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Track saw clamps not too deep

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3K views 49 replies 23 participants last post by  pottz 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
My reason for a track saw is to size sheets I can no longer handle. 3/4 MDF I can't lift.
So, got a Makita 6 1/2 inch cordless saw (nice) and used my cheap HD straightedge clamp with just a 1 1/2 inch foam board on the ground. So I can pull a sheet out of the truck onto the ground and size.

So, I bought the Bora jig. Sure, cheap plastic but cheep. Looks like it would work well BUT, The guide clamps require you to be several inches off the ground. Looked at high end ( Makita, DeWalt) and they too require being off the ground. My entire point is I can't get this work off the ground. Just friction strips on the Makita is not my choice either.

Question: Does anyone know of a guide rail I can mount my saw on that does not require below the wood clamping. The HF rail toggle goes from above to flat, so it clears, but it is a narrow guide and of course not a sled.
 
#5 ·
Never used what you are using but wouldn t sliding them off onto 3 2×2 s do the job?

- ohtimberwolf
Unfortunately, the Bora levers are about 4 inches. Yea, I could build boxes, but then the foam board is not well supported.

Thinking about modifications, maybe combining the Bora with a strait edge clamp that does not require as much clearance. It would maybe even reinforce the joint for 8 foot cuts.
 
#12 ·
What is wrong with a straight piece of 3/4" plywood and two 2" C clamps? I've done it that way forever. Needs about 3/4" clearance.
I don't understand why people buy track saws.

- shipwright
This has been my solution for years as well. Although, in recent years, i build my own designated track, MDF and some metal u channel works fantastic.

I use some f-clamps to hold it in place… Which wouldn't work for the OP. But, my back and knees are such that I can't work low… But, luckily I am still strong enough to move plywood sheets around.

Different strokes and all that.

I would definitely suggest finding some small c-clamps.

I own one of these and have yet to find a saw plate that it fits. The couple of saws I've owned while owning this have an angled front edge. The screws used to hold the Kreg to the saw never holds it flat, or sturdily enough.

I've rigged it up, used different screws, fiddled with it… Got it kinda working. The results were fine, but, honestly, it took longer and more effort to get the saw re-attached than it was worth.

I'm a huge Kreg fan, but not even remotely a fan of this particular Kreg waste of my money… It's currently gathering dust on a shelf and has been for a while.
 
#13 ·
I own one of these and have yet to find a saw plate that it fits. The couple of saws I ve owned while owning this have an angled front edge. The screws used to hold the Kreg to the saw never holds it flat, or sturdily enough.

I ve rigged it up, used different screws, fiddled with it… Got it kinda working. The results were fine, but, honestly, it took longer and more effort to get the saw re-attached than it was worth.

I m a huge Kreg fan, but not even remotely a fan of this particular Kreg waste of my money… It s currently gathering dust on a shelf and has been for a while.

- Axis39
Send it to tvrgeek!
 
#15 ·
These older ones have a smaller lever, presumably a design decision. Good luck finding them. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000224DK

You could take a Bora or similar clamp and cut the lever short. People must have complained about the old lever so manufacturers made them longer.

These things were under patent when I got into woodworking. I suspect the knock offs drove the original maker out of business. It was called "clamp and tool guide".
 
#16 ·
I don't understand why people buy track saws.

- shipwright

Lack of talent….

- LeeRoyMan
Because they are lighter, can easily be longer than 8 feet, they can be locked together for a really long cut, there are guides for other tools to be used on them and the rubber on the back allows no clamping most of the time and the rubber on the edge gives a zero splintering effect. I don't have to spend time building wooden ones. Having use homemade ones and using store bought ones I prefer the store bought one.
 
#17 ·
What is wrong with a straight piece of 3/4" plywood and two 2" C clamps? I've done it that way forever. Needs about 3/4" clearance.
I don't understand why people buy track saws.

- shipwright
Same. I've got a few homemade in the shop…4' 6' 8' and 10'. 1/4" MDF
They're pretty fancy…base plate rides on top, so they're zero clearance.
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
So I have used a Festool track saw at a local school. And I am impressed with how the track stays put with no clamps on it. And looking around it seems that other brands are being made the same way, but I have not used any of the other brands.
And I don't ever see myself buying a Festool track saw.

What I do use is linked below. Many years ago I bought the HF guide. Its only good to 4', and I have had it move on me.
Then I found the empire guide and HD. Again years ago, but still available. Mine is over 100", I think I can do 10' sheets. and uses the C clamps like Shipwright mentioned.
Occasionally I will still use that old HF guide, but I use the C clamps as a back up to make sure it stays put.
Typically I am able to set the sheet across my table saw and work bench. But blocking it up with 2×2 or 4s would pick a sheet up enough for the clamps, and the foam is not needed. 4 or 5 2×2s are enough support to keep an 8' sheet stable, and not have any flex to it as you cut.

https://www.harborfreight.com/50-inch-clamp-and-cut-edge-guide-66581.html

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-98-in-Cutting-Guide-E902/203175575?MERCH=REC-_-searchViewed-_-NA-_-203175575-_-N&

So quick edit here, add on.
I have had my guide a long time, and bought it at HD, I had to go look at it just now. Its not Empire brand, which is what popped up on there site. (I should have gone out to the shop 1st), but a Swanston brand. And its only 100". 2-50" sections. And I do like that extra couple inches when cutting full 8' sheet.
https://www.amazon.com/Swanson-Tool-CG100-Cutting-100-Inch/dp/B000IOCHWW
 
#20 ·
To your point: Does anyone know of a guide rail I can mount my saw on that does not require below the wood clamping.
No. Technically Festool rails don't need clamps, but I use clamps coz that's how I do things.

Sheet goods come off the truck, on to a portable workbench and then it's dimensioned as needed.

 

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#21 ·
What is wrong with a straight piece of 3/4" plywood and two 2" C clamps? I've done it that way forever. Needs about 3/4" clearance.
I don't understand why people buy track saws.

- shipwright

Just slightly more accurate cuts. Not a lot, but some.

- tvrgeek
You can make just as accurate a cut without a tracksaw, as you can with. Your setup time will just be a bit longer, but once a home made track is in place, and provided you keep the saw tight to the fence, it's no different than a tracksaw cut. You can cut into a foam board, and pre-score topside cut lines with a razor knife and get equally as sharp a cut as the rubber strips on a tracksaw give you.

Time, and a bit of a nod toward making vertical cuts, but probably the biggest rise in pros using track saws is inside a home, dust collection, which is all but non existent on a circ saw.

Pros would be a need, homies doing hobby stuff, it's all about I wanna have one.
 
#22 ·
Same. I ve got a few homemade in the shop…4 6 8 and 10 . 1/4" MDF
They re pretty fancy…base plate rides on top, so they re zero clearance.

- Tony_S
I save those fancy ones for my router! :)
 
#23 · (Edited by Moderator)
TVG, mind me asking why the heck are you working on the ground, especially if you can't handle the sheets anymore?

I can't handle 3/4 MDF anymore either. I simply slide the material onto saw horses or my rolling assembly table.

Re: track saw, I used a circ saw and straightedge for 25 years. But, based on my experience since getting a tracksaw, if you ever use one you'll see why they are so popular. No question I an get a better cut with no tearout due to the splinter guards.

With enough rails, it is also a very excellent way to straight rip and edge on rough lumber.

"Lack of talent" - ha ha do you own a table saw or a router?
 
#25 ·
My reason for owning a track saw is they are quick and easy to set up AND a provide a smooth splinter free cut, as good as using a zero clearance plate in a table saw. With a track saw there is no measuring, marking, adding your offset, then marking again. You set the track on the cut line and go (without the need for clamps in most cases).
 
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