Was dead set against using a track saw until my buddy let me borrow his for a basement job in Akron

Cut 14 sheets of plywood for shelving in half the time it would have taken me with a circular saw and a straightedge, no chipping at all. Has anyone else had a tool they hated change their mind after actually trying it on a real project?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa_murray24d ago

Hold up @ray356, gotta gently push back on one thing there. You said a cheap circular saw with a clamped straight edge gives you straight enough cuts for cabinets. But here's the catch, a circular saw blade spins in a circle, so if you clamp a straightedge, you still have to account for the offset from the blade to the edge of the saw's base. One slip, one measurement off by a 16th, and your cabinet face is wasted. A track saw locks you into the track with no guessing. I used to be just like you, swearing by my worm drive and a level clamped down, but after fighting with chipout on birch plywood for years, I finally tried a buddy's track saw on a big shelving job. The difference isn't just speed, it's that the cut is perfect every single time without having to remeasure and adjust the straightedge. You just set the track and go, no math, no fuss.

jamie94024d ago

Man, I'm right there with you! I had the EXACT same attitude about track saws for years. I always figured they were just a fancy marketing gimmick and my old circular saw was good enough. Then I helped a buddy on his basement finishing job and he handed me his to try on some long rip cuts. I swear, it was like night and day. I felt stupid for being so stubborn about it for so long.

ray35624d ago

Oh come on, is it really that big of a deal? I mean yeah, a track saw is nice and all but I've been using a cheap circular saw with a straight edge clamped to the plywood for ten years and never had a problem. You just gotta take your time and set it up right. My cuts come out straight enough for cabinets and shelving. Guess I just can't see spending that kind of money when a forty dollar saw does the job fine. Maybe I'm just stubborn but it doesn't seem worth the hassle to switch now.