Rated 4.4 stars out of 5 overall based on 1,700+ reviews on Amazon
Rip, crosscut, and make angled cuts up to 50" long in plywood, MDF, and panels
About this store:
Amazon return policy: For the 2021 holiday season, returnable items purchased between October 1 and December 31 can be returned until January 31, 2022
Rockler return policy: If for any reason you are not satisfied with the merchandise you ordered, just return it within 90 days to receive a refund in the manner of original payment for merchandise only.
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Rated 4.4 stars out of 5 overall based on 1,700+ reviews on Amazon
Rip, crosscut, and make angled cuts up to 50" long in plywood, MDF, and panels
About this store:
Amazon return policy: For the 2021 holiday season, returnable items purchased between October 1 and December 31 can be returned until January 31, 2022
Rockler return policy: If for any reason you are not satisfied with the merchandise you ordered, just return it within 90 days to receive a refund in the manner of original payment for merchandise only.
I recall Tommy Silva on TOH showing how to make your own straight edge with two glued pieces of plywood, so one side is for left side guide and the other for right side guide of your saw. I think it's on TOH YouTube.
I broke down and bought one of these a couple years ago when I decided to make a couple cabinets for my house. I'll admit I'm not a cabinet maker, but I'm not someone that accepts shitty work on their home either (and custom cabinets = $$$$$$). I'm also an engineer FWIW.
I knew making long crosscuts in the plywood (the skeleton of the cabinet basically) would be difficult without some sort of guide, so I bought this, knowing that while I needed good cuts, I didn't want to spend multiples $$$ to get a "better" saw combo (true track saw).
If you pay attention to the setup, it goes a long way to making this true - like using a straight edge to align the tracks and not just end-butting the pieces of aluminum together and assuming it's square (hint: it won't be). Also, I don't take them apart now that they are true - the setup doesn't take up that much more space this way.
Second, get a good saw - not a HF special. I actually bought a few items specifically for the cabinet projects - this track, a good circular saw, and an RO sander.
Lastly, I made all my cuts on the floor using a couple pieces of 2" EPS (foam board) as a support. MAN that makes it all SO MUCH easier without worrying about supporting workpieces or farking up the blade. Also, the bottom of this track is rubber, so while it doesn't tend to move, I blew off the workpiece and the bottom of the track on every cut (sawdust) as well as put some weight on the track when I had it lined up. If I were making more cabinets or other projects I might invest in some clamps.
Will this replace a real track saw? No, but it doesn't cost as much as a real track saw either, and I'd say the quality of cut is identical.
The largest benefit is speed. There is less setup between cuts. You don't have to figure out your offset line when lining up the edge clamp. Once you got it all dialed in, you just line up the rail with where you want the cut and go. You will want to keep the circular saw in the jig to avoid recalibration. There is a sacrificial piece of plastic that gets cut into when you do the setup. The rail is held in place by friction with rubbery pads vs being clamped to the surface. They always stayed in place for me. I mainly used it for cutting sheet goods. I prefer the table saw or miter if possible.
I have this. I just used it with my makita hypoid saw. Takes maybe 2 minutes to mount the sled to the saw. I ripped down 20 4x8x.7" plywood panels in half, lengthwise. Easy one hand cuts. Took me about 2 minutes per panel to set up and rip. Only had one bad cut b/c i tried to go a little too fast and my blade was getting a little dull. I would recommend it if you dont want to invest in a proper track saw
This thing sucks for what it is, there are SO many ways to skin this cat that are either cheaper or better. Hell, in a pinch I will joint a 2X4 and use that if I need to make an 8ft cut and don't have anyone to help guide it on the table saw.
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I owned this but ended up returning it. Setup was easy enough and it was nice for cutting straight lines without figuring offset. The issue with it is the flex. There is a slight 1/32-1/16 sway each way while cutting. It would make a straight, wobbly edge cut.
I used it with a Hitachi circ saw that's decently heavy, but being made out of plastic allows you much flex.
I've used this to build my first ever wood project this summer. Never use a circular saw before the project. This kreg is beginner friendly, and works well. It doesn't slide if you keep the bottom clean and free of dust. Does straight cuts, no angle cuts. Would recommend.
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I owned this but ended up returning it. Setup was easy enough and it was nice for cutting straight lines without figuring offset. The issue with it is the flex. There is a slight 1/32-1/16 sway each way while cutting. It would make a straight, wobbly edge cut.
I used it with a Hitachi circ saw that's decently heavy, but being made out of plastic allows you much flex.
A home owner here trying to be handy. Was thinking about getting a table saw so I could rip. Safety was/is a concern. A track saw could be a good compromise for me. Thanks OP
A home owner here trying to be handy. Was thinking about getting a table saw so I could rip. Safety was/is a concern. A track saw could be a good compromise for me. Thanks OP
It really depends on how much you need to saw and to what precision. I've been very successful with just using a circular saw with taking my time. I did use this product to help and was happy with the results.
Honest question here from an amateur: you have to make your two marks to line this up. But without this gadget, I do that anyway, and simply use my $15 metal straight edge and a pencil to mark a line between the marks. Then I just do the circular saw myself carefully. Is this that big of an improvement?
I was going to say that at $70, maybe it would just make as much sense to spend a bit more and get a full WEN track saw, if the recommended route with this is to leave a saw dedicated to it/on it. Since at least that way you end up with a plunge saw, if you're going to end up with a saw dedicated to it either way (granted, who doesn't have a corded circular saw or two sitting around?)
But apparently WEN no longer sells the combined track and saw that they originally did for so cheap, now you have to buy them separately for what ends up being notably more. Not that the original ones were amazing, they're no festool, but they were still a steal for what you got at the price they were (especially after some basic mods).
Still might be a route worth at least considering versus this (if doing so, pay attention to which compatible tracks for the newer models), if wanting more than just a simple edge guide. I will say that even now that i finally have a table saw, the track saw still gets a lot of use, especially for cross cutting sheet material: whether this or something else, the general concept is a sound investment. I can cut a "fairly" straight line free hand if I go slow, but the track saw is much faster and gets perfectly straight cuts, and ridiculously easy to align precisely. This seems a little weirdly intermediate between just a basic edge guide/clamp and a track saw, but I guess there's no longer any ridiculously cheap options there, so maybe it's worth it if you have a spare saw sitting around and don't need plunge cuts for anything.
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Bought this awhile back for $35. The instructions for setup aren't the best. I could never get the sled you clamp on to the saw to ever connect securely to my Dewalt 20V 6 1/2" saw. Even if you do, it only clamps to the front of your saw and not the back, and when traveling on the rail there is some slop. Overall you're better off with a straight edge.
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Updated: Found it, you lucky dogs...
https://youtu.be/qIeIZdrbz-Y
Add a rubber backing and you are golden...
I knew making long crosscuts in the plywood (the skeleton of the cabinet basically) would be difficult without some sort of guide, so I bought this, knowing that while I needed good cuts, I didn't want to spend multiples $$$ to get a "better" saw combo (true track saw).
If you pay attention to the setup, it goes a long way to making this true - like using a straight edge to align the tracks and not just end-butting the pieces of aluminum together and assuming it's square (hint: it won't be). Also, I don't take them apart now that they are true - the setup doesn't take up that much more space this way.
Second, get a good saw - not a HF special. I actually bought a few items specifically for the cabinet projects - this track, a good circular saw, and an RO sander.
Lastly, I made all my cuts on the floor using a couple pieces of 2" EPS (foam board) as a support. MAN that makes it all SO MUCH easier without worrying about supporting workpieces or farking up the blade. Also, the bottom of this track is rubber, so while it doesn't tend to move, I blew off the workpiece and the bottom of the track on every cut (sawdust) as well as put some weight on the track when I had it lined up. If I were making more cabinets or other projects I might invest in some clamps.
Will this replace a real track saw? No, but it doesn't cost as much as a real track saw either, and I'd say the quality of cut is identical.
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I used it with a Hitachi circ saw that's decently heavy, but being made out of plastic allows you much flex.
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I used it with a Hitachi circ saw that's decently heavy, but being made out of plastic allows you much flex.
lots of bad reviews.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qpUKiv
But apparently WEN no longer sells the combined track and saw that they originally did for so cheap, now you have to buy them separately for what ends up being notably more. Not that the original ones were amazing, they're no festool, but they were still a steal for what you got at the price they were (especially after some basic mods).
Still might be a route worth at least considering versus this (if doing so, pay attention to which compatible tracks for the newer models), if wanting more than just a simple edge guide. I will say that even now that i finally have a table saw, the track saw still gets a lot of use, especially for cross cutting sheet material: whether this or something else, the general concept is a sound investment. I can cut a "fairly" straight line free hand if I go slow, but the track saw is much faster and gets perfectly straight cuts, and ridiculously easy to align precisely. This seems a little weirdly intermediate between just a basic edge guide/clamp and a track saw, but I guess there's no longer any ridiculously cheap options there, so maybe it's worth it if you have a spare saw sitting around and don't need plunge cuts for anything.
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Join The Conversation
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