Guide rail lever clamp
Updated: 23 October 2026
The foot will not enter the groove, or it enters and then will not slide, and the box still lists five or six rail brands. A guide rail lever clamp only works when that foot matches the slot in front of you. Brand names on a listing are a claim, and UK reviews on the same ASINs already disagree with parts of those claims. This page is the measurement and the reports. Ranking is in the [lever clamp comparison](/hub/hand-tools/lever-clamp). Peter F. did not measure your rail.
The foot will not enter the groove, or it enters and then will not slide, and the box still lists five or six rail brands. A guide rail lever clamp only works when that foot matches the slot in front of you.
The foot will not enter the groove, or it enters and then will not slide, and the box still lists five or six rail brands. A guide rail lever clamp only works when that foot matches the slot in front of you. Brand names on a listing are a claim, and UK reviews on the same ASINs already disagree with parts of those claims. This page is the measurement and the reports. Ranking is in the lever clamp comparison. Peter F. did not measure your rail.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Foot size | Rail fit | Throat depth | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Jorgensen Jorgensen ratchet guide-rail clamp, 2-pack | 12.7 mm × 6.4 mm | Festool, DeWalt, Makita, Metabo, Kreg, Jorgensen | 73 mm | 8.8 | about £33.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  GOEDEKE GOEDEKE lever clamp, 2-pack | n/a | Guide rail named, brands n/a | 60 mm | 7.4 | about £24.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  QWORK QWORK lever clamp, 2-pack | n/a | n/a on the bullets | 60 mm title, 58 mm in a bullet | 8.2 | about £26.45 | View offer |
On this page
The slot is the specification that matters
A guide rail carries a T-shaped groove, and the foot has to pass the neck and then sit in the wider part. Width, neck and height all have to clear. A brand list can be true for one rail and false for the next.
Axminster’s quick lever prints a spigot of about 12 mm by 7.4 mm. Jorgensen prints 12.7 mm by 6.4 mm. Either difference can bind. QWORK and GOEDEKE print no foot size, so you are buying a trial. Opening and force are in the lever clamp buying guide.
What owners report for Festool and Makita
Festool is the rail UK reviews most often accept, and it is still not universal. On the Jorgensen pair, reviewers report that the foot entered a Festool rail. On QWORK, reviewers report Festool rail and Makita track, and use on an MFT-style top. QWORK’s bullets do not name those brands. Festool’s own FS-HZ 160 is specified for FS/2, FS/2-KP, FSK and MFT tops at 160 mm.
Jorgensen’s listing names Makita. No separate Makita failure is recorded for that ASIN, and absence of a complaint is not a measurement.
DeWalt, Einhell, Parkside and sliding
Jorgensen’s listing names DeWalt. A UK review on that ASIN says the track needed grinding before the foot would sit. That is one track, not every DeWalt rail. Einhell is named in a UK review on the same ASIN as a track that did not fit, and Einhell is not on that brand list.
Parkside appears in GOEDEKE reviews. The bullets do not name it, and no Parkside slot size is published here. Entering and sliding are different. One QWORK review says the body was too wide to slide and the clamp sat at the ends only. Ends-only is a hold, not a travelling clamp.
File, or send it back
Filing the shoulders can make a tight foot enter. It also changes the foot the seller described. If the listing names your rail and the foot will not enter, raise that before you alter the clamp.
Grind only after you have measured, and only if you accept a modified clamp. If the miss is large, send it back unused. A 19 mm hole on the Jorgensen listing is the bench-dog figure, for a top up to 25 mm thick, not the rail slot. When the foot enters and slides, seat and pump it as in how to use a lever clamp.
Common questions
Will it fit a Festool rail?
Often, and not always. UK reviews on the Jorgensen pair report a Festool fit, and QWORK reviews report Festool rail use. Festool’s own FS-HZ 160 is made for FS/2, FSK and MFT tops. A third-party foot can still stick in a tight copy of that profile. One Scheppach slot, measured at 12.6 mm wide and 6.2 mm high, needed a Festool clamp’s shoulders filed. Try the foot in your rail.
Will it fit Makita?
QWORK reviewers report use on Makita track, and Jorgensen’s listing names Makita. The QWORK bullets do not name the brand, so you are reading reviews. There is no measured Makita slot in these sources. Seat the foot at the open end and slide it, released, along the length you will cut. If the body is too wide to travel, you only have an end clamp.
Why did a DeWalt track need grinding?
A UK review of the Jorgensen pair says that DeWalt track needed grinding before the foot sat. The listing still names DeWalt among Festool, Makita, Metabo, Kreg and Jorgensen. One report does not condemn every DeWalt rail. It does show that the printed list was wider than that owner’s slot. Measure, or return the clamp unused, before you grind.
What about Einhell or Parkside?
A UK review on the Jorgensen ASIN says an Einhell track did not fit. Einhell is not in that listing’s brand list. Parkside appears in GOEDEKE reviews, and those bullets do not name it. No Parkside slot size is recorded here. Treat both as a foot you try, not as a yes or a no for every saw those brands sell.
Should I file the shoulders?
Only after you have measured, and only if you accept a modified clamp. Filing made one Festool foot enter a tight neck. It also takes the clamp outside the description you might rely on under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. If the foot misses by a lot, return it unused. If you file, remove a little and test often, so the foot does not end up loose.
What numbers do I measure on the slot?
Measure the open width, the neck where the slot narrows, and the height of the groove. Jorgensen prints 12.7 mm by 6.4 mm. Axminster prints about 12 mm by 7.4 mm on its trade clamp. One Scheppach slot was 12.6 mm wide, 9 mm at the neck and 6.2 mm high. Your rail can differ. Write down what you measured.
Does fits mean it also slides along the slot?
No. One QWORK review says the body was too wide to slide and the clamp sat at the ends only. The foot was in the track. The head was not free to travel. If you need to move the clamp without taking it out, slide it by hand with the ratchet open. Ends-only can still hold a short setup. It is a poor result if you reposition the rail all day.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.
- Festool UK, FS-HZ 160 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Festool UK, clamp types (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Axminster Tools, quick lever guide-rail clamp 160 x 60 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE, INDG291 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Citizens Advice, return faulty goods (retrieved 22 October 2026)