5 Advantages of a Track Saw vs a Circular Saw

These are 5 advantages a track saw has over a circular saw. As a bonus, I’ll tell you how to create a DIY track that you can use with your circular saw.

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#1 - Safety - They are much less likely to kick back, especially the ones that I’ve reviewed recently - the Milwaukee, the Ridgid, the Festool, and a few others. The Ridgid and the Milwaukee both have riving knives that come behind the blade just like you would see on a table saw. That keeps the wood from pinching the blade, which prevents the kickback.

Festool took a little bit different approach, which I like. It’s an anti-kickback system. It looks like a riving knife that comes down, but all it’s doing is making contact with the surface. When it’s pushed up off that surface, it shuts the motor down. That’s a really nice feature to have in a track saw.

#2 - Dust Collection - At one time in my life I didn’t really care about dust collection. I just let it fly. Now I want to keep this place clean and keep my lungs clean, so I really do value dust collection. When you’re using a circular saw to cut plywood or MDF, the sawdust goes everywhere, and that’s even with the dust extractor hooked up to it. It’s just too much open area for that to be collected. The dust is going to fly off that blade every time.

when you make that exact same cut using the Festool or the Milwaukee track saw, both do a really good job of dust collection. That closed housing makes the dust collection easier and that is what I like about track saws.

#3 Ease of Depth-of-Cut Adjustment - On circular saws, they all have adjustments for depth of cut. A track saw is just better suited for cutting certain depths. When you cut a sheet of plywood or other sheet goods, you want to cut just below that bottom surface. That will prevent tearout, any possible injuries from the exposed blade, or even cutting into your workbench.

It's really easy on these newer models to adjust that depth of cut. You simply push the button on the plunge depth stop, lock it in place, and go. It’s that easy. On a circular saw, it takes a little more time. It’s not impossible, it’s not terribly inconvenient, it’s just easier on a plunge saw.

Speaking of speed of adjustments, the angle adjustment is easier, and it’s easier to fine-adjust so that you can dial in your bevel cuts compared to a circular saw.

#4 - Speed - A track saw will help you break down sheet goods much faster simply because of these tracks. This is especially true of the ones with good tracks - Milwaukee, Festool, probably Makita. There’s a nice grippy substance on the bottom of these tracks that makes them just stick once you put them down. It’s not that you can’t pick them up. It just keeps them from sliding around. All you have to do is make your mark, set your track on that mark, and make the cut. It’s really that easy. I can break down a whole sheet with four or five cuts in just a minute or two. If I were using a straight edge with a circular saw, I would have to clamp down each end of the straight edge, make the cut, move the straight edge and clamp it down again. The track saw is just much faster.

#5 - Accessories - There are a lot of accessories for track saws, especially track accessories. I love my TSO track square, and I’ve shown that in a few videos before. You simply clip it on, and it essentially makes your track a very long square. That makes it so that you don’t have to line up the far side of your track because it’s square to the side you’re cutting from. That makes breaking down sheet goods that much faster.

You’ve also got TSO parallel guides that come in various lengths. If you’re doing a lot of sheet-good work, these are invaluable, making it easier to quickly cut pieces the exact same width. They are a little pricey, but they are absolutely worth every penny if you cut a lot of sheet goods. You just set these and forget it. They slide into your existing track and bolt together really fast. After they’re in place, all you have to do is set your stops on each side to the exact measurement you want. You can then make your cuts over and over again, cutting as many pieces as you need. These are awesome, and I love the color. I also like that TSO gives you the option to pick up a sustainer with pre-cut foam inserts, so you don’t lose anything, as well as a nice carrying case, so you don’t damage your rails. TSO did send me these to check out, but I’ve bought TSO stuff in the past, and I’ve always been impressed with their quality.

You’ve also got track racks like where I hang mine on the back of the garage door to keep them out of the way. There are track clamps that clamp the track down from underneath so they don’t get in the way of anything while you’re cutting. Wittworks also makes arbor covers that really help with the dust collection.

Best Track Saw of 2023 - If you’re in the market for a track saw, which one should you buy? There are so many on the market now, and I’ve done tons of reviews on them already. I think the best pick for most people is probably the Milwaukee, only because of price. This is especially true when you start adding in tracks and other accessories. The Milwaukee comes in significantly less expensive than the Festool, but the Festool is by far my favorite if you have the budget for it.

DIY Homemade Track for Circular Saws - To make the track for your circular saw, you want to use a very flat piece of plywood, preferably 3/4", or you can even use MDF. It really doesn’t matter as long as it’s nice and flat, not bowed. You’ll start by ripping a piece that’s 10” wide, then rip a second piece that’s 5” wide. Glue the 5” piece right on top of the 10” piece so that the backs of both pieces are lined up. Make sure that edge is really straight on the back side of both pieces.

Now, you can make a cut with your circular saw on this faux track, putting the base plate of the circular saw right up against the fence you made with that 5” piece. This will give you a nice straight line that will allow you to use this as a track. Once the track is made, all you have to do is line up the cut line of this track against marks on the piece you’re cutting. Let’s say I want to rip a 2” piece of plywood. I’ll mark 2” on both ends of the plywood, then line up the edge of my homemade track. I can clamp it down, so the track won’t move, and then make my cut. It’s really that easy. You can make your homemade track as long or as short as you want.

The only thing you really need to worry about is to make sure you press your circular saw all the way to the left so that it rides along that guide fence. I did my woodworking for years with just a circular saw and some straight edges, and I got by just fine. However, there are 5 distinct advantages that a track saw gives you over a circular saw.

A circular saw is still handy to have in the shop for making small crosscuts and some various other roughing tasks. One advantage a circular saw has over a track saw is price. Many times you can get something like a Skil circular saw for $50 and sometimes even cheaper on Amazon. With a track saw, even the more budget-friendly ones like Kreg or Ridgid start at $300 to $400, so there’s quite a bit of price difference. Here are the advantages.