Model Railway Forum

Have just treated myself to a new track saw. Only a cheap one from B&Q but ideal for making dead straight cuts in sheet materials.
The best part is it hardly cost me a penny - a combination of some Christmas money and vouchers from the ONS Covid testing scheme.
Already put to good use, first of all to make a cross cut jig and then a slim drawer to fit under my painting bench for additional paint storage, but more of that once it’s been installed later in the week.

I thought you meant for cutting track. Doh!

Brilliant tool aren’t they. I inherited mine from my son.

Steve M wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 3:37 pm Have just treated myself to a new track saw. Only a cheap one from B&Q but ideal for making dead straight cuts in sheet materials.
The best part is it hardly cost me a penny - a combination of some Christmas money and vouchers from the ONS Covid testing scheme.
Already put to good use, first of all to make a cross cut jig and then a slim drawer to fit under my painting bench for additional paint storage, but more of that once it’s been installed later in the week.

Could you possibly show a link, Steve?
Ted

This sort of thing

Happy to oblige Ted.
I’ve been viewing some YouTube clips from a guy by the name of Peter Millard - he has produced a series of tutorials on track saws which I found useful.
I also upgraded the blade on this one to a 40tooth version from Screwfix.

https://www.diy.com/departments/mac-all ... 579_BQ.prd

This one is fully compatible with the Makita in Brian’s photo so I may treat myself to some of their clamps and guides in time.

It is the first time ever that I managed to cut in a straight line. Me and my dad could cut a curve with our eyes shut. Ah perhaps we should have had them open.

Thanks Steve.
Ted

Steve M wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 3:37 pm Have just treated myself to a new track saw. Only a cheap one from B&Q but ideal for making dead straight cuts in sheet materials.
The best part is it hardly cost me a penny - a combination of some Christmas money and vouchers from the ONS Covid testing scheme.
Already put to good use, first of all to make a cross cut jig and then a slim drawer to fit under my painting bench for additional paint storage, but more of that once it’s been installed later in the week.

A good investment for the track saw is a rail square that attaches to the track for making perfect right angle cuts, got one for my Makita SP6000 from these people and it produces perfect crosscuts. Its a bit pricey but you may find cheaper ones elsewhere.

https://benchdogs.co.uk/collections/rai ... re-festool

Richard

Thanks Richard, I had looked at those and if I were in the ‘trade’ I would probably go down that route. For my purposes, I made a crosscut jig based on one I saw in the videos I mentioned - the cost was a small sheet of 12mm MDF.
Used it to cut the timber for the desk drawer - probably some of the neatest carpentry I have ever achieved! That’s a fairly low bar though.
I will change the drawer runners though, bought the short ones but now it’s all assembled it really needs something longer. Remember - measure once, cut twice? Well I didn’t measure them at all.

Seems a lot of money to spend on a job that can be done with a 4ft level a pencel & tape measure.