EZSmart Universal Edge Guide w/ univ. base

[reible]

Hi,

I'm only a track away. I went with the edge system because it was the lower cost option to see how I like the product. The plate the saw fits on is the same plate that is used with the track. I can expand my system by purchasing track sections if and when I know more about how I like what I have.

The plate is what provides the zci function by way of modular inserts when used in the manor I have setup. When moved to a track things are changed so the track provides the alignment and edge function. So the results will not be identical but close I hope. Because of this my next purchase if I decide to expand the system will be with a shorter track.

If you look at this tread you can see the basic style of cabinets I make for my shop. The edge guide would work very well for this application. If I need to cut in excess of 2 feet I still have my other system to do so.

Where I am today is not where I will be when I get going on the cabinet project I have in mind. I just don't know right now if I will stay with what I have started with or jump to yet another system.

Dust collection again is not of particular concern to me. I will be cutting in open air using a dust mask and the chips will fall as they will. At this point I see no reason to think other wise.

BTW Dewalt does sell a dust port for the saw I have but as of now I'm not thinking much about that. The two Porter Cable saws have dust ports built in and I don't always use them either.

Ed

Ed
Why did you decide to go with the edge guide instead of the track? I think the track would do a better job for you compared to the edge guide. Just wondered about your choice.

Also if you go to Eurekazone.com (manufactures website) you will see they have a dust collection system you can mount on your saw. Basically you cut a small hole at the front of the blade guard and mount a plastic nozzle to attach to a vacuum. Plus they include some clear plastic that seals the front of the blade guard to base where most dust spills out.
Also the manufacture has many tutorial videos, and a forum where other users discuss the ezsmart products. Check out eurekazone.com

[roy_okc]

UEG vs track...

EurekaZone has been selling track products for quite a few years, the UEG is perhaps 2 years old (there was a predecessor tool, similar concept but it was unwieldly for the occasional user). Many of their customers were using the track to rip as well as cross cut sheet goods. To rip a full length, you either need to clamp the track to the material or use some sort of width setting mechanism (EZ has an add-on called the Cabinet Maker). Clamping adds a few minutes to the cut time for each cut to measure twice (thrice) at each end then clamp, the Cabinet Maker setup time is probably similar to the UEG, both involve maneuvering around 9' of track (not to mention the time spent connecting track pieces together). There was a demand for a better way to rip materials and the owner developed the previously aforementioned UEG predecessor and later the UEG which has sold like hotcakes to his previous customers and has made many new customers.

What has happened is that the UEG is often being purchased as a first tool from EZ, rather than as an accessory tool to the track that I imagine the company originally viewed it. However, it makes transitioning to track a bit less expensive as now most people would only need a max of a 54-60" piece rather than a couple pieces totalling around 9'. As Ed said above, the base is the same. just remove the front/rear connectors and you're ready to run on the EZ track.

To get directly to the EZ Forum, you can go to www.tracksawforum.com.

Roy

[reible]

After a bunch of yarding the last while I got back to a little wood working this afternoon.

I had left off with needing to thin the fin to match the kerf of the blade I'm using. When I checked the alignment one edge was a good match but the other needed to have some material removed. Since the material is a soft plastic I went with sandpaper as the way to go.

While it seems like it should be straight forward to slip the insert and fin in and out....... well so much for that thought. You need to disassemble thing to the point that I found it easier to make a cut then fit the fin after the fact all on its own.

By now most of you are lost right?

Pictures should help.

When you try to remove the insert the "studded EZ connector" is in the way as seen in this picture.

IMG_6692sc.jpg (101.79 KiB) Viewed 10100 times

Once that part is removed it slides out as seen here:

IMG_6693sc.jpg (111.38 KiB) Viewed 10100 times

It took several trials to get the fit right but it wasn't too bad. Keep in mind this would be a task that you would need to do when ever you need to replace this part.

With that done I felt pretty good about how things had gone thus far. The main even how ever was not yet to begin. I decide now was a good time to verify the alignment of saw to plate. The initial mounting uses fingers on the saw plate that touch the saw blade. Once mounted those fingers are removed. My though was to use the channel that is designed for the track as a location to measure from and a tooth on the blade as the other side of the measurement.

I was not happy with the result. It was clearly 1/32" off. Now that doesn't sound like a lot but with a thin blade the blade will bend to accommodate part of the error and the kerf will be wider due to the path of the blade. So this needed fixing. I though I was careful when I did the alignment but I guess not as careful as I should have been.

I did get it back to about as perfect as I care to go. I did not want to got to thousands of an inch.... This also had some other consequences, my zero clearance cut was no longer aligning with the blade..... had to re-cut that and it is now wider then it use to be. I think it will be OK but time will tell.

The kerf was now smaller so back to sanding the fin. Back in business or so I thought.

When I put the back insert in (the one that contains the fin) I had to cut away part of that to clear the saw guard. I did that with the saw set up to cut 3/4" plywood. Today when I went to setting the saw for full depth the guard would not totally retract. Yep more material needed to be removed. The results of getting the guard to fit took a heavy toll on the back insert. It included having to remove so much material that the fin is no long captured on the blade side.

In this photo you can see the protrusion of the guard as it clears the back insert.

IMG_6691sc.jpg (107.73 KiB) Viewed 10100 times

I had to go so far back that part of the fin also needed to be removed. In this picture you can see the flip side of the insert with fin in place.

IMG_6694sc.jpg (109 KiB) Viewed 10100 times

This next picture shows the two parts separated.

IMG_6695sc.jpg (129.01 KiB) Viewed 10100 times

While the normal direction of movement should help keep the part in place I fear that something could go wrong and the fin would slip forward as shown in the next picture. The result would be to trap the blade guard in the up position.

IMG_6697sc.jpg (103.68 KiB) Viewed 10100 times

To much a risk for me. I still have several options, not sure which one I will go with but leaving it as it is will not be one of them. Anyway it was time to call it a day.

Remember that this is with the saw I have, this may or may not be an issue with other saws.

A couple of other thoughts came up while I was working with this today. One is the softness of the plastic. Sanding it removes material very quickly so durability of the whole base assembly is called into question. Still pondering this.

Ed

[Ed in Tampa]

From another thread it is evident that you decided to ditch the Eureka system and went to Festool. Will you please discuss this, what was the final decision maker? What is better with the festoon?
Very interested in this!

[reible]

Keep in mind I only went to this system as a trial. I thought I would like it because it would provide a function I was looking for. It did that but not as well as I hoped.

For me the issues started with the universal fit base. I'm not a fan of the plastic they picked. Easy to work with yes but that is about the extent of the good news.

They make it easy to install a saw the first time. Take the saw off at a later date and good luck getting it aligned again in a quick manor. Yes this could be fixed by the addition of a couple of alignment holes in the base of the saw and the ez base but that would be up to you to do.

The universal fit did not fit so well with the saw I picked. My problem or a ez problem? When I finish making adjustments to accommodate the saw guard the little fin was not able to be mounted, yes it works without it but I think I'd rather have it be there most of the time. Then there was the need to thin it to fit the blade selection I made, my issue or ez issue?

Next you really really need to secure the work piece. The edge guide need you to force it against the edge and keep it there. Unless the work piece is really tied down you can't get the force you feel you need to supply. This means that you have to re-clamp and move the stock for future cuts or extend yourself making the side pressure more difficult to maintain, well at least for me it seem that way.

I picked up a light saw, but when you add the other parts this set up feels heavier then it really is. It certainly isn't as comfortable to use as I thought it would be. Bulky comes to mind, like my arms are not long enough to be turning and twisting this when handing this and the farther out the saw goes the more unyielding movement becomes. Narrow cuts I could have lived with but by the time you get to 12" or more the more uncomfortable I became.

The saw I picked did not come with a dust collection port, I ended up adding one but still to much area to leak from, about to the point of not gaining anything with or without the vacuum attachment. So yes I could have spent more money on a different saw, got the dust collection stuff to add and of course added some more $$ to the purchase.

The way I was set up pretty much dictated I use my left hand/arm for the saw and the right on the bar. I feel much more comfortable the other way round.

You can't do repeat non full cut, all edge guide systems have this problem.

Adjustment to a mark is difficult, you want to adjust to a dimension the system lets you do that but if you happen to have a mark that you want to hit it feels difficult to get things adjusted to that mark. I found myself measuring to the mark and going that route to get the setting.

Just too many little things and work around for me to enjoy using the system. If I wanted it for construction site projects then maybe but for the project I have in mind it never quite measured up. I really don't like to "put up with" things. Yes part of the problem is me. For me this was not a good fit.

Ed

[maxelina20]

very useful discussion