Am I doing something wrong here? Track saw and splinter guards

[Filament]

I have the Makita track saw and have had the issue of the splinter guard being trimmed ‘again’ on some cuts subsequent to the initial trimming.
I think in my case I was varying the hold I was using on the saw too much. Since I’ve tried to be more consistent, it seems ok.

Yes, buy once cry once is an adage I tend to stick to myself, but equally we all have to accept that having spent top dollar on tools we have to justify that choice to ourselves and in doing so may only see the price differential as the obvious reason for a problem.

There are plenty who get good results with cheaper tools @petermillard being one. Equally you can buy the top end tool, but without being set up properly or without the requisite skills you still risk bad results.

In lots of cases there are tons of variables. You’ve likely eliminated the track (I’ve even heard of people having similar issues and it turned out to be a slightly twisted Makita rail. When they changed it the problem disappeared) so I’d say, as you have the tool already, try the low or no cost fixes suggested and then if you can, try a better brand of saw (whereabouts are you? A member may be able to help) before buying. If that solves the problem, bite the bullet and upgrade if you can.
If it doesn’t then maybe it’s a technique issue.

Worst thing in the world is paying a lot to solve a problem to find it wasn’t the big ticket item that was at fault (though you still do have a shiny new toy)

 

[phil p]

I started with a Macallister tracksaw, still have it, and bought a virtually new second hand Festool TS55 and to be honest there’s virtually no difference in the quality of cut, however I did upgrade the Macallister blade to a Freud which made a big difference.
On either saw I always check before cutting that I had a really snug, but smooth slide with no play and adjusted the cams to suit before each cut and never had a problem.
No doubt you’ll have checked for anything loose which may be affecting the cut? if so it could pay you to set the saw up yourself just incase it wasn’t set correctly at the factory?
If I remember right there’s a video on YouTube on how to do this.