Festool FS - PA, Parallel guides system - part 1
Vložit
- čas přidán 22. 10. 2018
- The Festool FS - PA parallel guides allow you to make accurate repeatable parallel rip and cross cuts from 140mm to 650mm. They are used in conjunction with the TS555 and track saw,
In this video we look at the kit, set them up, calibrate them for use and then show how to use them.
This video is part of a series of tool set up videos that we will be creating as we set up the Woodgrafter workshop. The workshop will be at the heart of my new business specialising in the design and build of heirloom quality products.
Thank you for taking the time to watch my videos, I post on a regular schedule
- Tool & business tips every Tuesday at 7PM UK time
- Project build videos every Friday at 7PM
- Monthly round up VLOG every second Sunday of the month - again at 7PM.
All my series are collated into play lists and include;
- Tool selection, reviews and use
- Business overview of how we are building the business
- Workshop design and build
- Various in-depth project builds - from design to finish
If you like what I am doing please support me by subscribing, hitting the notification button, leaving a like and more importantly leaving a comment. I am really interested in your comments, questions and views - I read and respond to each and every one.
Free plans are available on my web site www.thewoodgrafter.com
Cheers & talks soon.
Andy
Hi and welcome to my channel, I hope you find it useful, please leave a comment.
I am interested in your views, thoughts and questions. I respond to each and every comment.
Please leave a like, don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell for future videos.
I post reviews and tips on a Tuesday, workshop and project updates on a Friday and publish a vlog on a Sunday.
Cheers, Andy.
V good, nicely presented and to the point! Excellent.
Thank you kindly!
Nice tool. Great equipment for those who need quality work on a job site.
Yes the kit is expensive but the accuracy and quality come together on the project. The balance I am looking for us is quality in the workshop and the same level on the job site. Not for everyone, but Festool gives me that. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
Thank you! Really well explained!
+Andrew Havryliv
Hi Andrew,
Thank you for the feedback
Cheers
Andy
I'd love to see a follow up your video about the festool! I enjoy the work that you do!
Sounds like a plan, don’t forget all the tools I review are going to be put into use on one project or another. I will add my thoughts as I get more familiar with them. Good tip, thank you.
I love the disparity of the Festool corner and the rest of your shop that is, shall we say, more creative. ;)
+Drew Messmann
Hi Drew, you are the first person who has ever commented on that.
When I first designed the shop, the hand tool bench wasn’t in the mix - it was purely power tool based on the Festool system.
However, when you start using it, it becomes very obvious that you need to be able to refine things, and hand tools have a part to play. As I have mentioned, I come from a hand tool background - so it’s second nature to reach for a back saw, or a chisel or a rebate plane to tune a joint.
The power tool benches, (The MFT) can’t really cope with hand tool usage. Jut not rigid enough. So the hand tool bench comes back in.
So my workflow will become, power tools will do the heavy lifting and hand tools will do the refinement. The shop is beginning to reflect that.
Hybrid Woodkworking I believe it’s called. Perhaps the Woodwhisperer is on to something.
I think the disparity is more apparent in my shop due to the small size.
Thanks for watching, and thanks for getting in touch.
Regards
Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter Thank you for the videos. I certainly don't mean my comment negatively. My shop is very creative too.
Hi Drew,
I didn’t take it as negative - I thought it was a very astute observation. And the shop really is beginning to take on a design of its own as my workflow matures.
Wait until I get the tool chest in there, some frequent used hand tools in a wall mounted cabinet and then on the opposite wall, Festool rails, fences and templates.
The disparity will be more obvious.
:-)
Talk soon
Andy
Best video I've seen on calibrating the rails 👍
+WT Design & Build
Hi, thank you for your kind words.
Talk soon
Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter no worries ,just came across your channel recently , some great content there,I'm just working my way threw your videos , I started only a year or so ago in a small garage workshop so Festool was ideal then I moved away from it abit as I moved into a larger unit and acquired a panel saw etc , I recently lost the space again and realised I can do the exact same back in the smaller space with the Festool again 👍
+WT Design & Build
Yep, the bigger premises is always an attraction - but if you take the same money and invest in building a smaller space then you can afford the higher quality tools.
I guess at the end of the day - it depends on what you are building and the volume you build at.
Glad to have you on board - feedback, observations, questions, improvements, alternative allroaches always welcome.
Cheers
Andy
Great videos. I just got mine Festool parallel guide and cant with to start using it.
Cheers, the guides work really well - I seem to find more use every day. That’s what I love about Festool you can use different parts of different kits to solve many problems.
I just got my parallel guides today and find them incredibly fumbly to use. I just hope I get used to them, because this is the first Festool tool I'm not satisfied with out of the box.
Hi,
I should make a video as to why I am selling mine. Over time I got to a similar position and since this video, there are much better products on the market.
I have now moved to the Benchdogs System.
Cheers
Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter Hi, I also returned mine within a week. I found some guides on eBay that are cheaper, lighter and just as accurate 😉
watched it again:)
You must be a gluten for punishment :-)
But I am glad you are finding it useful.
Kind Regards
Andy
Cool
Thank you
Nice video! Im looking to get the FS-PA. From what I can tell they will help me do all i needed a table-saw for. The only thing I was wondering is if a FS-PA-LV would make it possible to even beams down to size for filling out around door-frames? Thats a job I would typcally use a table for but I would really prefer if I dont need to get one.
Hi,
Thank for the feedback and the question.
Yes it should work, you would obviously need to ensure that the track is supported and that you have the depth of cut in your track saw.
But the concept should work.
Andy
Great video and explanation, thanks for that. This is an awesome piece of kit. By any chance would you know if these parallel guides and their extensions would work in a makita rail?
Hi Douglas,
To be honest I do not know as I have never tried them. However, looking at the two rails then I think they would work out OK.
There are other offerings on the market now that are compatible with the Makita rail. TSO and Benchdogs.co.uk have offerings on the market. I will be reviewing the Benchdogs offering in the next couple of weeks.
Regards
Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter thank you very much Andy. Yeah, I saw the others only after paying for the festool square, parallel guide and extensions and a smaller 1.4m rail. My issue was with the festool 3 meters rail as I live in Northern Ireland and it seems that there's been an issue with couriers that they're not taking that size from mainland to here. But I'd probably be able to get a makita delivered from a local store. So I was wondering if the festool square and parallel guides would fit that for when I'd be ripping sheets. But nothing that can't be sorted in a hundred different ways. :D
Looking forward to your next video.
Hi, thank you for the great video, I have come across your channel unfortunately after I have invested in a Makita track saw SP6000, I couldn't find anything like these parallel guides over Makita tools, I have been told that a bunch of Festool accessories are compatible with the Makita Track Saw, does this parallel guide work with my Makita track, thank you.
Thanks for the feedback, I am not sure, the Festool guides do have a complex fitting onto the track - so it may be proprietary.
Have a look at the Woodpecker system - that will fit and looks pretty good. www.woodpeck.com/accessories/festool-aftermarket-accessories/parallel-guide-system.html
Cheers
Andy
Recommend you move your overhead camera minimum 6 in off back wall. Cannot always see what you are doing
Good presentation
Hi Jim,
Thank you for the feedback - I’ll look into it.
Cheers
Andy
I'm really lazy these days, priceless, I feel the same way lol!
Well you have to love a bit of honesty :-) Thank you and keep watching.
Is it difficult to cut long boards with it?
Hi,
No it works pretty well. I did find that the Festool rail jointer can introduce errors.
So I purchased multiple rails for different applications.
Cheers..Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter I want to use it with the long lr32 rail of Festool with a Mafell tracksaw
Hi, my longest rail is 2.7M works like a dream so I don’t think you will have an issue. I have used it on my shorter LR32 rail - and no difference what so ever.
Obviously I am using Festool on Festool so can’t talk to the cross comparability of rail and track saw.
Cheers
Andy
And what happens if the rail moves? Festool could have designed it better. Great review though.
At that point you are snookered. To be honest having learnt a lot since this video - I wouldn’t buy these again. There are new products on the market that are cheaper and much better design.
Thank you for the comment
Andy
No trouble hearing you BUT the saw and vac level was painful
Hi thanks for the feedback, yes have changed things in future videos.
Hope your ears are OK.
:-)
So these guides can’t make anything bigger than about 24” pieces? Kind of a glaring weakness, huh?
+mdbrescia
I guess it depends what you want to do, they do what they do very well.
But as you say they have a size limit.
Cheers
Andy