How To Make DIY Parallel Guides For Your Track Saw
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2024
- Do you want to learn how to make more accurate cuts with a track saw? Parallel guides make perfect repeatable cuts, but they are often hundreds of dollars and are hard to find in-stock. I show you with this detailed step-by-step free tutorial how to make parallel guides for a track saw. My design works with any brand including Festool, Makita, Dewalt, or others! If your track saw track is significantly different in height from the T track, just use additional washers so the T plate can lay flat.
Here are the parts you'll need for a PAIR of guides. Purchasing on Amazon with these affiliate links will help support me for no extra cost to you!
2x 48" Double-T Track: These are hard to find right now. The exact one I used in the video can be found here: amzn.to/2ZizQRR (sometimes this seller is sold out). Incra makes a version that I'm told works as well: amzn.to/3oniD3e. There's another version over on Banggood that has metric and imperial scales built in: www.banggood.com/custlink/3KK.... If you find another source please let me know and I'll share a link here.
2x Stop Blocks: amzn.to/3C4jKtc
2x Kreg Measuring Tape (right-to-left): amzn.to/3E5UoeT
4x T plates: amzn.to/3E3uXuM
4x 1/4" x 3/4" carriage bolts
4x 5/16" x 3/4" carriage bolts
8x 1/4" flat washers
8x 5/16" flat washers
4x 1/4" lock nuts
4x 5/16" T knobs amzn.to/3G1AtzE
Hot Glue: amzn.to/2Zgiu8a
Hot Glue Gun: amzn.to/3GayXvi (This Ryobi glue gun is one of my all time favorite tools)
Have you made your own parallel guides? Did you purchase precisions guides from TSO or another company? How do you like them? Leave a comment below.
Disclaimer: Woodworking can be dangerous. I am not liable for any injuries, damage, or other consequences caused by your attempts to replicate this or a similar project. - Jak na to + styl
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Excellent clear content. Thanks for including the links to the parts, that is super helpful.
Thanks I’m glad you like it
Brilliant! Analysis, synthesis, curation. I love your process! I also love my TSO GRS-16, and I recently was fortunate enough to catch their TPG-30 in stock. But your DIY looks like it would give it a pretty good run for the money... Respect.
Thanks Michael
You are flat-out awesome. Thank you so much for this video. I'll be making some as soon as I get back to the USA in November
Thanks Dave! Come back and let us know how they worked out for you.
Great job. Definitely giving this a go!
Thanks Harold!
Elegant! Nice clear video.
Thank you Thom!
Hey great video man, been a fan since day one! Keep up the good work!
Thanks Jarrod!
Fantastic. I subscribed. Keep them coming.
Thanks Ben! I appreciate it
Great tip. Subscribed. Least I could do.
Cheers from Australia.
Thanks Howard and Bec!
Genius idea. I will have to make a set now.
Thanks! When you do make a set come back and let me know how they turned out!
Suggestion: Cut off the stop finger(s) to make them shorter. Their extra current length amplifies any error due to inevitable play in rotating connection and also adds to the relative clunkiness of your excellent DIY build, due to necessary use of off the shelf parts, compared to the svelte specifically engineered components of the TSO model. (Definitely just a tweak, not trying to throw any shade ... :-)
I see what you’re saying. I haven’t measured the deflection when pressing against the stops but I haven’t noticed any error from deflection either.
@@DadoDad IMO one of the best things besides precision and build quality about the TSO product is the compactness of its components. This is the one aspect in which your DIY tool is hampered by constraints inherent in the stock components you have so skillfully adapted. I suppose my suggestion was focused more with compactness than deflection.
Just got the tracks in today, had to wait 2 months! Seem very hard to get a hold of. Now to get the easy parts!
UPDATE: I have the WEN Track saw system, and the T track is much lower than my track saw track. So, back to searching
for alternatives. I'm sure I can use the T-tracks for something.
This is very clever. I am going to make one of these. Thanks for sharing. Also subbed.
Thanks! Let me know how it goes for you.
Amazing idea and excellent video !! Thanks so much. I’m making my own based on yours
Thanks and good luck!
Great design! I like the all metal/ aluminum construction. My non climate controlled shop plays havoc on wood fixtures and jigs. Especially as they get longer. I’ll definitely be copying this design. I like how the third hole in the T brace ends up being the perfect hole to mount the guides on the wall.
Thanks Kevin! The last hole was a happy coincidence - I’m not complaining. Enjoy!
Great work
Thanks! I hope it helps
fantastic.i will have to make my own version using metric bolts etc.great video. john wiltshire england
I’ve been planning on swapping out my tapes for metric. As I get more precise in my working decimal systems just make more sense than fractional
Nice! You just saved me some $$!
Glad I could help!
Very good! Using your links, I also found a triple slot bar (2 Ts and a Miter T) that would give a slightly wider bar if desired. Also,I found an alternative stop (it shows up on same pages as searching for yours) that has its indicator at the same spot as the physical stop, as opposed to yours which has the indicator on the opposite side of the stop. This saves you a couple of inches to enable a couple more inches of length which might could be of interest if making thin strips off a new 4x8 for example. I think I also like the indicator more in this other one. They are black with two brass screw knobs and the Main camp leaver so easy to find in Amazon.
Yeah it seems like the providers are rotating stock. Seems like you got the concept and figured out a good solution too. Enjoy!
Awesome idea and video! Now if could make one for attaching a t track to a TSO or similar rail square it would be a complete system.
I love my TSO rail square and I've actually had some great success using all 3 pieces at the same time (no modifications needed).
And thank you :)
Great video. Well done. I'd love to see the parallel guides in action-- that would've been a nice addition to the video.
Thanks! I'm very happy with them so I won't be buying my own. But if any manufacturer efer takes me up on my challenge I'll put them head to head on a future video.
Very nice video. Very nice. I subscribed and wish you well as a content provider.
Thanks Mark. I'm a small fish starting out in a big pond but I hope I can continue to share ideas people find useful
Nice idea
Thanks!
Awesome video! Exactly what I was looking for! Any updates since starting to use these? Still dialed in and happy with it? Thank you!
Thanks Michael. They still work great. I had expected to need to replace the hot glue by now but the original is still holding up.
I was so close to buying a table saw because I was getting annoyed with doing repeatable cuts (always off by a hair) but I think this will save me! Don't get me wrong I absolutely want a table saw but I want to wait until I can afford a full sized cabinet table saw. Gonna run to the hardware store and get going on this. Thanks for the idea!
I saved up for >4 years and bought a cabinet saw and I love it. But the track saw still is my preferred way to rip down full sheets
Thank you for ur video -- I wish that I know this before I bought junk from another on eBay. I used your design, but modified it -- Thank u again. What is the model of ur saw? I had wen track saw, but it is heavy.
I'm glad you liked it and found some ideas you could repurpose. I have a Makita track saw.
Great diy video, thank’s. Unfotunatly Amazon do not deliver these parts to Canada, still looking to find.
Sorry to hear. Hopefully you get the idea and can find similar parts that work
The Indra come with pre attached tape, which I assume you have to remove and put on different tape.
The flip stops have about an inch of play in the calibration slide. If you had a premade tape you could always set that slide to be a nice easy number to add. For example you might just always have to add 8” to whatever the tape says. Easy to remember for narrow cuts but it might be worth noting the amount to add somewhere for wider cuts.
Amazon no longer offers the T-track you used. Did this come with a dealer or manufacturer label that we could purchase from?
Hi Leonard. I don't recall a manufacturer label being noted anywhere on the one I purchased. Incra makes a version that I'm told works as well: amzn.to/3oniD3e. There's another version over on Banggood that has metric and imperial scales built in: www.banggood.com/custlink/3KKYnYBJbQ. If you find another source please let me know and I'll share a link here.
Aren't the tightning bolts in the way when you make a full depth cut?
Are you referring to the large T-handled bolts? At 4:43 in the video I mention why it's important to pick the oversized T handles for exactly this reason. Thanks
The saw plate may slide under the T handles, but the motor will hit when you plunge.
Check 4:49 to see.
Instead of grinding down the carriage bolts what if you cut some segments of the connecting bar (that connects 2 tracks together) and attach that to the parallel guides.
That is a great idea! I use the TSO connectors and they work great on my Makita rail. There are 4 screws on each bar so if you cut it in half that would leave two usable pieces.
@@DadoDad You can buy T track nuts and I have a sneaky feeling they would be cheaper than those connectors.
In situation like @3:50 i keep drill rpm high and very low pressure towards down.
Probably would have just been better to use a drill press
This is a brilliant, cost-effective solution for parallel guides. BUT...the DIY T-bolt concept did not work for me. After much grinding, I realized that the square shank is really a problem on the track saw guides (knobs don't fully tighten down, and I don't think the hot melt glue solution would last very long in actual use), and the 1/4" bolts stripped and simply spun out in the T-track. I ordered actual T-bolts online and expect to have much better luck with them. I'll have a bunch left over: does anyone want some?
I fully anticipated the hot glue would eventually delaminate at which time I’d have to reapply it. After a full year and a midwestern freeze/thaw the original glue is still going strong. I hope you got some ideas for what works for you.
At 9:07 I think it moved … how did that end up working out?
It did - good eye. I recommend the kind with the adjustable pointer. When puting the tape down you only need to be accurate to about 3/4 inch because it's fine tuned after. It works great!
What t track did you use?
These are hard to find right now. The exact one I used in the video can be found here: amzn.to/2ZizQRR (sometimes this seller is sold out). Incra makes a version that I'm told works as well: amzn.to/3oniD3e. There's another version over on Banggood that has metric and imperial scales built in: www.banggood.com/custlink/3KKYnYBJbQ. If you find another source please let me know and I'll share a link here.
Спасибо! Подписка. Привет из Москвы!
Спасибо! Привет из США
For real I was using wood untill I saw your t bracket idea
Simple and cheap! T brackets are great!
great video - but I could stand to have your voice be a little louder.
I agree! I'm trying to figure out why it plays loud when I watch the exported video but then it gets quiet when I upload to CZcams. Growing pains of a new youtuber I guess but thanks for sticking it out anyway!
How can someone so smart still be using inches :)
Haha my favorite comment in a while. I bought my first metric tape measure yesterday!
looks like your knobs are too big you cant get full depth of cut
Large knobs are needed so that they do not interfere with the plunge function of the saw. Thanks for watching!
These can be made in a few minutes using off cuts and a pair of clamps , for pennies , nice video but too complicated
The great thing about woodworking is that there are a lot of ways to accomplish a task.