Review on 🛠️ Enhance Precision with the DEWALT DWS5031 Router TrackSaw Guide Adapter by Jarrett Young

I was thrilled when I saw this DeWalt rail milling cutter adapter. I used to hate routing dados. I don't have a table saw so I had to use my DeWalt router for Dado. I tried one of these "exact width" jigs, but it was very tedious to use. Then I tried it with a simple ruler, but that's also tedious when you want the skirting board to be a bit wider than the cutter. And when the router jumped or I didn't press properly, the router moved slightly off the ruler and distorted the nozzle. The overall solution is absolutely insane. I hardly ever use a router to justify the cost. And then I saw this adapter for a track router and I was amazed. The price of this adapter is very low by Festool standards and the price of the DeWalt rail is also very cheap. I bought both at once. I used a router adapter to carve a dado into a plywood cabinet I was building. I marked the dado's location, set up the trace, researched and fiddled around trying to figure out where the trace needed to be for my bit to hit the right spot, then did a dry run by moving the router across the width. board to ensure it moves smoothly. After adjusting the tension knobs and tweaking the settings, I turned on the power and carefully slid the router over the rail. Dados were absolutely perfect. Perfectly straight and perfectly clean. What a huge improvement over the jig and ruler methods. Much simpler, easier and the results are unmatched. The adapter cannot slide smoothly on the rail - Festool products can be the same. I applied some Renaissance wax to the rail and it made the adapter lighter and smoother. Both the knobs and adjustments on this adapter are a bit odd and not nearly as sleek and easy to adjust as the Festool design, but the two bars were very sturdy and once you figured out how to use them for your router and work piece set it up, it works well enough. I also bought DeWalt rail clamps. They are unpretentious, but work well with the caterpillar. If Dado is giving you trouble and you want an easier solution, I recommend this adapter and the DeWalt rail. UPDATE JANUARY 2016: DeWalt track. I had to cut two channels down the middle of the board to allow the two handle screws to slide up and down to adjust the height of the project. (See two additional photos) I've never made this cut, but pulled out the DeWalt rail, clamped it in place, and then did a test pass, moving the router along the path to make sure the cut was even. I made the cut by gently sliding the router along the path and it was absolutely perfect. The cut was the perfect length and perfectly parallel to the length of the board. The second cut was just as easy. Installing the track and clamps was much quicker than I expected and I think I got it all done in less than 10 minutes. I finished so quickly that I even stopped in fear, thinking I'd missed something. I thought it would be more tedious or more difficult, but it was easy. If you need to use a DeWalt router in situations where you're not just walking along the edge of a tree and need straight cuts (and you don't have a table saw or router table), this rail setup is really hard to beat. . And a nice added benefit is that the adapter fits in my router case and the rail hangs on the wall so the whole setup doesn't take up any extra space in my garage. If you don't have to spend a million dollars setting up a route for a Festool router, this option works very well.