Plunge Saw/ Track saw

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Rossl1985
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Plunge Saw/ Track saw

Post by Rossl1985 »

hello guys and girls

after some advice on plunge saw/track saw.

i was looking to buy the Makita Plunge Saw but its not in stock at my local dealer and from what they have said Makita are being a bit of pain with shipping things out to them at the moment (slow) so i now need some input on which saw would be worth getting as i have some sheet of MDF, Plywood and some Oak to cut up for a job that i need to get done.

at the moment i have the option of a Dewalt, Bosch, triton, festool, mafell or wait until the makita comes back in stock.

it will spend most of its time cutting MDF sheets, Plywood sheets, veneered Plywood/MDF sheets and some Oak, Maple, Walnut and hardwoods of mainly 20/25mm thick.

any help and guidance would be great

many thanks

Ross
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robgul
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Post by robgul »

As a fairly casual (in the sense of frequency, not cutting!) user of circular saws I bought a Mac Allister plunge/track saw recently from Screwfix for £99 - excellent results (I think it's a rebadge of one of the mainstream brands)

Mainly cutting thicker plywood and some MDF - the one criticism, which applies to most track saws, is the fairly poor dust extraction (connected to a ducted system) - lots of dust squirts out of the aperture on the side where you access the blade bolt - like most people I have an old credit card taped over the gap but it's still pretty dusty

Peter Millard/10 Minute Workshop on YouTube has some useful stuff on track saws
sammy.se
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Post by sammy.se »

Bosch and mafell share the same track
The Makita, festool share the same track.
The DeWalt has a unique track, which lets you cut on either edge.

The Bosch/mafell track system is much better than the others.

So:
My vote is the Bosch/mafell
BUT
If you want the option of adding tracks in future, then the festool.
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Post by fin »

ive had the festool for ermmmm probably the last 7 or 8 years now. good bit of kit.

ive added 12 and 28 tooth blades to mine and have a few of each so they do the sharpening rounds
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Post by Chippo1 »

I have a dewalt , two tracks and two track clamps , works well.
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Post by big-all »

i have the dewalt 18v had it 10 years now brilliant bit off kit loads off tools to fit the batteries
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sammy.se
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Post by sammy.se »

You mention cutting Oak. Are you ripping the oak? The festool has a riving knife. But to be honest, most people have not had kick back problems with the other brands.
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Post by darrenba »

I've had the Makita for over 10 years now. Has been faultless. Would replace in an instant if it broke down, and would consider the Festool too.
Make sure you use the right blade for what you are cutting though.

As been mentioned above, check out Peter Millard's YouTube channel, he has many reviews on track saws
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Post by Desmondo15 »

I bought a Sheppach one cheap for occasional use and it has served very well.
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Post by fin »

sammy.se wrote: Sat Sep 05, 2020 9:12 am You mention cutting Oak. Are you ripping the oak? The festool has a riving knife. But to be honest, most people have not had kick back problems with the other brands.
when i rip with my festool and a low tooth count blade it can kick back but if ya take ya time then it wont. or atleast thats what i found. would only be an issue on initial plunge. only ever does it with low tooth blades. if ya use the 48 it dont do it. although it does struggle and burn the timber... obviously.
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Argyll
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Post by Argyll »

I initially bought the Parkside one last year. I had it a couple of weeks and thought it was poor. I returned it and then bought the Titan from SF. It was okay but still felt it was lacking quality. I returned that and then bought the Makita which I've been very happy with. I have the 1800 track but also the evolution 2800mm track (2 part) which has been excellent. I'd buy the Makita again in a heartbeat but if you can afford the Mafell I'd buy that as it came tops in Skill builders reviews on YouTube. The Festool ran close.

I haven't used the Mafell or Festool but the Makita fits all my needs.

Rossl1985
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Post by Rossl1985 »

i had just come across Peter Millard's YouTube channel the same day i posted this but thanks for the information.

yes ill be ripping oak down and plan to use a low tooth count blade for that to save burning etc.

there seems to be plus points with the Makita or Festool saw for the reason i own other Makita tools which i could then get adaptors to use them on the rails, down side is the Makita is not in stock in either 110 volt or cordless version and after using my cousins Festool TS55 over the weekend, i like it although it does seem to have power issues, it likes to take a rest every 15 mins and id worry about the rail joining method and keeping them lined up with each other. i have seen Festool do make longer rails but at £300 for a 3 meter rail thats not far off the cost of the saw on its own.

the Mafell on the other hand seems to be a good choice although im not sure whats with the scribe cutting (moving the blade over) i understand why on paper it would be good but in practice you end up with a ugly gap in the corners and from the videos ive seen on YouTube of people using it its not a small amount. i guess its not the end of the world due to the fact id just not use it and instead set the plunge to a few mm for making a scribe cut and the complete the cut as normal.

im now drawn to the Mafell saw from what ive seen on online reviews and from forums but in the back of my mind im thinking the Festool could be a bonus for the reason of id be able to make use of the rails for other tools like the router etc to save having a plunge/track saw with its own rail and then spending extra money on another rail system to use for other tools as well as having to store them also.
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Post by big-all »

as it happens i treated myself a couple off years ago to the dewalt 54v and its almost identical to the 18v with only the motor casing and connecting battery housing being different including a variable speed
i still by default use the 18v even thought it needs an adapter and a new battery to work because it chuggs along rather than a supercharged wooooosh :lol:
we are all ------------------still learning
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Post by Razor »

I have the Mafell it's awesome. Far more power then the Festool and the scribe function does work without a huge gap. If it's a glued joint you won't see it

It all depends how often you will use it. Most of the better quality makes are very good
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