Circular Saw Vs Track Saw

[Sachakins]

Used my erabaur tracksaw today to make a freestanding internal storage unit for a wardrobe from 18mm MFC, carefully marked out sizes and cut with tracksaw, 8 shelves, 2 sides and a back, don't need any other trimming or adjustments. Perfect square parallel cuts ready to assemble straight off the tracksaw,nota scratch in sight.

 

[Spectric]

What method of joining do you use ?

 

[TomGW]

I have both a Lidl (Parkside) track saw and a Festool TS55 - both use the same type tracks. While the Festool is certainly a better quality machine, the Parkside saw (fitted with a decent Freud blade) performs just as well. Available in our local Lidl just last week at £79.99 with two 700mm rails. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

 

[Sachakins]

What method of joining do you use ?

Butt joints and coarse thread screws, prefer Confirmat Screws when I have them

 

[Spectric]

I like that you have made something using basic joinery without the need for any fancy tooling like doweling jigs, Domino or Lamello which shows people getting into woodworking that you can make stuff with a basic range of tools and do not need to spend a fortune. Maybe the only advantage to more expensive jointing is with durability but if something meets your requirements then that is success.

 

[Blister]

I would say track saw , I love my Festool . I have 2 tracks that can be joined together , You can then process 8 x 4 sheets .

 

[sammy.se]

I have both a Lidl (Parkside) track saw and a Festool TS55 - both use the same type tracks. While the Festool is certainly a better quality machine, the Parkside saw (fitted with a decent Freud blade) performs just as well. Available in our local Lidl just last week at £79.99 with two 700mm rails. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

There are some instructions online about how to perfectly calibrate the Festool tracksaw, specifically the Toe in / out, using a piece of paper. Great thing is, the Parkside (Lidl) has the same calibration mechanism. I followed the Festool guide, and had my Lidl making perfectly glue ready joints. It's a great bit of kit when you put a decent blade it (the blade it comes with is great for breaking down materials, but not so good for quality cuts on boards like veneered Ply/MDF) .

I will saw that my Dewalt cuts through wood much more easily - so I guess the trade off is power.

 

[sammy.se]

Since i Have tips on the brain: A great way to clean your saw blades is to use a clothes washing liqui-tab thingy. I put my blade in a shallow container (plastic usually) and break in a couple of liquitabs so that the blade is covered. I sometimes add a bit of water if the liquid is too thick. leave it for 24-48 hours submerged, then I wash off with a toothbrush. All the resin, etc comes right off. Easy peasy.

 

[BearTricks]

Used my erabaur tracksaw today to make a freestanding internal storage unit for a wardrobe from 18mm MFC, carefully marked out sizes and cut with tracksaw, 8 shelves, 2 sides and a back, don't need any other trimming or adjustments. Perfect square parallel cuts ready to assemble straight off the tracksaw,nota scratch in sight.

Do you have problems with the back end of the Erbauer jumping out of the track? I’m only cutting stuff roughly at the moment but it keeps jumping out and not sure what I’ve done wrong.

 

[Sachakins]

Do you have problems with the back end of the Erbauer jumping out of the track? I’m only cutting stuff roughly at the moment but it keeps jumping out and not sure what I’ve done wrong.

Never had fhat problem.
Have you adjusted the cam screws on the base so saw is a snug fit in the track?
Make sure you are pushing evenly and square to the blade, if you are pushing at an angle and forcing the cut too much that could be a problem.

 

[Blister]

Also make sure you give the saw time to cut with the correct blade , Big enough gullets for MFC and is sharp , Don't force it by pushing to hard.

 

[themack]

I had the same decision making progress a while ago as I was fed up with my Makita 110 Volt circular saw due to power converter. So I wanted something 230 Volt. I have decided on a tracksaw, bought the Makita one, but a friend has the Erbauer one and it looks good too. I am not regretting it, it's precise and is less heavy than my circular.

 

[sammy.se]

Check your saw for the toe settings. If it’s jumping out the track the blade might not be parallel to the track

 

[ShavedSpoke]

Is a track saw better than a circ with a straightedge? Yes, and no. IMO, it very much depends on what you are trying to build, and how regularly you want to use it.

If you are ripping up sheet goods for rough work, then a track saw is pretty simple to drop on your marks and fire, but ultimately that's only a bit of a time-saver, and easier than having to deal with offsets for the circular saw.

If you want repeatable, precise, square cuts, then the track saw can also make things easier when you use it in conjunction with a crosscut jig, parallel guides, or an MFT setup. But you can also build yourself a crosscut jig for the circlular saw, and while the MFT gives a little more flexibility, if you don't use it a lot, then it may not be worth it.

Personally, I found my MFT setup more of a pain because I was often wanting to cut panels for cabinets and the max hole spacing wasn't big enough to set up dogs to support the work and square the track. So then you end up wanting a fence, rail hinge, and front fixing. And then you have all this stuff stuck to your bench that either gets in the way, or you have to keep removing and re-attaching and getting perfectly square again.... If you have a permanent shop setup with space for bench, assembly table, etc, etc, like Peter Parfitt or Peter Millard, then that's ideal, but I personally find it way easier to use a contractor table saw. I now only use the tracksaw for breaking down or cutting things like 45˚ on the MFT.

 

[Ed Weber]

I can remember one of my first carpentry jobs, back in the late 1980's. When we were cutting plywood for flooring we did this thing where we marked a line and then used a circular saw and cut at the line.
Tools required, circular saw, straight edge and pencil

Little did I know that in the future, I would need a special saw, and track for said saw, usually with a proprietary blade as well. All for the low, low cost of anywhere between $100 to $1,000.
I'm so glad things have gotten better, now I don't need the straight edge and pencil.

I don't know why people today think they need to get dead on perfect results with sheet goods. 99% of the time, the edge of the sheet is covered with some type of trim or moulding. A fraction of a mm variance, isn't going to make a difference one way or another in most cases.

 

[Spectric]

I don't know why people today think they need to get dead on perfect results with sheet goods. 99% of the time, the edge of the sheet is covered with some type of trim or moulding. A fraction of a mm variance, isn't going to make a difference one way or another in most cases.

Maybe they are after the same results that the mass producers get using CNC . If butting two sides together for a corner it needs to be a good clean cut unless you use a panel and frame technique where the panels could be out of kilt but never be seen.

 

[John Brown]

I can remember one of my first carpentry jobs, back in the late 1980's. When we were cutting plywood for flooring we did this thing where we marked a line and then used a circular saw and cut at the line.
Tools required, circular saw, straight edge and pencil

Little did I know that in the future, I would need a special saw, and track for said saw, usually with a proprietary blade as well. All for the low, low cost of anywhere between $100 to $1,000.
I'm so glad things have gotten better, now I don't need the straight edge and pencil.

I don't know why people today think they need to get dead on perfect results with sheet goods. 99% of the time, the edge of the sheet is covered with some type of trim or moulding. A fraction of a mm variance, isn't going to make a difference one way or another in most cases.

Circular saw? We just used an axe. What's with all this power tool nonsense?