Thread: Makita track saw

Originally Posted by BobL

I have used a Festool track saw to break up a number of 50mm thick Jarrah slabs and can report not did great job.

curious ...

was the Festool track saw fitted with the standard blade, or the 12 tooth Panther ripping blade? 50 mm Jarrah slabs are a test for any circular saw.

As you know -- fitting a dedicated ripping blade can make a substantial difference to a saw's performance

We had to rip a number of lengths of 45 thick KD Grey Ironbark @ 5.4 long with a standard blade and it did the job fine considering.

Originally Posted by BobL
I have used a Festool track saw to break up a number of 50mm thick Jarrah slabs and can report not did great job.

Originally Posted by ian

curious ...

was the Festool track saw fitted with the standard blade, or the 12 tooth Panther ripping blade? 50 mm Jarrah slabs are a test for any circular saw.

As you know -- fitting a dedicated ripping blade can make a substantial difference to a saw's performance

Sorry about my confusing statement, that "not" should not be there. It did a great job. And yes it was the standard blade.

TSO ship to Aus. I bought the parallel guides when they had an introductory special. They work well. Remember you'll need a guide rail square (or two) as well to use them.

I've cut up plenty of 50mm Ironwood garden sleepers building the workshop floor. All slightly damp. The TS55 with the rip blade just managed. I got fed up and went and got the 75 - it chewed it all up, spat it out, and asked me to take it to the nearest tropical jungle so it could do some real work.

The 55 is my go to for most work though - it's lighter, and takes up less rail at the start and end of the cut. It's also slightly less vicious than the 75 - there's a reason that the 75 comes standard with a track stop!

I always clamp my guide rail to the workpiece. Every time. I just don’t trust friction to keep it in place. One bump with an errant knee or wayward dust hose and your setup is shot. So how do the guys who breakdown boards on foam on the floor secure their guide rails?

Originally Posted by jack620

I always clamp my guide rail to the workpiece. Every time. I just don’t trust friction to keep it in place. One bump with an errant knee or wayward dust hose and your setup is shot. So how do the guys who breakdown boards on foam on the floor secure their guide rails?

Assuming you're starting out with a 2400 x 1200 sheet, you will want to work on the floor with your track saw. However, at this point, I'm simply breaking down large sheets into something more manageable, so accuracy is appreciated but not critical - I tend to slightly oversize the pieces at this point. Thus, I don't clamp. With that said, I find if you keep the rubber grippy stuff at the back of the track as dust free as you can (i.e. it's black and not light grey!), it generally won't move. Yes, I do think ahead to the cut and position things for safety and minimising equipment getting in the way etc, but that's a process I tend to do for any cut with any tool.

That said, these are invariably cuts to break down large sheets into something more manageable. If I'm making final cuts with a track saw, I will clamp - but by then I'm working on much smaller sheets, so I'm working on or at saw horse height, so if they need clamping, there's no issue. Or, I'm putting them through a table saw, and there's no clamping process whatsoever.

I've settled on the following system:

- Makita saw and extractor
- Precision Dogs parallel rail
- TSO rail square
- AusDogs rail dogs and table dogs
- MFT pattern table top from local CNC shop (assuming that can happen in lockdown)
- Bessey hold down with MFT adapter

Originally Posted by snafuspyramid

- MFT pattern table top from local CNC shop (assuming that can happen in lockdown)

That piqued my interest. I see you're in Melbourne too. How much does your local CNC shop charge for a MFT panel?

EDIT: looks to be coming in at a bit under $200 for the table, compared to $275 for the Festool replacement top. So not a huge saving.

I don't really see the point of all the tracks and so on that come with the legit MFT?

Originally Posted by snafuspyramid

EDIT: looks to be coming in at a bit under $200 for the table, compared to $275 for the Festool replacement top. So not a huge saving.

Better than a poke in the eye though. And you're supporting a local business. Price per unit might drop if you buy two. You're bound to need a replacement some time.

True. Also, I got it wrong originally. The fabrication is only $130.

Plus the cost of MDF or HDD which isn't much.

So assuming it's accurate that's a pretty good deal

Originally Posted by snafuspyramid

True. Also, I got it wrong originally. The fabrication is only $130.

Plus the cost of MDF or HDD which isn't much.

So assuming it's accurate that's a pretty good deal

Most CNC's will cut to an accuracy of 0.1mm or better.

Originally Posted by snafuspyramid

I don't really see the point of all the tracks and so on that come with the legit MFT?

They're there to clamp horizontally or vertically, and to add jigs, rail flips (to use as your tracksaw cutting station), mitre gauges and so-on.

Screen Shot 2020-10-07 at 11.45.37.jpg

Easy enough to add T-tracks in the future if you're building your own, or even routing t-slots in hardwood.

t-slots cut.jpg

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

Assuming you're starting out with a 2400 x 1200 sheet, you will want to work on the floor with your track saw. However, at this point, I'm simply breaking down large sheets into something more manageable, so accuracy is appreciated but not critical - I tend to slightly oversize the pieces at this point. Thus, I don't clamp. ....

We have a different philosophy on this point, MM.

While I accept that initial oversizing was a very valid technique when the best available tool was a hand saw or a hand held and hand guided circular saw, I suggest that the world has moved on.

A prime reason for using a track saw is that it can cut straight and accurate every time. Why not use this feature?

Do it right, first time.

Many years ago I watched Chris Vespers cutting dovetails freehand. In his quiet, understated way he went on .... "Opera singers warm up by singing scales; woodworkers also need to warm up. I cut dovetails". He had a box of 'warm up dovetails'. You simply need to develop the skills and the confidence to cut to the line first time. The confidence bit is the hard bit.