Cheap but decent circ saw for dedicated track saw?

[Jacob Reverb]

Both of my hand circular saws are worm gears, and I don't want to take them out of the general-use rotation by rigging them up as track saws – plus, they're heavy, and I want something lighter – so I'm looking at purchasing a cheap but decent circular saw for use as a dedicated track saw for breaking up plywood.

It needs to have/be:
7-1/4" blade
120VAC (IOW not battery/rechargeable)
easily replaceable brushes
cheap
preferably a model that has zillions of copies out in the wild that I can cannibalize for parts if necessary in the future

Anyone have any recommendations for new or used models? I found a $28 jobbie at Walmart but it looks like changing brushes would be tough.

(I started with worm gears and I've used worm gears almost exclusively ever since, so I don't know much about the sidewinder type, but that's what I'm looking for...)

Thanks in advance.

[Pat Barry]

Do people change brushes in these things? I never have, but I'm no pro.

[Jamie Buxton]

I had one of those rigs for years before track saws came out. A key issue is that whatever runs against the straight edge - usually the left edge of the shoe— should be parallel to the blade. Otherwise you cut kinda sideways. I had an old Dewalt sidewinder in mine.

[Frank Pratt]

Do people change brushes in these things? I never have, but I'm no pro.

I've worn out a lot of universal motor tools (pro & hobby use), but I've never had to change the brushes in any of them.

[Gary Ragatz]

Amazon lists the Skil 5280-01 as their best-selling circular saw, so I guess there must be a lot of them out there. It sells for $50:

https://www.amazon.com/5280-01-15-Amp-4-Inch-Circular-Single/dp/B01BD81BLO/ref=zg_bs_552922_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=473CYYXFCZNXW4E6DK0W

If you think the $28 Walmart saw would meet your needs, I don't think I'd worry about how hard it is to replace the brushes. At that price, it's a disposable.

[Mike Cutler]

Jacob
I think the only way that you'll be able to get "cheap and decent", is buying used.
You stated " track saw". Is it that you intend to use an aftermarket guide rail system,as in EZ, or just reference it to an edge of a home made guide?
Craigslist is full of circular saws for sale. Some were actually quite expensive in their day, but are now only worth $25-$50 dollars. Especially if they have a cord on them.
The metal cases for my Milwaukee tools are worth more than the tools themselves these days. I use this as an example of relative worth.

[Jim Dwight]

I am sure you can rig something up for cutting plywood to rough dimensions involving a circular saw but I would not call it a track saw. My DeWalt track saw cuts plywood to finished dimensions with edges at least as good as I get on my SawStop table saw. My Milwaukee circular saw will not do that with any blade I have used on it. I think the bearings on the arbor on the track saw are better so the blade does not wobble was much. The other advantage is the dado in the base of the saw for the track rib. You can adjust the dado to get the saw riding with essentially no play. Absent a machinest making an equivalent track and base for a circular saw I do not think you can get equivalent performance. And in my opinion you are still left with a saw with inferior bearings.

To me circular saws are cruder break down and construction tools where tracksaws are fine woodworking tools.

[Mark Klosky]

"Cheap but decent". That contradictory phrase is wide open for interpretation. Many of the name circular saw manufacturers produce saws at 2 or 3 price points, and their quality tends to parallel that model's price. Obviously the more expensive models are considered their pro models, and they have a higher amp motor with heavier windings in the armature, replaceable brushes, better quality bearings, etc. Then there is usually a mid-price option that is considered a better quality homeowners model, obviously a step down from the pro but normally higher amp rating than the next level, and at the cheapest price point, and generally lowest amp rating is the entry level or cheapest homeowners line. So then what you consider a decent price point would depend on where you set your value vs. dollar invested, and that is normally an individual decision.

[Jacob Reverb]

Thanks, guys.

Was going to make something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW_1AQ_Wm8E

Idea is simply to break plywood into manageable-size pieces – final dimensioning on table saw and/or jointer – so I can't see taking a second mortgage to afford it.

I'll just go to the flea market and see if I can find something around $10. Thanks again. Problem solved.

[Tom M King]

I use the 35 dollar Skil circular saw from Lowes for things I don't want to put a good saw in. I've used it with a water hose running on the surface of Granite, and Quartz countertop material, and concrete, and probably dry more than it should have. It's been used with a metal cutting carbide tipped blade for cutting metal roofing sheets. We can't kill the thing, and it still cuts a straight line. If it ever needs brushes, I'll just toss it.

My favorite sidewinder is the Porter Cable 347, and 743 (matched pairs of left and right bladed). They are discontinued now, and go for more money than they cost when they were new on ebay, but I've picked up a couple of spares off of CL that are like new, for 50 and 35 dollars.

[Richard Coers]

Thanks, guys.

Was going to make something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW_1AQ_Wm8E

Idea is simply to break plywood into manageable-size pieces – final dimensioning on table saw and/or jointer – so I can't see taking a second mortgage to afford it.

I'll just go to the flea market and see if I can find something around $10. Thanks again. Problem solved.

Brushes would be the very last thing I would worry about on a $28 saw from China. Hard to imagine it would fit into your decent category. Imagine using a saw for a good cut on a sheet of plywood that may cost more than 3 times the machinery. You dimension plywood on a jointer? Man that has to be death to the blades in it's not an insert head!

[johnny means]

"Cheap but decent". That contradictory phrase is wide open for interpretation. Many of the name circular saw manufacturers produce saws at 2 or 3 price points, and their quality tends to parallel that model's price. Obviously the more expensive models are considered their pro models, and they have a higher amp motor with heavier windings in the armature, replaceable brushes, better quality bearings, etc. Then there is usually a mid-price option that is considered a better quality homeowners model, obviously a step down from the pro but normally higher amp rating than the next level, and at the cheapest price point, and generally lowest amp rating is the entry level or cheapest homeowners line. So then what you consider a decent price point would depend on where you set your value vs. dollar invested, and that is normally an individual decision.
I was doing seams in laminate countertops with a shop made track setup long before I knew Festool existed. I love my tracksaws, but the idea that a regular saw can't get equally good results is ridiculous. At the end day, it's just a blade attached to an arbor attached to a motor.

[Mark Klosky]

I was doing seams in laminate countertops with a shop made track setup long before I knew Festool existed. I love my tracksaws, but the idea that a regular saw can't get equally good results is ridiculous. At the end day, it's just a blade attached to an arbor attached to a motor.

I have seen entry level saws (B&D $45 on sale at Hugh M Woods) with very little use that had in excess of 1/16" of side to side slop in the blade. So no, what I had stated is not so ridiculous. I am happy that you were able to get acceptable cuts with what you had. However that is not always the case with entry level tools.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Yeah - I gotta side with Mark. The good track saws - Makita, DeWalt, Festool - are on the same par with the good circular saws....and when you get right down to it, they just aren't that much more expensive than a good non-track circular saw - all things/features considered.

I look at it this way -- a shop made guide is like a shop made table saw fence. Yeah - they both work, but, which one is going to be better and safer and more accurate?

Having said that - I'm right now in the process of making a track system for the little 3 3/8" 12V cordless Makita saw I bought. It should be dandy for cutting flooring.

[Larry Edgerton]

If you can find an old Speedmatic they cut better than a Festool if in good shape. Heavier than a dead priest but extremely accurate. Its what I used until I bought a festool. It would be easy to add a HMW base and use a track. They work better with the optional wide base that Porter cable made. They do run on forever, but that although sometimes a drawback speaks to the quality of the bearings. I gave mine to a collector and wish I had not done that now.

[Tom M King]

I used one of these guides for thirty-five years, at least, before I ever heard the name "track saw". A factory edge of something like plywood, or MDF is glued to the 1/4" base, and then the saw trims it to fit exactly. It cuts as accurately as any high dollar one. The main advantage of the dedicated ones is better dust collection.

Even when we're installing plywood subfloor, or sheathing, it's easier to use this guide than not to, and the edges come out perfectly straight. We usually cut a stack of three at the time.

This cut was 20' long, and needed to fit perfectly for the piece of $27 bd.ft. clear Heart Pine flooring fitting against it.

I keep a short one for trimming door bottoms also.

With the 347, and 743 circular saws, you can go either direction you need to.

I have never put money in a dedicated tracksaw because dust collection doesn't matter where I use one. If I needed one in a finished house, that would be a different story.

[Prashun Patel]

In my homeowner experience:

- Any circular saw and home-made track will break down ply into manageable sections. But...

- The cord is a pain to manage, so don't rule out battery operated circular saws. My Makita cordless lasts a long while. It's a little heavy, but the convenience of being able to break down sheets anywhere is huge for me.
- Having to post-process every panel because your system isn't precise becomes a pain. Eventually, a quality track that minimizes tear out and gives you a closer-to-finished edge becomes a need-to-have (not a nice-to-have).
- I find that since I've upgraded my circular saw, I use it more and more instead of my table saw.

I guess I'm saying make sure you won't want to upgrade in a year.

[johnny means]

I have seen entry level saws (B&D $45 on sale at Hugh M Woods) with very little use that had in excess of 1/16" of side to side slop in the blade. So no, what I had stated is not so ridiculous. I am happy that you were able to get acceptable cuts with what you had. However that is not always the case with entry level tools.
I'm sure I've used dozens of different circular saws over the years. I must say, I've had the luck to never have seen anything near that bad.

[Mike Kees]

I have about seven Dewalt 368 saws. you could probably find one in a pawnshop for 40 bucks or so. Great saws.

[Leo Graywacz]

If you want a track saw, buy a track saw. If you don't have the money yet, save for it.

[Edwin Santos]

In case you might ever need the feature, consider that a dedicated track saw will have the ability to plunge cut (safely) in a way that a standard circular saw will not.

[Allan Speers]

In case you might ever need the feature, consider that a dedicated track saw will have the ability to plunge cut (safely) in a way that a standard circular saw will not.


I'd also strongly consider getting a GOOD saw for this. One that has a tight arbor and an accurate 90º setting. There may be times when you want to make an accurate cut with this system, nt just roughing it. for example, if you need to cut sheets good into 24" strips.

[Curt Harms]

It ain't cheap and you can't buy one new from retail sources but the Porter Cable 314 trim saw works really well with a shop made guide like Tom shows. The base is quite a bit longer than it is wide and tracks along the guide without any tendency to go cockeyed. Underpowered for commercial use but it works really well. I don't know if such a form factor is available new or not, I'm not aware of it.

[Tom M King]

The other side of that jig in the picture fits a 314. It works great for a clean cut on one sheet of plywood. I don't think they've been made in years, but it's a nice little saw for some things.

You can indeed plunge cut with a regular circular saw. The cut in that picture was a plunge cut. It was also 20' long, and a five degree angle. Both left, and right bladed saws were used because each end met a wall. The cut was angled so the last piece of flooring could be held in place with friction, and pressure while the adhesive set. We didnt' want any fasteners exposed on the surface. There were five, or six such cuts in that job of inlaying a new top 3/4" layer on a few hundred feet of 1828 Heart Pine flooring.

The only advantage to a commercial track saw is dust collection.

[Leo Graywacz]

Advantages of a real track saw

You can plunge at any angle and it will be at that angle without much error.
The aluminum track is going to be straight, and it will stay straight.
The rubber edge acts as a line guide and a splinter guard.
The track has special clamps that stay out of the way of the cut.
Tracks can be easily joined together to make longer cuts.
When you do an angle cut on a track saw the splinter guard won't get damaged because the saw pivots so it stays in reference to the edge.
The track keeps the saw on the track because of the groove, it can't slip.
The track has rubber on the bottom for quick cuts without a clamp.
The track has a slippery surface so the saw always glides smoothly and predictably.
The track has adapters for stops that can easily be put on and taken off.
The saw itself is a precision instrument compared to a circular saw.
Plunging is built into the saw, no need to lift it off the track.

And it has good dust control if you use a vacuum.

[Art Mann]

I use a track saw to cut pieces to final dimensions. I don't want to waste time cutting to "almost" dimensions and then recutting. Real track saws are built better than cheap circular saws and will produce an edge that is suitable for furniture or cabinet making. I was never able to get those results with a circular saw and home made saw guide. I used a fairly expensive Dewalt circular saw.


Idea is simply to break plywood into manageable-size pieces – final dimensioning on table saw and/or jointer – so I can't see taking a second mortgage to afford it.
again. Problem solved.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I use a track saw to cut pieces to final dimensions. Here- let me add the rest to that - - I use a track saw to cut pieces to final dimensions in the parking lot of where I buy the sheet goods. Not only do I have ready made pieces, I also have a bazillion time easier job of transporting the sheet goods home....

Track saw big bucks? Too expensive? Luxury that can't be afforded? HA!
Now, instead of having to buy a truck or van - and the expense of putting gas into it - I can drive an econo-box instead.

That """expensive"" track saw saves me major bucks...