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i wish i had bought a track saw when i bought my circular.
Dont get me wrong, circular is fantastic, and with a bit of care and a straight edge you can get some neat cuts, but they are different tools for different jobs.
Circular saw is for framing, and cutting up 2x4s for studwork.
for doing precise, straight cuts it has to be the track saw.
Having said that, you cant really use a track saw for rougher work as you will quite likely scuff up the base or bend the track, so you actually need both.
Mains track saw.
Battery circular saw.
TBH, I’d love to know why using a jigsaw is causing me such bother.
cause they are crap! Jigsaws are quite a niche tool that is sold as a do it all tool. As soon as the blade starts to wander off centre, (and therefore bevels the cut on anything with any thickness) it self perpetuates and gets worse and worse.
The blade is rarely acutally parallell to the shoe, my dewalt jigsaw has a clever quick release, that holds the blade at about 2 or 3 degrees to the shoe, its awful.
Since i got the circ and the track saw i very very rarely get the jigsaw out.
A track saw gets around all this. You can get a quick and really nice reference edge, then crack on.
Track saws are very good, but mainly for board material, and theres a number of jobs it cant really do.
Yes it can cut solid timber, but its not the thing for repeatable cuts, ripping a board into identically width strips.
I'm thinking of selling my sawbench in favour of a RP Sabre 350 bandsaw and Festool plunge saw. But theres some jobs i will still need a sawbench for.. Namely I've some Dentil to make for a mantelpiece, and cant do that easily on a tracksaw, i will need a sawbench and crosscut sledge.
I would get something like this as a minimum.
Nah, no motorized fence 😆 If you're going to spend £9-11K, must have a motorized fence.
but its not the thing for repeatable cuts, ripping a board into identically width strips.
Cross cut jig?
but its not the thing for repeatable cuts, ripping a board into identically width strips.
Eh!? With the right attachment it's the perfect tool for that.
Well not really Nick, because you have to set the track each time for each cut.You're making the cut, then measuring for the next, and so on and so forth.
This is the job for a sawbench. Its always been the job for a sawbench,and why they were invented. Same job on a track saw is going to take 10x longer.
IMHO For seadog, a circular saw over a tracksaw would be the better option. He can build a table and mount the saw in it should he need it for that. Which would be much cheaper for him. More versatile.
because you have to set the track each time for each cut.You’re making the cut, then measuring for the next, and so on and so forth.
If it's the same size cut then you don't need to measure each time. Just set the parallel guide once and cut away. No need to move the timber. Much easier if you are working with big sheets in a small space. Usually faster too.
I think I said this in the big tracksaw thread but, the reason I'm so in love with mine isn't that it does anything I couldn't have done with my old circular and some clamps and a bit of wood etc. It's that I do things I wouldn't have done that way. It makes every job you use it for so much quicker and easier that it basically makes pain-in-the-arses easy and enjoyable, and too-long-to-bother jobs quick. So it's a much bigger enabler than it seems.
(also, I'm a "think it out while working" sort of a diy'er and again, the speed of setup etc suits the way my brain works much better, and allows things like doing multiple cuts to size things down to fit, lots of nice bodgey tricks. Being able to turn ideas into cuts so quickly is great. Obviously also massively increases the speed you can **** up!)
I would get something like this as a minimum.
****STEALTH AD I'm selling one very much like that if anyones in the market for one - a Minimax with a 3m sliding bed 🙂 /STEALTH AD*****
Footflaps - the fence on that dewalt of yours might need a service / fettle/ adjust - I've got the same one and the fence is by far the best thing about them - so quick and reliable to set and use - I've had a dozen folk working with me over the past 20 months and collectively we've pushed somewhere in the region of a £1/4million worth of timber and plywood through it and the fence doesn't budge.
I think I said this in the big tracksaw thread
This is nothing 😆 Im on a woodworking forum, and the tracksaw fanboi tantrums* on there if you so much as even state a downside is argument city 😆
*Not here, just chit chat
Yes, same as you would use on a circular saw. Though the circular saw also has the added benefit of a deeper cutting depth and is more suitable for self built sawbenches.
A decent tracksaw isnt cheap, but a good quality circular saw is by comparison far cheaper. Problem is unless its a pro saw, theres too many low end track saws jumping on the bandwagon, you arent really getting something thats versatile, plus of good enough quality.
Cheap saws are cheap because they lack the real benefits of a good quality tracksaw, so its designed for the diyer, not really suitable for the job.
I would say, for the average diyer(which im guessing Seadog is), a circular saw is going to be the better bet.
Im not bias. Ive got all the kit anyway. But i will recognize the limitations because ive used everything from professional panel saws, big rip, moulders etc etc. Im just thinking whats best rather than whats popular.
I'm mainly looking at what can be done with a circular saw, its benefits, how you can set it up for a bench, its increased depth of cut, its safety features(ie plunge saws dont have riving knives)
ie plunge saws dont have riving knives
Some don't, some do, just like circular saws.
**STEALTH AD I’m selling one very much like that if anyones in the market for one – a Minimax with a 3m sliding bed
Oh man, wish I had the space...Oh yeah, and the money.. 😂
ie plunge saws dont have riving knives
Some don’t, some do, just like circular saws
True dat. My Makita circ saw doesn't have a knife.
Track saws are very good, but mainly for board material, and theres a number of jobs it cant really do.
Yes it can cut solid timber, but its not the thing for repeatable cuts, ripping a board into identically width strips.
Yes I agree they're not designed for sawn solid timber, but the op mentioned plywood. You can crosscut ply with a circular saw but you'll likely get horrendous breakout. Not with a tracksaw.
I was making repeatable cuts today, using parallel guides. Very good.
I think as Northwind alludes to, when you're used to doing diy stuff with circular saws against a bowed 2x4 or a jigsaw that bends and wanders, a tracksaw and the ease of getting great quality, accurate cuts, is a complete revelation. 😊
Low end, cheaper track saws really do not lack that much in features compared with the pro saws , its all about the track.. and I think they are all much safer than traditional circular saws, I have had a few and still have some from the original festo/festool atf55
the Mafell 55 , Parkside(Lidl) and Makita corded, and the last but one Festool TS55, they all do the job , riving knives are far from universal regardless of cost, anti kickback implemented in various ways or not.
Enclosing the blade and having it inside a sprung enclosure keeps it out of the way and allows dust extraction, the more predictable sliding in the track feeling allows you to judge the cutting speed and pressure based on the material being cut without the lottery of surface finish and bias of following a diy guide.
Traditional saws do have larger capacities but it does really depend on how much 40mm plus work is planned and what cannot be done with a handsaw or mitre saw. The big old Dewalt one I have will actually run on a Festool track , I think its about 35 years old, a band saw is the tool if capacity is needed for larger section timber , but this a bit off topic for the occasional DIY
Table saws are for the dedicated , they need respect.
So for the OP 12mm plywood - track saw , nice to have feature or technique
= scoring cut , probably worth investing 20 quid for a 40 tooth blade Freud are good value on ebay.
The table/bench/floor you work on is what will be quite important , a sacrificial material under your ply will help with clean cuts and support of the waste side to avoid split/tear/chip.
Oh man, wish I had the space…Oh yeah, and the money.. 😂
Dont worry about the money - take a zero off the price you'd expect to pay! - can't help with the space though 🙂
but its not the thing for repeatable cuts, ripping a board into identically width strips.
a pair of combi squares and youre laughing. Use the square to push the track back each time. (take into account your blade width when you set the square)
Or just buy a circular saw that is compatible with a guide rail, then you can use either as a standalone saw, or as a tracksaw. I've got a bosch 18v saw with their guide rail, it's spot on.
Thread drift
Are more expensive(ish) combi squares worth having?
Are more expensive(ish) combi squares worth having?
Yes. Try to get a cast iron one. But tbh they're not hugely expensive,and 30 quid will see you ok.
I have a few combi squares. The Bahco and Axminster ones are fine but no more accurate than the ancient ones in my toolbox. What I find essential is one that is imperial only. None of those pesky inches which are always on the wrong side when you want to set to a length. I have a few, 150mm and 300mm. The way to test if it's square is to scribe a line on a known straight piece of wood, flip it over and scribe another next to it. If they're not parallel - bin it.
For short, square cuts with a circular saw, I use a speed square, really handy bit of kit. I use it a fair bit. Effectively gives me a square guide
I have a metric swanson one but they're all pretty similar