The Tool Trolley Duplex Rail

The Universal Tool Trolley has the most innovative rail on the market today. Its double tubular shape retains its rigidity even with 10 lbs of perpendicular force applied, flexing less than .030-inches at the center of a 100-inch span. With 10 pounds of cross force applied and using one stabilizer, the flex was a remarkable .008-inches.

How can we get this type of performance out of a lightweight rail? The answer comes in the shape of the rail and the method of joining rail segments.

The duplex tubular shaped rail uses two steel dowel pins inserted one into each tube and drawn tight with our draw-tight bolt and nut. The resultant joint is more rigid than the original rail without a joint. This means if you need to make a 12 or 20-foot or any length cut, you will get a straight edge commensurate with the length of the rail and use of stabilizers.

The Duplex Rail is three inches wide and 5/8" high and comes in 50-inch and 30-inch lengths. The rails are extendable for any length cut and are easily joined using a draw-tight closure steel dowels and bolt. The duplex rails function either as a guide rail on which the UTT carriage tracks or in pairs and function as a track on which a sliding carriage or sled is placed when used either in a panel saw or a track saw configuration.

30" rail extensions when added to the 100" standard length rail gives you more than 10-feet of cutting length with adequate overhang for positive engagement of the trolley bearings even when making a diagonal cut on a 4 x 8' sheet of plywood. Whether you need a little more than 8-feet of cut length or a lot more; join together as many 30" extensions as you need for any length cut.

Use a single 30" rail when cutting shorter work pieces, crosscutting lumber or working with jigs and fixtures such as a mortising shuttle.

The Universal Trolley 30-inch Extender Rail is fitted with two alignment dowels and draw-tight closure on each end. Fit any number of 30-inch sections together for any desired length of cut. The alignment dowels and draw-tight connector stiffen the rail flex response for a straight cut every time.

The photograph above shows the straightness of 160" (two 50" and two 30" rails joined together) of rail using a laser beam. Our testing demonstrated that placing rail stabilizers every 60 inches ensures straightness to within 0.010inches with 10 lbs. of cross force applied .

DECRATIVE CONCRETE CUTTING

Cutting Concrete Finished floor

Check out what a customer from Portland Oregon is doing with a Circular Saw Trolley and 18 feet of rail. Go to our Projects web page to see the details.

RAIL FLEX RESPONSE

New Duplex (dual tubular shaped edges) lightweight, extruded aluminum rail. The Duplex Rail was chosen because its flex response (deflection under load) which models those of much larger and heftier rails, while not sacrificing weight, portability, depth of cut and ease of use . The Duplex Rail is made of high tensile strength aluminum that is heat-treated for hardness and is clear anodized for a durable finish.

Flex Testing of the Duplex Rail measured less than 0.030-inch deflection over a 100-inch spread of the rail clamps with 10 lbs. of force applied at the rail's center. The addition of rail stabilizers reduces the flex response to less than 0.010-inch , even on rails as long as 160-inches. To view the flex test results and chart click on the respective image below.

Click FLEX TEST to see a more detailed discussion on the Duplex Rail Flex Testing and Results.