rail/track saw options

bleicker · Post by **bleicker** » Tue Aug 09, 2022 6:29 pm

I was looking at an entry level track saw or rail saw (not sure what is the best name) and I was eyeing the Evolution R185CCSX+ as it seems to be a interesting DIY option. The saw cost £90, the 2800mm tracks cost £77, but when I started checking the reviews of the track, it seems to be crap, not accurate. As I'm planning to start doing a lot of DYI and get more into woodwork, I was hoping to get something that is not crap, but also not expensive. Is there something decent around the £150-£250 mark for a saw + track of decent size or should I be aiming at a lot more?

Razor · Post by **Razor** » Tue Aug 09, 2022 6:46 pm

As UHM hasn't done a comparison I will direct you to Peter Millards youtube channel. He has many videos and unbiased reviews of tracksaws and is a very chilled guy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCVPNFeHAQ8

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:01 pm

a true plunge saw will give better results but will cost more the saw you link to dosn't plunge in action

bleicker · Post by **bleicker** » Tue Aug 09, 2022 9:39 pm

Razor wrote: ↑Tue Aug 09, 2022 6:46 pm As UHM hasn't done a comparison I will direct you to Peter Millards youtube channel. He has many videos and unbiased reviews of tracksaws and is a very chilled guy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCVPNFeHAQ8

I've watched lots of his videos now, thanks for pointing it out :)

bleicker · Post by **bleicker** » Tue Aug 09, 2022 9:41 pm

big-all wrote: ↑Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:01 pm a true plunge saw will give better results but will cost more the saw you link to dosn't plunge in action

That is a good point, I'm considering plug saw as an option now. Do you have any recomendations It seems ebauer could be a good option at £160. I would love a festool, but for £450, I guess that my DIY projects would not make justice to it.

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Tue Aug 09, 2022 9:51 pm

i can only speak for for dewalt as thats what i have i have a 15 year old[ish] 18v and the rather more expensive 54v flexvolt battery plunge saws pretty much identical apart from battery and motor so a good design
i dont have a mains one
as an aside the 18v was £100 for saw and £100 for 2 tracks and joiners plus vat and as that was 17.5% may have been even longer lol

fin · Post by **fin** » Wed Aug 10, 2022 5:55 pm

im pretty sure with the erbauer saw..... screwfix certainly dont seem to sell the same sized replacement blade. and when i had a look for a friend of mine that owns one i struggled to find a similar sized blade.

oz0707 · Post by **oz0707** » Wed Aug 10, 2022 6:36 pm

Lad on site has been using the makita 40v rail saw. Not a true plunge saw but its a good bit of kit quite adequate for most tasks but probably out of your budget OP

Argyll · Post by **Argyll** » Wed Aug 10, 2022 7:12 pm

I started with the Parkside I bought on a whim = crap. Then I bought the Triton = crap, then the Evolution which was okay but I took it back (can't recall why). I ended up with the corded Makita which I love. I like the 3mm tranch function which gives a cleaner cut. I have the Evolution track which is compatible split into two which makes I think 3m but I'm not impressed with it. I want to buy the 2800mm Makita track but haven't taken the plunge yet (see what I did there

)

bleicker · Post by **bleicker** » Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:43 am

Argyll wrote: ↑Wed Aug 10, 2022 7:12 pm I started with the Parkside I bought on a whim = crap. Then I bought the Triton = crap, then the Evolution which was okay but I took it back (can't recall why). I ended up with the corded Makita which I love. I like the 3mm tranch function which gives a cleaner cut. I have the Evolution track which is compatible split into two which makes I think 3m but I'm not impressed with it. I want to buy the 2800mm Makita track but haven't taken the plunge yet (see what I did there )

I was checking Makita options, SP6000J/2 at https://ffx.co.uk/product/Get/Makita-Sp ... ector-Case is £289, the version with 2x 1500mm tracks is £429, so that means £138 for the tracks. I wonder if the evolution tracks would be a good alternative at £77 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolution-Powe ... B07HRDG2JG

That would be more than twice the £160 I had in mind for an erbauer model, but again if I'm planning to keep it for the next 5-10 years maybe it is worth spending more... I just can't see a way to justify festool at £400+ just for the saw

bleicker · Post by **bleicker** » Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:45 am

oz0707 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 10, 2022 6:36 pm Lad on site has been using the makita 40v rail saw. Not a true plunge saw but its a good bit of kit quite adequate for most tasks but probably out of your budget OP

Well, let's say the budget is low/mid tier, I would like toa void overspending on a overkill tool that I may use a few times a year, but also I'm considering perhaps having the tool for many years to come. In fairness I have a pair of Makita cordless drills for 15 years still working okay, just had to buy replacement batteries from ebay to keep going

Argyll · Post by **Argyll** » Sun Aug 14, 2022 6:38 pm

bleicker wrote: ↑Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:43 am
Argyll wrote: ↑Wed Aug 10, 2022 7:12 pm I started with the Parkside I bought on a whim = crap. Then I bought the Triton = crap, then the Evolution which was okay but I took it back (can't recall why). I ended up with the corded Makita which I love. I like the 3mm tranch function which gives a cleaner cut. I have the Evolution track which is compatible split into two which makes I think 3m but I'm not impressed with it. I want to buy the 2800mm Makita track but haven't taken the plunge yet (see what I did there )
I was checking Makita options, SP6000J/2 at <a href="https://ffx.co.uk/product/Get/ ... r-Case</a> is £289, the version with 2x 1500mm tracks is £429, so that means £138 for the tracks. I wonder if the evolution tracks would be a good alternative at £77 <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolu ... RDG2JG</a>

That would be more than twice the £160 I had in mind for an erbauer model, but again if I'm planning to keep it for the next 5-10 years maybe it is worth spending more... I just can't see a way to justify festool at £400+ just for the saw

I don't like my evolution split tracks. Even spending a lot of time assembling you'll never get them exactly straight. That's why I want to buy the 3m makita

Post by **ultimatehandyman** » Sun Aug 14, 2022 8:24 pm

The evolution R185 saw itself is superb, I really cannot fault it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGu9pqAB4Zk&t

(can't embed the video, as there is a problem with videos containing the & character)

The track that comes with it is 3 piece and is crap (trying not to mince my words).

However, I recently bought the 2.8M track and this makes the R185 much more usable. I did buy a special TCT blade though- https://bit.ly/3SQirXK

I’ve been using this for the last few weeks to cut Multipanels, basically veneered 11mm thick exterior plywood in 8’ X 4’ sheets- viewtopic.php?t=106960

I also cut 3 worktops using the track and saw, again with the specialist blade (doing multiple passes, as described in this thread- viewtopic.php?t=107100 )
It also cut the tall end panels and base end panels.

I’ve not tried any other make of track, but the evolution track is compatible with –
Evolution R185CCSX+ - 185mm Circular Saw
Festool TS55REBQ-PLUS and HK55
Titan TTB73CSW
Makita DSP600ZJ, DSP601ZJU and SP6000J
Bosch GKS55GCE and GKS65GCE
Triton TTS1400
Erbauer ERB690CSW
Metabo KS55FS
Scheppach PL45

This video was just made live today-

Plunge saws are probably much better suited if you have a lot of kitchens to install etc. I have not installed a kitchen for several years and only did the most recent one out of emotional blackmail

If I was installing kitchens or Multipanles for a living, I would probably invest in a cordless track system

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Sun Aug 14, 2022 8:24 pm

to me its the quick simplicity off the track saw
2 marks lay the track and cut 8 -12 seconds 60 whilst you learning

i actually have 4x1500mm dewalt tracks 2x 1500 and 2 cut giving 1x 995mm 1x865 1x635mm 1x500
you need around 175-225mm greater than the cut to start the saw fully on the track so 1220 sheet 1500 track
normal door in situ 768-810 1m track 600 kitcken door or worktop 865 track
the 635+500 short cuts or any combination up to 3 tracks [have 2 joiners]gives up to 4m

Post by **ultimatehandyman** » Sun Aug 14, 2022 9:01 pm

I should have mentioned that I did buy a Kreg Accu-cut, after someone recommended it in a YouTube comment. I think I paid £80 for it, but unfortunately, it did not work well with my cordless Dewalt, so I ended up selling it for £40

The accu-cut does not need clamps to hold it down, it uses a piece of friction material to hold itself to the wood. I don’t know if it works or not, as my circular saw was not compatible with the damn thing