Lidl or MacAllister Plunge Saw

[Rorschach]

Yes I have contacted so many and been told that it's not suitable for this rail

Not suitable in what way?

 

[David p marsh]

The reason has never been specifically told to me, and at 80 years old don't have funds to waste tacking chances that it will fit or work

 

[Rorschach]

The reason has never been specifically told to me, and at 80 years old don't have funds to waste tacking chances that it will fit or work

Well there is only one measurement that counts (aside from length needed for your track of course) and that is the thickness of the splinter strip. You have your current strip you can measure and then a quick search will give you the options needed for a replacement strip, I suspect members here could help if needed. I doubt there is more than 1 or 2 thicknesses available anyway, all the tracks are much the same and a tiny difference of a few 10th of a mm will not make any difference to the angle of cut.

The Festool strip is 2.1mm on my track and the parkside is 1.9mm. I suspect the Makita strip is close to that as well, it must be as I am sure that is what @petermillard uses on his tracks (at least that is my recollection from his videos).

 

[David p marsh]

Yes I saw that work shop on changing splinter guards from Amazon the thing I'm not confident about is dose the thickness change the angle of the cutting angle to change the square corner's

 

[Rorschach]

Yes I saw that work shop on changing splinter guards from Amazon the thing I'm not confident about is dose the thickness change the angle of the cutting angle to change the square corner's

Theoretically yes, that's why you want to measure your current strip and get a replacement as close as possible. A few 10th's of a mm though is probably not going to make a measurable difference over the width of a saw track and of course you can adjust your zero point on your track saw anyway. Remember the grip strips are made of squishy foam which moves to some degree as well.

 

[user22161]

bizarrely neither Erbauer or Triton offer spare / replacement blades.

Comprehensive parts list for Triton, including choice of blades, here - Triton TTS1400 Plunge Track Saw Spares Price List (tritontools.uk.com)

 

[Dhenry]

Thanks all. I think I’ll wait eagerly for Peter’s video (they’re brilliant!) before taking the plunge...

 

[John Brown]

Thanks all. I think I’ll wait eagerly for Peter’s video (they’re brilliant!) before taking the plunge...

I saw what you did there...

 

[petermillard]

Comprehensive parts list for Triton, including choice of blades, here - Triton TTS1400 Plunge Track Saw Spares Price List (tritontools.uk.com)

Yes, as I said earlier, the Erbauer is a dead ringer for the *larger* Triton saw, the TTS185; the TTS1400 is the regular saw, like the Titan, MacAllister etc...

 

[phil p]

Hi,

I actually bought the Macallister last weekend and purchased a new Freud blade for it, however I'm not sure whether it's any good?

The instructions say the kerf has to be 2.2 to 3.5 and the Freud is 1.7.

Would it be O.K. to use this?

 

[Rorschach]

Should be fine but you may have to move the splinter strip in order to get a zero clearance cut line.

 

[Gordon Tarling]

You may also find that the arbor won't grip a thinner blade - my Bosch tracksaw certainly won't grip a thin kerf blade. There may be ways to overcome this though.

 

[robgul]

You may also find that the arbor won't grip a thinner blade - my Bosch tracksaw certainly won't grip a thin kerf blade. There may be ways to overcome this though.

A couple of blades I've bought came with a washer/ring to take up any blade thickness variations - IIRC they were from Saxton Blades

 

[phil p]

Thanks Guys,

Daft question on how to fit.

It looks on the Macallister that it spins anti clockwise therefore it cuts the bottom edge first, however that means all the writing on the blade is on the inside of the saw so to speak.

Have I got that right?

 

[Rorschach]

Writing on the blade does not follow any convention, teeth are what you need to use to get the correct orientation.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A couple of blades I've bought came with a washer/ring to take up any blade thickness variations - IIRC they were from Saxton Blades

They're to reduce the bore diameter, surely?

 

[robgul]

They're to reduce the bore diameter, surely?

Actually different washers - one to reduce the bore . . . the other slightly wider in the metal I assumed was to take up thickness (bit like the washer I have for my angle grinder to accept thin(ner) discs)

 

[phil p]

Hi,

Ive had the Lidl version of this tracksaw and for how often I used it I was happy with it until it had an argument with gravity (gravity won) and smashed the outer casing.

It looks as though it's on sale again from next week and thought I would take the plunge again (no pun intended) and buy it, however I noticed Screwfix are selling the MacAllister one for a tenner more, which makes little or no difference.

Any opinions on which one to go for?

Tipping towards the MacAlister one as it does have decent reviews.

Phil

 

[phil p]

Just tried my new Macallister for the first time this morning and have to say I’m really impressed with it.

I did replace the blade with a Freud 40 tooth and judging by the test cuts it was worth replacing as it had no tear out on both ply and MDF.

Two very small points is that it catches ever so slightly where the rails meet however I may have the 2 cams a little too tight so I can work on that and the other is my stupidity is knowing how to place the guide rails to line up a cut to a pencil line……user error on that one so YouTube here I come.

Fantastic value for 80 quid if it’s just for occasional or DIY use.

 

[mikej460]

Peter has since posted his latest comparison vid

Lidl Parkside or Screwfix MacAllister? [video 454] - YouTube