Anyone have a Makita Track Saw?

[David Justice]

Looking for anyone that has had this problem with the Makita track saw and if/how they solved it?

Anytime I make a cut the edge of the board is out of square by about 1/16 of an inch. I have checked the angle on the saw and the blade is square to the shoe, I have also checked the rail and it sitting flat on the board prior to making the cut. I just can't figure out where the problem is and how the cut is getting off angle.

So if you have resolved this problem, please let me know!

Thanks,

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Don't have one yet, but on my worm drives that I use every day, a cut like that usually equals a blade that is dull.

[Bryan Lisowski]

Maybe it is a toe in/toe out issue. The blade may be 90* to the base, but the blade may not be parallel. I know this is an issue that sometimes happens with the Festool TS saws.

[David Justice]

It's a brand new saw, so I hope it's not a dull blade!

Bryan, do you mean is the blade skewed front to back? Hadn't thought of this, but I'll have to check that when I get a chance.

[Michelle Rich]

check how you are running the saw down the track..I found myself putting more pressure on one side than the other and it made a difference. I have to check myself each time

[John Sanford]

In addition to checking OPERATOR inputs, have you dialed in the "keepers"? Makita, IIRC, has the ability to snug the saw up to the track.

[Dean Moldenhauer]

Stupid question, but is the black rubber sacrificial strip along the cutting edge exactly the same width at both ends? I only ask because the first few times I used mine, the sacrificial strip did not cut completely off for the last 3/4" - 1" of the guide rail (eventually it came off when I cut with the entire strip against the piece of plywood being cut). If you don't notice this and line up the cut against the black rubber, it could be out of square. 1/16" might be just small enough that you're not seeing that extra material at the end of the guide rail.

Dean

[Bryan Lisowski]

It's a brand new saw, so I hope it's not a dull blade!

Bryan, do you mean is the blade skewed front to back? Hadn't thought of this, but I'll have to check that when I get a chance.

Yes that is what I mean. Also the other 3 suggestions are things to check.

[Dave Sabo]

You might also try making a cut without the rail and report your findings.

I suspect the saw isn't sitting flat on the rail / glide strips.

[Dick VanNewkirk]

I have one, and I haven’t had that problem. I did look at my saw to see if I could figure out what might cause this problem. There are two thumb screws to hold an edge guide. Have they been tightened down to the point that they protrude into the track slot? That would tilt the saw base plate.

[Dustin Bullard]

Four questions in order of what is probably causing your issue...

Is your saw adjusted for zero play on the track
This is critical, when on the track, the saw should slide smoothly along the track and have zero play laterally. The rubber strip you cut off is just for zero clearance. if your saw was not dialed in to the track it could easily have cut an extra 1/16th of an inch off the rubber strip. To check this, clamp the track down and make a cut (make sure its adjusted for zero play) if the cut is exactly in line with the rubber strip, you are good to go. If the strip does not line up with the track its time to order a new one from Amazon

Are you sure you aren't exceeding the capacity of your track?
The 55" track is only good for about 49" of cut length, it needs to extend fore and aft at least a few inches of your intended cut to keep the foot of the saw on the track. If you run the saw off the end of the track it *will* wobble. If you are keeping the foot of the saw entirely on the track and plunging to maximum depth you can't actually cut the rubber strip even the length of the track.

TLDR; If your track doesn't look like this, you are exceeding your tracks cut capacity:

hEtGind.jpg

Are you clamping the track down?
The rubber strips on the track hold pretty well but if you require accuracy you will want to look at clamping your workpiece to the track. If it makes any difference the DeWalt clamps fit the Makita Track.

How confident are you in your measurments?
The track saw can only cut straight lines... Assuming you are clamping and not exceeding the track cut length, and your cut lines up perfectly with the rubber strip... How confident are you on your measurement before laying down the track? I have definitely made the mistake of measuring incorrectly myself a handful of times and ended up with a fancy diagonal cut...

[Dave Sabo]

"TLDR; If your track doesn't look like this, you are exceeding your tracks cut capacity:"

Not necessarily. A track would have the entire strip be one width if you are joining rails together to make long cuts.

[Dustin Bullard]

"TLDR; If your track doesn't look like this, you are exceeding your tracks cut capacity:"

Not necessarily. A track would have the entire strip be one width if you are joining rails together to make long cuts.

Touché salesman

As I can't go back and edit my post, this is the one instance where your track should have the splinter guard trimmed all the way...

[David Justice]

First of all, thanks to everyone for the tips and suggestions! I talked to Makita customer service and we determined that the shoe actually was off It's pretty hard to see if it's square because you have to get the blade out and hold it and hold a square up to it at the same time, and the shoe is not completely flat on the bottom, lots of indentions and ridges. Using clamps, I was able to use both hands to see the blade/shoe was out of square and had to turn a set screw on the bottom.

It cuts great now and I feel relieved that I don't have to send it back!