Thread: Kreg and Bora Guide rails - are they any good?

If you mean the Kreg “Accu-cut”; don’t bother with it. I have one that I use very very rarely and only for breaking down panels to more manageable sizes. The plastic base that your saw mounts to is incredibly flimsy, warps when you tighten the saw clamps and is a sloppy fit on the rails so the cut can end up being wavy. I don’t know the Bora version but if it isa also plastic I’d advise you to walk away.

A better solution for cutting across panels is this cheap panel clamp from Bunnings. It takes a little getting used to initially as you have to apply a little pre-load before tightening or it can move during the cut but it works well. I’ve used mine for years with no issues; the only reason I bought the Kreg was because I was given a spare pair of rails which gives me an overall 8’ cutting capacity. Previously I would use a 3m long concreter’s straightedge.

I've only used the Progrip ones and been very happy with them. They are made in Taiwan by Fortune woodworking and are sold around the world under a lot of different brands. Best price I can find in Australia at a quick look is here - PRO straight edge saw & router guide clamp 1200mm | eBay.
It's the same clamp as Timbecon sell under their Torquata brand - https://www.timbecon.com.au/torquata...SABEgLJLfD_BwE.
I've had a number of people complain to me about the Bunnings Craftright ones, mainly to do with their failure to lock down and stay in place.

I've been using the cheap clamp from Bunnings mentioned above and it does the job. It can slip, you need to make sure both end are firmly against your work piece before clamping, then double check to make sure it won't slip. Read the comments for how one person made his more reliable.
It's a little thin, so it can flex if you apply too much pressure. So just keep your power tool firmly against it, but don't overdo it.
I've never had an issue, get straight cuts +/- 1mm with proper set up.
1. I mark both ends of the board where the cut should go
2. Use a metal ruler to push the guide the distance to where my blade will cut (38mm inside or 41mm outside for me)
3. Clamp it in place
4. Check it is firmly clamped and double check each end is the correct distance at each end
5. Make the cut

It can be a little cumbersome, but you can break down a large sheet in about 5 minutes so it is easier to handle on a table saw.
I started using a straight piece of melamine and clamps, then the Craftright clamp for making cuts. Now I only use it to break down large sheets for the table saw.

The Torquata power tool guide and accessories are on special at Timbercon this month, so I am going to buy a set of these clamps to try them with a circular saw and router. The benefit being the traveller plate that attaches and slides along the clamps.
It looks fairly decent and can be adjusted to remove any play when sliding along the guide.

I would have bought a set of the Bora NGX clamps and accessories, but for some reason Carbatec have a massive tailgate fee added to all but the smallest clamps when I've added them to the cart.

An alternative, about $300 will get you a generic track saw and a 1400mm track. I had a Woodstar (clone of Scheppach) and the rail was dead straight and the base of the saw was flat so I could get super repeatable cuts with way less than 1mm of error across a 1200mm cut. You might find one cheaper 2nd hand too.

I probably should clarify.. When taking my time, I was getting very accurate cuts, I'm only getting a +/- 1mm error now as I'm only breaking down large sheets that will be cut to size on a table saw.

Taking your time it's possible to get the cuts pretty much spot on to use on projects.
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If you are planning to use it often, a track saw will be much quicker. I'll try out the Torquata power tool guide for now as I want something cost effective for router use as well and it looks quite sturdy.