Track Saw?

[Doug Dawson]

If the blade sizes are the same, consider upgrading the Ryobi blade, first. Handy as my tracksaw is, the tracks require lots of real estate for storage.

If you still have good knees, a few sacrificial sheets of foam insulation beneath the sheet goods on a concrete floor will work.

I went with two glorified sawhorses to handle the task you describe. Accurate as a tracksaw can be, I still "leave the line" and handplane parts to fit.

I have a Bora Centipede collapsible worktable that takes almost no space at all to store when not in use. That, a sheet of plywood and a sheet of foam board makes an excellent platform for going to town with the track saw.

I also have a 10 foot track which gets stored in its case flush to the floor leaning against a wall. That space would never get used anyway. (I’ve never liked the whole idea of joining two tracks lengthwise to get a longer track, it seems like it would be risky.)

The Festool tracks have hanging holes. If a track didn’t have one, you could put one in.

[Larry Frank]

I think that a good track saw is an excellent long term investment. Get a good one and good blade. I used homemade straight edges for years but my Festool has been a great tool and no regrets.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Me too Ken!!!
But I like my tools better than my money!
Jim is a terrific help! I just don't know how he manages it all. The pics of his work are quite impressive as well!

[Eric Arnsdorff]

On a side note,

Those that use a 2 piece guide, how/what do you do to line the 2 pieces up for a straight cut? And do you put some sort of brace at the joint during the cut to help with deflection?

Richard

I purchased the PowerTec pair of 55" tracks that comes with 2 connectors. I ordered them from HD so I could easily return them if there was an issue. I've only used the full length a few times but they were aligned well when I placed my 6' level next to it. And these are the cheap tracks. The Makita track that came with my saw is a bit better quality. But for the price and performance I don't see a reason for me to pay more.

The cuts I've used off of it were very good as well. At least for my purposes it hasn't been an issue.

[kent wardecke]

I went through the same debate not long ago and decided to buy a track saw (I also did a thread on this forum as well)

I also asked the same question. I went with the Wen and PowerTec track. The ends of the track weren't square so I trued them up with my chop saw
The general consensus in the threads is yes a track saw is worth it. finding one you like is personal preference

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....aws&highlight=

[Mike Nardini]

I have a Festool track saw and tracks and they are at the top of the list for my favorite tools. So much so that I no longer use my Powermatic 66 table saw. I have used the track saw to make my laundry room cabinets, master bedroom closet cabinetry and, just recently, den cabinets in our new house. Yes, there are some limitations but with the patience and the right jigs I can do anything that the Powermatic can do albeit it may be more time consuming for set-up.
FYI I understand the Makita tracks work flawlessly with the Festool saw and at a lesser cost.

[Ole Anderson]

On a side note,

Those that use a 2 piece guide, how/what do you do to line the 2 pieces up for a straight cut? And do you put some sort of brace at the joint during the cut to help with deflection?

Richard

I have two 53" Grizzly guides with one spline. I find that the ends are milled at a "prefect" 90 degree angle and when touching end to end are "perfectly" straight. I do wish they would provide two splines however. I check it frequently with my milled aluminum six foot level and it is straight without deflection when butted tight.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have the Makita with over 20’ of track and have actually used it to rip a straight edge on 20’ boards. I use it a lot to trim doors in the field. It is very good for sheet goods. If I had to lose the table saw, I could survive with a track saw, crosscut saw, and a router for dadoes. Makita has a router attachment for their saw track.

note: I have the corded version. The cordless would be very convenient if it has the same power. The corded goes slow in 2” hardwoods, but it works. My one lament is I can’t find any blades other than the Makita blades to fit because it has a 20mm arbor.

[Ken Kortge]

On a side note,

Those that use a 2 piece guide, how/what do you do to line the 2 pieces up for a straight cut? And do you put some sort of brace at the joint during the cut to help with deflection?

Richard

The Eurekazone.com tracks are self-aligning due to their dovetail shaped channels. Tracks are connected using two side connectors, but for lengths longer than 108 inches use of an additional center channel connector is recommended. The only trick is to leave a small 1/32-1/16" gap gap between tracks to allow them to self-align. Of course it might be best to use a straight edge to confirm alignment before critical cuts.

[Jim Dwight]

quite a few people make blades for track saws with a 20mm arbor now, most are 160mm diameter which is what the Festool uses, not 165mm like the Makita and DeWalt use. I have a 160mm Oshlun on my saw right now. It is a decent blade and cheaper than a DeWalt. But it is 160mm so the depth of cut scale is off a little (2.5mm). I like the DeWalt blades better. Freud makes a 160mm blade with several different tooth counts and I believe Infinity offers a 165mm and 160mm blades. I think CMT has at least one offering too.

[Andrew Wayland]

In a bought of insomnia last night I found myself researching more: the Kreg has lots of appeal: but I think I’d prefer cordless.

The makita seems like the best battery platform to go with, and the fact that you can adapt their router to work with the tracks is nice: although I’m hesitant given their new 40volt line pending (will they give up on their LXT support down the road?... it is an old system).

Festool certainly seems like a a very nice choice: especially since makita doesnt have imperial markings or a riving knife. But: I don’t know anything about their battery platform.

There are some deals to be had on the makita now.... but that festool is certainly tempting too.

(Never even considered a festool: but it just looks like a bargain next to the Mafell!)

[Jim Becker]

In addition to the Festool track saw, I've used both the OF1400 router and my Festool jig saw with the tracks. That can very much be a problem solver sometimes as well as an effective way to do certain things very accurately, particularly with the router. Track guided tools are really a step above running something along the edge of a board or something for sure. BTW, Makita tracks work with the Festool tools and vice versa. None of my stuff is cordless, just to be up front. If you do want to go cordless, pick the system that supports the kinds of tools you want to use with it.

[jamil mehdi]

I bought the Makita a few years ago. I may yet switch over to the Dewalt for the simple reason that you can cut on either side of the track. More and more this something that I want out of a track saw. I use mine to break down sheets of plywood, usually 10-15 sheets. Having to flip the track around make a second cut from the other direction gets pretty old pretty quickly.

[Cary Falk]

I bought the Makita a few years ago. I may yet switch over to the Dewalt for the simple reason that you can cut on either side of the track. More and more this something that I want out of a track saw. I use mine to break down sheets of plywood, usually 10-15 sheets. Having to flip the track around make a second cut from the other direction gets pretty old pretty quickly.

I have the DeWalt, A friend of mine has the Makita. I like the Makita track because it is easier to make a parallel guide for. I like the Dewalt saw better. It spins up quicker. I always catch myself plunging the Makita before it is up to full speed.

[Thomas Wilson]

On a side note,

Those that use a 2 piece guide, how/what do you do to line the 2 pieces up for a straight cut? And do you put some sort of brace at the joint during the cut to help with deflection?

Richard

I use a my table saw fence. I do not brace the joint while cutting. There is no need for side pressure since the saw is guided on the track.