Most of the time the first thing that pops into anyone’s head when they hear track saw is ripping down 4×8 sheets of plywood. The DWS520K ($449, Amazon) is ideal for just such a job when compared to a table saw. For stock this large there really is no comparison in accuracy, consistency, safety, not to mention it only takes 1 person to do it right. Where the track saw may get over looked for those not as familiar is the high level precision this tool adds to the convenience factor.
A Finishing Tool
The track saw can be very handy for rough cutting plywood all day long and those using it in this way would think it’s the greatest tool ever. It is so very simple to set up and does a great job making these cuts but where this tool really shines is in finishing. Out of the box you get a 48T blade which might not seem that great until you remember it’s only 6.5”. We are talking about an ultra fine finishing blade that is more than capable of making very clean finishing cuts.
The specific application that really tested this saw’s capabilities was building some European style cabinetry with cabinet grade plywood. To get a perfect fit for the wood edge banding the cuts needed to be completely smooth. If done on a traditional table saw, even with a good blade chances are the edges would need sanded and then there is a much greater chance it would be uneven. The cut from track saw is so smooth and exact there is no sanding necessary. Same would work very well for prepping to butt joint two boards together when biscuits and dowels are not an option, as with plywood.
The Competition
Festool was the first to introduce us all to this advanced plunge circular saw type cutting method. The TS 55 EQ ($525, Amazon) is their current competitive model and shares many of the same features with accuracy, dust collection and plunge style operation. The other less expensive option is the Makita Plunge Saw SP6000K ($349, Ohio Power Tool). The tracks on the Makita & Festool are single sided where the DeWalt can be used dual sided which is probably not be a deal killer. We were also curious why some are called “plunge” saws vs “track” saws but it’s probably a patented/copy write thing we will let the lawyers worry about.
The Track
The most important feature of this saw is the track itself, until we all get 8’ go go gadget arms this is going to be the simplest way to accurately rip plywood long ways. As we mentioned previously DeWalt is the only saw that can use the track in either direction. The non-slip strips on the bottom of the track are also over looked in many of the descriptions of this tool but have impressively strong holding power. The Achilles heel of the non-stick strips however is saw dust on the track or cutting material. For that reason they also make clamps that fit right into the track and will hold the work surface in place as well.
In the above picture Greg demonstrates one of the preferred way of using the track saw for the best accuracy. When a smooth flat surface is available, simply lay down nice thick pieces of insulation with the work surface on top of that and attach the track saw to the work surface. This ensures the most flat accurate cuts vs possible warping that could occur when the material is only supported at certain points.
Overall Performance
More than anything we were surprised at how seriously accurate this tool can be. With limited experience before Greg’s cabinet project, in our heads this was more of a rough cutting tool which makes it very easy to get large material into manageable workable sizes. Now our whole though process has changed to think of this as a finishing tool which can also do rough cutting very well. Special thanks to Greg as well as the folks at DeWalt for letting us demo this unit. More to come on this one soon!
