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Received a new trac saw for fathers day.

2K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  Dan3103 
#1 ·
My lovely wife bought me a Makita trac saw for fathers day.

I was watching a woodworking you-tube video were the guy was using a trac saw. She said you need one of those. I replied I would love to have one but they are not cheap. She asked who made the saw on the video and I told her Festool. I told her if I were to buy one I would most likely go with the Makita as they have good reviews and are more reasonably priced.

I am a little surprised there are not many threads on trac saws here on the forum. I plan on using it mainly to brake down sheet goods, but hope to get a good enough cut were I do not have to re-cut on the TS. It only came with one 55" tac so I will have to purchase another one to be able to rip a full sheet. For now I will try to re-position the saw to finish the rip and see how that works out.
 
#3 ·
Thanks, currently off work for another week and a half, I had carpel tunnel surgery and they also moved a nerve in my elbow. I was willing to go back to work after a week, however the doc put a 5 pound weight restriction on me and HR would not let me return. I go back to the doc in a week and a half and I am pretty sure I should get the OK to return.

I have been able to get a few things done around the house. Started to gut the 3/4 bath upstairs to turn it into a half bath/laundry room. The wife, do to health conditions has a very hard time doing stairs, although I have been doing the laundry she would rather do it. We just moved to our current house in December our other house had a main floor laundry.

Funny thing about HR, I am using my hand much more at home than I would have had I returned to work. First couple weeks were a little tough, I could not pick up the coffee pot with my right hand.

Once I get further along with the project I will be making cabinets to go over the washer/dryer.
 
#4 · (Edited)
You will need this ...

When I owned a Festool track saw I found these at the local tool store. If you want to set your track the same distance from the edge, use this and set it right against the track's edge. I bought two of them which you can set at different lengths without adjusting ... just more convenient. They are always square to the T when adjusted:


 
#5 ·
When I owned a Festool track saw I found these at the local tool store. If you want to set your track the same distance from the edge, use this and set it right against the track's edge. I bought two of them which you can set at different lengths without adjusting ... just more convenient. They are always square to the T when adjusted:


Those are a great idea. Who makes those? I did look at the incra ones online but they were like 169 dollars. I have also checked out a couple videos on how to make a poor mans crosscut table for the saw, seems simple enough.

Dealing with full size sheets is my least favorite thing to do in woodworking. The older I get the less I like it. Need to make a rolling work table just a little lower than the height of my pickup so I can just slide the sheet goods off and break them down on the table.

Do you no longer have the Festool?
 
#8 · (Edited)
Mine are 24" long

I can't seem to find the 24" length either.... :crying2:

Oh crap, just make one. Get a 24" scale or 36" and make a sliding block from wood with a set screw to hold it in place. Even a T track without any numbers, and a locking screw could be set at the desired distance and used to set your track equally at each end. Gotta get a little creative ...
 
#9 ·
Wow does your wife have a twin sister? :D

Just kidding.. It realy is great to have a wife who understands what a joy it is to have quality tools.

Just yesterday the wife told me we need another lathe with a 4,000-5,000 RPM spindle for small diameter work, I was very happy. :)
 
#11 ·
Sounds like you have a also have a very understanding wife also. It is nice to have someone who lets us indulge in our hobbies. The few times she does say something I tell her I could be into fishing and go out and spend $40,000 on a boat and fishing gear.
 
#10 ·
Hi Brokenknee,

I agree...not many folks do write about these here in the states...Though...(??)...we are still stuck with "Imperial Rule" for measuring and pushing material through large floor tools for making things of wood...While the rest of the world uses metric and often puts..."the tool through material"...as it mostly has been with us woodworkers through history...ha,ha.

I think you will love the Makita as your "jump off" tool into the "tracked tool world" in general...a good start and one I recommend to folks that want to try this method without going...all in...for the more expensive. Be warned...these tools are addictive and the difference between the Makita compared to the Festool and Mafell we use daily in our work is absolutely..."night and day," for speed, accuracy and ease of use...No worries though you will still feel like you have just changed the universe in the way you can work wood...

Enjoy...!!! and heal up!!
 
#12 ·
Would have been nice if our forefathers would have stuck with metric.

Most of the reviews I have seen compared the Makita favorably to the Festool. The wood whisperer did a review on you-tube and while he gave the Festool a little better rating he said the Makita performed quite well. The Grizzly on the other hand, you could tell he was not that impressed with.

This is the first "soft" start saw I have owned and the startup does take a little getting use to.
 
#13 ·
My track saw is a Scheppach, which is a twin of the Grizzly model. Identical in every way except for the paint scheme. I even bought a pair of the 55 inch tracks to go with the two 25 inchers that came with the saw. I am using it now to rip some plywood strips from a full sheet.
 
#14 ·
So are you happy with your Scheppach? I did consider the Grizzly but a number of reviews I read mentioned "wobble" in the trac. There was one you-tube video on how to correct it.

My wife has purchased me many fine tools through our 42 years of marriage (this September). However she always ask which brand and model I want.
 
#16 ·
I purchased the Makita a few years ago and really like it. I purchased an additional 52" channel and the adapters to attach two channels together to be able to cut an 8' piece of plywood, but that was a disaster. The ends of the Makita tracks were not square, and the compounding error in the two tracks left me with almost a 1/2" gap in the center of an 8' cut.

I returned the extra 4 foot track and adapters and purchased a Festool 106" track and could not be happier (except when I have to transport the track in my 8' pickup bed!) The Makita saw works fine on the Festool track. You can purchase other Festool accessories that are very worth while for the Festool track, such as the Festool parallel guide, too.

I also purchased two DeWalt clamps for the tracks, they will work in the Festool track just fine, and are cheaper than the Festool clamps.

Congrats on the saw! And on an awesome partner!
 
#17 ·
Just priced the Festool track, $340 for the 106" track. The makita 118" track $210. (Amazon had them for $270) Did they have the longer makita track when you purchased your Festool track? $130 bucks difference seams quite substantial.

I did read in the reviews the joining two sections of the makita track is a problem. The reviews were older and I was hoping that makita would have corrected the problem by now.

I was hoping just to purchase another 55" track to rip down sheet goods to finished size.

Another thing I don't understand is how they can sell a 55" track for $70 but the 118" track cost $210. You would not think it would be over twice as much.
 
#19 ·
To make a long cut with a short track, does anyone after putting the track down, clamp a long straight piece of wood along the track. Then slide the track along the wood guide to finish the cut?

I find ripping a 4 x 8 sheet on the ts is no big deal. With decent outfeed table.
Crosscutting is the only thing I use a guide (shop made) for.
If I did onsite work for people it would be a different story.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I find ripping a 4 x 8 sheet on the ts is no big deal. With decent outfeed table.
Crosscutting is the only thing I use a guide (shop made) for.
If I did onsite work for people it would be a different story.
Well, getting old is a real bummer. Wrestling full size sheets of plywood on the table saw is out of the question for me. Sorry, not a wimp, but reality has sunk in.

Regardless of whether I buy the sheet goods at one of our local big box stores or the hardwood dealer I go to, if I have a cutlist, I will get them to make at least one cut maybe more. That really helps. For example, I was building some cabinets that would sit on a ladder frame. I had the guy cut the sheets into three crosscut pieces at 32" each. Much easier when I got home.

EDIT: This might be a good idea to help keep the track straight for long rips. Make three instead of two. The middle one would be positioned where the two tracks connect.
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/96507

EDIT2: WOW. Lots of good ideas.
https://www.google.com/search?q=diy...M5i7_11tbmsETc4nwvg3RUz&imgrc=VEJvyAZGfvhCNM:
 
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