Milwaukee Cordless Track Saw

[Matt Day]

I’ve had a few track saws. The Menards version is trash - poor design. Festool is great, I have the 55 and 75.

But the real deal from a cost standpoint is the Wen. The saw, 2 tracks and clamps is like $200. Can’t beat it.put a Freud blade on it and you’re good to go.

[Mark W Pugh]

OK, bringing this thread to life. I can't find any NEGATIVES on the Milwaukee track saw. Anyone have any??? I thought I read somewhere there was a problem with the zero clearance strip coming off. Anyone, anything? Thx.

[Dave Sabo]

you're looking for negatives to why ........................?

All track saws have negatives.

Splinter guards have a penchant for coming off since Festo invented the tools last century - especially if you move them around a lot or live in a hot climate.

Most of them are just fine most of the time and aftermarket strips are available with adhesive that's very sticky. It's not really a valid reason to choose one saw over another given the data is mostly (entirely) anecdotal.

[Pat Germain]

Mrs. Pat got me an 8 foot track for my birthday, but I STILL haven't been able to use my Milwaukee track saw. We've had a lot of snow lately and I don't like to pull Mrs. Pat's Subaru into the snow so I can do woodworking in the garage.

I've read online reviews of the Milwaukee Track saw and I've watched video reviews on YouTube. I think they did a very good job of testing the saw and comparing it to other saws. That's why I chose the Milwaukee.

[Chris Varas]

I will chime in with my thoughts and experiences...

I bought a track saw around 2 years ago. I mostly use it for breaking down sheet goods which I personally don't find to be easily accomplished on the TS (particularly a full sheet of 3/4 material). Before I had the track saw, I used a standard circular saw with a straight edge which works OK but isn't ideal or always the most accurate so what I normally did was cut the pieces slightly oversized and then made the final cuts on the TS. Depending on what I'm doing, I still sometimes do that with the track saw but primarily only when I need multiple pieces cut to the exact same size. Repeatable accurate cuts is where a TS still has a strong advantage.

When I started looking at the saws, I had the same debate re: Cord or Cordless. I knew I would mostly be using it in the shop but I like the idea of being able to use it outside or remotely when/if needed (which I do on occasion). IMO, there isn't really any real downside to going cordless (other than price). I have replaced a lot of my power tools with cordless versions and I have to say, I love being cord free when possible. Sure you may still have a dust hose connected but IMO, that's still better then having both. May not be right for everybody but I'm happy with that decision.

I am fully vested in the Milwaukee M12/M18 battery system but this was before Milwaukee had released their track saw (and I knew as soon as I bought something else Milwaukee would release one and sure enough, it was about 6 months later when they did! lol). Out of the options at the time, I decided to go with the Makita 18v saw.

Its a very nice saw but I really do like some of the improvements the Milwaukee version has. Mainly the improved depth adjustment but the riving knife as well. Because of that and the fact that I don't like having a second battery system I am seriously considering selling the Makita and picking up the Milwaukee? The tracks are compatible and I have plenty of M18 batteries so I could just get the bare saw and keep the tracks I already have to keep the price down.

The one downside to the Milwaukee (and not fully discussed in the video posted) or mentioned in this thread (that I noticed) has to do with the riving knife. Because of the thickness of the riving knife, you have to use a blade with the appropriate thickness and to my knowledge, none of the aftermarket blades that people typically buy (Freud, CMT, Tenryu, etc.) have a blade that is compatible with the Milwaukee track saw so you are limited to using Milwaukee blades. That is one nice thing about the Makita is that they come with Makita labeled Tenryu blades which are excellent.

I guess long story short, if I didn't already have a saw and wasn't tied into any battery platform (and wanted cordless), either the Makita or Milwaukee are fine choices. Makita comes with a better blade and has more blade choices but the Milwaukee has better adjustments, uses a single battery and has a riving knife but that does limit your blade options. If you are already on the Milwaukee battery platform then the Milwaukee is almost a no brainer IMO. If you want or don't mind a corded saw then the Makita corded is a great value.

[Mark W Pugh]

you're looking for negatives to why ........................?

All track saws have negatives.

Splinter guards have a penchant for coming off since Festo invented the tools last century - especially if you move them around a lot or live in a hot climate.

Most of them are just fine most of the time and aftermarket strips are available with adhesive that's very sticky. It's not really a valid reason to choose one saw over another given the data is mostly (entirely) anecdotal.

You bet all track saws have negatives. However, the splinter guard coming off is big issue. My current track saw set up has a splinter guard that slides in to a slot. It does not rely of something sticky.

Has Milwaukee fixed this yet?

[John Lanciani]

We've had a lot of snow lately and I don't like to pull Mrs. Pat's Subaru into the snow so I can do woodworking in the garage.

As a long time Subaru owner this makes me sad for some reason...

[Jim Becker]

As a long time Subaru owner this makes me sad for some reason...

My Subaru lives outside. I've actually never put a vehicle in a garage for all the years I've been driving (think mid-1970s) other than for the MY20 Forester I was selling to a friend in Florida last year as it waited for her to come pick it up. I needed the space on the drive for my daughter's camper. But my opinion/practice and yours don't matter here...just Mrs Pat's opinion counts because otherwise, Mr Pat would be sleeping in said garage/shop.

[Rick Potter]

A minor point to consider. If you are already invested in one companies battery platform, you can still use them on other companies tools. Adaptors are available on Amazon for most well known brands.

In my case, I have a lot of Makita batteries, and use an adaptor for use on a couple inexpensive Ryobi tools, main one being the 18G brad nailer. Don't use it much and the Makita costs triple what I paid for the Ryobi (tool only) on sale.

[John Lanciani]

My Subaru lives outside. I've actually never put a vehicle in a garage for all the years I've been driving (think mid-1970s) other than for the MY20 Forester I was selling to a friend in Florida last year as it waited for her to come pick it up. I needed the space on the drive for my daughter's camper. But my opinion/practice and yours don't matter here...just Mrs Pat's opinion counts because otherwise, Mr Pat would be sleeping in said garage/shop.

Mine too, it loves the snow. I'd never sacrifice shop time just to keep the car dry.

[Pat Germain]

...just Mrs Pat's opinion counts because otherwise, Mr Pat would be sleeping in said garage/shop.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell. There's some history here. Back in 2016 I had the Mrs. Pat Legacy parked in the driveway because I was working in the garage. We got hit with the Hail Storm From Hell. Golf balls fell from the sky and completely destroyed the Mrs. Pat Subaru. It was a beautiful car; 5 years old and still appeared to be just off the show room floor. Mrs. Pat was devastated. So, I bought her a brand new, turbo Forester and now it's in the garage overnight and when it's snowing.

[Jim Becker]

"House Rules" always prevail, Pat. And, yea, the MY20 Forester Limited that was Professor Dr. SWMBO's had a few dings on the hood from hail when I sold it. Many vehicles today use aluminum for hood skins so the risk is a little higher. Nature of the beast. Unfortunately, PDR is much more difficult on aluminum, too.