How to Build a Homemade Track Saw | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva demonstrates an easy way to make a track for any circular saw.

Time: 10 minutes

Cost: $10

Skill Level: Moderate

Tools List for Building a Homemade Track Saw:
Circular saw

Shopping List:
Plywood
Wood glue

Steps:
1. Cut a thin piece of the plywood with the circular saw and attach it to the top of the rest of the plywood using wood glue. Be sure to have excess plywood on both sides of the glue joint.
2. Place the circular saw on one side of the straight edge and cut the excess plywood.
3. Flip the board and repeat on the other side of the circular saw.

Resources:
Tom used scrap plywood and extra wood glue, but these items could also be bought at a home center.

About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House:

How to Build a Homemade Track Saw | Ask This Old House

[brucestuart]

Thanks guys. So short and to the point. Exactly what I need. Not the long winded intro's and explanations that others do.

[talleysuehohlfeld]

As you’re planning this, be sure to look into where you’ll be able to put your clamps so that the body of the saw doesn’t get hung up on them. I know a lot of people advocate simply laying this on top of the wood, but I am NEVER going to trust that it won’t move. I clamp my jigs in place.

[billsedutto]

The genius is in the simplicity! I will be making a couple of these in the near future.

[wildbillc]

Made one several years ago and it still works great, for the saw I made it for. If you get a different saw or even a different blade you may have to make a different one, but you can make a lot of these for what it costs to buy a ridiculously priced "Track" Saw.

[jh]

Now thats my kinda track saw....I must have 4 Circular saws in 2 different shops. Time to build a track! Thanks Guys...

[miciahk]

Good video, but I did this for myself about nine years ago and it still hangs in my shop and is used very often. I am always of the mindset that I can custom build and make use of ALMOST but not all commercially sold jigs and guides. Another trick I do when framing or more-so, putting walls in place is I use a 3 foot by 4 foot triangle factory cut on two sides piece of plywood to square my walls both horizontally and vertically. All it is is the 3-4-5 method. Three foot goes on floor and four foot goes up the walls. Get perfectly aligned walls every single time.

[XxStratAttackxX]

Very good for cutting laminate (i reface cabinets with laminate) it keeps the sheet held down flat I even use it as a weight when pulling my measurements. Add some rubber or foam strips and cut them off with zero clearance so it doesn't need clamps and it acts as a splinter guard too. Very clean face cuts for my seams and I can cut it face up if I wish. Clean cuts even with a framing blade!

[fatcat-hcpj]

I have made quite a few of those over the years just make sure you always use the same blade you used to make it a different blade might cut more off or be a little short

[StoneHouse]

This is a good idea.. I bought a 10’ aluminum straight edge at Lowe’s for 20$.. works good for long cuts..

[chriskeelor]

The cool thing is if you get some ply that is bowed and fasten it down first you can make arches 😉

[cup_and_cone]

Catch-22: How do you cut the initial guide piece straight if you don't have a track saw or table saw to start with? Any variation in that will create variation in your homemade tracksaw.

[kurtk]

You just made half of youtube's makers look like dolts with some common sense-- Thanks Tom!

[Waltkat]

Love TOH but track saws actually start at around US$155. Check out the WEN track saw and track on Amazon as well as reviews on YT. May not be the best for commercial use but more than good enough for the average homeowner.

[Engineer]

I’ve already seen this in one of the TOH videos? Good info anyway

[DagoRuiz]

Ahhh, Cliffy. Where's ol' Norm?

[lenovovo]

What happened to Norm Abrams? Did he leave the show, retire, or what ?

[RadicallyObscene]

HOLY SHIT! I was literally an hour ago watching a couple videos to see about making my own track saw with my circular saw.
Baader-Meinhoff Phenomenon much???

[charleshaines]

This is a saw guide, NOT a track saw. A track saw has the added benefit of the saw base locking or dropping into a 'track' which provides greater accuracy since the saw is captive and cannot wander.

[nisancashi]

just get a KREG accu cut it fits on all circular saws

[andrevdm]

misleading TITLE, said so yourself "make your own track" (0:32) - 2 different things and why i quit this video 40seconds in