An affordable alternative to traditional track saw just got cheaper. It has pretty positive reviews:
CamelCamelCamel.
Supposedly it’s a universal system. But some reviews mentioned that the battery of some cordless saws might interfere with one of the clamps. If it happens, the saw can’t drop all the way, limiting cutting depth. Personally, I have multiple circular saws. Surely one of them must fit.
It showed $165.62 for me. Looks impressive so I bought one. Supposedly only 4 left in stock now, so be quick.
At the time of posting, it was local shipping, arriving by Father’s Day. Now, it shows international shipping with a new price, arriving mid September though.
Not sure how plastic is better than metal, and Kreg doesn’t include the clamps needed to hold it in place.
Build Quality and Durability:
Kreg Accu-Cut: The Kreg system is known for high build quality, with durable materials and a robust design. The track and sled are built to withstand frequent use without losing precision.
Milescraft 1409 Track Saw Guide: The Milescraft system is functional, but some users report that the materials feel lighter or less durable compared to Kreg. Better suited for occasional or light-duty use.
Ease of Setup and Use:
Kreg Accu-Cut: The Kreg system is user-friendly, with straightforward assembly and minimal adjustment required. It’s designed to be intuitive for beginners and professionals alike.
Milescraft 1409 Track Saw Guide: The Milescraft guide is also relatively easy to set up but involves additional steps, like clamping the track securely. It’s a more basic system, which might take slightly longer to adjust for different cuts.
I always wanted to buy one this , but then I made this one instead.
Is the kreg designed to be used without clamps? How does it not move about?
@mskeggs: Every time I've seen my chippy work neighbor use a track saw it's been without clamps. Its yellow though, looks DeWaltish, not Kreggy blue. IMO having to use clamps would make the whole experience a PITA - might as well just clamp down a metal bar as a guide.
@fantombloo: Using a metal bar as a guide is much slower than using a track saw. You have to judge exactly how far to clamp it from the cut line. With a track saw you just butt it up to the cut line, clamp (or not) and cut.
@mskeggs: If you don't want it to move/slide, a trick is to stick something like this to the bottom of it
Generally the weight of whatever the track is can keep it in place so heavier tracks are better for the gravity grip method (like the youtube hack the poster you're replying to showed).
I don't have a good use case right now for a track saw (circular saw + table saw fine) but if i wanted to work with larger sheets of wood I'd rig up the same youtube thing with some spare laminate flooring or whatever
@eddyah: That anti-slip tape is designed to stop people walking on it from slipping. It has a rough but quite firm surface and could actually decrease the friction between the track and any timber it was placed on. I'm sure Clark Rubber (usually 50 metres from Officeworks for some reason) would have some thin rubber that could stick to the base for the job.
@banana365: Wow next time I use my detail sander i'll tell myself i'm an idiot for thinking sandpaper has more grip than timber on timber.
@eddyah: Tell yourself whatever makes you feel happy but that's not sandpaper. I've got that exact tape on the edge of a step. It relies on the conformance of the soles of shoes for the grip. If you place a bit of plywood on it then stand on the plywood you'll have less grip than without.
I've got loads of the tape left, if I've time/motivation tomorrow I might check the difference in friction on a sheet of plywood. Happy to admit I'm wrong if it shows I am.
I watched the video. Great skills and care. I think I'm better off buying one.
@freesteakknives: The guy in the video made it worth more care than was needed. I've made them a couple of times over the years and the last one took me maybe 5 minutes to make with my circular saw. Cut off the straight factory edge from the sheet of plywood, cut off another strip that's wider than the first strip by about the width of your base plate, screw/nail/glue the factory edge piece above the wider piece, place your saw on the wider piece and cut it off with the base plate butted up to the factory edge. One cheap and pretty accurate saw guide and the only power tool you need is the one you're making it for.
I don't have either one but I checked out the differences a while ago.
The Kreg system is good in that you can take your saw on and off the guide without having to set up each time. However, I have seen people complain about "the slop" - too much gap between the guide and the rails - and the suggestion is to use some thin ultra low friction tape to reduce it.
The Milescraft is more solid (metal vs plastic) and include clamps for the track but it takes a bit longer to set up each time if you take your saw off the guide to use it for something else.
I have the Kreg and love it, in fact been using it today.
Is so simple to use i find i dont bother getti g out my table saw anymore since getting it too
Was i the only one that originally saw this as minecraft saw? 🤣
Half the people attracted to track saw guides probably don’t know what Minecraft is. :)
The first video was great to watch. I’m glad to see someone whose not an old American guy with the most kitted out workshop ever, reviewing this. But he had enough kit to sound like he knew what he was talking about. South African, bit different. I’m fairly sold on this, I only have an old rusty Triton workbench from my dad that’s missing all accessories, and though I use it, it’s not great. Bad memories from the time I managed to lug a 19mm thick 2.4x1.2m MDF onto it and got it to cut somewhat straight. This guide rail unit could be good for doing my next one.
But one of the YouTube comments says they bought an extension to it and it’s not even when it’s put together so the sliding bit (sleigh/cart/whatever it’s called) has a rough time moving from one rail to another. I’d be keen to get an extension too, for the 2.4m cuts.
Edit: Bought. I also got the extender, which was $170 or so by itself. But I need it for the bigger sheets of timber. This system reviews very well. I'm, however, not sure if it can do bevelled (angled) cuts, I doubt it though.
Thanks. What's a good saw to match?