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:

284948

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_rip_cut_tools_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.

[Stan Krupowies]

Interesting that all mention of the long rail is in regard to sheet goods. While a long rail (either one piece or two) certainly is a a requirement for good, clean straight cuts I find it's not only for sheet goods, I also use my rail for the initial rip on rough lumber as well. Yes this could be done in two pieces if the needed lengths of solid stock are less than the length of the short rail, it doesn't always work out that way.

That being said - I have the Festool with two short sections that I join with connectors when I need. I always check then with a straight edge and they work just fine. However, probably because I'm not a pro and my work flow isn't perfect, I find that I have to join the rails and disconnect them several times during a project. Not that it's a big deal, but for that reason I am considering the purchase of a long rail. I just haven't pulled the trigger on that $300 yet. Under no circumstances would I consider ripping one half at a time unless I really didn't care about a straight cut.

[Eric Skalski]

Wow....lots of replies! Thank you all for the words of wisdom.

So my idea of ripping one 4' section at a time is kaput. Now that I think of it some more it was pretty stupid of me to even suggest that. Good thing you guys set me straight!

I have used a straightedge for my circular saw before. While the cut is borderline acceptable with the traditional circular saw, the dust when cutting MDF is unreal. I have to make a cut and then let the garage "air out" for a while before I can go back in. That dust gets in my eyeballs. I was leaning toward the track saw because it appears to be designed for dust collection whereas my regular saw spews sawdust everywhere.

Why the big push for the Makita over the Dewalt? The Dewalt seems to get decent reviews, but no one really says why the Makita is better.

[Earl Rumans]

I like the Makita because it has a nice feel to the plunge action and also has the scoring setting, which really works well. I don't really care for the plunge action on the DeWalt, as it's more of a straight down feel then the arc feel of the Makita.

[John Schweikert]

... why the Makita is better.

The Makita motor should have more power. The Makita can use Festool rails too. If that doesn't immediately appear useful, realize that there is the Festool rail with shelf pin spaced holes which has quite a few tasks it can perform. Do you have a router? I've seen a few people modify the Festool router rail attachment for other router brands for dados or pin holes, etc. There are options here.

There is nothing wrong with the Dewalt as an option. The decision is yours in the end.

I modified my Ridgid worm drive saw with a vacuum hose attachment to combat the dust issue just as you experience. Works quite well. That's always an option too. I used a Bosch vac attachment and my belt sander to cut through the blade shroud for the hole and used JB Weld to glue the attachment. Works great. This was even after owning the track saw.

[mreza Salav]

I have Festool T75 and bought a separate 118" Makita rail (yes, they work together) for getting a straight edge on long and heavy boards that I couldn't easily manage on the jointer. Now that I have used the long rail extensively I don't want to be without it. I tried to cut some 17' boards with it (by doing 2/3 of the board first and then doing the last 1/3 and overlapping the edges) but it doesn't give a very straight edge at the end. So I dought you can use a 55" rail to get a straight 8' long cut.
I'd recommend the long rail for sure.

[Dan Blackshear]

My reason for getting the Makita over the Dewalt was based more on the rails than the saw. I know the Dewalt has a few advantages, the ability to cut on both sides of the rail being a big one, but more than a few times I read that people considered the long rail just a bit short and I knew long rips were going to be a primary use for me.

I have also just seemed to be having bad luck with my Dewalt tools as well, drill chucks stripping out and router speed controls going bad. I know no manufacturer is perfect but in my mind, if I got the Dewalt, I would be settling and for the $50 more I paid for the Makita kit (on sale) and the 118" rail over the Dewalt package I just felt more comfortable with my purchase.

[Tyler Schroeder]

Has anyone used the Grizzly tracksaw? How well does it work?

[Brian W Evans]

+1 for the Makita. I did a lot of asking around when I was in the market and, as others have said, it was Makita's reputation and the length of the long track that settled the issue. I have not used the Dewalt track saw, although I do own several Dewalt tools. I have noticed a decline in Dewalt's quality since I started buying their tools in the late '90s, which was also a consideration for me.

[Rich Riddle]

Has anyone used the Grizzly tracksaw? How well does it work?
Several have posted experiences with the Grizzly track saw. None seemed to find it a good saw.

[john lawson]

I have the DeWalt tracksaw and I love it. My son and I use it to repair furniture and make new furniture and cabinets on commission and trust me it gets a lot of work. It allows me to do things I would not have been able to do before, and do them very efficiently.

I have 3 55" tracks. When they were new I joined two of them together and marked the adjoining ends with magic marker to repeat alignment, then cut the rubber strips. This means when you put them back together they will always be aligned. Now you have a 110" straight edge. Sometimes I leave this one joined in the shop. I use the other 55" one for shorter cuts. Of course, when we go out on a job it makes it easier having 3 55" tracks for transportation.

The clamps work great and I probably use them on half the cuts I make, usually on a piece of furniture or cabinet where I need the "perfect" cut and can't get a do-over.

I am sure any of the track saws will work for you

[Jim Matthews]

I'm a long time EZ smart user, but it's only for the occasional sheetgoods sizing.

The nice thing is that the two sections separate, and keeping it stored is simple.
It bears mentioning that any of these guides will be limited by the quality of the blade in use.

My ancient Tenryu still zips along, but I score two lines all the way around the board to reduce chip out.

Unless you're doing this on a daily basis, I would suggest buying the nicest saw you can afford and making your own edge guide.
The precision these things offer can't be denied, but it's not really necessary in a home shop.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Circular-Saw-Rip-Guide-My-Version/step4/In-use/

The Mafell is my dream saw guide - it rolls up!

http://www.directindustry.com/prod/mafell-ag/hand-held-circular-saws-41262-572424.html

[Paul Kasman]

I'm another very satisfied EZ Smart user. This is the only newfangled tool that I have ever found to really live up to its hype. I have no problem doing long rips, like roof eaves by snapping a chalk line and repositioning the track a couple of times. Of course, for sheet goods you want a couple of sections that together will rip the whole 96". They connect very accurately. EZ Smart runs promotions and you can get the basic set up very reasonably. The only drawback is they have so many different ways to use and configure the whole thing that it can be confusing to figure out what you should get to do the work you want to do. I started with the basic set and never added on to it. But, I would benefit from some of the repeater add ons that enable you to bang out duplicates of the same size without doing additional layout.

I've got to say, track saws rock for the home diy woodworker.

[Ole Anderson]

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.

Or you could get the Grizzly T25552 master pack with an extra 55" track for $315.90 as several of us have. I have no problem joining two tracks with the connector provided to get a dead on straight cut on an 8 foot edge.

[Murray Roblin]

Adding to Paul's comments, the EZ is great for a variety of cuts. I have a set of rails and the miter assembly, which makes accurate perpendicular (or any angle) cuts in sheet goods.

Also, EZ is having a sale and free shipping event this month. (not trying to break the rules, just adding info that SMC members might find valuable.)

Murray