Finally broke down and tried a track saw after years of fighting with circular saws

I've been building custom shelving units out of plywood for like 4 years now and always just used a circular saw with a clamped straight edge. Last week I had to cut 12 sheets of 3/4 inch birch for a big closet job in Austin and my buddy let me borrow his Festool. After the first cut I was pissed at myself for waiting so long. No more fighting with clamps or having the blade wander on long cuts. Anyone else put off a tool upgrade way too long and then realize you were making life harder?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix_thomas731mo ago

Same thing happened to me with a miter saw years ago, kept using a circular saw and a speed square because that's what my grandpa taught me. Once I finally got a good sliding miter saw the cuts were way cleaner and I stopped fighting with tearout on the ends. Funny how we'll stick with a harder way just cause we're used to it.

sean_murray1mo agoMost Upvoted

Gotta push back a little on this one @felix_thomas73. I mean, a speed square and a circular saw can get you just as clean if you take your time and use a good blade. A miter saw is nice but it's also another thing taking up space and needing calibration. Sometimes the old way works fine if you know what you're doing.