I was pretty impressed with the Makita cordless track saw when I reviewed it back in June, but there’s one thing that has been bugging me recently. The hose.
The fact that this machine is cordless is wonderful, it packs plenty of power, you don’t have drag a power cord in the midst of an awkward operation–breaking down plywood–and it leaves incredibly clean cuts. However, the hose has become my enemy, it wants nothing more than to grab the back of the track and destroy my perfect cut. I’ll think I’m addressing the issue by lifting the hose up and away but somehow it still finds a way to bite into the edge of the plywood or the track and forces me to stop and readjust my position. Something I really don’t want to do while making a long cut. The dust extraction on this saw is really good, but I found myself making cuts without the extraction because the hose interfered so much.
So, can I get some feedback? Do you have a favorite dust collector hose that doesn’t get catch corners with the large ribs? Or do you have some kind of technique when making long track saw cuts that I don’t know about?
Let me know in the comments!
– David Lyell
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XPS01PTJ Plunge Saw Kit$500 (saw kit with two batteries); Cordless HEPA Vacuum XCV07ZX $360; track $85
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Why not use some pvc? Cut it down the center on one side, a little smaller than the thickness of the plywood so it clamps on, and slide it on next to the cut. No more hang ups!
Can’t you just route the hose off to the right side of your cut? It should then swingin an arc versus being dragged behind the saw.
How about hanging the hose from up top? Or making a stand more to your right above the elbow area?
I’m sure others have better options.
Festool has a new braided hose to address this issue. Hopefully others will come up with something similar but cheaper. In the mean time, Festool part 500677