Milescraft 1409 Track Saw Guide - Universal for 7-1/4" Circular Saws, 50" Cutting Range, 2" Depth, Aluminum

Absolutely phenomenal tool accessory. My Makita 36v circular saw cuts like a hot knife in soft butter and better than my table saw could!

Track saws can be quite handy to do rip and cross cuts on large sheets of plywood. But track saws can be quite expensive, and for me, a part-time DIY woodworker, I can't justify the cost. This is a great alternative at a very affordable price, and is accurate enough for my needs. It sets up quickly.

I have the entire system, including the just released square. It is a five star saw guide, but does have its limitations. Here are my thoughts and tips.Accuracy. I just trimmed table tops with the saw and track square. All corner angles were between 89 and 91 degrees. Slop in my saw means it can deviate from the guide strip very slightly, but it is hardly an issue. It is far more accurate and easy to use than any edge guide. Project turned out great.Wonderful for jointing difficult boards to square up on the table saw. I often use it instead of my bench top jointer.Breaking down plywood? A perfect tool.The bad!The saw mounts will slip eventually and ruin your accuracy. In ordered to maintain reliable calibration, you should apply thread locker to all the screws and clamps. If done properly, then casually removing the saw is tedious, if not impractical. Accuracy, however, will be solid.I recommend permanently mounting the saw. I used epoxy to secure my saw to the base and accuracy is 100%.

I'm a carpenter by trade. Have been using straight edges, clamps, measure, allow for blade distance, etc for years. It worked. And about as accurate as my day might be going at the moment. Have tried the Kreg Accucut, Rip guides, and the like. Have priced out "real" track saws, and wondered how I might justify such cost for no more than I might use them. Enter the Milescraft 1409 track saw guide. I've watched several of the "tool guys" on YouTube review it, and have used other Milescraft jigs in the past with good success. So, for just over $100, I figured it was worth a risk.First things first. Decide what, exactly, you want a track saw for. For me, I'm going to use it for breaking down sheets of plywood, trimming doors, and the like. Square cuts in other words. Dust collection isn't going to be a big deal for me as most of that type of work I will do outside anyway. I don't anticipate doing bevel cuts either, so I can work around that if the need arises. Why do I mention all of that? Well, if you want good dust collection, bevel cuts, and (something I didn't mention) plunge cuts, spend the extra money and get into a decent (if not top of the line) track saw system.Pros: Kit was shipped in a box within a box, which is important for a tool like this. Well protected. The actual box all the parts came in had Styrofoam dividers, and cushions between the tracks to protect everything from being scratched. Directions are pretty straight forward - with one exception I'll address in the cons - and easy to follow. Parts are all good quality aluminum, well machined. Tracks mount square, and the connectors that hold them together hold them nice and tight. The plate that the circular saw sits on has ample clamping and flexibility to accept either one of the two saws I have. From unboxing to assembly and calibration took me about a half hour. Follow the directions, you should have no problem with getting things right. With one exception ...Cons - Milescraft includes 4 round hard neoprene/plastic bumpers designed to take the play out of the track to saw plate play that inherently exists. Wonderful idea. And they don't include the instructions for how to install them. Glaring error, imo, and why I took off one star overall. Pretty important thing, imo, to ensure accuracy on this tool. Figuring out how to use them actually took me more time than unboxing and assembly frankly. The other issue I have with these bumpers is that they aren't thick enough to put in a staggered configuration (which I figured was the best way) because of the way the channels on the extruded aluminum tracks are designed. They only engage one side. I was on a jobsite when I assembled this so I made it work, but I think I'm going to get some washers (screws holding the bumpers in place appear long enough) and try to extend two of the bumpers down to engage the shorter side of the channel. Still, for as well thought out as this kit seemed to be, imho, they didn't think this one through completely. The other con I found on this - and kind of figured going in - is you have to decide to either dedicate a saw to it and leave the plate on all the time, or come up with a way to attach a stop so that you don't have to re-calibrate any time you remove the saw. There is a stop for the front of the saw, and the back of the saw, but not one for the inside of your plate (left to right adjustment, iow). Having read other reviews and watching video reviews, I already knew that though. It is worth reiterating. One other thing, only right hand cut saws will work on this set-up.Use - Having assembled and calibrated, I was ready to cut. I would suggest (and the directions suggest it as well) to make a practice cut with it before you jump right in and make your dimensional cuts. This thing is accurate if you follow the directions and take care to make sure everything is tuned before you put it to work. I was using it on white melamine shelving material (slick surface stuff) and the few cuts I made as tests to see how well the rubber on the tracks held it in place did well. The included clamps (proprietary to Milescraft's track, btw, don't know how well - or if - dovetail style clamps would work) slide easily in the track slots and were easy to use. I set the track down on my line, and the cut landed right where it's supposed to. Can't ask for much better than that. I had a 24T framing blade in my saw, and there was minimal to zero tearout on the melamine - which is a big deal, melamine tears out easily in my experience. I have no doubt this will work well on plywood, or wider hardwood dimensional lumber in like fashion.Overall - Impressed. I will be ordering the 1408 extender tracks to rip 8' sheets of ply. The connectors hold the track pieces tightly, and squarely. Since I own multiple saws already, I can dedicate one of them to this plate and set it up so I can remove if necessary and put back in place quickly - with some modification. Everything you need comes with the kit. Great value, imo. I figure with the extenders, a few mods, and the fact I already have two saws, I'm into a track saw setup for right at $200. For a frugal pro like myself that's a good deal. This kit is perfect for the avid DIYer who doesn't want to spend $400+ on the Big Boy brands. As with any tool, just make sure you tune it before using it.

Great product! Great quality! Just used it and cuts are amazing and accurate. It took a bit of time to calibrate with my cordeless 6 1/2” circular saw, but once installed it is a breeze to work with it. Perfect tool and easy to use.

I own a Milescraft circular jig for my router to cut large circles for my wood projects. The quality and ease of use of that tool prompted me to take a chance on their Track Saw guide. I was not in a position to spend over $600 for a dedicated track saw from one of the big manufactures so I opted for the Miles craft unit for under a $100. It turned out to be an excellent purchase. Packaging was superb and the item arrived in excellent condition. The guide is constructed of high quality aluminum and comes with all parts to fit my Porter Cable saw. Instructions are clear cut and made assembly easy. I did have an issue with the track alignment which necessitated a contact with customer service. I received a response within a few hours and they quickly resolved my problem. Customer service from MilesCraft is outstanding as is the quality of this tool. I highly recommend this to anybody who is on a budget and wants a quality track saw. While it doesn't have the plunge capability of the competition, it does an excellent job for its intended purpose while saving you hundreds of dollars. And if you have any questions on the unit, their customer service is quick to react to solve any questions or issues you may have.

This track easily fit and adapted to my older Ryobi corded circular saw with ease, making for incredibly clean smooth cuts. When compared to track-saw kits costing $500 or more this was a no brainer. The track has held up well through a hardwood stair install involving hundreds of separate cuts, both long and short. If I had a spare $600 in the track-saw budget this month I might have spent more money, but probably gotten the same result. This track-saw kit is probably one of the best, most time saving, most consequential home improvement purchases I've ever made. It's cheap, relative to the price of a new track-saw, and doesn't take much space at all when broken down. It's also much safer than my table saw, just based on the design. It only takes a few minutes to set up and take down as well. I'd buy it all over again if I had to. Highest recommendation.

Well built and easy installation of base to circular saw. Works great!