[Closed] What track saw?

since then every new power tool I have bought has been Festool.

The Festool addiction strikes again. They do make very lovely kit though....

The Lidl Parkside saws are back in this week I believe. I have the ALDI one but quite tempted to get a Lidl one to try (or at least have a look at) too

Peter Millard (10 minute workshop) has just done a review on the Parkside one

Here if anyone is interested:

Another Titan here. Good tool for the money. I put some tape over the arbor hole to help with dust extraction and put a good quality blade on it. I recently bought a 1.4m Makita track as I needed to build a wardrobe and the 2x .7m tracks are insufficient. Good tool for £100.

I'd avoided this thread. Until yesterday..now I want one. I don't need one...not got any diy on or planned for the moment. still want one. must resist...until i NEED one!

If you need to cut sheets of wood there is nothing as safe and accurate as a track saw used on track.
The Parkside saw is the best value option by far for the occasional user.

Has anyone used the Titan or Parkside to do a bevel cut? I'd like to know if it still cuts on the line, or if it under/over cuts?

Have used the Parkside up to the 45 degree max. As near as dammit it cuts on the line.

Thanks, that's probably good enough then! Earlier in this thread there was chat about cheaper tracksaws cutting into the splinter guard when used canted over for bevel cuts.

I already have the Aldi Workzone saw but could really do with a longer 1.4m rail. But a longer rail for that saw will only work with a Scheppach/Workzone saw and the rails aren't far off the price of other brand rails. The 2 supplied with the Aldi saw don't join very nicely. The saw is good though.

After watching Peter Millard's YouTube vids and as it was on offer, I picked up the Lidl Parkside saw last week, which will run on Festool rails and others. What's looking like a good option going forward is pairing the Parkside saw with a Festool rail or the Evolution rails. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolution-Power-Tools-ST2800-Circular/dp/B07HRDG2JG . Echoing Peter Millard's thoughts, investing in such rails would be a bit more future proof, as all saws run on Festool rails. But, if the Parkside saw cut into the splinter guard on the rails I'd not be happy replacing it on every change of cut angle!

I don't make a lot of angled cuts but if I did, and I had more than one rail, I'd keep one rail specifically for that purpose.

If you only use it once or twice a year then just get a cheap one and a really expensive blade. Oh and a single piece long track rather than the demountable ones.

The blade made a massive difference to the quality of cut.

Oh and a single piece long track rather than the demountable ones.

Easier said than done. I don't think any of the budget brands make a long rail and festool ones are crazy expensive. A 2.7m is 4x the price of a 1.4m

I bought the Evolution twin pack of 2 1400 rails plus connectors, bag and (crap) clamps for £69 delivered from FFX last week.

I bought the Evolution twin pack of 2 1400 rails plus connectors, bag and (crap) clamps for £69 delivered from FFX last wee

I've bought a Festool 1.4m rail and the Lidl saw runs very well on it. The blade just touched the splinter guard so very little was trimmed off on the first cut. I was tempted by the Evolution tracks, but I don't need a bag or clamps (got some). I wanted a guaranteed decent rail to start off with, but would really like to have a look over the Evolution ones and if I need more I'd consider them. Would be good if you could buy a bare 1.4m rail for say, £30. I'm always wary of where the value is going in bundles.

Does anyone have a Bosch saw (GKT 55 GCE) running on tracks from other brands? I want a cheap 6-700mm track, and would rather not pay Bosch prices (I already have 2 x 1600). Tempted by the Evolution 2 x 700 pack for £50. Anyone want to split it with me?

I've never bothered to do it (even though I have a festool rail) but the mafell and Bosch saws have a removable strip on the footplate which allows you to run them on a festool compatible rail. Shouldn't be any issues other than the festool rails are thinner so your depth scale will be out a little

Great, that's what I saw hoping. I'll have a 700mm length of track available shortly if anyone wants it.

double check the footplate of your saw - the mafell definitely has one but the bosch should have a removable plastic strip  - wider than the groove the used on the bosch rail - which is where the festool rail would run

you'll find the festool (and compatible) rails less capable of staying put during a cut compared the bosch/mafell ones. The rail clamps with came with the bosch (and which you've probably never used as the rails just seem to stay planted) won't fit your new rail but you might find a short rail tricker to keep in place during a cut. If the rail doesn't come with them then Makita's version of the clamps are half the price of Festool ones and twice as good.

Make sure the Bosch has the adjustment cams able to bear on the Festool/Evolution rail for adjustment of the rail to saw , Pretty sure my Mafell has the cams open on both sides - have to be there otherwise there is no way to take out slop.

From the online manual - it looks like it has.

Yup, it has the removable strip and double-acting cams.

Nearly ended up with this for £6, but I'm pretty sure Scheppach isn't compatible with anything else. Bargain for someone with the right tool!

Cheers Mowgli, just ordered it.

Now I'll just wait and see if it actually turns up! 😂

Now I’ll just wait and see if it actually turns up! 😂

Update: just had a phone call from Anglia Tool Centre, he said that it was the last one they've got and the strips of grip rubber underneath end a couple of mm short of the end of the track. This doesn't sound like a major problem for me, especially at that price, and they're going to chuck in a free hoodie!

Top job Anglia Tool Centre! 👍

they’re going to chuck in a free hoodie!

Remember you've got to feed him and take him out for walks. And pay his bail.

Remember you’ve got to feed him and take him out for walks. And pay his bail.

😂😂😂

Update 2: bum!

Two(!) 700mm tracks turned up at my house today, with a hoodie (textile, not meat and bone), a cap, and a nice Macalister multi-tool keyring. The tracks are about 50mm thinner than my Aldi/Scheppach ones though, I think they're for the other tracksaw that Scheppach sell and won't fit mine.

Oh well, it was worth the gamble for 12 quid all in. I've got one of those small plunge saws with a 100mm blade, I might make up a sole plate for that to use on the smaller tracks. If nothing else I've got a nice couple of aluminium straight edges.

Still impressed with Anglia Tools service despite the tracks being wrong, and to be fair to them they didn't state which model they were for and I didn't ask.

...Milwaukee keyring, not Macalister.