Advice on First Tracksaw Purchase - Necessity of having long rail?

[Eric Skalski]

I was hoping that some of you with track saw experience can chime in on the necessity of having a long rail.


I am researching the purchase of my first track saw. The tool will be used to break down sheet goods mostly. I'm sure I will find a myriad of other uses for it, but 95% of its use will be for sheet goods.


I know Festool is the holy grail of track saws, but unfortunately the budget is very tight and Festool is out of reach. The tool will not be used professionally, just occasional use as a hobbyist. I am looking at the Makita and the Dewalt models.


My question is this: How important is it to have an 8 ft long rail if you only occasionally rip in the 8ft dimension?

If it is highly recommended to have a long rail, then I will buy the Dewalt package with a 59" rail and a 102" rail for $549. If I can get buy with a 55" rail only and then reposition the rail in the middle of an 8ft rip, I will go with the Makita for $399. Alternatively I could buy the $399 Makita with included 55" rail and then add a second 55" rail with connectors for a total cost of $517.

[Michael Heffernan]

Eric, I have the Dewalt tracksaw with the 55" and 102" rails. I can't speak for using the connectors for joining shorter rails. I'm glad I have the longer rail for the occasional long rips. I wouldn't try to rip a long length by repositioning a short rail halfway through the cut. I'm sure it's done by others, but if you want a straight and accurate rip, you'll need to rip in one shot.
I do wish that the Dewalt long track were a few inches longer. I believe that the Festool long rail is 108". Not a deal breaker, you just have to accurately position the rail on the cut in order to get the most of the saw plate on the rail at the start of the plunge cut when breaking down 96" or 97" panels.
It's a great addition to my shop. I don't use a lot of sheet goods on my projects, but when needed, it's a lot easier than trying to cut them on my TS. IMO, worth the investment.

[Greg R Bradley]

The Makita is an excellent choice. I originally bought a Makita to replace my early Festool saw and it was an improvement. I only "upgraded" to the Festool TS55 when they were having a 10% off sale on saws/accessories because I wanted the anti-splinter on the right side and the detachable cord. I'm not sure I would pay the much larger difference in price for the Festool today. The Makita is still in daily use in a shop.

If you want a totally perfect 8' rip, then you won't be moving the track in the middle of a cut. Joining tracks is a pain and prone to error. Lots of people in addition to Michael above complain that 102" is too short. The Festool 106" is better but still a bit short. There is a reason that Makita's long track is 118" and Festool makes one also. You do lose the Makita anti tip feature if you use a Makita saw on a Festool track.

The Makitas tend to go on sale. My local tool dealer puts them on sale twice a year.

Depending on what you are doing, you may have less need for ripping 8' since you can start and stop a cut in the middle of a sheet with a tracksaw. It really depends on what you are cutting.

[John Schweikert]

The holy grail of track saws is probably Mafell but Festool is a close second. I have had a Festool TS75 for a couple years. It's an excellent saw. I have yet to have any issues with the tool itself or in using it. I have 3 rails, 32", 42" and 75" to cover my needs of cutting sheet goods and hardwood. I am just a hobbyist. Previously building cabinetry for our house, currently building a boat but with a long list of projects again for the house once the boat is done this summer.

Would I buy the Festool again? Yes. Do I think that a commercial track saw is needed for a hobbyist, probably not. Quality cuts and accurate cuts can be made with a homemade circular saw rail such as this:

64403d1362171396-circular-saw-rail-guide-system-cs-rail.jpg

Such a homemade rail will provide near equal level of straightness, and a zero clearance base can be made to prevent splintering. Dust collection and bevel cuts are now the only major differences in practical use from a Festool/Dewalt/Makita track saws and a circular saw with a good homemade rail system. Reason I bring up a homemade version is that you can make one however long you want or need, and make a variety of them as well.

I haven't used my rails to make a long one with connectors yet. That is coming this week when I need to rip gunwale stock from a 12 foot board of mahogany. I'll be happy to report back if connecting three rails can actually make a straight cut. I'm thinking positively that it will do just fine. Having a single 118" for sheet goods sounds great but would be used little and stored most the time at a cost of $260-325 (Makita or Festool) for such a rail.

If the homemade type is not your cup of tea, then I would say go with the Makita because it is cross compatible with Festool rails and my understanding is the Makita motor is almost as powerful as the TS75 (more than the Dewalt and Festool TS55).

[Rich Engelhardt]

If I can get buy with a 55" rail only and then reposition the rail in the middle of an 8ft rip, I will go with the Makita for $399.

Around my parts, a decent sheet of 4x8 Cherry plywood goes for about $150.
Trying to position a single rail to make an 8 foot rip isn't impossible - but - IMHO, you'll eventually screw up a very expensive sheet of plywood. Probably as expensive as the added cost of another rail.

In all honesty, I made the decision to go with a more expensive tool like the Festool simply because I felt it lessened the chance of me screwing up an expensive sheet of hardwood ply.

[Peter Quinn]

I recently bought the makita saw for my home shop, have used festool at work extensively. If you joint to rails you have to position them against a straight edge when locking them together, the mechanism does not automatically guarantee a straight joint. I'm planning to make a shop made long fence for ripping sheet stock. It's done all the time for traditional circular saws, put in a shallow dado, drop in a piece of 5/8" material....done, custom length MDF track saw fence for $5.

[Cary Falk]

I have the Dewalt and bought two 55" + connector. It works ok. I seem to always need to make a short cut after I piece the 2 together. Sometimes the saw gets caught at the seam. I bought a long track at Christmas because I got a good deal on one. I haven't had a chance to use it though. The downside is it doesn't fit in my track bag.

[Bill McNiel]

Its great to have a 118" rail if you use a lot of sheet goods. Joining rails is not difficult but not as easy/accurate as full length. I have the 55" with holes and a 75" to add for full sheets but I don't do all that much work with sheet goods. Some day I'll probably buy the long rail but it has to pay for itself immeadiately to gain entry into my shop (this rule applies to all tool purchases).

[Loren Woirhaye]

While plunging is occasionally useful, I prefer a regular circular saw riding on an EZ-Smart track. I had a Festool in the past. For woodworking the variable speed of the Festool saw is not too relevant. The plunge feature is mostly useful for doing sink cutouts and flooring repairs. Otherwise I don't like the plunge because in ripping you have to apply pressure to keep the saw plunged and moving forward, which can be awkward in some cuts. It's a safety feature too of course but I don't think it's much superior to a retracting guard. With a non-plunging saw you just push the saw on the guide and it is easier to avoid putting "english" on the cut. Some may argue that cuts from a plunging track saw are always perfect, but I don't agree. I my experience if I had to hesitate or unplunge the saw to change my body relationship to the board being cut, there would often be saw marks in that location. For face frame cabinet making it nearly doesn't matter but for edgebanding it does.

[Earl Rumans]

I have the Makita and the 55 inch rail and I am very happy with it. I haven't needed the long rail yet as I have the lumber yard cut the sheets length wise when I get them. If I decide I need the longer rail I will get the Makita 116 inch rail. I think the DeWalt long rail is too short, which is one reason I got the Makita.

[Art Mann]

I have the Makita track saw with the 55" rail and i like it a lot for cross cutting. If I didn't have a table saw to rip long pieces of plywood, I would definitely have bought the long rail for that purpose.

[Michael Mayo]

I recently bought the Makita as Home Depot was selling the older model for $300 + tax/shipping and it came with a 55" rail and carry case. I subsequently purchased another 55" rail, connectors and Dewalt track clamps. I finally got to use it for the first time this weekend and I am totally pleased with the purchase. It makes cutting sheet goods actually fun and it is immensely easier then trying to use a cutting guide and circular saw. I had no problems at all connecting the two tracks together and made a rip cut of 96"~ and then measured it and it was dead on accurate. The saw ran right over the track connection as though it was a single track and using the connectors from Makita they seemed to be perfectly aligned I just had to keep the two rails held tight to each other while I tightened the set screws.

[Murray Roblin]

I've got the ez smart system as well, with 2 54" lengths that I joint together. With careful joining, I get a nice straight cut. I do check the joint with a long straightedge.

The Eurekazone/EZ people recently introduced a product they call the EZ edge guide, which looks great for breaking down boards. If I were just using the ez system to break down sheet goods for later finishing on a TS, I'd use that.

http://www.eurekazone.com/parallel_r...ols_s/1921.htm

[Greg R Bradley]

The Makita that was discounted by Home Depot isn't an "old model". It is the current model. Makita just changed their numbering so the the saw is SP6000J and if you want it with the 55" rail, it is SP6000J1. Since the old "kit" was SP6000K, there is some confusion.

I was hoping they would at least change the stupidly short power cord or add the hold downs in the systainer like Festool uses, but it is exactly the same. Old number for the kit is SP6000K, new number is SP6000J1.

If you want to use a rip guide like the EZ, you can just buy the Makita 165447-6 to use with the tracksaw. That way you get a much more precise saw and dust collection. The rip guide attachments have been around forever. I have one that I bought a good 35 years ago from Porter Cable. I preferred using 3 levels clamped together as a guide. Two end to end and one clamped to the other two to keep them in line.

[Rich Riddle]

I eventually purchased the long rail because joining the two short rails doesn't offer the same "straight" cut. Now I have the 75" and 118" Festool rails along with the 55" Makita rail. I recommend the Makita saw/rail system above the DeWalt if you are considering systems.