Makita Track Saw Review 

He should have given the track saw a solid 9 & 1/16th on 10.

What did you end up buying? I agree for value and for the rare time I'd use one this is the one I've got my eye on.

@@maddogshwa The Makita and 2 of the 55” tracks. No regrets.

Congrats on the new saw- It’s a beauty!

Growler Domestics thanks mate. A track saw is a great tool, but if you’re starting off woodworking, the table saw is king in my opinion.

Thanks for watching!

Thanks Frank that means a lot- I’ll think of you every time my cord gets snagged on something:)

At the end of the day I would only buy Festool stuff if I’m using it a lot and there is a sizeable quality and functionality difference. For my track saw, I don’t use it that much and realistically it does everything I need very well.

Thanks a lot Sredni!

Thanks!

Thanks Daniel glad you enjoyed the review. Good luck!

Excellent tip- will have to try this

Glad you liked it!

If I get the cordless one there will be a screaming deal on this corded unit!

@@TheFunnyCarpenter keep me in mind when that happens then :)

Thanks Jon glad you enjoyed the review:). That’s a great question regarding the bevel accuracy. I’ve only made a few bevel cuts, and those were just to put some relief on pieces for scribing. The mechanisms for locking the bevel angle in place are pretty similar but the Festool has a nicer gauge in my opinion. If you’re going to use the saw for a lot of precise bevel cuts I would definitely check things out further! I own the Festool Kapex and love it largely because it’s bevel capabilities are second to none.

I don’t know that i would use the saw for alot of bevels either.....I am looking for a track saw to do a set of mudroom lockers in my home and then probably make some garage cabinets. As long as the 45 and 90 is accurate and repeatable i think i will be ok with the makita. It seems like from my research the festool has better fit and finish on all the saw functions but is underpowered, while the makita has the power but is not as refined on the functions.

@@TheFunnyCarpenter got a follow up question since covid or just demand seems to have affected the price of makita tracksaws. is makita still the better value over festool? more so for the cordless model and if you want bluetooth vac capability. there is no kit for this and the kits without are only 200 smacks less. if price is equal then is the festool the preference or would you say makita is still the win?

There's a piggyback device that can be used on corded tools that will turn on another corded tool. Sort of a master/slave switch, but don't know their real name

these tracks are available as a single piece over 8' long, at a premium.

Metric is a base 10 numerical system without fractions.

@@TheFunnyCarpenter so simpler which makes it better?

Absolutely! Hopefully one day all the plans will switch over to strictly metric measurements in Canada.

@@TheFunnyCarpenter for tv set size inches will be used forever:-D

I bought mine at the local tools store KMS Tools.

@@TheFunnyCarpenter thank you!

Interesting- at first glance I was assuming this would be a dumb idea- but I might try it. You don't find it dangerous?

@@TheFunnyCarpenter No it not dangerous at all due to the cut being so shallow. The saw gently walks back to you, chatter free with zero chip out

I have heard of people getting warped tracks. The one I have is great.

@@TheFunnyCarpenter I will chance it, cheer's

Yes both the saws work on both tracks, and yes that blade I have in the video is an old one, but still cuts fairly well! No doubt the Festool probably could make nicer cuts!

I don't think it will make much of a difference either way. Just make sure you get it set up in a good location so you can get a nice continues cut. Lol on one my first cuts with my tracksaw I tried to clamp it on vertically to a sheet of plywood on this rack I made for crosscutting sheet goods. The saw came off the track and put a horrible cut into the beautiful track:(

@@TheFunnyCarpenter Thanks! Yesterday I set up one track and had a similar incident. I was using pink insulation board on my outfeed/build table as a protective layer for my T tracks. I was cutting 1" Fir plywood and calculated the depth of cut from imperial to mm and set the saw. It was a too deep, cut through the plywood, grabbed the insulation, kicked out of the track, and tore the rubber:( My first cut was around 1 inch long, lol. All joking aside it was a bone head move on my part. I should have visually referenced the blade depth on the profile of the material to double check. I know better but in my excitement to try the new set up and getting used to the new settings I missed it. So, I'm not crazy about the mm scale but I should have checked. The saw cuts beautifully by the way, thanks for the review on it!!

Meatball Salad lol you get fooled into thinking the track saw is never going to come off the track...but essentially it’s just a skill saw and all the dangers r similar

That’s a tough call. You get used to the cord and it’s not a huge deal, but the cordless version would be considerably more convenient! I have Makita Batteries so I will definitely be trying to switch to a cordless version in the future.

Which direction did you decide to go? Corded?

I don’t see why not.

@@TheFunnyCarpenter Good.. cause I told my wife it's why I needed the tool. :D

I hear you.

Ya the cord is just one more thing to snag on things...plus cordless vacuums have come a long way! We are metric except when it comes to construction for the most part. Thanks for checking out the channel!

@@TheFunnyCarpenter Cool. It's funny but I see a lot of Canuks say Ya in their replies. Must be a border thing :)

Patrick Anderson lol ya eh

Kudos for the Video! Apologies for chiming in, I would appreciate your opinion. Have you ever tried - Schallingora Dexterous Programme Scheme (erm, check it on google should be there)? It is a smashing one off guide for building any shed in no time with no experience without the headache. Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my GF got excellent results with it.

What is score feature, which you have mentioned for tear free cut?

You really need to watch all the videos about 5-6 times each...then you’ll get it. Don’t blink it’s very subtle:)

@@TheFunnyCarpenter Cool, thanks.

The Meat cool cool

The track saw can be an awesome tool for making cabinets etc. There are a bunch of ways you can make repeatable cuts with certain types of set ups. That being said a track saw is every bit as dangerous as a table saw in my opinion. The fact that you don’t really see the blade can give you a false sense of security, but they can kick back and hit your finger if you’re careless. Lol there’s always SawStop:) 🍻

@@TheFunnyCarpenter Hmmm for me table saw is more dangerous

Going to try this!. Thank you

A track saw is safer than a table saw, yet still has risks.

Hard to go wrong with Festool!

A dimension is a dimension. How you express it is up to you.

I realise this is a really late reply but there's a guy with only one functioning arm who runs a youtube channel called hand-i-craft and he uses a track saw. ru-vid.com/show-UCsjajInRuovnCnw9tHfSXVA

@@davidholden2658 thank you yeah, Leo is an awesome guy. He is opposite of me though as his left arm works, but his right arm is damaged. He has had to adapt to a lot, but not to a tracksaw. If you are a lefty, a right bladed track saw is awesome. As a former lefty, I can tell ya... I miss it.

Thanks Simon, I will give that a go next time I’m cutting melamine. 🍻

We also don't have 3/4" plates, but 8mm, 12mm, 18mm, 22mm, ... So calculating is easy. If you think about a 3/4" sheet as 19mm, you'll also have no issues calculating (apart from it being a bit an odd value).

Lol this is true! I love the metric system it’s far superior to the imperial system, unfortunately I grew up measuring in feet and inches.

I wish I was. Some parts of my brain work not so goodly:(

G G thanks for the feedback. I’ll dial down the awfulness next time:)

Definitely disagree, this guy is awesome. Knowledgeable and throws in some humor along the way, what’s not to like ??