Track saws.

[conny]

In the market for a decent track saw to supplement my old circular saw.
Budget up to about £200. Use for DIY only but would like one with a good track length(s) that doesn't take up too much storage space and has things like plunge capability and anti-kick back features. Oh and dust extraction port.

 

[ETAF]

you may want to look at this review of track saws

and this video which compares Aldi v Lidl versions

Although they are not often available , but at least you can see what you may get at screwfix/toolstation

 

[blup]

This has scribing function, extraction and anti kickback:

Erbauer ERB690CSW 185mm Electric Plunge Saw 240V | Plunge Saws | Screwfix.com

Peter Millard compares budget saws to Festool in this video:

Festool vs Cheap tool: Tracksaw Part 1 #071 - YouTube

Blup

 

[Deleted member 174758]

A scoring function isn't that necessary - you can reproduce it easily with any plunge saw so long as you use a pair of rail clamps. All you need to do is make a backwards 1 to 2mm deep cut from the far end of the work to the beginning, then reset to the required depth, plunge to full depth and make your cut. So not having the facility is more of a minor inconvenience, rather than a deal breaker I'd say (unless every cut you make is a crosscut in splintery plywood or MFC/Contiboard), and even without using a scoring facility a rail saw will still give a better quality cut (on the rail side) than a non-rail saw.

As a matter of interest, OP, why the comment about anti-kickback? Are you intending to do a lot of work with solid wood? If so look for a saw with a riving knife, otherwise, for sheet materials kick-back control is more a case of using a sharp blade of the right type, running the saw up to full speed before plunging in, and using a firm two-handed grip than about anything else

 

[Diver Fred]

A pair of rail clamps are well worth the money spent.

Do spend time watching Peter Millard's advice on Tracksaws before you buy. Tracks are not cheap but with care you make up long ones yourself.

 

[conny]

@JobAndKnock, not really planning on using it for anything specific at the moment. I just watched a couple of videos about them and they seem to complain if the saw didn't have the anti-kick back function. The main attraction for me is the ability to cut very straight cuts, especially ones where the side guide on my circular saw isn't long enough.
Track saw came to mind because I had a small windfall recently and don't want to find myself just 'dribbling' it away on lots of small stuff I don't actually need.

Thanks for the replies guys. I will continue to mull it over and follow your suggestions.

 

[Notch7]

@JobAndKnock, not really planning on using it for anything specific at the moment. I just watched a couple of videos about them and they seem to complain if the saw didn't have the anti-kick back function. The main attraction for me is the ability to cut very straight cuts, especially ones where the side guide on my circular saw isn't long enough.
Track saw came to mind because I had a small windfall recently and don't want to find myself just 'dribbling' it away on lots of small stuff I don't actually need.

Thanks for the replies guys. I will continue to mull it over and follow your suggestions.

track daws are fantastic - you won’t regret it if you do any amount of sheet material work.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I agree, track daws are fantastic

Even track saws are pretty good. If you want to make up a "box" (and cabinets are fundamentally a series of boxes) they make things so much easier. I'd be loathe to give mine up

 

[blup]

A scoring function isn't that necessary - you can reproduce it easily with any plunge saw so long as you use a pair of rail clamps. All you need to do is make a backwards 1 to 2mm deep cut from the far end of the work to the beginning, then reset to the required depth, plunge to full depth and make your cut.

I think scribe can mean to make a scratch line as well as to copy.

The Erbauer instructions refer to:

"SETTING SCRIBE MODE Scribe mode locks the depth of cut at 2.5mm. An initial scribe cut helps to prevent friction on the blade, particularly when deep plunge cuts are required. It is also useful for the initial cut on veneered or melamine laminates. • Rotate the mode selector (18) to scribe position . (Refer to “Mode selection” section) • The plunge depth is now locked so that the blade cannot be plunged deeper than 2.5mm"

Presumably drawing the saw back while scoring/scribing reduces breakout. It might also explain why many (professional) youtube carpenters appear to draw the blade back across the top surface of the wood whilst making the initial cut on a sliding mitre saw.

Blup

 

[conny]

Ok I'm convinced, (especially since one of the builders in work today has asked if I can 'dump' 6 sheets of 8' x 4' x 12mm MDF before the skip is collected on Friday).
Decided to go with this one.

Scheppach PL55-P2 160mm Electric Plunge Saw 240V | Plunge Saws | Screwfix.com

Seems to fit the bill for what I anticipate needing in the future and as a DIYer, and not a professional, I think it's amount of use justifies the price. Pointless paying £500+ for a pro model.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Blup, the contra rotating blade in front of the main blade of a sliding carraige panel saw such as an Altendorf or Martin, is called a scoring blade, not a scribing blade.

The joining cut you make where a flat panel meets a wall and needs to be cut to follow the contours of the brickwork is called a scribing or scribed cut and is often made with a coping saw (which is why Americans often refer to these as "coped cuts") or a jigsaw. Google "scribing tools" and you'll find tools designed to mark out such joints accurately

These are the definitions you'll find in training manuals. Unfortunately the technical authors who write manuals for power tool makers are rarely, if ever, trained joiners or cabinetmakers, so incorrect terminology like this (and "dado" where in English English the real term is either "housing" or "trench") have begun to creep in.

 

[conny]

I've always referred to a slot in timber, especially across a board, as a housing never a trench. To me a dado is a decorative length of timber around a wall at about waist height, a cornice at ceiling height and a scribing as a mark or cut that follows a contour.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I believe the word trench derives from the trenching head used to produce it. You are right, though, I was taught to use the term "housing", as in "stair housing"

 

[conny]

Saw turned up today and very pleased with first results.

Set a piece of 9mm ply up and drew a thick pencil line. Used my circular, with the side guard, to cut along the outer edge of the line and found it had wavered away from the pencil line fractionally.
Drew another line and used the track saw. Perfect cut straight along the edge of the pencil line.

 

[opps]

anti-kick back features.

I have one of the old Festool plunge saws. It had a fixed riving knife to reduce the risk of kick back. I only ever use it for sheet materials. One day I had to do some plunge cuts in the middle of a worktop. I took the knife off and have never bothered putting it back. The blade has an electronic brake so even if the blade get "trapped" it is less of an issue.

AFAIK, the newer Festool saws have knives that retract when doing plunge cuts. I have never used any <edit- other> brands so I don't know if they do.

With regards to accuracy- my guide rails are the older ones that only use one connecting bar when using two shorter rails. They are far from perfect. I ended up buying a single rail long enough to cut an 8ft length.

If it is available as an optional extra, I would recommend buying a "hose deflector". It prevents the ribbed extractor hose from snagging on the end of the guide rail as you push the saw. You may also want to use tape/etc to cover the hole where the blade changing screw is to improve dust extraction. Oh, and as JobAndKnock says, the dedicated clamps are invaluable, especially when cutting thicker boards such as worktops.