Track saw


Track saws are a type of hand-held circular saw which slides on a guide rail during operation. This allows the operator to perform long and accurate cuts. Track saws, unlike hand-held circular saws, plunge into the material to a pre-determined depth during the cut, increasing operator safety and allowing for reduced splintering and tear-out; the depth-of-cut is not fixed and can be adjusted to be just slightly over the thickness of the board being cut. This property allows a track saw to also cut shallow grooves into the workpiece, if necessary.

History

The German powertool manufacturer Festool introduced the first guide rail in 1962, and patented and released the first plunge-cut saw in 1980.