave the edge sticking out a little on the cut side.

Marking a straight line.

Drill holes, I choose three, to connect to the rail connector.

Colouring with a Sharpie.

So it's easy to see where the marks are.
A pointed drill bit is set in first hole and kept there, while marking the others.

Clear marks.

Drilling the holes.

This was where I found out, I should upsize my bolts…
So making the holes bigger.

In the connector also.

Grinded the heads of the bolts down.

Marking for the bolt heads.

A rabbet to accommodate the bolts.

It seems to work, but also make the build too complex and make too much room for mistake…

Other side.

Now it can be squared up.

Mine were not square at all, so I needed to kake the holes wider.

Like so.

We got a square, but I want more stability.

This was where I came up with the slide on thingy, that could have made the whole project more easy…
Also where I started building the plywood version…

Gluing layers of acrylics together.

Making sure they are straight.

Shaping a little to remove sharp edges.

Here you see the underside, basically it can be replaced with a similar solution, to the one I use in the plywood version…
But I will finish it off, as it is all about having fun.

Hold in place thingy profile ready.

Will be mounted like this.

Epoxy.

Clamps to hold it, while it dry.

Carefully took it off, to make sure I did not glue it to the rail.

Small piece of acrylics cut with a hole drill.

Hole in the side drilled for bolt.

Then a hole in the fence.

Countersink it on the back.

Wing nut and locking washer.

So it can turn.

Less is plenty, band aid for fools…….

Back side of rail square.

Front side.

Slide in place and tighten bolts.

Ready to use.

Back side.

One more hole drilled.

Just so it can hang on the workshop wall, when not in use.

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or some straight cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

I'm afraid I'd break the plastic one. I tend to drop things.

Beautiful build, Mads.

 

[mafe]

Rail square acrylics DIY - can be made for any rail

Festool / Makita rail square DIY
this one an acrylic version-

This is the first version, I started on, as I went on, I found out, that a plywood version would make more sense, as it was easier to make, cheaper, more sturdy and could be made by every one, but I decided to finish what I started, so here it is.

When doing construction work, its useful to be able to make fast straight board cuts in many situations, these cuts don¨t need to be furniture precise, but within a mm or so pr. Meter, is more than fine. This is where these rail squares are brilliant, no setup, just a pencil mark for the size and you can make a nice straight cut.

This square can of course be made for any brand of rail, my rail saw is a Festool, but I also made a rail jig, for my Makita and even have both brands of routers, that run on the rails.

This is what we are making, an acrylic rail square.

You can buy a rail connector, but I decided to make one, as I have some thick aluminium laying around.
First up, cutting a piece that fits the width of the T-slot, or I actually made it a wee to big, so I could sneak in.

Hmmmm, not impressed with the cut quality, perhaps my metal blade is worn out.

A little sanding and it's a fit.

I read, that you can make them self locking and centring by giving the sides a 45° cut, so I try this.

Like so.

The top a wee more narrow, than the T-slot.

Finding the centre.

Time for cutting some acrylics.

I'm happy with this.
Now mark the T-slot position and leave the edge sticking out a little on the cut side.

Marking a straight line.

Drill holes, I choose three, to connect to the rail connector.

Colouring with a Sharpie.

So it's easy to see where the marks are.
A pointed drill bit is set in first hole and kept there, while marking the others.

Clear marks.

Drilling the holes.

This was where I found out, I should upsize my bolts…
So making the holes bigger.

In the connector also.

Grinded the heads of the bolts down.

Marking for the bolt heads.

A rabbet to accommodate the bolts.

It seems to work, but also make the build too complex and make too much room for mistake…

Other side.

Now it can be squared up.

Mine were not square at all, so I needed to kake the holes wider.

Like so.

We got a square, but I want more stability.

This was where I came up with the slide on thingy, that could have made the whole project more easy…
Also where I started building the plywood version…

Gluing layers of acrylics together.

Making sure they are straight.

Shaping a little to remove sharp edges.

Here you see the underside, basically it can be replaced with a similar solution, to the one I use in the plywood version…
But I will finish it off, as it is all about having fun.

Hold in place thingy profile ready.

Will be mounted like this.

Epoxy.

Clamps to hold it, while it dry.

Carefully took it off, to make sure I did not glue it to the rail.

Small piece of acrylics cut with a hole drill.

Hole in the side drilled for bolt.

Then a hole in the fence.

Countersink it on the back.

Wing nut and locking washer.

So it can turn.

Less is plenty, band aid for fools…….

Back side of rail square.

Front side.

Slide in place and tighten bolts.

Ready to use.

Back side.

One more hole drilled.

Just so it can hang on the workshop wall, when not in use.

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or some straight cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Thank you, I think the same, that's why I ended up making the plywood version, as I'm planning to use it in the allotment around the house, so it might get some beating. Now the fancy acrylic version can stay in the workshop.
Big smile dear Lew.

 

[mafe]

Makita rail / track adaptor - with zero clearance.

Makita rail / track adaptor
with zero clearance.

Makita DSS501 LXT 18 V with Festool or Makita rails, but this idea can be used for any table saw, if you want to put it on all types of rails.
I simply love this little Makita 18V saw,it's such a joy to work with.
But once in a while, I would have loved it was a rail saw, or at least that there existed a proper rail adaptor for it, so I decided to make one.

I'm completely aware I made another rail adaptor, but I was not really happy with it… I wanted it to be zero clearance, to avoid tear out, so it would function as well as the 220V Festool saw and I also wanted it to be more durable, so one more try MaFe.

So here we have the adaptor and zero clearance.
The zero clearance only takes 3mm of the saws cutting depth.

Let's build it.
3Mm plywood.

IKEA cutting board, can be any brand.

Cut to fit the rail, exactly, otherwise cut a new.
Absolutely snug is a must.

A saw, some 3mm plywood for zero clearnace and a runner made from cutting board.
Almost there…

Some kind of connection must be thought out.
So let's throw in a piece of 15mm high grade plywood.

Marking the rail T. tracks position.

And how deep they are.

To not waste too much, a test version is made first.
This will be handy later.

First the T-tracks are cut out and checked.

Check exactly where the runner goes, this is crusial.

Slowly work your way out.

I made a tiny mistake on the left, so happy it was a test piece.
Also you can see the end is a wee too tall, so it rests on the rail.
So a few adjustments.

But this will work, I'm happy with the concept.

I decided that the saw blade must start cutting 100mm from the edge of the rail, this will be easy when marking.

Still too high on the left.
Perhaps it will need some reinforcement, but let's see.

Lowering the high spot.

Yeps we are there.

This will work fine.

Transfer markings to the big base piece.

Use the test piece as a sawblade deepness setter.

T-track rabbets cut and fits perfect.

Setting deepness for the low rabbet.

Using a sled makes I quite easy, all you need is an extreme focus.

Closing in.

We are there and I also cut an extra cut, to make the edge a wee springy.

Micro adjusting the width, for a super snug fit

Perfect fit, I'm a really happy monkey.

Base, runner and zero clearance.

Cleaning up the runner, as it was an old used IKEA cutting board.

Marking the edge of the rail onto the base.

So the 100mm from saw blade, can be found.

Just make a mark

Have to be the inside of the blade.

Now the table saws base, can be marked onto the wood.

Marking on both sides.

Marked up.

Diving in with a plunge saw.

Cleaning out with a jig saw.

Grrrrr, I were not all awake, so I cut too long with the plunge saw.
Nothing that can't be fixed and the zero plate will keep in all together.
Always look on the bright sides of life.

And with a wee rabbet at the end for the lifting arm rivet, the saw fit's perfectly in.
Now we can almost taste the result!

Cut the zero clearance base to size and attached it to the base plate, with glue and brat nails.

Yabadabadooo!
An adaptor takes form.

The adaptor is placed, so the saw can be powered up and the blade can be lowered into and through the zero clearance plate.

Be careful to hold the saw straight, not pushing to any side.

We are through.

Next up is to find a way to secure the saw into the adaptor.
I was spending a wee time figuring this out, as I wanted it to be a fast operation, since I know, we tend to not use tools that are too time consuming.
So in one end just a fixed hold.
Here a small piece of hardwood will be fine.

Cut a rabbet, that were a little lower, than the hight of the saws metal base.

Then shaped the hardwood, to fit snug and rounding the end.
Made one for each side and glued them in place.

Let's stay in the glue.
Adding a layer of 15 minutes epoxy in the rabbet for the runner.

Nice and smooth.

Added the runner and put pressure, while it were drying.

Now we can get back to securing the saw to the adaptor.
In this end, I wanted a clamping tight solution.
Ash will be the material, a left over from my workshop floor again.
And notice I fixed my cutting mistakes, by gluing in a wee wedge into the saw kerf.

Something to push down here…

Well this might work.

Two cuts on the table saw and we have a L profile.

Drum roll…

Perfect!

A couple of wing nuts, will make it quick and easy, to take the saw in and out.
So marking up, for long holes, so the bolts can move freely inside.

Routing the long holes, using a push block to keep the hold straight.

With my wonderful new router table, that has already become a favourite in the workshop.

The long holes are transferred with a pencil, so the position of the bolts can be found.

I didn't want to get too close to the edge, so hope this will be fine.

First I predrilled with a two mm drill bit from the top, then making room for the bolt heads with a Forstner bit on the underside.

Drilling with 5mm drill bit.

Here you can also see the fixed hardwood holds, they were cut down to the hight of the jig, after the glue had time to dry.
Also please notice my fine new hold downs, these will get a blog post soon, smiles.

The 6mm bolts are now screwed in from the underside.

Well let's screw this up!
Or together I mean.

Perfect fit.
Free of the edge and the bolts are exactly long enough.

Adaptor is made, let's grab the circular saw.

Back end are tilted in, to grab the hardwood holds.

Front end lowered.

Once in place the front hold can be set in action.

Just put it down on the table saw base.

And tighten the wing nuts.

Now we have a base that are completely attached to the saw.

Let's find a track.

Yes!!!

Finishing touches the edges are rounded on the router table.

The edges of the adaptor also, so it will all be nice to the touch.

Even the runner got a wee rounding over, so it will be easy to put it into the rail.

Base edges rounded.

The same with all the inside edges.

I kind of like these little holds.

New adaptor can now replace the old one.
Job done, smiles.

Time to do some straight zero clearance sawing.

Link to video of the adaptor in use:

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or straight zero clearance cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

 

[Timbo]

Makita rail / track adaptor - with zero clearance.

Makita rail / track adaptor
with zero clearance.

Makita DSS501 LXT 18 V with Festool or Makita rails, but this idea can be used for any table saw, if you want to put it on all types of rails.
I simply love this little Makita 18V saw,it's such a joy to work with.
But once in a while, I would have loved it was a rail saw, or at least that there existed a proper rail adaptor for it, so I decided to make one.

I'm completely aware I made another rail adaptor, but I was not really happy with it… I wanted it to be zero clearance, to avoid tear out, so it would function as well as the 220V Festool saw and I also wanted it to be more durable, so one more try MaFe.

So here we have the adaptor and zero clearance.
The zero clearance only takes 3mm of the saws cutting depth.

Let's build it.
3Mm plywood.

IKEA cutting board, can be any brand.

Cut to fit the rail, exactly, otherwise cut a new.
Absolutely snug is a must.

A saw, some 3mm plywood for zero clearnace and a runner made from cutting board.
Almost there…

Some kind of connection must be thought out.
So let's throw in a piece of 15mm high grade plywood.

Marking the rail T. tracks position.

And how deep they are.

To not waste too much, a test version is made first.
This will be handy later.

First the T-tracks are cut out and checked.

Check exactly where the runner goes, this is crusial.

Slowly work your way out.

I made a tiny mistake on the left, so happy it was a test piece.
Also you can see the end is a wee too tall, so it rests on the rail.
So a few adjustments.

But this will work, I'm happy with the concept.

I decided that the saw blade must start cutting 100mm from the edge of the rail, this will be easy when marking.

Still too high on the left.
Perhaps it will need some reinforcement, but let's see.

Lowering the high spot.

Yeps we are there.

This will work fine.

Transfer markings to the big base piece.

Use the test piece as a sawblade deepness setter.

T-track rabbets cut and fits perfect.

Setting deepness for the low rabbet.

Using a sled makes I quite easy, all you need is an extreme focus.

Closing in.

We are there and I also cut an extra cut, to make the edge a wee springy.

Micro adjusting the width, for a super snug fit

Perfect fit, I'm a really happy monkey.

Base, runner and zero clearance.

Cleaning up the runner, as it was an old used IKEA cutting board.

Marking the edge of the rail onto the base.

So the 100mm from saw blade, can be found.

Just make a mark

Have to be the inside of the blade.

Now the table saws base, can be marked onto the wood.

Marking on both sides.

Marked up.

Diving in with a plunge saw.

Cleaning out with a jig saw.

Grrrrr, I were not all awake, so I cut too long with the plunge saw.
Nothing that can't be fixed and the zero plate will keep in all together.
Always look on the bright sides of life.

And with a wee rabbet at the end for the lifting arm rivet, the saw fit's perfectly in.
Now we can almost taste the result!

Cut the zero clearance base to size and attached it to the base plate, with glue and brat nails.

Yabadabadooo!
An adaptor takes form.

The adaptor is placed, so the saw can be powered up and the blade can be lowered into and through the zero clearance plate.

Be careful to hold the saw straight, not pushing to any side.

We are through.

Next up is to find a way to secure the saw into the adaptor.
I was spending a wee time figuring this out, as I wanted it to be a fast operation, since I know, we tend to not use tools that are too time consuming.
So in one end just a fixed hold.
Here a small piece of hardwood will be fine.

Cut a rabbet, that were a little lower, than the hight of the saws metal base.

Then shaped the hardwood, to fit snug and rounding the end.
Made one for each side and glued them in place.

Let's stay in the glue.
Adding a layer of 15 minutes epoxy in the rabbet for the runner.

Nice and smooth.

Added the runner and put pressure, while it were drying.

Now we can get back to securing the saw to the adaptor.
In this end, I wanted a clamping tight solution.
Ash will be the material, a left over from my workshop floor again.
And notice I fixed my cutting mistakes, by gluing in a wee wedge into the saw kerf.

Something to push down here…

Well this might work.

Two cuts on the table saw and we have a L profile.

Drum roll…

Perfect!

A couple of wing nuts, will make it quick and easy, to take the saw in and out.
So marking up, for long holes, so the bolts can move freely inside.

Routing the long holes, using a push block to keep the hold straight.

With my wonderful new router table, that has already become a favourite in the workshop.

The long holes are transferred with a pencil, so the position of the bolts can be found.

I didn't want to get too close to the edge, so hope this will be fine.

First I predrilled with a two mm drill bit from the top, then making room for the bolt heads with a Forstner bit on the underside.

Drilling with 5mm drill bit.

Here you can also see the fixed hardwood holds, they were cut down to the hight of the jig, after the glue had time to dry.
Also please notice my fine new hold downs, these will get a blog post soon, smiles.

The 6mm bolts are now screwed in from the underside.

Well let's screw this up!
Or together I mean.

Perfect fit.
Free of the edge and the bolts are exactly long enough.

Adaptor is made, let's grab the circular saw.

Back end are tilted in, to grab the hardwood holds.

Front end lowered.

Once in place the front hold can be set in action.

Just put it down on the table saw base.

And tighten the wing nuts.

Now we have a base that are completely attached to the saw.

Let's find a track.

Yes!!!

Finishing touches the edges are rounded on the router table.

The edges of the adaptor also, so it will all be nice to the touch.

Even the runner got a wee rounding over, so it will be easy to put it into the rail.

Base edges rounded.

The same with all the inside edges.

I kind of like these little holds.

New adaptor can now replace the old one.
Job done, smiles.

Time to do some straight zero clearance sawing.

Link to video of the adaptor in use:

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or straight zero clearance cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Nicely detailed build Mads. Something I think we all could use in our shop.

 

[DavePolaschek]

Makita rail / track adaptor - with zero clearance.

Makita rail / track adaptor
with zero clearance.

Makita DSS501 LXT 18 V with Festool or Makita rails, but this idea can be used for any table saw, if you want to put it on all types of rails.
I simply love this little Makita 18V saw,it's such a joy to work with.
But once in a while, I would have loved it was a rail saw, or at least that there existed a proper rail adaptor for it, so I decided to make one.

I'm completely aware I made another rail adaptor, but I was not really happy with it… I wanted it to be zero clearance, to avoid tear out, so it would function as well as the 220V Festool saw and I also wanted it to be more durable, so one more try MaFe.

So here we have the adaptor and zero clearance.
The zero clearance only takes 3mm of the saws cutting depth.

Let's build it.
3Mm plywood.

IKEA cutting board, can be any brand.

Cut to fit the rail, exactly, otherwise cut a new.
Absolutely snug is a must.

A saw, some 3mm plywood for zero clearnace and a runner made from cutting board.
Almost there…

Some kind of connection must be thought out.
So let's throw in a piece of 15mm high grade plywood.

Marking the rail T. tracks position.

And how deep they are.

To not waste too much, a test version is made first.
This will be handy later.

First the T-tracks are cut out and checked.

Check exactly where the runner goes, this is crusial.

Slowly work your way out.

I made a tiny mistake on the left, so happy it was a test piece.
Also you can see the end is a wee too tall, so it rests on the rail.
So a few adjustments.

But this will work, I'm happy with the concept.

I decided that the saw blade must start cutting 100mm from the edge of the rail, this will be easy when marking.

Still too high on the left.
Perhaps it will need some reinforcement, but let's see.

Lowering the high spot.

Yeps we are there.

This will work fine.

Transfer markings to the big base piece.

Use the test piece as a sawblade deepness setter.

T-track rabbets cut and fits perfect.

Setting deepness for the low rabbet.

Using a sled makes I quite easy, all you need is an extreme focus.

Closing in.

We are there and I also cut an extra cut, to make the edge a wee springy.

Micro adjusting the width, for a super snug fit

Perfect fit, I'm a really happy monkey.

Base, runner and zero clearance.

Cleaning up the runner, as it was an old used IKEA cutting board.

Marking the edge of the rail onto the base.

So the 100mm from saw blade, can be found.

Just make a mark

Have to be the inside of the blade.

Now the table saws base, can be marked onto the wood.

Marking on both sides.

Marked up.

Diving in with a plunge saw.

Cleaning out with a jig saw.

Grrrrr, I were not all awake, so I cut too long with the plunge saw.
Nothing that can't be fixed and the zero plate will keep in all together.
Always look on the bright sides of life.

And with a wee rabbet at the end for the lifting arm rivet, the saw fit's perfectly in.
Now we can almost taste the result!

Cut the zero clearance base to size and attached it to the base plate, with glue and brat nails.

Yabadabadooo!
An adaptor takes form.

The adaptor is placed, so the saw can be powered up and the blade can be lowered into and through the zero clearance plate.

Be careful to hold the saw straight, not pushing to any side.

We are through.

Next up is to find a way to secure the saw into the adaptor.
I was spending a wee time figuring this out, as I wanted it to be a fast operation, since I know, we tend to not use tools that are too time consuming.
So in one end just a fixed hold.
Here a small piece of hardwood will be fine.

Cut a rabbet, that were a little lower, than the hight of the saws metal base.

Then shaped the hardwood, to fit snug and rounding the end.
Made one for each side and glued them in place.

Let's stay in the glue.
Adding a layer of 15 minutes epoxy in the rabbet for the runner.

Nice and smooth.

Added the runner and put pressure, while it were drying.

Now we can get back to securing the saw to the adaptor.
In this end, I wanted a clamping tight solution.
Ash will be the material, a left over from my workshop floor again.
And notice I fixed my cutting mistakes, by gluing in a wee wedge into the saw kerf.

Something to push down here…

Well this might work.

Two cuts on the table saw and we have a L profile.

Drum roll…

Perfect!

A couple of wing nuts, will make it quick and easy, to take the saw in and out.
So marking up, for long holes, so the bolts can move freely inside.

Routing the long holes, using a push block to keep the hold straight.

With my wonderful new router table, that has already become a favourite in the workshop.

The long holes are transferred with a pencil, so the position of the bolts can be found.

I didn't want to get too close to the edge, so hope this will be fine.

First I predrilled with a two mm drill bit from the top, then making room for the bolt heads with a Forstner bit on the underside.

Drilling with 5mm drill bit.

Here you can also see the fixed hardwood holds, they were cut down to the hight of the jig, after the glue had time to dry.
Also please notice my fine new hold downs, these will get a blog post soon, smiles.

The 6mm bolts are now screwed in from the underside.

Well let's screw this up!
Or together I mean.

Perfect fit.
Free of the edge and the bolts are exactly long enough.

Adaptor is made, let's grab the circular saw.

Back end are tilted in, to grab the hardwood holds.

Front end lowered.

Once in place the front hold can be set in action.

Just put it down on the table saw base.

And tighten the wing nuts.

Now we have a base that are completely attached to the saw.

Let's find a track.

Yes!!!

Finishing touches the edges are rounded on the router table.

The edges of the adaptor also, so it will all be nice to the touch.

Even the runner got a wee rounding over, so it will be easy to put it into the rail.

Base edges rounded.

The same with all the inside edges.

I kind of like these little holds.

New adaptor can now replace the old one.
Job done, smiles.

Time to do some straight zero clearance sawing.

Link to video of the adaptor in use:

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or straight zero clearance cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Very nice build! Almost makes me want to buy some track…

 

[lew]

Makita rail / track adaptor - with zero clearance.

Makita rail / track adaptor
with zero clearance.

Makita DSS501 LXT 18 V with Festool or Makita rails, but this idea can be used for any table saw, if you want to put it on all types of rails.
I simply love this little Makita 18V saw,it's such a joy to work with.
But once in a while, I would have loved it was a rail saw, or at least that there existed a proper rail adaptor for it, so I decided to make one.

I'm completely aware I made another rail adaptor, but I was not really happy with it… I wanted it to be zero clearance, to avoid tear out, so it would function as well as the 220V Festool saw and I also wanted it to be more durable, so one more try MaFe.

So here we have the adaptor and zero clearance.
The zero clearance only takes 3mm of the saws cutting depth.

Let's build it.
3Mm plywood.

IKEA cutting board, can be any brand.

Cut to fit the rail, exactly, otherwise cut a new.
Absolutely snug is a must.

A saw, some 3mm plywood for zero clearnace and a runner made from cutting board.
Almost there…

Some kind of connection must be thought out.
So let's throw in a piece of 15mm high grade plywood.

Marking the rail T. tracks position.

And how deep they are.

To not waste too much, a test version is made first.
This will be handy later.

First the T-tracks are cut out and checked.

Check exactly where the runner goes, this is crusial.

Slowly work your way out.

I made a tiny mistake on the left, so happy it was a test piece.
Also you can see the end is a wee too tall, so it rests on the rail.
So a few adjustments.

But this will work, I'm happy with the concept.

I decided that the saw blade must start cutting 100mm from the edge of the rail, this will be easy when marking.

Still too high on the left.
Perhaps it will need some reinforcement, but let's see.

Lowering the high spot.

Yeps we are there.

This will work fine.

Transfer markings to the big base piece.

Use the test piece as a sawblade deepness setter.

T-track rabbets cut and fits perfect.

Setting deepness for the low rabbet.

Using a sled makes I quite easy, all you need is an extreme focus.

Closing in.

We are there and I also cut an extra cut, to make the edge a wee springy.

Micro adjusting the width, for a super snug fit

Perfect fit, I'm a really happy monkey.

Base, runner and zero clearance.

Cleaning up the runner, as it was an old used IKEA cutting board.

Marking the edge of the rail onto the base.

So the 100mm from saw blade, can be found.

Just make a mark

Have to be the inside of the blade.

Now the table saws base, can be marked onto the wood.

Marking on both sides.

Marked up.

Diving in with a plunge saw.

Cleaning out with a jig saw.

Grrrrr, I were not all awake, so I cut too long with the plunge saw.
Nothing that can't be fixed and the zero plate will keep in all together.
Always look on the bright sides of life.

And with a wee rabbet at the end for the lifting arm rivet, the saw fit's perfectly in.
Now we can almost taste the result!

Cut the zero clearance base to size and attached it to the base plate, with glue and brat nails.

Yabadabadooo!
An adaptor takes form.

The adaptor is placed, so the saw can be powered up and the blade can be lowered into and through the zero clearance plate.

Be careful to hold the saw straight, not pushing to any side.

We are through.

Next up is to find a way to secure the saw into the adaptor.
I was spending a wee time figuring this out, as I wanted it to be a fast operation, since I know, we tend to not use tools that are too time consuming.
So in one end just a fixed hold.
Here a small piece of hardwood will be fine.

Cut a rabbet, that were a little lower, than the hight of the saws metal base.

Then shaped the hardwood, to fit snug and rounding the end.
Made one for each side and glued them in place.

Let's stay in the glue.
Adding a layer of 15 minutes epoxy in the rabbet for the runner.

Nice and smooth.

Added the runner and put pressure, while it were drying.

Now we can get back to securing the saw to the adaptor.
In this end, I wanted a clamping tight solution.
Ash will be the material, a left over from my workshop floor again.
And notice I fixed my cutting mistakes, by gluing in a wee wedge into the saw kerf.

Something to push down here…

Well this might work.

Two cuts on the table saw and we have a L profile.

Drum roll…

Perfect!

A couple of wing nuts, will make it quick and easy, to take the saw in and out.
So marking up, for long holes, so the bolts can move freely inside.

Routing the long holes, using a push block to keep the hold straight.

With my wonderful new router table, that has already become a favourite in the workshop.

The long holes are transferred with a pencil, so the position of the bolts can be found.

I didn't want to get too close to the edge, so hope this will be fine.

First I predrilled with a two mm drill bit from the top, then making room for the bolt heads with a Forstner bit on the underside.

Drilling with 5mm drill bit.

Here you can also see the fixed hardwood holds, they were cut down to the hight of the jig, after the glue had time to dry.
Also please notice my fine new hold downs, these will get a blog post soon, smiles.

The 6mm bolts are now screwed in from the underside.

Well let's screw this up!
Or together I mean.

Perfect fit.
Free of the edge and the bolts are exactly long enough.

Adaptor is made, let's grab the circular saw.

Back end are tilted in, to grab the hardwood holds.

Front end lowered.

Once in place the front hold can be set in action.

Just put it down on the table saw base.

And tighten the wing nuts.

Now we have a base that are completely attached to the saw.

Let's find a track.

Yes!!!

Finishing touches the edges are rounded on the router table.

The edges of the adaptor also, so it will all be nice to the touch.

Even the runner got a wee rounding over, so it will be easy to put it into the rail.

Base edges rounded.

The same with all the inside edges.

I kind of like these little holds.

New adaptor can now replace the old one.
Job done, smiles.

Time to do some straight zero clearance sawing.

Link to video of the adaptor in use:

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or straight zero clearance cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Well done, my friend!

Loved the video, too!

 

[nobuckle]

Makita rail / track adaptor - with zero clearance.

Makita rail / track adaptor
with zero clearance.

Makita DSS501 LXT 18 V with Festool or Makita rails, but this idea can be used for any table saw, if you want to put it on all types of rails.
I simply love this little Makita 18V saw,it's such a joy to work with.
But once in a while, I would have loved it was a rail saw, or at least that there existed a proper rail adaptor for it, so I decided to make one.

I'm completely aware I made another rail adaptor, but I was not really happy with it… I wanted it to be zero clearance, to avoid tear out, so it would function as well as the 220V Festool saw and I also wanted it to be more durable, so one more try MaFe.

So here we have the adaptor and zero clearance.
The zero clearance only takes 3mm of the saws cutting depth.

Let's build it.
3Mm plywood.

IKEA cutting board, can be any brand.

Cut to fit the rail, exactly, otherwise cut a new.
Absolutely snug is a must.

A saw, some 3mm plywood for zero clearnace and a runner made from cutting board.
Almost there…

Some kind of connection must be thought out.
So let's throw in a piece of 15mm high grade plywood.

Marking the rail T. tracks position.

And how deep they are.

To not waste too much, a test version is made first.
This will be handy later.

First the T-tracks are cut out and checked.

Check exactly where the runner goes, this is crusial.

Slowly work your way out.

I made a tiny mistake on the left, so happy it was a test piece.
Also you can see the end is a wee too tall, so it rests on the rail.
So a few adjustments.

But this will work, I'm happy with the concept.

I decided that the saw blade must start cutting 100mm from the edge of the rail, this will be easy when marking.

Still too high on the left.
Perhaps it will need some reinforcement, but let's see.

Lowering the high spot.

Yeps we are there.

This will work fine.

Transfer markings to the big base piece.

Use the test piece as a sawblade deepness setter.

T-track rabbets cut and fits perfect.

Setting deepness for the low rabbet.

Using a sled makes I quite easy, all you need is an extreme focus.

Closing in.

We are there and I also cut an extra cut, to make the edge a wee springy.

Micro adjusting the width, for a super snug fit

Perfect fit, I'm a really happy monkey.

Base, runner and zero clearance.

Cleaning up the runner, as it was an old used IKEA cutting board.

Marking the edge of the rail onto the base.

So the 100mm from saw blade, can be found.

Just make a mark

Have to be the inside of the blade.

Now the table saws base, can be marked onto the wood.

Marking on both sides.

Marked up.

Diving in with a plunge saw.

Cleaning out with a jig saw.

Grrrrr, I were not all awake, so I cut too long with the plunge saw.
Nothing that can't be fixed and the zero plate will keep in all together.
Always look on the bright sides of life.

And with a wee rabbet at the end for the lifting arm rivet, the saw fit's perfectly in.
Now we can almost taste the result!

Cut the zero clearance base to size and attached it to the base plate, with glue and brat nails.

Yabadabadooo!
An adaptor takes form.

The adaptor is placed, so the saw can be powered up and the blade can be lowered into and through the zero clearance plate.

Be careful to hold the saw straight, not pushing to any side.

We are through.

Next up is to find a way to secure the saw into the adaptor.
I was spending a wee time figuring this out, as I wanted it to be a fast operation, since I know, we tend to not use tools that are too time consuming.
So in one end just a fixed hold.
Here a small piece of hardwood will be fine.

Cut a rabbet, that were a little lower, than the hight of the saws metal base.

Then shaped the hardwood, to fit snug and rounding the end.
Made one for each side and glued them in place.

Let's stay in the glue.
Adding a layer of 15 minutes epoxy in the rabbet for the runner.

Nice and smooth.

Added the runner and put pressure, while it were drying.

Now we can get back to securing the saw to the adaptor.
In this end, I wanted a clamping tight solution.
Ash will be the material, a left over from my workshop floor again.
And notice I fixed my cutting mistakes, by gluing in a wee wedge into the saw kerf.

Something to push down here…

Well this might work.

Two cuts on the table saw and we have a L profile.

Drum roll…

Perfect!

A couple of wing nuts, will make it quick and easy, to take the saw in and out.
So marking up, for long holes, so the bolts can move freely inside.

Routing the long holes, using a push block to keep the hold straight.

With my wonderful new router table, that has already become a favourite in the workshop.

The long holes are transferred with a pencil, so the position of the bolts can be found.

I didn't want to get too close to the edge, so hope this will be fine.

First I predrilled with a two mm drill bit from the top, then making room for the bolt heads with a Forstner bit on the underside.

Drilling with 5mm drill bit.

Here you can also see the fixed hardwood holds, they were cut down to the hight of the jig, after the glue had time to dry.
Also please notice my fine new hold downs, these will get a blog post soon, smiles.

The 6mm bolts are now screwed in from the underside.

Well let's screw this up!
Or together I mean.

Perfect fit.
Free of the edge and the bolts are exactly long enough.

Adaptor is made, let's grab the circular saw.

Back end are tilted in, to grab the hardwood holds.

Front end lowered.

Once in place the front hold can be set in action.

Just put it down on the table saw base.

And tighten the wing nuts.

Now we have a base that are completely attached to the saw.

Let's find a track.

Yes!!!

Finishing touches the edges are rounded on the router table.

The edges of the adaptor also, so it will all be nice to the touch.

Even the runner got a wee rounding over, so it will be easy to put it into the rail.

Base edges rounded.

The same with all the inside edges.

I kind of like these little holds.

New adaptor can now replace the old one.
Job done, smiles.

Time to do some straight zero clearance sawing.

Link to video of the adaptor in use:

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or straight zero clearance cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

That's really cool. I have plans to buy a cordless saw similar to yours. I will keep your design in mind. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mafe]

Makita rail / track adaptor - with zero clearance.

Makita rail / track adaptor
with zero clearance.

Makita DSS501 LXT 18 V with Festool or Makita rails, but this idea can be used for any table saw, if you want to put it on all types of rails.
I simply love this little Makita 18V saw,it's such a joy to work with.
But once in a while, I would have loved it was a rail saw, or at least that there existed a proper rail adaptor for it, so I decided to make one.

I'm completely aware I made another rail adaptor, but I was not really happy with it… I wanted it to be zero clearance, to avoid tear out, so it would function as well as the 220V Festool saw and I also wanted it to be more durable, so one more try MaFe.

So here we have the adaptor and zero clearance.
The zero clearance only takes 3mm of the saws cutting depth.

Let's build it.
3Mm plywood.

IKEA cutting board, can be any brand.

Cut to fit the rail, exactly, otherwise cut a new.
Absolutely snug is a must.

A saw, some 3mm plywood for zero clearnace and a runner made from cutting board.
Almost there…

Some kind of connection must be thought out.
So let's throw in a piece of 15mm high grade plywood.

Marking the rail T. tracks position.

And how deep they are.

To not waste too much, a test version is made first.
This will be handy later.

First the T-tracks are cut out and checked.

Check exactly where the runner goes, this is crusial.

Slowly work your way out.

I made a tiny mistake on the left, so happy it was a test piece.
Also you can see the end is a wee too tall, so it rests on the rail.
So a few adjustments.

But this will work, I'm happy with the concept.

I decided that the saw blade must start cutting 100mm from the edge of the rail, this will be easy when marking.

Still too high on the left.
Perhaps it will need some reinforcement, but let's see.

Lowering the high spot.

Yeps we are there.

This will work fine.

Transfer markings to the big base piece.

Use the test piece as a sawblade deepness setter.

T-track rabbets cut and fits perfect.

Setting deepness for the low rabbet.

Using a sled makes I quite easy, all you need is an extreme focus.

Closing in.

We are there and I also cut an extra cut, to make the edge a wee springy.

Micro adjusting the width, for a super snug fit

Perfect fit, I'm a really happy monkey.

Base, runner and zero clearance.

Cleaning up the runner, as it was an old used IKEA cutting board.

Marking the edge of the rail onto the base.

So the 100mm from saw blade, can be found.

Just make a mark

Have to be the inside of the blade.

Now the table saws base, can be marked onto the wood.

Marking on both sides.

Marked up.

Diving in with a plunge saw.

Cleaning out with a jig saw.

Grrrrr, I were not all awake, so I cut too long with the plunge saw.
Nothing that can't be fixed and the zero plate will keep in all together.
Always look on the bright sides of life.

And with a wee rabbet at the end for the lifting arm rivet, the saw fit's perfectly in.
Now we can almost taste the result!

Cut the zero clearance base to size and attached it to the base plate, with glue and brat nails.

Yabadabadooo!
An adaptor takes form.

The adaptor is placed, so the saw can be powered up and the blade can be lowered into and through the zero clearance plate.

Be careful to hold the saw straight, not pushing to any side.

We are through.

Next up is to find a way to secure the saw into the adaptor.
I was spending a wee time figuring this out, as I wanted it to be a fast operation, since I know, we tend to not use tools that are too time consuming.
So in one end just a fixed hold.
Here a small piece of hardwood will be fine.

Cut a rabbet, that were a little lower, than the hight of the saws metal base.

Then shaped the hardwood, to fit snug and rounding the end.
Made one for each side and glued them in place.

Let's stay in the glue.
Adding a layer of 15 minutes epoxy in the rabbet for the runner.

Nice and smooth.

Added the runner and put pressure, while it were drying.

Now we can get back to securing the saw to the adaptor.
In this end, I wanted a clamping tight solution.
Ash will be the material, a left over from my workshop floor again.
And notice I fixed my cutting mistakes, by gluing in a wee wedge into the saw kerf.

Something to push down here…

Well this might work.

Two cuts on the table saw and we have a L profile.

Drum roll…

Perfect!

A couple of wing nuts, will make it quick and easy, to take the saw in and out.
So marking up, for long holes, so the bolts can move freely inside.

Routing the long holes, using a push block to keep the hold straight.

With my wonderful new router table, that has already become a favourite in the workshop.

The long holes are transferred with a pencil, so the position of the bolts can be found.

I didn't want to get too close to the edge, so hope this will be fine.

First I predrilled with a two mm drill bit from the top, then making room for the bolt heads with a Forstner bit on the underside.

Drilling with 5mm drill bit.

Here you can also see the fixed hardwood holds, they were cut down to the hight of the jig, after the glue had time to dry.
Also please notice my fine new hold downs, these will get a blog post soon, smiles.

The 6mm bolts are now screwed in from the underside.

Well let's screw this up!
Or together I mean.

Perfect fit.
Free of the edge and the bolts are exactly long enough.

Adaptor is made, let's grab the circular saw.

Back end are tilted in, to grab the hardwood holds.

Front end lowered.

Once in place the front hold can be set in action.

Just put it down on the table saw base.

And tighten the wing nuts.

Now we have a base that are completely attached to the saw.

Let's find a track.

Yes!!!

Finishing touches the edges are rounded on the router table.

The edges of the adaptor also, so it will all be nice to the touch.

Even the runner got a wee rounding over, so it will be easy to put it into the rail.

Base edges rounded.

The same with all the inside edges.

I kind of like these little holds.

New adaptor can now replace the old one.
Job done, smiles.

Time to do some straight zero clearance sawing.

Link to video of the adaptor in use:

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or straight zero clearance cuts.

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Hi there,
Tim, I think both in the shop and on the road. It can be easily made and adapted to any track. Thanks.
Dave, Smiles, wonder if you got it for Christmas, laugh. Thank you.
lew, It was a joy to make that video, as my daughter were the photographer and we had a great time, did it in first run. Thank you my friend.
Doug, I can highly recommend the saw, I have used it a lot, had no idea a cordless saw and router were such a bonus, the router has suddenly become a favourite tool and I used to hate them. Thank you for the comment.
Best of my thoughts to all of you,
Mads

 

[mafe]

Engineers vice mount plate, for the MFT3 table.

Engineers vice mount plate
for the MFT3 table.

When I make stuff like jigs and so in the workshop, I often find my self running from one end to the other, as my engineers vice is in an other room by my big workbench, but the other day I had it! Since I have several vices laying around, I decided to dedicate one to my MFT3 workbench, like this the running can come to an end and I can focus on the work.

I had an engineers swivel base, clamp on vice that I found good for the project, as it was not too heavy and will come on and off, when needed and stored under the table or hanging on the wall, when not in use.

Cut a piece of strong plywood 2 cm thick.
Gave it a 20 mm hole to fit the MFT3 system.
Then rounded the edges for joy and comfort.

Testing it by cutting screws for the router fence I were working on, as I got tired of running and made this add on to the table.
Vice clamped to the plate and plate mounted to MFT3 with a clamp.
It works perfectly fine, but it can move from side to side…
(If you make a wider plate it can be held in two holes and give stability).

I did not want it wider, perhaps even narrower, so I had to stabilize it.
Put a long fence dog through the hole and through the table, to fix the position and locked it down with a clamp.
The a square to make it square to the table.

Made a small fence from some of the off cut and gave it a small rabbet.

Glue.

Pushed it firmly against the table and brat nailed it.

And brat nails from the back.
Might be good to give it some screws also, to add strength.

A bench dog and a large nob.

Knob goes on from the under side and so it is all fixed.

For less demanding tasks, you can make a quick mount, with a clap.
Or a combination of dog and clamp.

In America you are wise, when you use a vise, in England it would be vice…, in Denmark a vise is a folk song - who said it would be easy…

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or a song at least…

Best thoughts,

MaFe

 

[DavePolaschek]

Engineers vice mount plate, for the MFT3 table.

Engineers vice mount plate
for the MFT3 table.

When I make stuff like jigs and so in the workshop, I often find my self running from one end to the other, as my engineers vice is in an other room by my big workbench, but the other day I had it! Since I have several vices laying around, I decided to dedicate one to my MFT3 workbench, like this the running can come to an end and I can focus on the work.

I had an engineers swivel base, clamp on vice that I found good for the project, as it was not too heavy and will come on and off, when needed and stored under the table or hanging on the wall, when not in use.

Cut a piece of strong plywood 2 cm thick.
Gave it a 20 mm hole to fit the MFT3 system.
Then rounded the edges for joy and comfort.

Testing it by cutting screws for the router fence I were working on, as I got tired of running and made this add on to the table.
Vice clamped to the plate and plate mounted to MFT3 with a clamp.
It works perfectly fine, but it can move from side to side…
(If you make a wider plate it can be held in two holes and give stability).

I did not want it wider, perhaps even narrower, so I had to stabilize it.
Put a long fence dog through the hole and through the table, to fix the position and locked it down with a clamp.
The a square to make it square to the table.

Made a small fence from some of the off cut and gave it a small rabbet.

Glue.

Pushed it firmly against the table and brat nailed it.

And brat nails from the back.
Might be good to give it some screws also, to add strength.

A bench dog and a large nob.

Knob goes on from the under side and so it is all fixed.

For less demanding tasks, you can make a quick mount, with a clap.
Or a combination of dog and clamp.

In America you are wise, when you use a vise, in England it would be vice…, in Denmark a vise is a folk song - who said it would be easy…

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or a song at least…

Best thoughts,

MaFe

That's clever! One of my problems with my engineer's vise is that it always seems to be on the wrong end of my workbench. Either it's in the way, and I want it in the back corner, or I need to hold something larger (like a chair seat, a la John Brown) and need it on the front corner in the middle of the room.

I've been pondering how to put wooden jaws on mine to make it more generally useful, as well. I have the magnetically-held plastic inserts, but I think I would rather have wooden jaws bolted on. Which requires drilling holes in the face of the vise jaws, which are fairly hard… or perhaps there's a better solution.

In any case, great work, and now you've got me thinking as well.

 

[mafe]

Engineers vice mount plate, for the MFT3 table.

Engineers vice mount plate
for the MFT3 table.

When I make stuff like jigs and so in the workshop, I often find my self running from one end to the other, as my engineers vice is in an other room by my big workbench, but the other day I had it! Since I have several vices laying around, I decided to dedicate one to my MFT3 workbench, like this the running can come to an end and I can focus on the work.

I had an engineers swivel base, clamp on vice that I found good for the project, as it was not too heavy and will come on and off, when needed and stored under the table or hanging on the wall, when not in use.

Cut a piece of strong plywood 2 cm thick.
Gave it a 20 mm hole to fit the MFT3 system.
Then rounded the edges for joy and comfort.

Testing it by cutting screws for the router fence I were working on, as I got tired of running and made this add on to the table.
Vice clamped to the plate and plate mounted to MFT3 with a clamp.
It works perfectly fine, but it can move from side to side…
(If you make a wider plate it can be held in two holes and give stability).

I did not want it wider, perhaps even narrower, so I had to stabilize it.
Put a long fence dog through the hole and through the table, to fix the position and locked it down with a clamp.
The a square to make it square to the table.

Made a small fence from some of the off cut and gave it a small rabbet.

Glue.

Pushed it firmly against the table and brat nailed it.

And brat nails from the back.
Might be good to give it some screws also, to add strength.

A bench dog and a large nob.

Knob goes on from the under side and so it is all fixed.

For less demanding tasks, you can make a quick mount, with a clap.
Or a combination of dog and clamp.

In America you are wise, when you use a vise, in England it would be vice…, in Denmark a vise is a folk song - who said it would be easy…

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or a song at least…

Best thoughts,

MaFe

I made these for the vice by my workbench.

There are a rare earth magnet in the center, this holds them in place, when you open and close.
They rest on the bed, but you could make them go over the metal jaws.

 

[Jim Jakosh]

Engineers vice mount plate, for the MFT3 table.

Engineers vice mount plate
for the MFT3 table.

When I make stuff like jigs and so in the workshop, I often find my self running from one end to the other, as my engineers vice is in an other room by my big workbench, but the other day I had it! Since I have several vices laying around, I decided to dedicate one to my MFT3 workbench, like this the running can come to an end and I can focus on the work.

I had an engineers swivel base, clamp on vice that I found good for the project, as it was not too heavy and will come on and off, when needed and stored under the table or hanging on the wall, when not in use.

Cut a piece of strong plywood 2 cm thick.
Gave it a 20 mm hole to fit the MFT3 system.
Then rounded the edges for joy and comfort.

Testing it by cutting screws for the router fence I were working on, as I got tired of running and made this add on to the table.
Vice clamped to the plate and plate mounted to MFT3 with a clamp.
It works perfectly fine, but it can move from side to side…
(If you make a wider plate it can be held in two holes and give stability).

I did not want it wider, perhaps even narrower, so I had to stabilize it.
Put a long fence dog through the hole and through the table, to fix the position and locked it down with a clamp.
The a square to make it square to the table.

Made a small fence from some of the off cut and gave it a small rabbet.

Glue.

Pushed it firmly against the table and brat nailed it.

And brat nails from the back.
Might be good to give it some screws also, to add strength.

A bench dog and a large nob.

Knob goes on from the under side and so it is all fixed.

For less demanding tasks, you can make a quick mount, with a clap.
Or a combination of dog and clamp.

In America you are wise, when you use a vise, in England it would be vice…, in Denmark a vise is a folk song - who said it would be easy…

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or a song at least…

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Pretty cool, Mads. I made a similar one for my shop at home, We think alike a lot!

Cheers, Jim

 

[lew]

Engineers vice mount plate, for the MFT3 table.

Engineers vice mount plate
for the MFT3 table.

When I make stuff like jigs and so in the workshop, I often find my self running from one end to the other, as my engineers vice is in an other room by my big workbench, but the other day I had it! Since I have several vices laying around, I decided to dedicate one to my MFT3 workbench, like this the running can come to an end and I can focus on the work.

I had an engineers swivel base, clamp on vice that I found good for the project, as it was not too heavy and will come on and off, when needed and stored under the table or hanging on the wall, when not in use.

Cut a piece of strong plywood 2 cm thick.
Gave it a 20 mm hole to fit the MFT3 system.
Then rounded the edges for joy and comfort.

Testing it by cutting screws for the router fence I were working on, as I got tired of running and made this add on to the table.
Vice clamped to the plate and plate mounted to MFT3 with a clamp.
It works perfectly fine, but it can move from side to side…
(If you make a wider plate it can be held in two holes and give stability).

I did not want it wider, perhaps even narrower, so I had to stabilize it.
Put a long fence dog through the hole and through the table, to fix the position and locked it down with a clamp.
The a square to make it square to the table.

Made a small fence from some of the off cut and gave it a small rabbet.

Glue.

Pushed it firmly against the table and brat nailed it.

And brat nails from the back.
Might be good to give it some screws also, to add strength.

A bench dog and a large nob.

Knob goes on from the under side and so it is all fixed.

For less demanding tasks, you can make a quick mount, with a clap.
Or a combination of dog and clamp.

In America you are wise, when you use a vise, in England it would be vice…, in Denmark a vise is a folk song - who said it would be easy…

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or a song at least…

Best thoughts,

MaFe

+1 for what Jim said!

 

[mafe]

Engineers vice mount plate, for the MFT3 table.

Engineers vice mount plate
for the MFT3 table.

When I make stuff like jigs and so in the workshop, I often find my self running from one end to the other, as my engineers vice is in an other room by my big workbench, but the other day I had it! Since I have several vices laying around, I decided to dedicate one to my MFT3 workbench, like this the running can come to an end and I can focus on the work.

I had an engineers swivel base, clamp on vice that I found good for the project, as it was not too heavy and will come on and off, when needed and stored under the table or hanging on the wall, when not in use.

Cut a piece of strong plywood 2 cm thick.
Gave it a 20 mm hole to fit the MFT3 system.
Then rounded the edges for joy and comfort.

Testing it by cutting screws for the router fence I were working on, as I got tired of running and made this add on to the table.
Vice clamped to the plate and plate mounted to MFT3 with a clamp.
It works perfectly fine, but it can move from side to side…
(If you make a wider plate it can be held in two holes and give stability).

I did not want it wider, perhaps even narrower, so I had to stabilize it.
Put a long fence dog through the hole and through the table, to fix the position and locked it down with a clamp.
The a square to make it square to the table.

Made a small fence from some of the off cut and gave it a small rabbet.

Glue.

Pushed it firmly against the table and brat nailed it.

And brat nails from the back.
Might be good to give it some screws also, to add strength.

A bench dog and a large nob.

Knob goes on from the under side and so it is all fixed.

For less demanding tasks, you can make a quick mount, with a clap.
Or a combination of dog and clamp.

In America you are wise, when you use a vise, in England it would be vice…, in Denmark a vise is a folk song - who said it would be easy…

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or a song at least…

Best thoughts,

MaFe

Hi guys,
Dave P, Thank you. Yes they are always in the way, when they are fixed, I have that issue in my allotment. That's why I mount them like this. I posted a blog for you https://www.lumberjocks.com/mafe/blog/131987 to show the wood jaws. I like this version, because I can use the vice in both ways, instead of only wood jaws.
Jim, I can imagine, smiles. Yes we do think a lot the same, I have seen that over the years, Thank you.
Lew, +1 for you dear Lew, big warm smile.
Best thoughts,
Mads

 

[mafe]

Router template square - Festool MFS type

Router template square
Festool MFS type.

Yet another jig… a template for routing square holes or rabbets, with any router.

Inspired by the Festool MFS, I wanted a simple template, to use with my routers, so I could make a easy fast setup and didn't have to make a new template for each project.
Why not just buy the Festool template?
Well a price tag of 3725dkk / 580usd / 500euro…
Do I need to say more?

There are hundreds of these DIY versions out there on the web, there are three types, those who use a T-track on the side of a board, those who have a routed T-track in to the board and finally the more prof aluminium profile versions. I went for the last because I wanted this to be another recycle project and just found some laminated solid wood core board cut offs in the street, where my workshop is, also I'm a hobbyist, so it will not be heavily abused and yes, I have to pay the cost, out of my own pocket.

Due to the recycle elements and the fact that I had the router bit to route the slot, the price of my template, was 20dkk / 3usd / 3,7euro, for the eight hex head bolts and washers, in other words 1/186 of the price.

Starting at the table saw, the recycled laminated wood were cut up into strips.

Laminate fiber board and solid wood core.
I think it was shelf material, to make some stronger shelf's for some bookcases, judging from the rest of the trash I saw there.

To make the T-slots, this router bit will be used, actually bought it to make keyhole hanging, for another project years back, now it finally get to use again.

Marking app depth.

Setting the table saw.

Test cuts.

Running the strips through the table saw.

I do this to take some stress of the wood and the router bit.

Test, test, test.

To make sure I find the right spot for the T-slot.
As you can see, I put a fence on each side of the router bit, to make sure it did not move.

T-tracks routed.

Are they spot on?

Nope, but fine enough, as long as you keep the same side down or up.

Marking up for the hardware holes.

Do you get the picture?

At the drill press.

Let's drill.

Circe centre hole.

Dust exit hole.

Now the big hole can be drilled.
The drilling with these cup drill bits are much easier, when you have a dust exit hole.

Hole in one!
it's just dust, there are no tear out, as I turn half ways and drill from other side.

Sides are squared up with a fine tooth jigsaw blade.

I had some flat bar metal in a junk box and decided to go all in on the hardware part.
Here rounding ends.

That's it.

Nice! :-D

Don't get to close to disc sanders, here I were lucky it was just the nail.
Yes I know I have the worn hands of a working man.

Marking.

Making a test threading.

That's fine.
I pre drilled a 4,5mm hole, the threaded a 5mm thread.

Using a drill for the rest, to speed up a wee bit.

We got hardware.
If you are to lazy for this, or don't have the tools, you can just use T-square bolts, it will be fine, this is just a little stronger and put the stress load over a bigger area. If you make them with T-tracks or alu, this would be waste of time.

Marking for bolt holes.

Drilling the bolt holes.

Here we are, the hard part is over.
You might notice I also rounded the edges with a 45degree router bit.

My bolts were a tiny bit too long, so I decided to adjust them, instead of just putting more washers.

That's it.

Test fitting and it seems to be perfect now.
Here you can get the picture of how it works.

To make all bolts same length, I cut a piece of plywood to the correct depth and drilled a hole in it.

So the too much part was sticking out.

Then it was done in no time and they were all the same.

Cleaning up with sandpaper.

Waxing the tracks.

And taddddaaaaaa we got a template.
Mine is a 900mm version, so I can cut rabbets in cabinets if needed.

Loosen bolts and slide to desired size.

Then tighten, it's that easy to use.

Checking for square and it's all fine.
(Also on diagonal).

Now you can route with a bush bearing bit or a copy ring on your router

Job done.

Hope it can be to some inspiration, or some templates.

Best thoughts,

MaFe