A track-guided saw offers the precision and quality cut of a tablesaw, in a much smaller, easily portable package. DeWalt’s entry into the track-guided market is meant to give the front-runner—the only runner, for that matter—Festool, some competition.
Right out of the box, the DeWalt is easy and intuitive to use. My tests were on cabinet- grade, cherry-veneered plywood. My set-up used a couple of folding steel sawhorses topped with a sheet of plywood and some 2"-thick polystyrene foam sheets.
The variable-speed, soft-start motor prevents the saw from jerking as it starts up, and there is almost zero vibration once the saw is up to speed. The plunge action is smooth and feels positive, although it did seem odd at first to have to plunge the blade forward instead of down into the cut. Once moving, the action was smooth and the track felt secure, with no fear of slippage.
The finished cut was as expected—almost zero chipping or tearout. The wood was certainly good enough to use on a finished project without further fix-ups. Weekend woodworkers with limited space will love the tracksaw; turning your driveway into a precision shop for working with sheet goods is as easy as setting up a couple of sawhorses. And woodworking pros will appreciate being able to take the saw to the work at hand—even making finishing cuts on installed vertical surfaces.
DeWalt Tracksaw, $600. For more information, visit www.dewalt.com or call 800-433-9258.
Read more in Tools & Materials and Portable Power Tools
1 Comment
I purchased a Dewalt Traksaw saw about a month ago. It's first main project was to cut 10 panels for five double doors for a garden shed that I built earlier this summer. Of the 10 panels 3 were out 1/16th of an inch on the cross measurements. When you take into consideration my wood butchering talents, that is a phenominal result. It really is the best way to handle sheet goods with out going into an exspensive panel saw. I also made a taper cut on a couple of 6" X 13 1/2" X 3/4" pieces of oak to reface an old school desk for my grandchildern, again with amazing resluts. So far I have nothing but good things to say about the tool. kenny in Sundre.