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Post by huntsgemein on Oct 2, 2018 2:51:55 GMT -5
If your rails are still loosely attached despite maxing out the tightening eccentrics, I'd suggest a sliver of builders flashing foil (i.e. thick aluminium flashing or even some carved from a lemonade tin with snips, not household Alfoil or the like) be squeezed into the opposite side of the dovetail slot.
That should stop the bastards coming apart!
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Post by kraftt on Oct 2, 2018 7:39:30 GMT -5
That's a great suggestion. I always have one or two rolls on hand of the nashua 324. Love that stuff.
My connectors seem to fit/slide fairly snug as is though. And once tight are good. I think it comes down to hands / fingers. Similar to how some don't gel with the wider metabo drill grips. If mafell had made their allen key equal lengths, long for each leg, I probably wouldn't be having this discussion. It just pushed me to find an ergonomic solution, and it worked out great.
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Post by lavike on Jul 18, 2019 14:16:04 GMT -5
I've been lurking here off and on for a bit but this is my first post here. I just picked up the Bosch 2 X 1600 + bag + connector from ToolNut. They were running a $50 off a $200 purchase on Bosch tools so I picked up the guide rails. The price for the package was $210 + tax.
The ToolNut deal and the current price cut at Timberwolf pushed me into getting an MT55 so I am moving into the Mafell camp.
I'm a little worried about having a 1600 rail as my shortest rail. I also have an MFT/3 that I'd like to use a new rail on.
I've seen folks talk about cutting a 1600 rail into 1000 & 600 sections. This would give me a rail that is close in length to the MFT/3's and I like the thought of having different sized sections.
My question is, how are folks cutting their rails down to make sure that they are square? Do I take it to a machine shop?
Thank you very much in advance.
EDIT --- After some more searching on here, I came across this thread - mafell-users-forum.freeforums.net/thread/826/cutting-rails. It looks like folks are using a miter/chop saw and then using a file or even a jig saw. I was thinking it needed to be more precise. I would still take any suggestions and if the moderators want to move this post to that thread, that is fine with me.
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Post by lincoln on Jul 18, 2019 16:00:37 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. A mitre saw, with the correct blade will do the job. If you don't have one, maybe there's an aluminum supplier nearby who could cut it for you.
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Post by lavike on Jul 18, 2019 16:05:42 GMT -5
Lincoln, Thank you very much for the welcome and confirmation of how to split rails.
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Post by aas on Jul 18, 2019 23:40:27 GMT -5
Why would the cut have to be square?.. just musing here... it makes no difference.
Let's say you cut one of the 1600's in two... each section now has 1 finished Mafell/Bosch end, and 1 unfinished DIY cut.
So you want to make a 3200 rail and put them all together... a) you put the uncut 1600 in the middle with the finished cuts butting on to the finished cuts, and therefore the unfinished cuts at the far ends; b) you rejoin the cut section which will match up perfectly (even if it's a wiggly line cut with a jigsaw!), and then add the 1600 on to one end.
I prefer option 'a)' - even if you want to add another rail to make a 4800 rail, put it in the middle.
With the Mafell/Bosch joiners, the joiners are straight - no need to over think this one, stick it on the mitre saw and chop it in two!
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Post by kraftt on Jul 19, 2019 11:48:02 GMT -5
Depending on how important a really clean perpendicular cut though splinter guard is when cutting a 1600 etc in two you might consider taking a razor blade and cutting the splinter guard in the middle of the cut line first, before cutting the aluminum. You would then carefully pull/pry/peel it out on both sides of the rubber a few centimeters and tape it back before you cut. My s.g. got a little torn up where the chop saw blade sucked it in the first time I cut a rail with s.g. in place.
After the rail cut you push the s.g back in and slightly trim it to mate flush if needed (stretches/compresses). Just know that there's the chance of tearing the s.g. if you try pulling it out.
But none of this is that important, other than getting familiar with techniques for when it matters, because you need a beater rail anyways and you'll be replacing s.g. sooner than later.
Speaking of trimming the s.g. I've come to appreciate plunging into it to start the trim leaving the ends un-cut. This is so the two snugging guides on the base plate are both engaged and saw blade is then parallel. The metal slot has lots of play in it so trimming a rail s.g. from beginning to end with only a few mm of blade plunge starts & ends the cut with blade going off parallel. To trim the remaining ends afterwards just couple another rail on.
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Post by aas on Jul 19, 2019 14:01:12 GMT -5
Speaking of trimming the s.g. I've come to appreciate plunging into it to start the trim leaving the ends un-cut. This is so the two snugging guides on the base plate are both engaged and saw blade is then parallel. The metal slot has lots of play in it so trimming a rail s.g. from beginning to end with only a few mm of blade plunge starts & ends the cut with blade going off parallel. To trim the remaining ends afterwards just couple another rail on. Kind of with you that, except I put the rail in between two others and run straight through.
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