Makita Track Saw

Robert166

robert166
Corporate Member
Well I pulled the trigger on a track saw, after lots of YouTube reviews and talking myself in to and out of a track saw, the Makita SP6000J was the choice. Wanted the cordless version, but the price and waiting until July to get it, nope. Not sure on the tracks, they are not the Makita brand, (July on them as well) but what is nice, Amazon will take stuff back pretty easily. So we shall see how it works. I acquired a "huge" conference table that may be Rosewood veneered, and breaking that down into pieces one person can move will be the job for the track saw. This table top is in 5 pieces, no way one person could pick up one piece alone. I will post pics if anyone is interested in the crazy stuff I do. Or maybe not, lol.
 

Warped Woodwerks

.
Senior User
I have the Makita track saw (corded) with all variants of their tracks & enjoy it. To save a few bucks, you could get tracks from different manufacturers, like Powertec & Triton.

I also have a: TSO GRS-16 PE Parallel Edge Guide Rail Square

The TSO is a nice addition to the track saw. I am thinking about buying a 2nd one, too, for the 118" track.... Just something extra to blow your money on. I mean.. to consider.

Enjoy yours!

Rory
 

Robert166

robert166
Corporate Member
I ordered the Powertec tracks as well, was concerned they would not be made as well as the Makita brand. But that makes me feel better. Thanks Martin!
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I had a Festool rail and wanted to buy a second to be able to rip 48"
Some here posted about the Powertec tracks and they showed-up under the Christmas tree - every bit as good as the Festool tracks and was able to afford the bag to keep them in!
 

Robert166

robert166
Corporate Member
Mini-review
  • For the price I was expecting something with a little more metal and less plastic.
  • Unit seems small and very lightweight cheap feeling.
  • Cutting through a 2 inch table top, it seemed to struggle more than I would have expected. I wasn't forcing it either, slow and steady.
  • Dust collection, was getting about 85%, most was exiting from the front of the saw.
  • Getting some saw kerf marks, probably operator error
  • Tracks are okay, some of the rubber "gripper" stuff on the bottom does not appear to be stuck very well.
  • The built-in depth stop allows a preliminary cut of 1/16-inch, I like that
  • Soft start motor, like that
  • Variable speed motor, nice option, don't know if I would use it much, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
  • It came with a nice storage case,
  • Stock saw blade performs nicely
  • No major chip out on the veneer top
  • It does produce a nice straight line cut.
Would I but another? I don't know really, the saw, two rails and two clamps came to $550.00. I like to look at a purchase and be able to say, yep that was money well spent. Cant do that yet. But maybe in the future after I learn all the tricks, I will.
 

Martin Roper

Martin
Senior User
  • For the price I was expecting something with a little more metal and less plastic.
  • Unit seems small and very lightweight cheap feeling.

That describes a lot of things these days. I looked at a used Festool TS 55 track saw before buying the Makita and it was also pretty much as you describe.
 

Dbush714

DB
User
I bought the Makita cordless version a few years back when ToolNut was running a special deal (extra set of 18v batteries and 2 54” Makita tracks). Can’t remember the price (certainly wasn’t cheap, but competitive). Has been a great investment. Almost never cut sheet goods on my table saw anymore. I have a piece of 2” blue foam board that I use as a “sacrifice” board, especially for thin stock.
 

Robert166

robert166
Corporate Member
Well I figured it would happen, cut a finishing nail with the saw. :mad: Anyway it still cuts, not as well obviously. New Makita blade is $45. Dewalt brand at Lowes $18. Anyone ever tried the Dewalt blade in the Makita?
 

Henry W

Henry
Corporate Member
That describes a lot of things these days. I looked at a used Festool TS 55 track saw before buying the Makita and it was also pretty much as you describe.
Makes me feel better about my Wen choice - which I also described this way.
Further (limited and occasional) use of the Wen saw with PowerTec (sp?) track has proven the 'plastic' construction to NOT be an issue.
 

tri4sale

Daniel
Corporate Member
Well I figured it would happen, cut a finishing nail with the saw. :mad: Anyway it still cuts, not as well obviously. New Makita blade is $45. Dewalt brand at Lowes $18. Anyone ever tried the Dewalt blade in the Makita?

Yeah, I did that with my Festool track saw breaking down some old doors... surprisingly I haven't seen any issues with the blade cutting after that, and have used it on many more doors. Was a very small nail so I think I got lucky. But they probably heard me in Germany when I cussed when I saw the little bit of metal in the wood after cutting.
 

tri4sale

Daniel
Corporate Member
So, are you saying “yeah I used a dewalt blade, or yeah I hit a nail too?”
yeah, I hit a nail too :) And I was using the TS75 and those blades are expensive. I do need to see if any alternatives are out there, Klingspor had an different brand when I went in awhile ago, but it was a new item and no one in the store had used it so they couldn't comment on quality.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
The second cut I made with my (used) Festool TS55 I cut into the (Metal) saw stand - I have not seen any change in the quality of cut!
Question - do TS55 and TS 75 users have their blades sharpened or just buy new ones?
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
Hank, I have a TS55; about 3 years ago I replaced the blade with a new one (the old blade was in the saw aprox 9 years). I do not recall the exact price I paid, but it was somewhere in the $55 to $60 range. Given the cost of Festool products in general, I thought the price was reasonable...I did not price the cost of sharpening the old blade.
 

Henry W

Henry
Corporate Member
Mini-review
  • For the price I was expecting something with a little more metal and less plastic.
  • Unit seems small and very lightweight cheap feeling.
  • Cutting through a 2 inch table top, it seemed to struggle more than I would have expected. I wasn't forcing it either, slow and steady.
  • Dust collection, was getting about 85%, most was exiting from the front of the saw.
  • Getting some saw kerf marks, probably operator error
  • Tracks are okay, some of the rubber "gripper" stuff on the bottom does not appear to be stuck very well.
  • The built-in depth stop allows a preliminary cut of 1/16-inch, I like that
  • Soft start motor, like that
  • Variable speed motor, nice option, don't know if I would use it much, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
  • It came with a nice storage case,
  • Stock saw blade performs nicely
  • No major chip out on the veneer top
  • It does produce a nice straight line cut.
Would I but another? I don't know really, the saw, two rails and two clamps came to $550.00. I like to look at a purchase and be able to say, yep that was money well spent. Cant do that yet. But maybe in the future after I learn all the tricks, I will.

Pretty similar to my WEN TS review really, with a few minor diiferences:
- no storage case,
- I can't recall if the WEN motor is soft start or VS.
- The PowerTec track rubber on my tracks does not appear to have any adhesion issues.
 

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