I should also mention that I bought a clamp with it as well, and both of my cuts after setting the zero clearance were well clamped and there was no movement in the track.

 

It's possible the arbor is bent or out of alignment, causing the blade to heel. You can check for this by measuring exactly from the blade plate to the track groove, for and aft.

I've read about these sorts of problems with the saws before.

 

It s possible the arbor is bent or out of alignment, causing the blade to heel. You can check for this by measuring exactly from the blade plate to the track groove, for and aft.

I ve read about these sorts of problems with the saws before.

- Loren

Thanks for the reply. Sorry but could you explain a little more what you mean?

 

Heeling is a form of blade misalignment. In your saw it would be a manufacturing defect.

 

Heeling is a form of blade misalignment. In your saw it would be a manufacturing defect.

- Loren

Got it. By blade plate you mean the front and back of the blade before the teeth? And not sure which track groove you're suggesting measuring it against.

 

Probably a silly question, but was your saw new or a "bargain buy"?

Not that I may be of any help, however, an out of square I can picture, but what do you mean by an 1/16" notch at the very end of every board?

 

well, you could measure from the opposite edge of the saw plate. The track groove in which the bump on the track mates is your alignment feature though. Words fail. In terms of the blade plate you have the right idea. Search google for table saw blade heeling and you'll find some results that discuss the issue. However, with most miter saws and track saws heeling cannot be adjusted out, in fact I've never heard of a saw that allowed adjustment of this.

Search this forum too as I am pretty sure another person recently had this problem with the same saw.

 

Pics of the splinter guard and wood showing the issues would go a long way.

Are you sure you are keeping the saw fully on the track?

 

Let's go back to the basics and start with the initial setup and splinter guard trimming. Did you place the new track on top of a piece of wood or thick styrofoam that is longer than the track and make a shallow cut the FULL length of the track? The saw should have been plunged down before it came in contact with the splinter guard (or at the beginning edge) with the depth set 1/4" or so below the splinter guard. This will register the splinter guard to your glade and give you a nice clean straight edge. Once that is done you can now use the splinter guard to register all cut against the cut lines/marks that you have placed on the materials that you are cutting. If you skipped this step you will never get your cut to align. This was not trimmed to the proper width out of the box! They have know idea what saw or blade you are using the track for. Get this working before you add any other gadgets like squares and miter guides.

 

Let s go back to the basics and start with the initial setup and splinter guard trimming. Did you place the new track on top of a piece of wood or thick styrofoam that is longer than the track and make a shallow cut the FULL length of the track? The saw should have been plunged down before it came in contact with the splinter guard (or at the beginning edge) with the depth set 1/4" or so below the splinter guard. This will register the splinter guard to your glade and give you a nice clean straight edge. Once that is done you can now use the splinter guard to register all cut against the cut lines/marks that you have placed on the materials that you are cutting. If you skipped this step you will never get your cut to align. This was not trimmed to the proper width out of the box! They have know idea what saw or blade you are using the track for. Get this working before you add any other gadgets like squares and miter guides.

- northwoodsman

You can't plunge the saw before the saw comes in contact with the splinter guard, and you can't cut the full length of the track with only one track.

Based on the position of the cam guides on the saw there will be at a minimum 1.5" of uncut splinter guard on both ends of the track at full depth of the saw.

If you limit the travel to the baseplate never being off the track its 3.25" uncut at the start and 2.5 at the end.

 

Jared_S, I understand what you are saying. I have a Dewalt and it's barely possible. After screwing my first strip up I decided to carefully read the instructions for the second attempt. Perhaps start as close to the leading edge as possible and carefully trim the leading and trailing edge very carefully with a razor blade once the majority of the strip is cut. The key is having the splinter guard supported by a flat backerboard. Another trick is to use a Sharpie and put a mark on the track itself where you know that the blade has cut away the correct amount of the rubber strip, both beginning and end. Always line up your marks between these two points. In other words don't line up the first 3.25" at the beginning of the strip, or the last 2.5" at the end with your measurement marks.

 

Sounds like the saw is out of alignment. I had to tune my Makita up this year, it was giving me a poor quality cut, the blade was slightly out of parallel with the track.

 

I posted a while back about issues I was having with mine and was able to resolve them. The saw can be aligned but Makita is very stingy with the information I was able to get one of the customer service techs to send me the info from the service manual. I will share if requested.

When I first started using mine I was disappointed in that the cuts were not straight. What I quickly learned was the material you are cutting must be fully supported and flat. Any bowing of the track can result in a curved cut. Also, if you are cutting thick hardwoods you will want a different blade. The stock blade on the cordless saw is very thin. This is great for saving battery power but the blade can flex when cutting thicker hardwoods.

That said, I have used the stock blade for through cuts in 2" oak and Maple understanding it would likely not be square. The stock blade has worked well enough and provided square cuts in 3/4" plywood and MDF. I have also been able to get good results cutting long miters in plywood.

As far as aligning joined tracks, I have found turning the track upside down and presssing the raised ridge the saw rides on against the edge of a factory cut edge of a sheet of plywood has given me good alignment. This method leaves both joiner bars exposed to be tightened while the tracks stay in alignment.

I have contemplated purchasing one of the TSO squares but have found using a 12" plastic speed square against the edge of the plywood and back of the track to be suitable for my current needs. Maybe in the future I will splurge for one.

George

 

Reading reviews online I saw one guy that got a pretty bent track. Maybe check that your track is perfectly flat/straight? Check against a long level?

 

Great ideas, thank you. Definitely going to use your method for joining tracks. Unfortunately it's been a busy week and I haven't had any time to tinker with the saw. Service manual information would be very helpful.

When you say material you're cutting needs to be fully supported, do you mean the entire length of the track should be supported if the track is longer than the workpiece? I have 2 55" tracks and am often using one of them to make much shorter cuts due to having a dado stack for my current project setup in my table saw and not wanting to risk throwing it off (and a touch of laziness). The rest of the track is left hanging off the ends of the workpiece.

I posted a while back about issues I was having with mine and was able to resolve them. The saw can be aligned but Makita is very stingy with the information I was able to get one of the customer service techs to send me the info from the service manual. I will share if requested.

When I first started using mine I was disappointed in that the cuts were not straight. What I quickly learned was the material you are cutting must be fully supported and flat. Any bowing of the track can result in a curved cut. Also, if you are cutting thick hardwoods you will want a different blade. The stock blade on the cordless saw is very thin. This is great for saving battery power but the blade can flex when cutting thicker hardwoods.

That said, I have used the stock blade for through cuts in 2" oak and Maple understanding it would likely not be square. The stock blade has worked well enough and provided square cuts in 3/4" plywood and MDF. I have also been able to get good results cutting long miters in plywood.

As far as aligning joined tracks, I have found turning the track upside down and presssing the raised ridge the saw rides on against the edge of a factory cut edge of a sheet of plywood has given me good alignment. This method leaves both joiner bars exposed to be tightened while the tracks stay in alignment.

I have contemplated purchasing one of the TSO squares but have found using a 12" plastic speed square against the edge of the plywood and back of the track to be suitable for my current needs. Maybe in the future I will splurge for one.

George

- gtrgeo

 

What I was trying to say is, don't let the material you are cutting sag. The track will follow the curve and you end up with a bowed cut. Track hanging off the edge will not be a problem as you are not making a cut in those areas. I usually use a grid of 2×4s on sawhorses to keep the plywood or MDF flat while cutting. I have some sacrificial strips of plywood I use when cutting smaller pieces on the bench. Some will use a sheet of insulating foam on the floor. This provides even support while improving dust collection. I personally do not want to deal with storing a 4×8 sheet of foam.

I also have 2-55" tracks which I use for breaking down sheets. I purchased a 39" track to use on a stair remodel I am working on and find it invaluable. I keep it conveniently hanging on the wall and it has been great fo making short cuts. It was very handy for cutting the skirt board, treads and risers on the stairs.

I am away from home at the moment and will send you the info from Makita when I return on Tuesday.

George

 

Cool, thank you for all the info. Most of my cutting has been done outside on some 2×4s setup on sawhorses. I'd rather do it inside since I have a sacrificial hardboard top on my bench, but I'm in the middle of an epic battle with my dust collection setup right now. The small diameter hose slides off the edge of the table and ends up pulling the saw out of alignment mid-cut when the ridges catch on the edge of my bench, compounding my current issues.

What I was trying to say is, don t let the material you are cutting sag. The track will follow the curve and you end up with a bowed cut. Track hanging off the edge will not be a problem as you are not making a cut in those areas. I usually use a grid of 2×4s on sawhorses to keep the plywood or MDF flat while cutting. I have some sacrificial strips of plywood I use when cutting smaller pieces on the bench. Some will use a sheet of insulating foam on the floor. This provides even support while improving dust collection. I personally do not want to deal with storing a 4×8 sheet of foam.

I also have 2-55" tracks which I use for breaking down sheets. I purchased a 39" track to use on a stair remodel I am working on and find it invaluable. I keep it conveniently hanging on the wall and it has been great fo making short cuts. It was very handy for cutting the skirt board, treads and risers on the stairs.

I am away from home at the moment and will send you the info from Makita when I return on Tuesday.

George

- gtrgeo

 

I put the hose over my shoulder sometimes.

 

I had a similar problem with my corded Makita track saw. After a LOT of experimentation, I finally determined that the problem was due to some funky blade dynamics with the stock OEM blade. I tried a Festool blade, which was a lot better, but still not perfect. Then I tried a Forrest blade with a slightly thicker plate, and the problem disappeared entirely.

See the post below for more details, and some experiments that might shed light on the problem.

https://www.lumberjocks.com/replies/5200148

 

I have the same tracksaw. Overall I would say the saw is more capable than me.

Dust collection with the saw is okay with the supplied bag, but I found the Mafell MT 55 Dust bag catches +90% of the dust on most cuts. It does not feel like it's made that great but it does work well. I use it on 90% of my cuts. A vacuum attached to the dust port is a step up from the Mafell dustbag.

I have all three track lengths, I had heard it was a challenge to find two tracks that could be joined well. I can see this with the three tracks I have, the saw needs some adjusting when I switch between tracks. Otherwise the saw is either will be tight or loose on the track.

I have not had any issues with making straight cuts or cuts that are not perfectly 90° (not beveled). I took a bit of time checking and tweaking everything when I got the saw and tracks. Other than adjusting one setting on how it fits in the track, I have not had to make any adjustments to the saw. I have had this a little over 3 years.

I rarely use clamps to hold the track in place. Most of the time I just put some 2 inch pink foam down and then my work piece on top of it. Then put the track on it and cut. Warped wood or plywood can make it a challenge to get the track to sit correctly, not move and cut square. I would say on warped plywood clamp the plywood down so it's flat and then cut it.

I did struggle with making perpendicular and parallel cuts. Even trying to be very careful in marking, positioning the track, etc, my cuts were hit or miss. Anywhere from 1/32 to 3/32 out of square or parallel. I ended up getting a guide from TSO to assist in making perpendicular cuts. Works great on the short and 55 inch tracks. On the long track takes a bit of care and checking before making a cut. Here is my review of it https://www.lumberjocks.com/reviews/12202

Based on my experience of the square guide I am probably going to invent in TSO parallel cut guides.

Can you share some photos of your issues on the notch you are getting on the ends of the cuts? Is the saw fully on the track at the end of the cut? Do you raise the saw while the blade is still spinning? Is the saw really cutting 90°? Is the blade parallel to the track?

 

I'm a bit confused on the joining of tracks in this method because I can't understand how you could tighten down both guide bars when one of them will be inaccessible due to it being tightened from the top side of the track. Or at least thats how my Makita track is designed. Is there a video or demonstration on how to do this?

Thanks,

Brian

I posted a while back about issues I was having with mine and was able to resolve them. The saw can be aligned but Makita is very stingy with the information I was able to get one of the customer service techs to send me the info from the service manual. I will share if requested.

When I first started using mine I was disappointed in that the cuts were not straight. What I quickly learned was the material you are cutting must be fully supported and flat. Any bowing of the track can result in a curved cut. Also, if you are cutting thick hardwoods you will want a different blade. The stock blade on the cordless saw is very thin. This is great for saving battery power but the blade can flex when cutting thicker hardwoods.

That said, I have used the stock blade for through cuts in 2" oak and Maple understanding it would likely not be square. The stock blade has worked well enough and provided square cuts in 3/4" plywood and MDF. I have also been able to get good results cutting long miters in plywood.

As far as aligning joined tracks, I have found turning the track upside down and presssing the raised ridge the saw rides on against the edge of a factory cut edge of a sheet of plywood has given me good alignment. This method leaves both joiner bars exposed to be tightened while the tracks stay in alignment.

I have contemplated purchasing one of the TSO squares but have found using a 12" plastic speed square against the edge of the plywood and back of the track to be suitable for my current needs. Maybe in the future I will splurge for one.

George

- gtrgeo

 

Another issue I had yesterday with the Makita tracks was after connecting the two tracks, my saw would stop at the connecting plates. I have read to leave a small gap between them to remedy this. I haven't tried that but was hoping to get some feedback from others if they have had this issue.

Thanks,

Brian

 

Another issue I had yesterday with the Makita tracks was after connecting the two tracks, my saw would stop at the connecting plates. I have read to leave a small gap between them to remedy this. I haven t tried that but was hoping to get some feedback from others if they have had this issue.

- HillCountryTX

The tracks should not be butted together when you join them. Festool does not guarantee that their tracks are cut perfectly square. I would imagine the same is true for Makita.

To join them, place the connector bars in the slots and position the two sections with a slight gap between them. Use a straightedge to align them and tighten the screws. Then flip the track over and use a straightedge again to make sure the sections are aligned and tighten those screws. That's all there is to it.

There is a pretty handy alignment tool out there called the Betterley StraightLine Connector. It's compatible with the Makita tracks.

Note: Don't over-tighten the screws, particularly the ones you tighten from underneath. If you do, you run the risk of deforming the track.

 

Because I'm overly analytical, I skim cut both ends of all my tracks using my table saw sled which I know is square. I still check with a straight edge, but now joining tracks is just butting them together and tightening the bars.

 

Because I m overly analytical, I skim cut both ends of all my tracks using my table saw sled which I know is square. I still check with a straight edge, but now joining tracks is just butting them together and tightening the bars.

- MikeDS