Track saw accessories - purchased!

Purchase Proposals
1

Proposal Type:
Small

Proposer:
Peter - WoodyDusty

Description:

In the wood space there is a plunge saw. This tool is extremely useful for cutting sheet materials and could be a relatively safer method of cutting large sheet stock relative to the existing table saw and much cheaper and less demanding of space than a full scale panel saw.

However this tool has several shortcomings. The first and most obvious is that it is a budget tool (specifically a Parkside PTSS 1200 C1). In my view his means that investments in upgrades should only be made considering the possibility of upgrading this to a better tool later, should it break.

The other issues are that it does not have some accessories that would allow it to be used for accurately cutting 4’x8’ sheet stock. That is what this proposal addresses.

Track saw clamps

These fasten underneath the rail, keeping clamps from interfering with the run of the tool. In practise is does hugely improve ease of use.

Track saw rail

The tool by default comes with two 700mm sections of rail that can be fastened together with a bar. For cutting an 8’ length you would need four of these. Sadly rails by different companies have slightly different designs.

Peter Millard in this video explains rail compatibility, specifically in reference to this saw:

track saw square

This tool is a square that attaches to the track, allowing you to very easily cut at right angles.

Proposed Purchase:

Evolution Power Tools ST2800 Circular Saw Guide Rail/Track Fits Makita, Bosch, Festool, (Clamps and Carry Bag Included), 2800 mm : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

260mm Track Saw Square Right Angle Circular Saw Guide Rail Accessories Angle Stop Compatible with Festool and Makita Guide Rail : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Proposed Installation:
A location for all items will need to be discussed with wood team and possibly DIY wall hanger built

Budget:
£114.99

The increased use of the tracksaw may bring more need for new blades. Typically these would be <£15/ea

Longer term we may need to replace the budget tool with a better one if it burns out.

Funding type:
Fully funded by Hackspace

Health & Safety
I believe this would need a new health and safety procedure and may also need training. The equipment already exists and can be used, but in practise very few people do. This purchase proposal would make it much more useful.

Supporters
Small Proposal < £150 - 2 Board Members and 5 Members

Supporting Board Members:

  1. Frank Hall
  2. Joe Christian @Josephxtian

Supporting Members:

  1. Peter Roberts
  2. Mike Hindley
  3. Mark Dale
  4. Bob Clough
  5. Kathryn Ascroft
2

+1 — a great investment and in many cases a safer option than the table saw

3

Hey Peter,

In theory I’m happy for this to proceed, but before I give my support, I’ve got a few questions.

  1. Do you use this tool against a bench? Is there something that stops someone chopping through the bench?

  2. Sorry if its already explained, but given you think the current saw is cheap and might burn out, can this rail be used with other saws or are we locking ourselves into a product system?

  3. It would be good to clarify the storage of this item and the H&S points you raise before the purchase happens. As you say there isn’t currently an induction for the circular saw, and does this track not make it safer and more useful?

There’s a balance to be made between keeping members safe, stopping tools being misused and the amount of member time required for training etc. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to trial a video + quiz style induction, rather than in person?

Cheers,

Joe

4

Thanks Joe. These are all valid points. The tracks I have selected are compatible with other systems. Makita tracks and some others have an extra feature (an extra rail of metal to make saw cut slightly more straight), but which makes them less intercompatible. ISTM an upgrade would likely be a couple of steps up but this track should be compatible (from what I can tell) with all track saws, it just wouldn’t have some brand-specific alignment features. My source on this is the video I posted. The benefit of this track over buying more lidl tracks that I can see is that it has two points extenders can be clamped in at, meaning it will be straighter and more stable when rails are joined.

Currently there are no inductions on the circular saw or this plunge saw, and none required. My concern is if we upgraded it would become more popular and this would become a greater necessity. It is safer than the table saw in my view in most situations and I would like to be able to recommend it to people buying sheet stock, but the rail isn’t long enough for 8’x4’ and it’s much harder to use to cut than it would be with the specialist clamps. Obviously it still has risks and with more using it, this would come to the fore.

The risk of cutting into the table is exactly right and the other issue we’d want to discuss before recommending this to users. The tool we have has stops and other tools will have those as well. Training would be pretty quick and mostly tell people how to prepare a cut and how to set the stops. Additionally we would have to make a decision on where to tell people to cut and possibly prepare a dedicated scrap wood surface for them to cut on.

This isn’t an urgent request, but it is one that has a lot of utility. We can address all concerns before really pushing this, but I wanted to get the information I had into a proper proposal, as I think regardless of process decided, these are the items I would recommend purchasing.

5

+1

6

+1

7

@Josephxtian I’ve constructed a folding surface specifically for this type of cutting and will be bringing it to the space before the weekend (I’m making two, one for personal and one for the space and have completed 1+1/2)

IMG_20230211_161343_HDR
IMG_20230211_161343_HDR1800×4000 729 KB

8

+1

9

Hey Peter,

Thanks for sorting a cutting surface.

Just leaves the outstanding questions about where they will be stored that they won’t get passively wrecked, and how Inductions might work for it.

Personally I would be happy for this to be a short (<10 minute YouTube video), followed by a quiz which gives a padlock code if enough answers are correct.

Setting up a Google form quiz is really simple. Either you can learn yourself or I’m happy to set one up if I’m provided the questions.

As I understand it the saw is likely to jam and cut out rather than seriously injur people if it binds in some wood. So this is more focused on people not cutting through the bench/horse thing you’ve made, by understanding how to use it, and how to set up the tracksaws.

Unsure what the padlock would be around, maybe the track saw and saw horse are chained to the wall or something.

Cheers,

Joe

10

+1 board

I’ve used our current tracksaw and the lack of proper clamps and length did make it a pain to use. The proposed clamps are large enough to clamp to our workbench or outfeed table so that gets a thumbs up from me.

11

Have prepared a draft circular saw induction quiz. It needs a section on mounting the saw on the track, but most information is covered.

12

Great Quiz Peter, I just did a test run, just clicking through and not reading anything, but just getting the general jist and it seemed thorough. Plus i didn’t get 100%, so it’s not easy to guess your way through. Good stuff!

1 Like
13

+1

14

+1 board

15

Accessories have been purchased. Track saw square should be delivered tomorrow, other accessories eta 24-26th June. Being delivered to @mikeh

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