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Dino the Carpenter started the EZ Smart track system business many years ago. Dino was responsible for most of the innovation in the early years, many manufacturers copied his designs. EZ Smart had a private forum here for several years and Dino sponsored a long list of FreeStuff Drawings, he was one of our best sponsors for a long time. I have one of his track systems, it works perfectly for me for off-site work. In my shop I have a panel saw that I normally use to break down large sheets.
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Carl, depending on where you are in TX I have tracks, saw bases and a bunch of other parts I’d make a great deal on if you want. I’m not interested in shipping though.Originally Posted by Carl Crout
Last edited by Jim Becker; 07-23-2020 at 9:42 AM. Reason: fixed quote tagging
Steve Jenkins, McKinney, TX. 469 742-9694
Always use the word "impossible" with extreme caution
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For many years. My Makita 7-1/4" circular saw and my Milwaukee 8-1/2" worm drive saw are setup for use on the EZ guide rails.
The system is very rugged and durable. The aluminum extrusions, on mine at least, are much more robust than Festool. I bought mine the first year, or so they came out.
The base plates are very adaptable to any virtually any circular saw, but may require some out of the box thinking.
With some creativity, and ingenuity, it is a very versatile platform.
The downsides;
The base plate and guide rail combined thickness, decreases the depth of cut by ~3/4". A standard 7-1/4" circular saw will be just shy of cutting through 2x material.
The anti chip strips are really a consumable, and they've always been somewhat expensive for what they are, and not always readily available.
There did not used to be a base plate for a left blade, worm drive saw. Easy enough to make you're own though. I made the base for my Milwaukee worm dive myself.
To get the blade running parallel to the guide takes a little bit of finesse. The base plate does not have the ability to adjust the orientation of the blade, so you really have to be sure to square up, and align the blade, and not the circular saw base itself.
It does not have built in dust collection, but there are adapters for various, common circular saws, and most folks just make their own.
It is very much so still a viable guided circular saw system. It is not really a question of inferiority, or not, to any other manufacturer, it's more so a question of application specifics.
I also have the Festool TS75 and guide rails, so I am aware of the pro's and con's of each system.
When I redid the roof on my porch, the EZ system was up on the roof, and the Festool system was down on the ground.
Last edited by Mike Cutler; 07-24-2020 at 9:59 AM.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)
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I have a couple of their tracks from 2004. They are great and work as advertised. However, at the time, you had to use an aftermarket saw, which requires a plate adapter. This adds a critical bit of height which means my circular saw cannot plunge to 2". This is an issue when cutting slabs (which is when I need it most...).
All in all, I prefer the Makita and Festool set ups but mainly because their saws are better integrated to the tracks, plunge easier and have a little more depth. Some of the other track saws come with integrated dust collection ports which is nice.
As for the quality of construction, it's held up well. I met Dino; his NJ operation was about 5 miles from work. He was super passionate and I was happy to support him. He modified the shroud in my circular saw for free. But the ergonomics of it just aren't as good for me as what exist on the Festool.
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All out of chip guides. Hopefully they restock soon.
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I have one and use it quite often for sheet goods. Also I use it for ripping some lumber off site ( at my daughters house). I like it.
Glad to see someone bought a Dino out or whatever happened and they are running again. I think the Makita, Kreg, Festool, are faster to get set up for a cut.
Member
I'm not trying to pick on anybody but I do not see the point. You can get a Wen track saw from Home Depot with 100 inches of track for about $200. I haven't used it but Izzy Swan (youtube) reviewed it and said he will continue to use it. I think even a basic track saw like this is preferable to a circular saw adapted to a track. Just my opinion.
Member
Love mine.
Built solid, tough as balls and fit a saw I already owned.
8+ years and still dead straight.
If you don't already own a saw, buy based on the saw quality.
A track is a track is a track...
Contributor
Jim
I think it's still really a matter of application.
I bought my Festool TS75 to cut through some 2-1/4" thick padauk. The slab was 17'x3'x2-1/4" thick.
I had thought about just buying a 10" circular saw, but at that time they were still pretty expensive, $400.00+ IIRC. I had seen Dino use a 14" Makita on an EZ rail, so I knew it could handle a bigger saw.
The TS-75 worked well for the job it was purchased for, but even it has limitations. No way it will match the depth of cut of a 10", 12" or 14" circular saw. Of course, there are probably very limited applications for a circular saws that big anyway.
In retrospect, I may have been better off just buying a larger circular saw. I've always found the TS75 to be a very nice tool, but underpowered for it's size.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)
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Maybe we can agree on buying based upon saw attributes. I think the cut quality of my track saw surpasses any cut I have ever seen a circular saw do. So I would give the quality nod to the track saw. But I agree that a track saw has a relative small blade and a not terribly big motor. If your cut depth exceeds what a track saw can do or your material needs more power than a track saw has, then a guided circular saw could be indicated. But I am happy with the 2 inches or so my DeWalt can cut and it's motor, with a good blade, has always cut what I asked within it's depth capabilities (including in oak, cherry, and maple). (The DeWalt track saw draws a couple more amps than the smaller Festool). The WEN track saw has a smaller motor, however, so it could run out of power sooner, like the smaller Festool. But for cutting sheet goods or solid wood up to about 2 inches thickness, I think a track saw is a better tool for the job than a guided circular saw.
Contributor
I have an early EZ One table built by a member here, has one of Dino's Bridge systems on it. Running a 8 1/2" Makita saw on it is easy. On Saturday i needed a 2.125" rip on a 50" piece of 3/4" walnut. Table saw was set up for 15 deg miters, and i didn't want to move anything on it--so i marked each end of the walnut and put it on the EZ one. Perfect cut, glued with no further work. The bridge made that possible without a doubt, but i become more a believer every time i use mine. Your mileage may vary.
earl
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I was 110% into EZ for many-many years. Had lots of fun with the extrusions. Was like Tinker Toys for men. Was always waiting for a polished complete system but that never happened. When Makita had a great deal on their cordless track saw system I bit and couldn't be happier. I used one of my long rails for my miter saw cart (like fastcap) but gave most of the rest away. A sad story for a true inventor.
Should say I kept the UEG (universal edge guide). Best tool ever for ripping sheet goods. So compact I bring it with to the big box stores when buying sheet goods to break them down to more easily transport.
Member
Jim Dwight, have you been able to directly compare the "cut quality" of your track saw with that of an EZ Smart track system that uses a circular saw?
The EZ Smart track system uses anti chip edges on the tracks and a zero clearance type insert on the EZ Smart Base. These dramatically improve the cut quality in comparison to that of a typical circular saw not used with the EZ Smart track system. This cut quality difference is very well demonstrated in this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSGkG17sNE8&t=9s
Contributor
See comments in BLUE.
Member
I notice that the UEG isn't listed on the new site.
Mike Goetzke, how do you make sure that the UEG fence is parallel to the blade?? Just careful measurements?
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