Skil circular saw with Guide Rail System - opinions please

[furythings]

what do you guys reckon to this bundle here http://www.toolstop.co.uk/skil-5064...84mm-blade-240v-with-guide-rail-system-p16623

Is it worth it? it's mainly going to be for cutting up some 2440*1220 sheets of mdf for some desks / storage I'm making and then just general diy.

 

[Alarm]

Looks fine, just remember to cut the MDF outside and wear a mask.

Also use a good blade.

MDF can be treated much like a fine grained hardwood. Its high glue content means that steel cutting tools will dull VERY quickly; thus the use of carbide tools is highly recommended. Always keep your tools sharp for efficiency and safety.

The following recommendations are from the The National Particleboard Association publication:

For general shop or table saw use with decent cut and good blade life, a 50 tooth, 10 inch combination blade may be used.
For those demanding a better cut, consider a 60 tooth, 10 inch blade with alternate top bevel (ATB) teeth at 15 degrees, 10 degree positive hook, 5 degree side clearance, 10 degree outside diameter clearance, and low approach angle (blade projecting no more than 0.5 inch through top of material).
For an even smoother cut, consider an 80 tooth, 10 inch blade with 15 degree ATB, 10 degree alternate face bevel, 15 degree positive hook, and 7 degrees side clearance. This is costlier and may result in a shorter blade life.

 

[big-all]

i have a dewalt plunge saw its brilliant but with track its 4 times your price

would suggest you forget the track system the guide fence will serve you well
cut a 10" strip off the first 12mm board full length for the long strait edge
and 6" for the short edge from another board
the reason for 6" is to allow a clamp to hold the strait edge and not foul the motor housing

 

[rojaca]

I've had my skil circular for approx 10 yrs now and no problems at all. the clamps look a bit poney on the picture but for £80 if you get a couple of years good use you can't really grumble.

 

[opps]

I wouldn't expect the guide rail to be particularly good. When I got my first Festool plunge saw the unit came with two 1.2m rails and connector.

Although Festool are high end, I was not happy with the straightness of 2.4m cuts and promptly handed over £200 for a full length guide rail.

Given your budget I would go with Big-Al's suggestion and make your own fences.

Perhaps go for a cheaper skill saw and then buy a belt sander for cleaning up the cuts.

Or even better, buy a dust extractor to connect to the saw whilst cutting.

Alternatively, and possibly a better option- find a timber merchant that pre-cuts the mdf to a high standard. A cabinet maker, whose units I used to paint, decided to sell his wall saw and workshop once he found a decent merchant that was 0.5mm accurate. His margins went up massively. You could then spend the money on a decent jigsaw for scribing...