Makita P-45777 Guide Rail Connector Kit, Black

Makita did a crap job of documenting or explaining this product. The "kit" comes with two bars, 5 set screws (one spare) and a hex wrench. The two bars both go into one of the t-track sections on the track, and you use the set screws from one to push against the second bar. This creates a nice tight fit, without gouging the set screws into the aluminum track. Since there are two t-track areas on the tracks, it is ideal to connect the tracks with two "kits". The kit is a bit overpriced for what it is, and there's an alternative Festool track joining bar that is cheaper. It works fine, however the festool doesn't use the two bar design, so the sets screws will screw directly onto your track and potentially gouge it if you're not careful. Another nice feature of the festool is the set screws use just a flat head, so no need to keep up with a hex wrench when you're joining track. Both work well, but I think the Makita is a better product. I'd spend the extra $10-20 for both makita kits over the festool and be done with it.

You use this to join two Makita Track Saw Guide Rails together. It works well when installed correctly. It seems obvious to just slide it in and tighten the screws; but, you may not be lucky with that approach. There are two plates and 4 set screws (and one spare set screw in the one I received). The plate without holes in it (#1) goes at the bottom of the groove in the track, the plate with the holes (#2) goes in on top of the first. There are some bumps on one of the plates to assist you in keeping the plates aligned with one another. Those bumps need to face the gap between the plates. The screws go into the holes of plate #2 and bear on plate #1. This is important because it prevents the hard steel screws from digging into the soft aluminum track. The screws effectively increase the space between the plates jamming #1 against the bottom of the groove and #2 up against the flanges at the top of the groove. Each screw needs to be bearing on plate #1 and plate #1 should be centered on plate #2 between the bumps. If the plates do not seem to fit into the groove it is likely because a screw is in too far or that one end of a plate is resting on a bump instead of between the bumps. Leverage is normally your friend; but, not in this case !!! Once you have the tracks joined; be careful while handling the assembly. The tracks are long and a little heavy. The connector is thin and it is only those little aluminum flanges at the top of the track groove and the strength of two thin steel plates that are keeping everything together. To avoid bending the track and/or connector plates, handle the track assembly with care. Try to minimize the load on the connector and adjacent flange surfaces. I recommend separating the track from the connector as soon as practical. If you are leaving it together for a long time, I'd consider buying the longer track and eliminating the risk to the rest of the system.

I really wanted the long track for seamless rips of full sheets but because of ridiculous shipping cost to me, I had to go with 2 part long tack.I'm glad I did. They work just fine. Perfect customers across the joint every time. Even when I did a pour job aligning them vertically and the saw sort of hung up slightly the rip was flawless. The best part is now I don't have to store this massive long track someplace where it won't get bent. There is no free space in my shop so likely would have been stored near the wood stack which could have resulted in a bent and useless track.unless you woodwork professionally, and the extra 5 minutes of track setup over and over each day would hurt business, this is the way to go.

Somehow, reading the sales page and some of the reviews, I got the impression this was 2 equal bars for use in the underside track in the rail and the accessories track on the outboard side of the rail. 2 bars so the junction would be more secure and less wiggle room. What arrives are 2 bars of metal, 5 set screws, and an Allen key in a nice resealable tube that fits down in the Makita track saw case. But the 2 bars are different thicknesses and only the thinner one has only one unthreaded hole. There were no directions or pictures. Mounting just the thicker bar and beginning to tighten the set screws I noticed that it was dimpling up the track on the othe side. It was then that it dawned on me that the thinner bar was to be used in conjunction with the other bar so the set screws are pushing against it in the slot on the underside of the track. However, if you line the 2 bars up exactly, one of the set screws lines up with the single hole in the thinner bar. So offset the bar. 4 stars for making think too hard.

These work as advertised and expected. It does seem a bit pricey as do the tracks. If the longer track was not so expensive I would have bought it. Instead I purchased a second short track and this connector. I am not disappointed and would recommend this solution. I use one set to join two 55 inch Makita tracks. They align perfectly without any fiddling. It would be better if they came with instructions or at least a picture of how they should used as it is not immediately obvious. The two pieces need to be used together. One has tapped holes for the set screws the other is a bit shorter. I insert them together into the track and tighten the set screws to push the pieces apart pressing them against the top and bottom of the t-slot. I've seen several reviewers saying you need two sets and almost bought two sets based on some poorer reviews. I am glad I didn't. A single set works fine. There is another slot on top of the track, so you could use two sets if that would make you feel more comfortable but since there is little or no lateral force on the track as you glide the saw across the top, this seems superfluous. I find it plenty rigid with just the one set and have not had any problem with alignment. I get perfectly straight cuts with no hint of where the tracks are joined.

Great addition to my track saw and work much better than Makita’s version. Definitely an upgrade.

Strong and easy to use

If you're using two or more tracks for your Makita track saw, you need these connectors, period. I read a bunch of reviews stating there were problems with quality control; specifically that some of the holes for the set screws weren't tapped or the tapping was messed up. As I happen to own a metric tap/die set, I wasn't too deterred by the reviews. Turns out I also received a defective set. Two of the five holes (4 in one piece, 1 in the other) had bad screw holes. One was just a hole, no threads at all. The other the hole was barely threaded halfway through. A few minutes with a 6mm x 1.0 tap fixed things right up, but that's work I shouldn't have had to do. I thought about returning the set, but based on the reviews and my own negative experience, I figured I'd just get another defective set and would have to tap the holes anyway. That said, these things are just metal bars with threaded holes. If you had nothing but time to kill you could make your own, but it's always nice to buy the OEM part. So buy these if you need them but I'd buy a 6mm x 1.0 tap/handle if you don't already own one.