Track Saw?

[Andrew Wayland]

I’m an occasional “woodworker” with some Ryobi cordless tools, a Hitachi Miter saw and a cheap Porter Cable portable table saw to get me by.

I have a Kreg Accu-Cut to use with my Ryobi 18 volt saw, but I’ve been eyeing the Makita Track Saws lately.

I’ll be building a bunch of shop cabinets, and some cabinets for some closets in the house soon. The Kreg doesn’t rip length-wise, so I typically just free-hand the size a bit wide, then take it back to the table saw to get my final dimension.

It takes a little longer, requires more setup, and also demands nice days (I don’t have the space to set the table saw inside).

Plus, material costs are sky-high right now: so waste, as minimal as it is, hurts a little more.

I was considering investing in the Accu-Cut XL to rip plywood, but reviews are atrocious. Would investing in the Makita cordless track saw improve my “product” at all?

(I have made my own sled to make a saw guide before: but it warped between uses... I’d rather a more durable option)

[Jim Becker]

There are "whole bunches" of threads on this topic that you'll likely get value from, Andrew.

And yes, a quality track saw that is captive on the track will handle the work you want to do very nicely...and accurately...it will be as accurate as your layout work on the material is. Get some foam insulation board to raise your material up off the floor, lay the sheet down on top of it, do your layout, make your cuts. The Makita is a nice unit, too.

[Andrew Wayland]

Thanks Jim,

I’ll try searching again later. You can delete this thread if there’s more out there!

[Jim Becker]

Thanks Jim,

I’ll try searching again later. You can delete this thread if there’s more out there!

Not going to delete it because it's a good question. I was just pointing to additional resources. in an effort to help spend your money.

[Jim Dwight]

I will second that opinion. I have the DeWalt track saw but most of the reviews I've seen are better for the Makita. I bought the DeWalt to get a track long enough to rip plywood sheets lengthwise for a reasonable cost. Many people join two tracks for this and that solution is certainly more portable and easier to store. I just did not want to deal with the potential lack of straightness of two, typically 59 inch, tracks joined. When looking at the cost of the track saw I think it is important to include track. But there are also "off brand" tracks of reportably high quality and if you are OK with joining two for lengthwise cuts, you can save quite a bit.

I have a 1.75hp PCS as my table saw but I use my track saw to make all cuts on large pieces, sheet or otherwise. I need to get busy on a Christmas present for my son, for instance. He has asked for a long bench for reloading and other things. It will be over 7 feet long, 30 inches wide and 32 inches tall. The top will be most of a sheet of 3/4 plywood, probably edged with 2X material. Apron will be cut down 2x4s domino mortised to 4x4 legs. Simple and sturdy. I will cut the top with the track saw and also lengthwise cut the 2x4 aprons with the track saw to make sure they are straight. I will also probably rip up another 2x4 and possibly rabbet the edge for edging. The long cuts will be made with track saw and the rabbeting cuts with table saw. I included this just to illustrate how I move back and forth between the tools trying to use each for what it does best.

I've built two long cabinets so far this year, mainly of sheet goods, and did all final cuts with the track saw. It is as accurate as my PCS. One is behind me at the moment, in my great room, the other is in a utility room. Both have drawers on ball bearing slides that work smoothly due to the accuracy of the cabinet. I also cut dados with the track saw track, an attachment to put on the router base, and a router. I use some jigs to position the tracks because I find that more accurate than cutting to a mark. But if you use a 0.5mm pencil cutting to a mark can be pretty accurate too. It's nice to use a tool where my skill in marking is more of a limitation than the tool. That was not true for me when I used a circular saw to break down sheet goods.

For me the bottom line is track saws are great when portability is important. They are also great for small shops like mine where there really is not space to manuver sheet goods through the table saw, at least close to easily. They are great when cutting 3/4 sheet goods by yourself. I also use mine to cut glue joints on long boards because my jointer is small. Very useful tool.

Jim D.

[Jay Kepley]

I have a Makita corded track saw and three tracks of varying lengths. This is a very useful tool, and I'm glad I have it. I have a tender back, and it is so much easier (and safer) to cut sheet goods by track saw. These cuts are very accurate. The Makita blade is very good and, when clean and sharp, leaves almost no tear out or burning. Highly recommend a track saw for your workshop.

[Ole Anderson]

I bought a Grizzly track saw several years go to help with my kitchen cabinet project. I had about 6 sheets of 3/4" hickory to dice up. First I used MaxCut software to do a layout for cutting. Foam board over plywood on sawhorses worked for me. Then I made a 24" square plywood "square" (squared with the Ng five cut method) with a glued fence on one side to align the track 90 degrees to the edge for setting the track for crosscuts. I ripped the ply slightly oversize for 12" deep top cabinets. So easy once broken down to rip to exact consistent width with one setup on my TS. Turns out I ended up using the track saw for breaking down the plywood then my TS to finish size by ripping and crosscutting with a shop made sled. So many more uses since then, great for trimming door height or making angle cuts on large stock. Lay the track on the line and slice away. I did upgrade with a Freud blade.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Not going to delete it because it's a good question. I was just pointing to additional resources. in an effort to help spend your money.

That Jim is always helpful with spending other people's money! He's helped me more than once!

[Richard Verwoest]

On a side note,

Those that use a 2 piece guide, how/what do you do to line the 2 pieces up for a straight cut? And do you put some sort of brace at the joint during the cut to help with deflection?

Richard

[Gabriel Marusic]

Not going to delete it because it's a good question. I was just pointing to additional resources. in an effort to help spend your money.

This place is pretty good at that. I think my first question here was around what rulers I needed in building some cabinets, I've somehow parlayed that into buying a slider. No regrets!

[glenn bradley]

I ran a shop made guide for many years. I ended up between shops for longer than planned and the circ saw found more than occasional use so I took the plunge. As sometimes happens, the (generally) second best rated track saw was the least expensive one of the batch often tested. There are much cheaper ones around now but, they often review as such .

I went with the Makita. I got the corded model as I am always near power, the vac hose is always trailing along so, no benefit for me to go cordless. I got two tracks and two sets of connectors (a single connector wasn't reliable enough for my taste) as well as a pair of clamps. I splurged on a bag for the tracks but, unless you are in a transient situation like mine or a job-site worker who is often moving from site to site I would pass.

I have been very happy with it and have never found the lack of a riving knife to be a big deal. The ability to lock the saw to the track when doing angle cuts has come in handy more than once. YMMV.

[Jim Matthews]

If the blade sizes are the same, consider upgrading the Ryobi blade, first. Handy as my tracksaw is, the tracks require lots of real estate for storage.

If you still have good knees, a few sacrificial sheets of foam insulation beneath the sheet goods on a concrete floor will work.

I went with two glorified sawhorses to handle the task you describe. Accurate as a tracksaw can be, I still "leave the line" and handplane parts to fit.

[Roger Feeley]

I got by for years with a skil saw and two shop made guides: 4’ and 8’.

one hint. If you hunt around, you can find corded circular saws with the motor on either side. Its much easier if the motor is over the guide. I have both kinds of saw. One is for cutting construction type lumber and the other is for plywood.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I went through the same debate not long ago and decided to buy a track saw (I also did a thread on this forum as well).
I bought the cordless Makita track saw and it came with a starter track which is nice. I bought a pair of the Powermatic tracks from HD (you can get them through Amazon as well). They work well and I've not had any issue with them.
I do have a dust collector in my shop that I connect it to if I'm using it on my shop table. However, I have also used my Ryobi "toolbox style" vacuum with it and it worked great. I honestly wouldn't see a need for any better combination. Both the vacuum and saw are cordless and only the hose between the 2 is a great combination.

Like you, I have a number of Ryobi cordless tools. I debated if I wanted another battery platform and was considering buying the Festool. However, Makita has a much better cordless offering. So I went with the Makita option.

I'm very happy with my choice. The Makita track saw is terrific. It is a bit pricey but once I used it I realized it was by for the right choice.

The Makita provides me with straight, smooth, easy and quick cuts. It cuts so well it was hard to believe it was sawing through the wood. I've used it on oak, ash, walnut, pine, birch plywood, pine plywood and a lot of wood flooring. I'm so very happy with finally buying one. I will be using it soon on a double vanity cabinet project with a lot of birch plywood and solid cherry panels. I'm glad to know it is in my tool selection for this build.

I put it on par with having my table saw. It can't do all that my table saw can do and my table saw is my go to saw. But for a reasonable amount of cuts, especially plywood, it really is the best tool.

You can get buy without it. But if you are asking the question, then you are interested in purchasing one. My advice is to stop looking and proceed with the purchase. I am confident you will find it a great tool.

I really like my Makita cordless track saw. Festool has a great saw and everyone likes the quality. I think there are several other brands on par as well. I did look very close at the festool and tried it out at my local Woodcraft store. I also tried the Kreg and it appeared to work well too. I can't personally vouch for any others.

BTW - My Ryobi cordless tools remain my go to cordless platform but I've recently bought the Makita cordless router. I'm also happy with the additional cordless options.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Additionally, I also had one of the Kreg jigs for my skilsaw. There really is no comparison between that and a track saw. The track saw is an entirely different level tool and much much better for woodworking.