Track Saw Table (MFT Clone) Advise

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  • Stytooner
    Roll Tide RIP Lee
    • Dec 2002
    • 4301
    • Robertsdale, AL, USA.
    • BT3100

    #16
    They say you are only as old as you feel. I feel like I should be just fishing right now.
    Lee

    Comment

    • Stytooner
      Roll Tide RIP Lee
      • Dec 2002
      • 4301
      • Robertsdale, AL, USA.
      • BT3100

      #17
      Okay guys. I went ahead with this purchase. I was wrong about it not being green though. I did order the Grizzly kit and an extra track.
      <p>This track saw redefines the circular saw, making traditional circular saws obsolete! Its plunge-cutting action eliminates flip-up blade guards and its riving knife reduces the risk of pinching and kickback for a new revolution in safety. And, although this saw cuts like any other circular saw, the 55" Guide Rail is indispensable for making straight cuts when cutting wide panels. No more unsafe, over-extended reaching, and poor balance while cutting wide panels on a table saw! Once you use this Track Saw, you'll never go back to your old circular saw!<UL> <LI>Suitable for a variety of materials like solid wood worktops, double-coated MDF boards, etc.<LI>Infinitely variable cutting depth up to 2-5/32"<LI>Rail system for accurate and inclusive splinter-free cuts<LI>Non-slip backing on the underside of the rail for secure grip on the workpiece<LI>Sliding surfaces on the guide rail ensure smooth machine operation<LI>Built-in riving knife for anti-kickback protection<LI>Anti-tilt bar provides a secure grip on the guide rail for miter cutting</UL><B>Features:</B><UL><LI>Includes saw blade<LI>Continuous cutting depth limiter<LI>Anti-kickback protection<LI>Dust port for shop vacuum</ul> <P><B>Specifications:</B> <UL> <LI>Motor: 120V, 9A, 1.1 kW<LI>Motor speed: 5500 RPM<LI>Blade rim speed: 9,070 ft per minute<LI>Max cutting depth at 90&deg;: without rail 2-5/32", with rail 1-31/32"<LI>Max cutting depth at 45&deg;: without rail 1-5/8", with rail 1-7/16"<LI>Saw blade: 160mm x 20mm x 48 tooth<LI>Distance between saw blade and wall: 5/8"<LI>Dust port diameter: 1-1/2"<LI>Combined approximate shipping weight: 20 lbs.</ul><p>Master Pack Includes: T10687 Track Saw, T24872 55" Guide Rail and T25094 Accessory Pack.</p>


      It is a considerably lower cost than many of the others I considered.
      I have been pleased with most of my Grizzly purchases and not so pleased with most of my Dewalt power tools. Love my cordless Dewalts, but I wear the corded tools out fairly quickly.
      I have had my current saw for almost 20 years, so I suspect I will have this track saw for awhile as well.

      I'm looking forward to giving this thing a workout.

      Lee

      Comment

      • Cochese
        Veteran Member
        • Jun 2010
        • 1988

        #18
        Congrats on the purchase. I think there are some modifications out there to help it work better (the spring?).

        I had looked at the Grizzly ever since it came out. However when it came time to buy the only negative I saw about the Festool was the price, so I went that route.

        I've been trying to figure out a way to get an MFT or similar in my shop for a month now, knowing that I would really appreciate a surface I could crosscut on or assemble on. No luck as of yet.
        I have a little blog about my shop

        Comment

        • Stytooner
          Roll Tide RIP Lee
          • Dec 2002
          • 4301
          • Robertsdale, AL, USA.
          • BT3100

          #19
          Thanks and I will look into the spring mod.
          I will also be machining a new plate for this track so I can use my old saw on it as well. Having several cnc machines in the shop certainly is a plus.


          Not sure yet what material I will use. Probably either aluminum or HDPE. I have plenty of both on hand.

          Does anyone know if someone makes a universal adapter for the Grizzly, Dewalt, Festool etc? If not, this may become a new product.

          I searched, but could not find any for name brand tracks. Only ones like the Eureka Zone type.
          Lee

          Comment

          • LinuxRandal
            Veteran Member
            • Feb 2005
            • 4889
            • Independence, MO, USA.
            • bt3100

            #20
            I've never seen an adapter/replacement base for any of the saws, to ride on anyone's tracks, and there have been discussions about it, going back to the old Eurekazone forum on Sawmillcreek. (no longer accessible) A few saws could work on others tracks, like the older Hilti 267 series (well liked, expensive and discontinued).
            One of the issues that was always a part of the discussion at some point, as bevel angles. (saw brand/model/type, track type, etc. could all be issues) Another was liability.
            There was also a discussion on how to make an adapter that made the EZ track work like a thicker Euro track (surprised the link still works): http://eurekazone.aforumfree.com/t51...in-an-eurorail
            Carol Reed's old system is similar to some of the clamp tracks that have a router sled on them. It mounted the saw to the side (on a sled). This may be one way to deal with angles, but you are then losing the small piece capability without using same thickness pieces to trap your stock.
            She couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod, and the bathroom. We had to go back for her.........................Twice.

            Comment

            • capncarl
              Veteran Member
              • Jan 2007
              • 3564
              • Leesburg Georgia USA
              • SawStop CTS

              #21
              How do the tracks on these saws like the Grizzley splice together to be able to rip a 96" sheet of plywood?

              capncarl

              Comment

              • JimD
                Veteran Member
                • Feb 2003
                • 4187
                • Lexington, SC.

                #22
                Congratulations. I would be interested in your thoughts on the Grizzly after you use it a bit. I think you idea of a new base - or extra base - for circular saws so they can be used on the track is interesting. I used my DeWalt track saw to cut up waferboard for an attic project, for instance. I kind of didn't like using it's nice blade to cut up wafer. Being able to use my Milwaukee on the track would have probably had me doing that.

                I think you will find that the normal circular saw will erode the soft edge of the track, however. That seemed to happen with my shoot boards and the Milwaukee. I would be more likely to want something like this if the offset was such that the milwaukee blade was just outside of the soft edge. That defeats one advantage of the track use but also preserves that edge for use with the tracksaw.

                I'm not sure I would ever use the Milwaukee on the track, however, because the track saw is much nicer. A blade for it every once in awhile is something I think I can handle. But when I cut off the bottom of a door that had a piece scabbed on with nails I didn't use the track saw and, instead, used the Milwaukee. That would have been another situation where a base so I could use the Milwaukee on the track would have been nice. So maybe.

                Comment

                • Stytooner
                  Roll Tide RIP Lee
                  • Dec 2002
                  • 4301
                  • Robertsdale, AL, USA.
                  • BT3100

                  #23
                  Thanks, Guys. I would make it adjustable and universal to hopefully fit many saws base. In that adjustment, you could make the kerf line like 1/4" proud of the track. With markings for the exact cut line on the plate front and back, you could still setup the track rather easily. Get it eyeballed at 1/4" and then push the saw to each end of the track to clamp it down precisely.
                  My old saw has a little slop at times just because it's old. I would imagine many might be keeping the older saw for the same purposes. Not nice material cutting.
                  It would cut our granite and the Hardy panels with ease and the track would not be close enough to the cut to damage it, but still provide the nice straight cuts you are looking for.

                  I'll make one for the Grizzly track first. If that works out well, I can expand the line to include the Dewalt and Festool.

                  I watched the video of a track saw similar to the Grizzly. He mentioned the spring was too stiff and that slip runners should be further apart. Those are two items I suspect will have to be addressed first. Probably just go with a weaker spring and some UHMW tape.
                  Lee

                  Comment

                  • Stytooner
                    Roll Tide RIP Lee
                    • Dec 2002
                    • 4301
                    • Robertsdale, AL, USA.
                    • BT3100

                    #24
                    Originally posted by capncarl
                    How do the tracks on these saws like the Grizzley splice together to be able to rip a 96" sheet of plywood?

                    capncarl
                    I'm not sure how, but the parts are in the kit. I'll do a review of it when it comes in.

                    Looks like it just uses a bar that slides into the tracks.
                    Includes two rail clamps that firmly secure the guide rail without hindering saw travel, a rail connector for joining two guide rails when ripping full length plywood, limit stop and anti-tilt bar.<br><br>Please note: handle color may vary


                    Last edited by Stytooner; 02-14-2014, 09:53 AM.
                    Lee

                    Comment

                    • capncarl
                      Veteran Member
                      • Jan 2007
                      • 3564
                      • Leesburg Georgia USA
                      • SawStop CTS

                      #25
                      Good luck with the track adapters for different brands. I had a project going to build battery adapters for the popular brands of drills and other hand held tools. The concept was simple, build a male end of the battery pack for the desired brand with a female receptical for the brand of battery you wanted to use. That way you could utilize one battery that you liked, had an abundancce of or was cheaper, with a number of popular tools. To keep the story short, someone already had an adapter out for the yellow tools using the green battery, and was selling them on Ebay. I was a couple of months behind him having a marketable adapter for several brands when he got a cease and desist letter from the yellow tool co. Undoubtedly their bottomless pit of lawyers convinced him to pull his product and go away. After researching the situation I found that some companys do control their competion by threats and lawsuits. Kinda like Sawstop is trying to do. I shortly dropped the project before I had too much invested. Good luck with the adapters.
                      capncarl

                      Comment

                      • JimD
                        Veteran Member
                        • Feb 2003
                        • 4187
                        • Lexington, SC.

                        #26
                        Originally posted by Stytooner
                        I'm not sure how, but the parts are in the kit. I'll do a review of it when it comes in.

                        Looks like it just uses a bar that slides into the tracks.
                        Includes two rail clamps that firmly secure the guide rail without hindering saw travel, a rail connector for joining two guide rails when ripping full length plywood, limit stop and anti-tilt bar.<br><br>Please note: handle color may vary


                        The clamps are like the Festool clamps and are used to hold the rail in position. I like the DeWalt better - they are quick acting squeeze clamps - but these should work fine. The bar is used to join track sections. Not sure what the plastic pieces are. When I bought my DeWalt, I got the 109 inch and 56 inch tracks so I don't need to join them. I've read that you have to be a little careful that they are staight when you screw them together - like maybe check with a six foot level or other straight edge.

                        Comment

                        • BadeMillsap
                          Senior Member
                          • Dec 2005
                          • 868
                          • Bulverde, Texas, USA.
                          • Grizzly G1023SL

                          #27
                          I've used my Grizz Track Saw quite a bit to break down sheet goods and for the $ works very well in my opinion.

                          One of the plastic pieces is used to provide a bit of stability on the track (it prevents for the most part any side to side rocking that you can encounter without it ... should have been better engineered so I think this was an "afterthought" once the saw was out in the wild).

                          The other plastic piece is a "stop" as I recall.

                          I have used the rail joiner to rip 96" ply and it does work but it would be "better" to have two of the pieces to join the two tracks vs just the one in the kit.

                          I saw the video about the change to the spring tension but I have not experienced a problem in that regard ... maybe they "fixed it" since the video was made.

                          Regardless ... I'm very happy with the saw and the price. It satisfies my simple requirements well and didn't break the bank.
                          "Like an old desperado, I paint the town beige ..." REK
                          Bade Millsap
                          Bulverde, Texas
                          => Bade's Personal Web Log
                          => Bade's Lutherie Web Log

                          Comment

                          • Stytooner
                            Roll Tide RIP Lee
                            • Dec 2002
                            • 4301
                            • Robertsdale, AL, USA.
                            • BT3100

                            #28
                            Originally posted by capncarl
                            Good luck with the track adapters for different brands. I had a project going to build battery adapters for the popular brands of drills and other hand held tools. The concept was simple, build a male end of the battery pack for the desired brand with a female receptical for the brand of battery you wanted to use. That way you could utilize one battery that you liked, had an abundancce of or was cheaper, with a number of popular tools. To keep the story short, someone already had an adapter out for the yellow tools using the green battery, and was selling them on Ebay. I was a couple of months behind him having a marketable adapter for several brands when he got a cease and desist letter from the yellow tool co. Undoubtedly their bottomless pit of lawyers convinced him to pull his product and go away. After researching the situation I found that some companys do control their competion by threats and lawsuits. Kinda like Sawstop is trying to do. I shortly dropped the project before I had too much invested. Good luck with the adapters.
                            capncarl

                            Thanks, Guys. I'm not too concerned about any infringements for a plate. Nothing really patentable about one. It's probably going to be a piece of plastic with an adjustable slot and a few clips to hold the saw in place.

                            You do have to be very careful how you market it though. Any use of brand names in advertising might get you into hot water. It's one of the reasons I don't really advertise the shark.

                            I would not be looking to replace the original name brand saws, but simply make use of old saws for cutting undesirable materials. I would think such a thing would be a benefit to the track saws themselves.
                            Could be wrong about it all, but one thing I probably would not do is to put them up on Ebay.
                            Lee

                            Comment

                            • Condoman44
                              Established Member
                              • Nov 2013
                              • 178
                              • CT near Norwich
                              • Ryobi BT3000

                              #29
                              The Festool & Makita use the same track parts. I bought the Festool part to join the 2 sections of my 55" track. It works fine and acts as one track but you can easily transport it. The Festool clamps work perfect with the Makita track.

                              The only thing I did different was tape a dedicated 6' extension on the saw cord to solve the lack of range the supplied cord has.

                              I also made two small pieces of wood to help when measuring where the cut goes. One block is if keeping the cutoff piece and the other is discarding the cutoff piece. This way I can measure from the edge of the wood to the block and add or subtract 8" depending on the keep/discard question. It allows accurate measurement because the edge of the track has a nice rounded corner and one cannot get the eyeball on where to measure to.

                              Comment

                              • lrr
                                Established Member
                                • Apr 2006
                                • 380
                                • Fort Collins, Colorado
                                • Ryobi BT-3100

                                #30
                                Festool offers quick clamps as well as screw clamps usable on the MFT workbench and their guide rails.

                                Lee

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