Makita track saw initial track cut.

[keith micinski]

So I knew that the start and the finish were going to be a problem cuttng the rubber on the initial cut of the track because only one guide is in the track and sure enough while both are close they arent quite perfect. Using the ends of the track to line up the cut seems like it's going to be an issue when cutting something close to the 55". Did I miss something on how to do that initial cut straight?

[Martin Wasner]

Just cut the rubber?

[andy bessette]

Make the first (plunge) cut with both guides on the track. Then trim the ends using a razor and straightedge.

[keith micinski]

Pretty sure the front end is just a hair short now. Not a big fan of having to try and eyeball getting that rubber cut straight with a knife and straight edge plus there is only about a 16th maybe exposed so wouldn't be very easy to cut. I doubt I will cut much over 48" with this track but I find it odd I haven't seen a whole lot about this process and other people having the same problem.

[keith micinski]

I guess one good thing is I see a replacement rubber isn't all that expensive so if it does become a problem I guess I can replace it.

[andy bessette]

...Using the ends of the track to line up the cut seems like it's going to be an issue when cutting something close to the 55"...

Then don't use the ends of the track to line up the cut.

[Ed Pollock]

Just dont cut the ends, i wish i didnt. Not only would you avoid screwing up your "straight edge" but it would give you a visual of where to safely start and stop your cut. I tried to cut them with one half of the saw on the track and ended up with the blade hitting the aluminum and the saw kicking back. Not good. The one gripe i have about this saw is that the 55" track isn't long enough to comfortably cut a 48" length (regularly needed for crosscutting sheet goods). I always need to move the track or risk a guide coming out/kickback.

I do not want to buy a $300 track just to cut it down to ~60 inches, and they do not sell intermediate lengths.

[andy bessette]

The 6' track is extremely handy.

[Nick Lazz]

Just dont cut the ends, i wish i didnt. Not only would you avoid screwing up your "straight edge" but it would give you a visual of where to safely start and stop your cut. I tried to cut them with one half of the saw on the track and ended up with the blade hitting the aluminum and the saw kicking back. Not good. The one gripe i have about this saw is that the 55" track isn't long enough to comfortably cut a 48" length (regularly needed for crosscutting sheet goods). I always need to move the track or risk a guide coming out/kickback.

I do not want to buy a $300 track just to cut it down to ~60 inches, and they do not sell intermediate lengths.

I regularly cut down sheets with the 55" track with ease. Not sure what you are doing wrong. Hang the track off the sheet a few inches on either side and make sure your sheet is flat on stickers. Cutting any sheet with any saw on a surface that isn't flat will cause the saw to bind and kickback.
I never trimmed my edge with a razor either. In fact the first time out I just cut a sheet down and the edge was cut even the length of the track.

[Roger Bull]

Or get another section of track. Whatever length you think you will use most often. Festool track lines up and joins with Makita track by the way. Use the joined track to cut the rubber full length on both ends.

[Jared Sankovich]

You need 2 tracks joined together, and it's automatic otherwise don't cut the ends

[andy bessette]

Don't join tracks together if you want precision. Get the track lengths you need.

[Greg R Bradley]

55" is about perfect length for crosscutting 48" ply. I have a 75" also and wouldn't choose it for that cut. Can you describe your process?

[Rich Engelhardt]

You need 2 tracks joined together, and it's automatic otherwise don't cut the endsThat's the ticket right there. You join two together and make your fist cut. Flip them end for end - that puts the two uncut parts in the middle. When you make that second cut, then you'll have a nice straight edge to work with.

[keith micinski]

Well maybe this will be a good reason for me to get a couple new tracks. It’s amazing to me that all the way through product development no one using the saw pointed out its impossible to get a good cut on the ends of the thing you want to be really straight.

[Jared Sankovich]

Well maybe this will be a good reason for me to get a couple new tracks. It’s amazing to me that all the way through product development no one using the saw pointed out its impossible to get a good cut on the ends of the thing you want to be really straight.
Why do you care if it's cut all the way to the edge? You can't cut to the edge so so why would it make a difference. If you want a straight line/edge for something else, use the other edge

No one said anything in product development because it's impossible to build a saw that rides on a track that does not need start and end support

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I guess one good thing is I see a replacement rubber isn't all that expensive so if it does become a problem I guess I can replace it.

Half the price of the Festool and sticks much better!

[Roger Bull]

Half the price of the Festool and sticks much better!

+1 The Makita rubber is also easier to see than the white Festool strip IMHO.

[andy bessette]

JS--good post.

[keith micinski]

Js, dumb post. The saw is set to the cut by using the piece of rubber as the straight edge set up against your mark. Try cutting a 48” sheet good with a straight edge that has the last 4” on each end not exactly straight or what if I want to combine it with another track to make a longer cut I most certainly will be cutting to the edge of the straight edge. Or helll what if I just don’t want to pay 500 for a straight edge that’s mostly straight. You should know what your talking about before making silly comments that are wrong.

[Bernie Kopfer]

Clamp the track down so that the end is on the wood a couple of inches. Plunge the saw down about 8 inches in and very slowly back it up to the end. Left me a nice clean cut of the rubber. It's 55in long leaving enough overhang that the rubber edge you do not trust should be clar of your marks on the wood. Besides on factory edges the corner sections are sometimes "indented" so I always make my marks a couple of inches in from the edge which would ensure you of missing the "bad" rubber.

[Jared Sankovich]

Js, dumb post. The saw is set to the cut by using the piece of rubber as the straight edge set up against your mark. Try cutting a 48” sheet good with a straight edge that has the last 4” on each end not exactly straight or what if I want to combine it with another track to make a longer cut I most certainly will be cutting to the edge of the straight edge. Or helll what if I just don’t want to pay 500 for a straight edge that’s mostly straight. You should know what your talking about before making silly comments that are wrong.
Lol..
I don't know i didn't think my comments were that silly... being that I've owned a track saw for years I'm rather confident I know what I'm talking about

a 55" track will cut 48 inches.. that leaves 3.5 inches of rubber strip uncut on each end.

You can't cut wood within 3 inches of the ends of the track.. I'll say that again...you can't cut all the way to the end of the track.

SO why do you need the rubber strip cut all the way to the end. (If you have 2 tracks this is a moot point)

Only having one guide engage the track is improper use of the tool and defeats the purpose of the track saw.

[Glen Gunderson]

Js, dumb post. The saw is set to the cut by using the piece of rubber as the straight edge set up against your mark. Try cutting a 48” sheet good with a straight edge that has the last 4” on each end not exactly straight or what if I want to combine it with another track to make a longer cut I most certainly will be cutting to the edge of the straight edge. Or helll what if I just don’t want to pay 500 for a straight edge that’s mostly straight. You should know what your talking about before making silly comments that are wrong.

I don't know, it seems pretty straightforward to me. If the saw can't cut rubber accurately at the end of the track you're certainly not going to want to cut wood from that point either. Nor would you want to use that point of the track to line up to a mark since you can't accurately cut at that point.

If you do get another track and plan on joining them just get a replacement splinter guard, it's only about $10 for a new piece.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I had this problem and discovered that I did not have the saw adjusted to be tight in the track. There is a cam you can adjust to tighten up the fit of the saw to the track. If it isn’t a tight fit, you get wobble, and that causes a cut in the rubber that is not perfectly straight. I probably should have read the instructions. :-)

[andy bessette]

...I've owned a track saw for years...

I've owned one for many years. Wouldn't be surprised if, between us, we had much more track saw experience than the OP.

[Greg R Bradley]

I've owned one for many years. Wouldn't be surprised if, between us, we had much more track saw experience than the OP.
I bought my first tracksaw around 30 years ago when they didn't have anti-spliter strips, have bought a total of 4 tracksaws and it seems overblown to me.......
It seems simple that if you have only one track, you initially cut it as well as you can which leaves the ends not done perfectly. Once you have more than one track, you connect or line up the track and cut the strips perfectly to the end.
The anti-splinter strip is a consumable and gets replaced when it isn't good enough to keep using. I have a mix of Festool and Makita tracks and prefer to use the Makita strips on both as the Festool strips dry out in my dry climate and shrink. The black Makita strips are easier to see the edge and the clear Festool strips let you see the line under the strip. Advantages and disadvantages to each.

[Rick Potter]

Perhaps I am missing something, but I simply make my measuring marks a few inches in from the edges of the ply, so I can line up my DeWalt short track where the rubber is cut.

[Darcy Warner]

55" is more than plenty for a 48" cross cut. You need more track at the beginning of the cut than the end.

[Brad Adams]

I have had my Makita track saw for a year now. I’ve never had a problem getting a straight cut on the beginning or end. If you use any kinda of circular saw regularly you shouldn’t have a bit of a problem.