Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Accessories). This thread is read-only.
What do you guys think of these? I am not talking about the nice ones that come with special nice setups like the Dewalt track saw or Festool, but rather ones that are universal. For example I have a Milwaukee jigsaw & fuel circular saw and they don’t make any tracks that work with either well as far as i have seen. Are any of the ones like these E. Emerson Tool Co. one’s any good?
I saw these and they looked nice for the price & come in variety of sizes. Also looks like they come in different track styles — CLICK HERE – link to a bunch of them
I have them and a track saw I still use them with my router. As long as you check for square before you make your cut they are great and they can be used as a clamp
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’ve got one that I picked up from Lowes last year. I’ve used it quite a bit on plywood and it works quite well. While these are a lot cheaper than a track saw, there are a couple of things that you do have to keep in mind using them.
1. For really long cuts (96″), be careful not to push too hard against the fence or it will distort. I actually took to clamping the middle of the fence to keep it still and moving the clamp when I got close.
2. It takes practice to put enough pressure against the fence to keep the cut straight but not so much that you skew the blade. It’s especially difficult with long cuts or when the angle you have to hold the saw at gets strange.
3. These guides don’t do anything for tear out. Dedicated track saws have anti chip inserts. You’ll need to score the wood in plywood first if this is an issue for you (it was for me even with a really nice Diablo blade if I was crosscutting)
I square up and clamp a piece of right angle aluminum, and its a heck of a lot cheaper, I’ve seen people use steel studs for full sheets of ply
JimboS1ice wrote:
8 hours ago, JimboS1ice said:I square up and clamp a piece of right angle aluminum, and its a heck of a lot cheaper, I’ve seen people use steel studs for full sheets of ply
I never thought about that as an option. For jobsites, I imagine the cheaper the better, since it has a good chance of getting whacked around and damaged.
I’ve actually been eyeballing an EZSmart system for home. A lot cheaper than a SawStop/Reaxx and just about as good for repeat cuts.
I use a drywall square. Just cut the T end shorter with the circular saw you plan to use with it and you can line that up with your mark. Saves a ton of trouble squaring your guide and any errors from measuring 3″ or whatever off of the desired mark.
You can use anything as long as it’s square and true
JimboS1ice wrote:
21 hours ago, JimboS1ice said:I square up and clamp a piece of right angle aluminum, and its a heck of a lot cheaper, I’ve seen people use steel studs for full sheets of ply
We used to use Kindorf (strut) due too its ridgidity and being straight…
JimboS1ice wrote:
21 hours ago, JimboS1ice said:I square up and clamp a piece of right angle aluminum, and its a heck of a lot cheaper, I’ve seen people use steel studs for full sheets of ply
I also use aluminum angle stock.
Before I got my track saw I used a 48″ straight rule clamped down. @khariV brought up a really important point to keep your pressure even. Also, if you do get a track saw eventually, don’t hang the tracks horizontally unless you provide center support. My 118″ got a bow and it took quit a while of reverse placement on a solid surface to straighten it back out.