Track Saw vs Regular Circular Saw with Guide?

elsmandino

Hi there.

I tend to avoid a lot of woodwork as I only own a jigsaw (and so most of my prior projects have ended up with wonky cuts).

I would like to change that and decided to buy a circular saw and then make a wooden guide (there are loads of videos/instructions on how to do this), so I would make perfectly straight cuts.

However, I have since also come across something called a Track Saw, which has the guide already built in.

They are considerably more in price.

1. How much better would a track saw be?
2. Is it worth the additional costs, given that I am only an amateur user?

Thanks.

d0nkeyk0ng

I'm a DIYer and I've used both. A track saw is great for cutting sheet material down quickly. If you've got lots of plywood or MDF for example, it's really useful. If you're regularly trimming down doors and taking a few mm off, or doing lots of plunge cuts, it's worthwhile.


A circular saw is more versatile, cheaper and you can make your own tracksaw.

akira181

If it's just the occasional job then a circular saw is what I would go for. You'll get more use out of it and can do the same job as a track saw with a little extra effort. Just measure it out and clamp a straight piece of something to whatever you're cutting and run the edge of the circular saw base plate against it.

I'd only invest in a decent track saw if you're planning on doing a lot of woodwork and breaking down large sheets of material often. I sold my track saw in the end as my circular saw was used often and always handy but the track saw was usually packed up on a shelf somewhere.

elsmandino

Excellent - thank you. I really appreciate that.

A Circular Saw it is, then.

As always, there are masses on the market (have been looking at Amazon, Screwfix, Toolstation etc.).

Is there anything I should be looking at in terms of brand, voltage, cutting depths, wattage etc?

badgeraudio

Hi.
I would class myself as an advanced DIY user here and I love my track saw and wouldn't be without it.
I got it to trim down new oak doors but it has proved itself very versatile.
I got an expensive one (festool) as not wanting to mess up the doors.
But I do think it has saved me money In enabling me to undertake these jobs around the house .

Reading some reviews of the cheaper track saws there are some that are very respected. So I would do your research and invest.

It might cost a bit more but the accuracy of the cutting on the track is fantastic!

Mike

d0nkeyk0ng

elsmandino wrote: »

Is there anything I should be looking at in terms of brand, voltage, cutting depths, wattage etc?

Very much up to you. I have cordless Makita tools, so I bought a cordless Makita circular saw as I didn't need batteries and charger (already had them). A larger saw will cut through materials with ease but requires more power. Some saws with the same diameter blade but different power levels. Again, more power means cutting through easily but also means if you're using cordless, will go through batteries more quickly.



I've borrowed a cheap one someone had bought from Argos and it was crap, wouldn't cut through wood easily and took more effort to avoid kickback. It was mains powered but I hated using it.

Jackmydad

For occasional use a mains circular saw.
I used to cut up quite a bit of ply at one time, not so much now, but I'm still using a 35 year old B & D DIY type saw with a TCT blade against a clamped on batten.
The only thing with any of these saws is to make sure that the blade is truly parallel to the edge of the base.