# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  Gotta Love Track Saws

## METRIX

Got the track saw out today as it was such a nice day, used it to cut down a 3.6m slab.
Took 10 seconds to set up, 20 seconds per cut and it was all done, with mm accuracy, what did we do before these were invented.

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## Uncle Bob

> what did we do before these were invented.

  Probably the same as what I still have to do today, use a table saw, or circular saw  :Smilie:

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## ringtail

Very nice. Hope the sapwood hangs on ok.

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## METRIX

> Very nice. Hope the sapwood hangs on ok.

  Tried breaking it off, and it wouldn't budge, this will be for a divider between kitchen and living area.

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## Gaza

Had one for so long I can't remember life with out it   
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## shauck

Don't have one but that'd be nice. How long are the tracks, usually? What's the price (quality too) range?

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## Pitto

a mainstay of my business these days.  they do make life oh so much easier. the cost baulks alot of people, but the cost soon disappears when you realize the cost saving by having such a tool. 
is that 2 tracks joined, or did you buy a longer track?

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## ringtail

> Tried breaking it off, and it wouldn't budge, this will be for a divider between kitchen and living area.

  Sweet as. I need one of those. I seem to be getting more custom cabinet type jobs recently and cutting MDF with a straight edge gets tiresome.

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## OBBob

I want a contractor table saw ... but I am wondering if this would be a better option (especially being a bit tight on space).

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## Gaza

> I want a contractor table saw ... but I am wondering if this would be a better option (especially being a bit tight on space).

  Track saw is more versatile from cutting doors to borders for flooring trimming decks cutting Cfc cladding panels  
But contractor saw is in its own for ripping lengths of timber down  
We take both to site normal plus have panel saw in factory for doing multiple cuts    
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## METRIX

> a mainstay of my business these days.  they do make life oh so much easier. the cost baulks alot of people, but the cost soon disappears when you realize the cost saving by having such a tool. 
> is that 2 tracks joined, or did you buy a longer track?

  Thats a 2.4m (was 3.0m but I cut it down as it was too hard to carry) and kept the 600 for little things, and 1.2m joined

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## METRIX

> Sweet as. I need one of those. I seem to be getting more custom cabinet type jobs recently and cutting MDF with a straight edge gets tiresome.

  Yeah, theae are SOOOOO much easier, just put the marks where you want to cut, line the blue strip to those marks, and cut, no remembering to subtract 31mm or is it 33mm, or 32mm depending on what saw you have then stuffing around with clamps and straightedges. 
Plus the cut these saws give is very close to beibf gressed, just needs a light hand sand, no chipping of melamine boards, the positives far outweigh the higher initial cost, time saved alone is worth it, let alone the finish you get, the ease at which you can achieve the finish as well as accuracy.

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## METRIX

> Don't have one but that'd be nice. How long are the tracks, usually? What's the price (quality too) range?

  The saw is on special at the moment $617, tracks range from around $120 to $500 depending on what length, there is a carry bag which is worth it, I have a 1600, 1100, 800, 600 in the bag, it has a pocket for clamps, joiners angle guide, the Bosch setup is well thought out, you can also do -1deg cuts for tight melamine joins. 
You can get the Makita version but I know somoene who has it, and the cuts are not that good, or you can get the festool version, the tracks for the festool range from $120 to nearly $1000.
I like the joining system Bosch adopted, it is one large flat joiner on top of the track with 4 half turn lockers, the festool uses a fiddly little twin bar system under the track with grub screws, the bosch one can be undone on both sides in about 2 seconds. 
Interstingly you can also use the Makita tracks with the Bosch, When you compare specs the Bosch and festool are almost identical twins, the Bosch has a more powerful motor,  
 Here you can watch a German video comparing 5 tracksaws, the Makita and Dewalt did not pass the German's test, also not sure what the beach and tracksaws have in common !!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFcBOT2UTfU
,

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## Micky013

Go festool for the extra $250 its sooo worth it. A 3.meter something track will set you back just under $600. Not a fan of the joiners myself but i guess its more versatile.   
Keep an eye out online and you can pick up a bargain.

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## Pulse

Aldi had a track saw a few weeks ago, pity I already had a festool, great bit of kit  
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## METRIX

> Go festool for the extra $250 its sooo worth it. A  3.meter something track will set you back just under $600. Not a fan of  the joiners myself but i guess its more versatile.  
>  Keep an eye out online and you can pick up a bargain.

  Not sure about that, I have used my mates Festool, and I can't see the difference between the Bosch and Festool, Tha Makita yes there is a big difference. 
I had the 3m track but cut it down as it was too difficult to carry and store, and the track joining system of the Bosch eats the Festool one for dinner, and makes the need to carry big tracks a thing of the past.

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## METRIX

> Aldi had a track saw a few weeks ago, pity I already had a festool, great bit of kit  
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  Quick Review: Taurus (Aldi) Plunge Saw - YouTube

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## Micky013

I havent used anything other than a festool track saw so i dont have a legitimate rebuttal other than i have a rotex and a vac and they both destroy the competition ( and i have used other brands in both tools ).  
The new plunge saw gets as close as 10 or 12mm to a wall. Granted the track joiners are crap but i think if you can manage with a full length in any brand you'd be better off.

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## ringtail

> Yeah, theae are SOOOOO much easier, just put the marks where you want to cut, line the blue strip to those marks, and cut, no remembering to subtract 31mm or is it 33mm, or 32mm depending on what saw you have then stuffing around with clamps and straightedges.

  Shudder. Or is it 38 or 41 depending which side of the blade one is lining up. :Tongue:

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## shauck

> Shudder. Or is it 38 or 41 depending which side of the blade one is lining up.

  Really messes with my carpentry dyslexia like affliction. Turn the piece upside down and back to front and.....cut where?

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## CraigandKate

I want one, would someone like to buy me one? Christmas is coming up..

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## ringtail

> Really messes with my carpentry dyslexia like affliction. Turn the piece upside down and back to front and.....cut where?

  CNC panel saw will fix that Su. Chuck a full sheet in and out comes all the bits one needs at the click of a mouse.  :Biggrin:

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## shauck

> CNC panel saw will fix that Su. Chuck a full sheet in and out comes all the bits one needs at the click of a mouse.

  easy as

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## Nifty Nev

See Triton 165mm 6.5" Plunge Track Saw Pack TTS1400 on Ebay from around $500. Comes with 2 x 700mm tracks with 2 x work clamps and bag. Saw blade diameter of 165mm - is that a bit small or is that the norm. Anyone able to recommend or review.

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## METRIX

> See Triton 165mm 6.5" Plunge Track Saw Pack TTS1400 on Ebay from around $500. Comes with 2 x 700mm tracks with 2 x work clamps and bag. Saw blade diameter of 165mm - is that a bit small or is that the norm. Anyone able to recommend or review.

  All these saws have small blades, the limiting thing for that Triton would be the tracks, 2 x 700mm is useless, you need to be able to get to about 2.4m somehow to be any use, as it's name suggests it needs tracks to be usefull, convenient and accurate.

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## jimfish

Metrix , do you put these in the nice to have or can't live without column. I used a festool plungesaw and router on tracks on two shadow clad jobs a couple of years ago and they certainly made the job quicker and easier but I'm still not convinced I need to make more room in the tool trailer to fit one in.
Could you live without one ?

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## METRIX

> Metrix , do you put these in the nice to have or can't live without column. I used a festool plungesaw and router on tracks on two shadow clad jobs a couple of years ago and they certainly made the job quicker and easier but I'm still not convinced I need to make more room in the tool trailer to fit one in.
> Could you live without one ?

  I will say No I cannot live without one, not only for the convenience they provide, but the speed at which you can set it up and achieve a perfect cut which you simply cannot achieve with a portable table saw or circular saw, you can trim so fine with these you can almost do away with an electric planer. 
But also for the quality of cut you get with them, no matter what quality blade you put in your circular saw, it still won't match the quality of cut from a good track saw, this probably has more to do with the track than the blade, as the saw cannot move side to side, there's no chance of the back of the blade damaging the cut timber on the way through, the track keeps the blade parallel at all times 
The blade does still play a big part, 48 or 56 teeth in 165mm is quite a high tooth count, they are also a GA (triple chip) negative rake angle blade which gives you basically a chip free cut.
If you do any cutting of larger sheet material this is a must have tool, once you have one you will find many uses for it, and look back at how you did a detailed cut before, and shudder about setting up a straightedge with clamps to try and achieve a good straight cut. 
If you are the type of person who likes to achieve a fine straight cut 1st time with minimal finishing required then this is a must have, but if you don't mind setting up clamps etc and are happy with the mediocre cut from your circ saw and baulk at the price of the saw and tracks, then this is not for you, seriously the saw will more than pay itself back just from the time saved, let alone the quality achieve, which makes the client happy. 
One big area this shines, is trimming bottoms of painted doors, you can trim off whatever you want at whatever angle you require and the saw never touches the surface, therefore you can make one cut and the jobs done apart from a light sand and seal

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## jimfish

Great review and feedback.
Can the saws be set to an angle as down here in Tas we use herline hinges as opposed to butt hinges which I use the electric plane to buzz the back out of the door edge. About a 2 or 3 degree angle would be perfect

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## Gaza

> Great review and feedback.
> Can the saws be set to an angle as down here in Tas we use herline hinges as opposed to butt hinges which I use the electric plane to buzz the back out of the door edge. About a 2 or 3 degree angle would be perfect

  Yep sure can   
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## shauck

So you could build kitchen/cabinetry with these.

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## METRIX

> Great review and feedback.
> Can the saws be set to an angle as down here in Tas we use herline hinges as opposed to butt hinges which I use the electric plane to buzz the back out of the door edge. About a 2 or 3 degree angle would be perfect

  Yes, they will do the traditional 45deg cuts some can go to 47deg, most can also go to -1deg when cutting melamines to get a tight fit.

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## METRIX

> So you could build kitchen/cabinetry with these.

  Sure could, in fact this is what I will be doing today, this job has a kitchen which has had some cabinets made wrong, rather than sending these to a cabinetmakers, I will resize them onsite to suit the requirements.

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## phild01

> So you could build kitchen/cabinetry with these.

   When I saw the track saw result with melamine board I thought the same thing.  The only downside for me is the edging as this needs to be done on a machine, I would not do this manually. 
I find 'cut to size' services so much better as they use computer aided machines to get the most efficient use of the board, plus their accuracy.

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## Gaza

> So you could build kitchen/cabinetry with these.

  Be a long long job to build it but guys on festool forum do then all time there is also tables and guides to do reparative cuts   
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## METRIX

> Be a long long job to build it but guys on festool forum do then all time there is also tables and guides to do reparative cuts   
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  Agree, I would only do modifications to wrong carcass, such as today, I would not build from new (done this once and wouldn't do it again), easier to get someone else to do that with the right machinery.

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## Armers

I want that piece of wood!

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## METRIX

> I want that piece of wood!

  Can't have it, it's mine ALL MINE HA HA HA HA HA HA

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## Armers

Trying to work out what to put on my outdoor table, that'll do!  :Biggrin:

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## METRIX

Below is one I am building for myself, same timber, but cut into 1m long slabs.

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## OBBob

Looks heavy.  :Smilie:

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## METRIX

> Looks heavy.

  Not only looks heavy but it is heavy  :Biggrin:   
I made it to be able to entirely pulled apart, we tend to move houses often and Iv'e learnt these types of things need to come apart easily or they get damaged in the moving process. 
From top and all sides you cannot see any fixings, everything is hidden underneath, it is very strong, but I can tear it down in about 15 minutes, with an impact and a bugle bit.

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## Armers

> Below is one I am building for myself, same timber, but cut into 1m long slabs.

  nooooooooooooooooooo, i want that one too! Lol 
What and where is it from? I have currently got the frame and base built from 50yr old hardwood i stole from the house next door getting demoed, in hindsight i should have grabbed more for the top..

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## METRIX

These are Mackay Cedar slabs, thicknessed to around 35mm, you can get them from timber mills, should be some in Vic who can supply such things.
I like the grain of the Mackay, but you need to cut it outside, and use dust mask protection, as it's a horrible timber to cut, and makes you cough and eyes itch. 
Using it outside, or if inside having good dust extraction sees no such problems when working with it.

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## goldie1

Nice !! what finish are you putting on it ?

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## METRIX

> Nice !! what finish are you putting on it ?

  Using Intergrain Natures TImber Oil, although experienced a problem when using it, initially it was very watery in the can and had the typical slight tanny colour as most oils have. 
I thought I would also re-oil some timber screenwork around my deck, was putting it on and all was good, then all of a sudden the stuff in the can changed from watery transperant to milky thick non transperant in a matter of seconds ??? 
Could not explain that one, obviosly some reaction with something.

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## ChocDog

Hey Metrix, very nice table. Got any pics/details of your joinery method of top to base? Be keen to see, especially if you designed it to easily break down, as I need to do the same soon. (soon = probably within 6 months these days...)

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## hilux_bondy

Hey guys does anyone know if the aeg cement rail saw fits any other brands rails? Aeg apparently failed Australian standards on there rail.    
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## METRIX

Not sure, most brands use the depression in the rail, the Bosch uses a raised part of the rail, but also has the depression on the saw so it can be used on othe brands of tracks.

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## METRIX

> Hey Metrix, very nice table. Got any pics/details of your joinery method of top to base? Be keen to see, especially if you designed it to easily break down, as I need to do the same soon. (soon = probably within 6 months these days...)

  Hey ChocDog 
Below are some pics, everythng is held together with Bugle screws, 50mm, 75mm. 100mm and some heavy duty angle brackets with M10 bolts, the subframe is mitered, and the legs are housed out so the frame sits neatly on them. 
The slabs are screwed through the 3 rails using 100mm bugles - 6 per slab so its easy to take apart (No 1 priority), and it enought to keep them where they should be..

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## ringtail

Very nice indeed Metrix. More rewarding than punching out house frames eh.

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## METRIX

> Very nice indeed Metrix. More rewarding than punching out house frames eh.

  Sure is

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