A centered channel and two rubber edges on DeWALT’s track allow the saw to cut on either side for added convenience. You can buy the saw and carry case alone for $469 or with a 59″ rail for $548. Those two features make it safer for ripping solid wood, as well as making stationary plunge cuts while on the rail. This saw is one of only a few with a spring-loaded riving knife and an anti-kickback stop in the base. And DeWALT’s dust collection was effective. But, if I set the machine for a 1/8″-deep scoring cut first, then followed with a through cut, the trail of tiny defects improved. When put to work, the DWS520K’s motor never flagged on either melamine or birch ply, although the blade did leave tiny chips and splinters on the rail side of the cut. Other rails limit cutting to one edge of the rail only. This saw’s aluminum guide rail features two rubber edge strips - one on each side - enabling you to cut along the rail with the saw facing either direction. It feels a bit awkward, because the other saws pivot down into their bases with one wrist motion, but it’s easy to adjust to. Once set up for cutting, there’s a parallel linkage on this saw that requires you to push the saw carriage forward slightly on the base before plunging it down at an angle. The only feature that isn’t as user-friendly is the blade-changing system: it involves an eight-step process of locking and unlocking levers that makes the job fussy. Setting depth-of-plunge on these saws is a simple matter of locking a pointer and knob on scale beside the guard, and DeWALT makes that easy to gauge, thanks to Imperial markings.
It features a thick magnesium base, sturdy and easy-to-adjust tilt controls and a pair of comfortable, rubberized grips. If you’ve spent some time with other DeWALT saws, you’ll feel right at home with the robust build quality of this DWS520K track saw. All these saws come with 48- or 60-tooth high quality carbide-tooth blades, so I tested them with their standard blade in place.
I wanted to compare cutting results, overall ease of operation, dust collection efficiency and general fit and finish. The test materials were resting on a fresh sheet of rigid foam insulation board. So, it’s high time we take a closer look at the category again.įor testing, I connected these saws to a premium dust extractor and put them to work, slicing up 100 lineal feat of chip-prone melamine board, then cut across the grain of another 100 ft. While these saws aren’t a cheap investment, I’ll argue they’re your best solution for sheet goods, and they’ll cut lumber and other materials, too, with the correct blade.
VIDEO: Why You Need a Track Sawįive years ago, when I tested track saws last, there were only three contenders, but the category has grown to six options now for the U.S. And in truth, the cutting results are every bit on par with my cabinet saw. I use my track saw almost exclusively for sizing down expensive and cumbersome sheet goods, because it’s easier to feed over 4x8s instead of wrestling the sheets across my table saw. Most of the motors on these saws have soft start, variable speed and electronic feedback circuitry like a good router, and a dust port on the blade guard whisks away debris before it has a chance to escape. It reduces the incidence of lifted fibers or chipping where an ordinary circular saw could leave a ragged mess. The edge or edges of the rail also have a pliable sacrificial strip that supports the workpiece where the blade teeth exit on the top side. A track saw’s base fits over the channel of an aluminum guide rail and follows it for making laser-straight cuts. It enables these saws to either plunge into a surface - a great thing for flooring contractors or remodelers - or be fed into the edge of workpieces conventionally.īut for us woodworkers, there are other advantages. Their blades retract into a shrouded guard until you thumb a release lever and pivot the motor assembly down to begin cutting. Track saws may look similar to a circular saw you can buy for a fraction of the price, but that’s where the common ground ends. Which of these six saws edges out the rest for top honors in our test? Track saws are ideal for slicing up sheet materials cleanly and accurately, and they’ll cut lumber and other materials, too.