Looks like Kreg is getting into the Track Saw game and it appears to offer features much like the Festool track saw and the Festool MFT table for cutting. Something interesting is the fact that the Kreg track saw is a lefty version. And it appears to possibly be made much like the Festool track saw, it has a lot of the same features for adjustments and methods of use. The system is is a basic copy of the Festool system but with added features. I really like the table folding up and being moveable with built in wheels. The Festool MFT only folds up and then you carry it around. Just the saw and a track long enough to cut across 50" will be $400.00. The cutting table with wheels kit will be $500.00 The Master kit that includes all of the above, $900.00.
Like the Festool set up, you could probably get by with out a table saw and with the added benefit of portability.
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For those of you in California this may not be a good option, apparently it causes cancer in your state. I can't wait for the warning labels that caution that the item could burn and cause forest fires. ;~)
I just finally got into the track saw game. I saw the Kreg when I was looking around, but I ended up going with the cordless Makita for a few reasons...
It's been getting really great reviews on respected tool review sites.
After getting a Makita cordless impact driver last year, I've begun the migration to all Makita cordless (and a few corded) tools.
The Makita track saw came with two 5ah batts, PLUS a free 2/pack of
5ah batts as a cooperate promotion, through Jan. Saw w/blade, dual charger, Four 5ah batts, stacking cases, for $500.
It was just a no-brainer for me since I've fallen in love with Makita and already had a bunch of batteries... now even more! Another bonus is the Makita fits Festool tracks, so if I need one in a hurry, there's plenty in stock at the local Woodcraft.
I got a track, yesterday, from Amazon with same-day delivery... I'll be taking the saw on its maiden voyage, today, making a table top.
Well I was going to argue the point. LOL. I paid $387.00 for my Festool TS-75 track saw in 2009. I had to look it up.
But today TS-75 costs $660. and the MDT/3 table that will guide angle cuts is $720. The Kreg set up is $899. with extra's like the dolly like set up. The Festool set up is about 50% more expensive.
If I were a hobbyist I'd probably give the Kreg set up a close look.
Plastic is not so bad. My Festool drill is mostly some kind of plastic and it had hit the concrete floor more times than I would like to admit. As have all of my Festool sanders, 3 of them, and they are all plastic. I would be more afraid of metal being damaged than plastic. I make double sure that my Domino does not get dropped.
There certainly is nothing wrong with Makita especially with reliability. I have had a Makita trim router for several years and it is bullet proof. And I bought a Makita impact and drill in 2004. I used them extensively until I started using a Festool drill in early 2012. I can say that I no longer use my Makita impact. Amazingly the Festool drill replaced the Makita impact driver. On a rare occasion I will use my Bosch impact but mostly if I want to drill holes and not switch bits on the Festool drill.
It seems that batteries are getting less expensive. Even the Festool batteries are reasonably priced. And if I go to a Festool road show they typically give me a new battery and sometimes a new charger too.
I understand that DeWalt will fit the Festool track too. Maybe another way to go in a pinch.
I used it yesterday and I'm completely sold. Cuts like butta. Starts up immediately and shuts down immediately. I can't believe how much power it has. I think DC is a much better delivery system for power, but that's another debate. I really love not having to worry about an extension cord. It's fairly light, even with two 5ah batts attached. Lovin' it so far. I like the cases, too.
Anyone who's still complaining about "plastic" is living stuck in the 50s. Modern plastics are stronger and more durable than metal counterparts, given the same or less weight/mass. Glass reinforced polymers are ridiculously strong and heat resistant.
These are the same guys who still complain about "OSB" but haven't ever used any modern resin/wax impregnated composite fiber sheets goods. They used "OSB" 40 years ago and that experience informs their opinions, today.
Whoa! Not a good hobbyist price. I made a wooden sled that my skilsaw could be clamped into, and (using a table saw) made a few straight edge sections of plywood, with hardboard ribs to engage the sled to the track; maybe $40 total, including the saw.
Only hard part of the project was planing the dovetailed sled to get it flat before fitting the sole plate. It works well, despite looking rather clumsy.
I still have the first heavy duty circular saw I bought for job use around
1976. It has an aluminum shoe and blade guard, and the height adjustment i s metal. The saw motor case, the handle, the adjustment knobs, the trigger , and all the connectors and assembly points are plastic. That saw has bee n rebuilt 4 or 5 times (new bearings, brushes, lube, a couple of switches, several cords) after about 15 years of heavy use. Plastic parts never fail ed. Same with my Milwaukee hole shooter, purchased in '75. Both still wor k, both have fallen off scaffolds, fallen off ladders, been thrown into the back of trucks with other equipment and all the other crap that happens to job site tools with big crews. No cracks, still waterproof, and the plast ic still holds the screws like it did when it was new. Go figure.
Absolutely.
Guess I am replying because for the last couple of weeks I have working aro und a couple of old hard heads that know everything, have seen everything, done everything, and feel like there isn't much for them to learn. They ha ve an opinion on everything and it isn't positive unless they are talking a bout "the way it use to be". No matter that coming up on 40 years I have h ad my own business longer than they have been in the trades, no matter that I am about 10 years older than them. In their 50s, they seem to "remember " an awful lot of things that were happening on site in the 50s and 60s.
Your trigger? When you mentioned OSB. There is a manufactured sheet goods product for just about every application. It is rainy season here in south Texas, and I was on the phone looking for water resistant OSB for roof pat ching on a current project. I was dumbfounded... one of the cavemen actual ly came to me with a long face and told me he couldn't work with OSB as he "didn't trust it". He very seriously told me of some incident that happene d 20 years ago when it was wet for a few days, and scarred him forever.
Thankfully, they are not on my crew, but on the crew of a contractor buddy of mine. I will be glad when I am away from those guys. I readily embrace today's materials, tools and procedures. Some work better than others, bu t I wouldn't go back to swinging a hammer all day (literally), hand sanding (who could afford a "Speed Bloc"?), yesterday's adhesives, or corded only tools.
I am just realizing how much I can't stand those block headed morons...
d 1976. It has an aluminum shoe and blade guard, and the height adjustment is metal. The saw motor case, the handle, the adjustment knobs, the trigg er, and all the connectors and assembly points are plastic. That saw has b een rebuilt 4 or 5 times (new bearings, brushes, lube, a couple of switches , several cords) after about 15 years of heavy use. Plastic parts never fa iled. Same with my Milwaukee hole shooter, purchased in '75. Both still w ork, both have fallen off scaffolds, fallen off ladders, been thrown into t he back of trucks with other equipment and all the other crap that happens to job site tools with big crews. No cracks, still waterproof, and the pla stic still holds the screws like it did when it was new. Go figure.
round a couple of old hard heads that know everything, have seen everything , done everything, and feel like there isn't much for them to learn. They have an opinion on everything and it isn't positive unless they are talking about "the way it use to be". No matter that coming up on 40 years I have had my own business longer than they have been in the trades, no matter th at I am about 10 years older than them. In their 50s, they seem to "rememb er" an awful lot of things that were happening on site in the 50s and 60s.
ds product for just about every application. It is rainy season here in sou th Texas, and I was on the phone looking for water resistant OSB for roof p atching on a current project. I was dumbfounded... one of the cavemen actu ally came to me with a long face and told me he couldn't work with OSB as h e "didn't trust it". He very seriously told me of some incident that happe ned 20 years ago when it was wet for a few days, and scarred him forever.
y of mine. I will be glad when I am away from those guys. I readily embra ce today's materials, tools and procedures. Some work better than others, but I wouldn't go back to swinging a hammer all day (literally), hand sandi ng (who could afford a "Speed Bloc"?), yesterday's adhesives, or corded onl y tools.
Let it go. They're taken up space your head while odds are that they aren't thinking about you at all.
Don't waste any more energy on them. They don't matter.
und 1976. It has an aluminum shoe and blade guard, and the height adjustme nt is metal. The saw motor case, the handle, the adjustment knobs, the tri gger, and all the connectors and assembly points are plastic. That saw has been rebuilt 4 or 5 times (new bearings, brushes, lube, a couple of switch es, several cords) after about 15 years of heavy use. Plastic parts never failed. Same with my Milwaukee hole shooter, purchased in '75. Both still work, both have fallen off scaffolds, fallen off ladders, been thrown into the back of trucks with other equipment and all the other crap that happen s to job site tools with big crews. No cracks, still waterproof, and the p lastic still holds the screws like it did when it was new. Go figure.
around a couple of old hard heads that know everything, have seen everythi ng, done everything, and feel like there isn't much for them to learn. The y have an opinion on everything and it isn't positive unless they are talki ng about "the way it use to be". No matter that coming up on 40 years I ha ve had my own business longer than they have been in the trades, no matter that I am about 10 years older than them. In their 50s, they seem to "reme mber" an awful lot of things that were happening on site in the 50s and 60s .
oods product for just about every application. It is rainy season here in s outh Texas, and I was on the phone looking for water resistant OSB for roof patching on a current project. I was dumbfounded... one of the cavemen ac tually came to me with a long face and told me he couldn't work with OSB as he "didn't trust it". He very seriously told me of some incident that hap pened 20 years ago when it was wet for a few days, and scarred him forever.
ddy of mine. I will be glad when I am away from those guys. I readily emb race today's materials, tools and procedures. Some work better than others , but I wouldn't go back to swinging a hammer all day (literally), hand san ding (who could afford a "Speed Bloc"?), yesterday's adhesives, or corded o nly tools.
I'm laughing at the fact that they're in their 50s and somehow where working in the trades from birth. Maybe their moms were carpenters and they remember them working while pregnant. :-)
We all know guys who's only conversations are when they're complaining about something... heck, we have that type in here.
You know the saying, "If it weren't for bad luck, he's have no luck at all"? Well for some, if it weren't for complaining they'd never talk at all.
und 1976. It has an aluminum shoe and blade guard, and the height adjustme nt is metal. The saw motor case, the handle, the adjustment knobs, the tri gger, and all the connectors and assembly points are plastic. That saw has been rebuilt 4 or 5 times (new bearings, brushes, lube, a couple of switch es, several cords) after about 15 years of heavy use. Plastic parts never failed. Same with my Milwaukee hole shooter, purchased in '75. Both still work, both have fallen off scaffolds, fallen off ladders, been thrown into the back of trucks with other equipment and all the other crap that happen s to job site tools with big crews. No cracks, still waterproof, and the p lastic still holds the screws like it did when it was new. Go figure.
around a couple of old hard heads that know everything, have seen everythi ng, done everything, and feel like there isn't much for them to learn. The y have an opinion on everything and it isn't positive unless they are talki ng about "the way it use to be". No matter that coming up on 40 years I ha ve had my own business longer than they have been in the trades, no matter that I am about 10 years older than them. In their 50s, they seem to "reme mber" an awful lot of things that were happening on site in the 50s and 60s .
oods product for just about every application. It is rainy season here in s outh Texas, and I was on the phone looking for water resistant OSB for roof patching on a current project. I was dumbfounded... one of the cavemen ac tually came to me with a long face and told me he couldn't work with OSB as he "didn't trust it". He very seriously told me of some incident that hap pened 20 years ago when it was wet for a few days, and scarred him forever.
ddy of mine. I will be glad when I am away from those guys. I readily emb race today's materials, tools and procedures. Some work better than others , but I wouldn't go back to swinging a hammer all day (literally), hand san ding (who could afford a "Speed Bloc"?), yesterday's adhesives, or corded o nly tools.
I do a good job staying away from those folks and their attitudes, but some times it gets me. I have three large jobs going on now, two pretty complex . Actually doing some structure repair and design by leveling an all wood building on one of them. City codes, modern installation techniques and ma terials, and short delivery times make both a challenge.
I don't have time for idiocy, and have a pretty small tolerance for it. Mo st of my own guys have been around me for years and know what I want, know when to talk to me, and know when to leave me alone. So when resolving a st ructural issue to my satisfaction and coming up with a detail for construct ion, it is more than annoying to have some moron come share their "knowledg e" with me. Those guys don't work for me, but are on the job because the o wner wanted to them. Silly as it may sound, I am not not used to, nor do I invite conversation on the job. And when it is someone that is not on my team, I would prefer that they keep to themselves.
I have a nasty, profane and smart mouth, I today I able to get those two me atheads to understand I don't care about them, their opinions, or how they feel about their day. I was really surprised and go a chuckle out of the r esult all day; they went to their boss and told them I was mean and rude. Guys that age whining... what a world.
Don't get me started... oh wait, you did. By the way, the irony of complaining about guys who complain isn't lost on me. :-)
Your "conversation on the job" thing got me thinking. There are two things I really hate on a job...
Further conversation about a decision that has already been made. I have very little patience for those who continue to discuss or debate a decision that's already been made. It's usually not to argue or debate the topic, although I could at least respect that. It's when the decision has been made about a design or structural element and it's agreed that "this is what we're going with." It's usually people who feel like their opinion needs to be heard, even if it's the same opinion as everyone else or the opinion that's already been agreed upon. To them, it's not valid unless they say it. Or their precious self-esteem needs stroked. My mind is on to the next thing in the process. My mind is considering future decisions and procedures and I don't have room in my brain or attention span to rehash or continue discussing topis already decided, or to put it another way, *closed.* The gavel has already struck. Let's move on.
Home owners/clients who second guess or want to know "why" every step of the way. First of all, get out! I don't need an audience for this gig. Second, you hired me for my expertise and skill level, either trust that I know what I'm doing or hire someone else. "Why are you doing it that way? Can't you just do this?" "How come we can't just do such-n-such? My Son-in-law said it's easy and all we need to do is..." I don't have time to teach a structural engineering course or read you the plumbing code book while doing your job and all you're doing is distracting me and worse, putting bad ideas in my head.
If they're paying my by the hour? Ok, I'll sit here while we work out your daddy issues. It's your money. If they're paying me by the job, errrrg! That's when I have to try really hard to keep my inner-northerner from coming out.
And the Kreg saw appears to have as much metal and plastic as the Festool saws.
There is a "green" MDF that is water resistant. I am currently building a housing to cover out door plumbing. I strongly considered using the green MDF. How water resistant is it? I used a couple of pieces to sit on the ground to form a turn table for my hose reel. It was rained on and got a lot of sunshine for a year. It only faded and did not swell.
That said, the weight of MDF kept me from using it in this application, I'm using MDO instead.
The better track saws can replace a table saw. My Festool track saw cuts as accurately as my cabinet saw and delivers an extremely clean cut. These days I break down sheet goods, and the larger pieces are cut TO FINISHED DIMENSIONS, with my track saw.
The TS affords the ability to cut dado's and groves and cove cuts but if you only need beveled, straight cuts, or miter joints, most any track saw will deliver all you need.
If you are doing a lot of building, the TS is still the more comfortable tool for repetitive cuts and ultimately quicker for those cuts. But if you do not have a good TS a good track saw would probably fill 99% of your needs.
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