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Cheap track saw

Featured Replies

Looking the Menards ad last night.   Saw they have a sub-$200 track saw.   It's their private label so I'm not sure how good it is, but seems to have cracked the $700+ glass ceiling of Festool, DeWalt and Makita.     And a 110" track, great for full sheets of ply, MDF, OSB, etc.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/power-tools-accessories/power-saws-accessories/masterforce-reg-6-1-2-plunge-cut-track-saw-kit-with-110-track/2410706/p-1489990860634-c-9082.htm?tid=4470200921871567213&ipos=1

 

Anyone seen or used it?

I have not, but I saw it advertised and want to look at it the next time I'm at Menards. The track looks like it's a copy of the Festool track, and I'm curious whether the 2 are interchangeable.

If the saw is any good, that's a whale of a bargain. 

If the saw is any good, that's a whale of a bargain. 

No Menards in AZ.:mellow:

  • Author

Shortly after posting this, I was on the Rockler site and they had a Triton for about $100 more.   Looked like a deal, too until I found out it did not include a track, that were only 54", so you need two of them, and connectors, that puts it up in the DeWalt/Makita neighborhood.

 

  • Author
4 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

If the saw is any good, that's a whale of a bargain. 

No Menards in AZ.:mellow:

They ship to home as an option.

I'll keep that in mind. Don't need the track saw. Made my own to fit my Skil 77. Otherwise, I'd be all over it. 

Might go to their website and see if they have a catalog.

4 hours ago, kmealy said:

Anyone seen or used it?

Saw the same ad Keith...with the current 11% Rebate drops it down to $177.11...it carries a 3 year warranty.

I don't own any Masterforce power tools but generally they get respectable reviews.

For an occasional track-saw user I don't think a person could go wrong IMO...

  • Author

Swung by the big green box today.   Apparently, a few people thought it was a good deal because they were sold out.   Hoping to have a look at one.   I've suggested one to the theater construction mgr for cutting down the OSB.   When people do it on the table saw, it gives me the weebie-geebies.   I can't even watch them.

It looks like a Scheppach / Grizzly system.

  • Author
14 hours ago, RJH30518 said:

It looks like a Scheppach / Grizzly system.

I have or have had three Grizzly tools, drill press, belt/disk sander, and jig saw.   Had problems with all of them.  And customer service was terrible.  Makes me reluctant to buy another.

4 hours ago, kmealy said:

I have or have had three Grizzly tools, drill press, belt/disk sander, and jig saw.   Had problems with all of them.  And customer service was terrible.  Makes me reluctant to buy another.

I can't speak to CS issues with Grizzly or thier powered tools..I can speak to CS issues with Menards...I've NEVER had any issues getting resolution with anything I purchased at Menards...maybe I've been lucky IDK.

Just saw a used Makita on CL (fairly close by) with only a 54" track. Stated is was only about a year old; pictures appeared it had been used carefully & not abused... Price $250 FIRM...or

Buy a new Masterforce, 110" track, with a full 3 year warranty; 90 day return policy for ~$172...seems worth the risk IMHO..

Keith since you jumped in there bad mouthing Grizzly I will say I have  a 16"drum sander, an 18" band saw, an 8" jointer, a 10 " table saw, a 2 hp dust collector, a universal knife sharpening machine,  a dust collector remote control unit and a few other things I bought in early 2000. Everything is Grizzly. We drove to Springfield, Mo with a big trailer and as of today I have never had to contact them one time for anything gone bad....

  Kinda bad when you don't say any one thing on what happened or give any kind of explanation.. What was it, did you not know where the switches were???

  There was another guy on another wood working site some years ago who was cussing Grizzly for their sorry bandsaw. Really bad mouthing the company. I got  with him and explained if I could help him set his bandsaw up so it would resaw would he give a correction online for his hate for a company that really didn't do anything....Thank goodness I had just watched the guy who sets band saws up the best I had ever seen so I kinda stuck my foot in my mouth not knowing if I could help him or not..... Yes he did apologize to me and said he would tell the world to learn about something before he tried to ruin  company from his inexperience.....

  Keith did you know the company would make right any tool you or anyone else had bought by contacting them If there was actually something wrong with the tools...No not five or ten years later but in a  reasonable time..... No they don't try to stick it to their customers  like you are suggesting .... 

Jesse, I must have read Keith's post completely different than you. All I saw was him saying was he had some problems with Grizzly tools, I didn't have nearly the reaction you did to his comments. Just saying......

 

(PS, for the record: I've always found Grizzly's CS to be excellent)

  • Author

OK, here's the facts with Grizzly's customer service.  You decide if I got good customer service:

 

On the drill press, the table's casting broke off.  Figured the fix was to just get a longer bolt and reach further into the good threads.   Problem was the bolt they used was an odd thread (not metric but not a standard SAE pitch).    When I contacted them for a new bolt, they said it was about $10 (for one bolt!)   But they had a $25 minimum order.   Now most places I've dealt with would just send you a new bolt.   Their response: I could add more items to get my order up to $25.   Then pay shipping.  Not even sure if the new one would be long enough.   Went to a friends and we re-tapped to a standard pitch.

 

On the jigsaw, the blade is held in position by a setscrew deep inside the top.   Somehow, mine worked its way out and got lost.   Given the prior experience I just tried to find a set screw to fit.  Having trouble, so contacted them and they assured me it was 1/4"   Well, it wasn't, it was 6 mm.   Apparently, they got a deal on some 6 mm set screws and used them instead, and/or the factory just made a design change without telling corporate.   After finding a 6mm and buying a metric allen wrench that was long enough to reach (had to buy a whole set of socket wrench based ones), I was back in business.

 

Don't remember the problem with the belt sander, and I got rid of it.

Edited by kmealy

you gonna tell us who they were???

we could use some CS like that and need to know who not to call...

  • 2 years later...

I worked for Grizzly. Like all tool stores they have really good

stuff and some junk... I like most of the not so cheap stuff.

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