Post by jonathan on Aug 28, 2013 16:21:41 GMT -5
As some of you know I had ordered some jig parts from the States and some of it arrived surprisingly fast! (We don't have much of that stuff in EU it seems)
I'm having a REAL hard time tracking down t-track bolts that fit the shallow Mafell rail t-track.
I ordered just about every t-bolt I could find on Lee Valley and Woodcraft. The order from Lee Valley was delivered today, but unfortunately none of those Veritas t-bolts fit. They're both too wide and too thick.
I can't make much head nor tails from the imperial system and more specifically how the measurements are presented in web shops. (Seriously America, go metric already)
That said, I think we need t-bolts where the bottom plate is 5/8" wide and about 3/64" thick. Please feel free to correct me on this if I'm mistaken.
I would greatly appreciate it if any US, Canadian or UK members could point me to a site where I can place an order of the correct T-bolts.
I managed to find 2 t-bolts and knobs in a Kreg miter fence flip stop and a a Kreg micro adjust I just had laying around. These bolts fit wonderfully!
Please take in account the design I have in mind is a bit more refined than what is shown below.
I just want to show that fully functional parallel guides can be made for these rails with very minimal costs, components and effort.
So this is merely a basic proof of concept of sorts.
The following design is almost identical to the way Festool's parallel guides work. I've noticed the guide rail will flip under the weight of these t-tracks. Therefore, a lip at that rides on top of the workpiece incorporated in the stop flag is a necessity.
Components used:
- 1.34" (34mm) t-track bolt
- Washer
- Threaded knob
- 36" Incra track with scale
- 6.5mm metal drill bit
The 2nd pre-drilled hole in the Incra t-track seems to be perfectly positioned so I just widened it with a 6.5mm drill bit to fit my t-bolts. They're a tight and snug fit, perfect. (As you can see I haven't actually drilled the 2nd one yet)
A thing of note is that there's surprisingly little play and I'm pretty confident any connecting method won't need much over-engineering. A very basic connection like this might very well be accurate enough as is. I know it seems almost too simple. But simple is a good thing right
Potentially an additional stop block at the left side of the rail could improve things and make sure they're always aligned at the same distance from the cut line.
Some test cuts and measuring will need to determine that obviously, but from what I've seen I'm feeling pretty optimistic actually.
One of the most important features I would like to incorporate in my design is that they should be quick and easy to attach and remove. Not a PITA like the Festool ones.
What I have in mind is just a large single double cam lever to tighten/loosen the t-track. (Instead of 2 separate knobs as shown here. Again this is just a very early attempt)
I know this won't stroke with everyone's idea of how parallel guides should look or work. Perhaps there are better ideas or designs in the pipeline. I just wanted to share this as quickly as possible for those for whom this sort of setup is sufficient. I can already tell you the t-tracks are firmly attached with just one t-bolt. 2 will make it rock solid.
Hopefully these early pictures can serve as a starting point or inspiration for further discussion and development.
Again, any help tracking down fitting t-bolts would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
As more fixtures are being delivered, I'll of course keep the thread updated with any changes and progress I make.
I'm having a REAL hard time tracking down t-track bolts that fit the shallow Mafell rail t-track.
I ordered just about every t-bolt I could find on Lee Valley and Woodcraft. The order from Lee Valley was delivered today, but unfortunately none of those Veritas t-bolts fit. They're both too wide and too thick.
I can't make much head nor tails from the imperial system and more specifically how the measurements are presented in web shops. (Seriously America, go metric already)
That said, I think we need t-bolts where the bottom plate is 5/8" wide and about 3/64" thick. Please feel free to correct me on this if I'm mistaken.
I would greatly appreciate it if any US, Canadian or UK members could point me to a site where I can place an order of the correct T-bolts.
I managed to find 2 t-bolts and knobs in a Kreg miter fence flip stop and a a Kreg micro adjust I just had laying around. These bolts fit wonderfully!
Please take in account the design I have in mind is a bit more refined than what is shown below.
I just want to show that fully functional parallel guides can be made for these rails with very minimal costs, components and effort.
So this is merely a basic proof of concept of sorts.
The following design is almost identical to the way Festool's parallel guides work. I've noticed the guide rail will flip under the weight of these t-tracks. Therefore, a lip at that rides on top of the workpiece incorporated in the stop flag is a necessity.
Components used:
- 1.34" (34mm) t-track bolt
- Washer
- Threaded knob
- 36" Incra track with scale
- 6.5mm metal drill bit
The 2nd pre-drilled hole in the Incra t-track seems to be perfectly positioned so I just widened it with a 6.5mm drill bit to fit my t-bolts. They're a tight and snug fit, perfect. (As you can see I haven't actually drilled the 2nd one yet)
A thing of note is that there's surprisingly little play and I'm pretty confident any connecting method won't need much over-engineering. A very basic connection like this might very well be accurate enough as is. I know it seems almost too simple. But simple is a good thing right
Potentially an additional stop block at the left side of the rail could improve things and make sure they're always aligned at the same distance from the cut line.
Some test cuts and measuring will need to determine that obviously, but from what I've seen I'm feeling pretty optimistic actually.
One of the most important features I would like to incorporate in my design is that they should be quick and easy to attach and remove. Not a PITA like the Festool ones.
What I have in mind is just a large single double cam lever to tighten/loosen the t-track. (Instead of 2 separate knobs as shown here. Again this is just a very early attempt)
I know this won't stroke with everyone's idea of how parallel guides should look or work. Perhaps there are better ideas or designs in the pipeline. I just wanted to share this as quickly as possible for those for whom this sort of setup is sufficient. I can already tell you the t-tracks are firmly attached with just one t-bolt. 2 will make it rock solid.
Hopefully these early pictures can serve as a starting point or inspiration for further discussion and development.
Again, any help tracking down fitting t-bolts would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
As more fixtures are being delivered, I'll of course keep the thread updated with any changes and progress I make.