WEN CT1065 10-Amp 6.5-Inch Plunge Cut Sidewinder Circular Track Saw,Black

in 45+ years of cabinet building, i've never thought i needed a track saw so i never looked into getting one. now that i'm 'old and retired' i like to look at tools and buy things i don't really need which is exactly why i ordered this when i found it in a package deal on Amazon day at an excellent price along with a discount coupon. i've been milling down some cherry hardwood i have that's just over 2.25" thick, the saw is advertised at 2 1/3" depth of cut and i thought that would be perfect for straight line ripping the boards, but that's the depth of cut WITHOUT the track, with the track it's just shy of 2.25" DOC. the package came with a 100" track and i wish i had substituted for the longer track to be honest. the track does NOT assemble perfectly straight just pushing it together and tightening up the track clamp/guides, i used a 6' level along the back side of the track to get it perfectly straight then tightened up the set screws. with the track perfectly straight the saw will glide over the joint effortlessly and you'll never even feel it, if you don't, you'll feel the transition from one track to the next as the saw passes over it. with the track straight i made a few rips on a piece i planed down to 2.25" which is the maximum thickness this saw will cut while on the track, placed the track on the wood and secured with the clamps (the clamps really aren't necessary as the track has an anti slip bottom rubber but they are extra security just in case) and made a full depth rip. the saw cut well without any bogging of the motor and no burning of the cut. to the eye the finished cut looked great. i then took the cut over to the jointer and made a single pass at 1/64" DOC and got a clean cut on the very first pass so the cut coming off the saw is glue joint ready for most applications. over the last few months i find i use the track saw more and more and it's become a very handy tool in the shop and i honestly wish i had gotten one years ago. i keep the track assembled and store it in my wood rack so it lays flat and is always ready to pick up and use and now i don't have to worry about assuring it's straight from assembling/disassembling it every time so it's a lot quicker to have in the 'ready to cut' configuration. a full track saw setup for less than 200 bucks that delivers on speed and cut quality, if you're on the fence about buying this, go ahead and pull the trigger, it's a good investment.

I've never used a track saw before and didn't really see the need for one however with the increase in demand in things I build for customers with live edge slabs and that absolutely everyone no matter how little woodworking they do claiming these are must have tool I got one. Let me tell you this if you are cutting long wide slabs this is a necessity almost an then once you do have it you'll find it makes squaring ends super fast and if you don't like using the table saw to break down sheet goods it is good for that as well. When it comes to purchasing tools I DON'T buy Festool as it's overrated and not any better built than several other brands but I do usually buy most of my tools from a fairly big name when it came to this tool however it isn't produced by many companies and as I mentioned I didn't even think I would need or use this much so I just grabbed a cheap one than seemed to have decent reviews. I figured if it wasn't perfectly accurate oh well I just wanted it to break down rough stock but I will say this say is perfectly accurate a breaze to use and every bit as good as any other out there. It does how a few quirks like the anti kick lock.....yeah just take that off right away it's a nuisance. I've used this on 1/4" to 3/4" ply and MDF as well as 1" to 3" cherry and maple as well as black locust, osage orange, holly, and patagonian rosewood not to mention it eats walnut as a main staple like a champ. You'll want to throw on a good blade (I used an industrial thin kerf coated rip blade from Freud) but so far I've never had it bog down on anything. This does have slightly less cut depth of a regular circular saw but it leaves very little on a 3" rough slab and it can be easily hand cut or re cut with your circ saw. Most of my slabs are 2" but I do have a supply of 3" cherry and have cut 3" walnut and red oak for countertops and there was no bogging down or burning which cherry loves to do. Lastly I will say you should definitely forget the Wen tracking. I went with Makita as it's the happy medium and the easiest to find in many different lengths but also Festool tracking is exactly the same as well. This way if you do upgrade your sw later your tracking will still work with your new saw. I conclusion if you're like me and wasn't really sure thi was as useful as everyone else claims it to be or you're just starting out and aren't sure where to best spend your money then this is the saw. It is cheap enough to not break the bank but also a very good saw that you might find you won't bother upgrading later.

Muito bom produto, recomendo.

Es muy practica funciona bien

Completely in love with this saw. I waited so longer debating on whether I truly needed it and finally described on this after watching several YouTube videos and reading so many reviews. Makes breaking down sheet goods a breeze. Its a must if building cabinets as it saves me so much time. Tool seems well built for the amount of plastic parts it contains. Setup was easy and the plunge feature is more convenient than expected. Weight is good for the size of the saw and material used. Powerful enough for what I use it for, mostly 3/4 Baltic birch. Dust collection could be better but most saws have same size fitting so it doesn't mean that much to me. Overall thrilled at this price point