Great for Industry Professionals or Hobbyists
Circular saws are versatile workshop tools that can manage a wide variety of cuts; however, they can fall short of expectations when accuracy and precision are required, especially when working with sheet goods. After marking your work, everything then depends on how steady your hand is. The smallest mistake could mean an expensive start over.
Guide rails are the solution for accurate and straight cuts; these are the tools used by pros to guide and limit the movement of a circular saw. They are exceptionally easy to use, held firmly in place with anti-slip rubber grips, or if needed, clamped down. For longer work pieces, two or even three guide rails can be joined together with connector kits.
At POWERTEC we carry three types of guide rails, covering the track saws that are compatible with (1) Makita and Festool, (2) DeWalt, and (3) Bosch. All of our guide rails are made of the same quality and materials as their name-brand peers: 55 inches long and made of light-weight portable aluminum; there's also a full line of accessories including connectors, splinter guards and clamps (each sold separately).
Over the long run, guide rails pay for themselves. Fitting a workshop can get expensive very quickly. A track saw or circular saw using guide rails can replace other saws, allowing for cross cuts, plunge cuts, angular cuts, miter cuts, and even rip cuts. By joining together two guide rails with connector kits, it's even easy to rip beyond a full sheet of plywood.
Compared to a table saw, using guide rails allows for worksite portability. Being able to take the track saw and guide rails to a worksite and not have to return to your workshop to make accurate cuts saves time. Working from home in a smaller-size shop, the space saved using a guide rail system on a work bench helps to keep your workspace uncluttered.
To recap, the most important benefit of guide rails is the accuracy of cuts, every time. They also help prevent splintering and tears. The next main benefit of guide rails is versatility as it is possible to make rip cuts, crosscuts and angled cuts on wood, particle board, melamine, flooring, etc. The third benefit is ease of use as guide rails are very simple to set up. They're an indispensable tool in any workshop or worksite when you need to get the job done right, the first time.