Milwaukee M18 Fuel Track Saw

Like a previous Milwaukee release, very much a Festool copy IMHO.  A least they do release product and are trying to improve the line.  I can’t stand the product videos though, seriously. 🤨
If they could just get packout updated and offer some inserts, better crates, and a hand truck that I like 😝
 
Michael Kellough said:
Crude looking to me but more importantly they missed the boat by not using a 7-1/4” blade.

Good point. That might have brought a number of people over
with 7-1/4 circ saws since they could use the same blades.
 
Who uses a 7 1/4" saw other than a framer? Yes there are times one is needed, but for most cuts a 6 1/2" saw is preferable for it's size and weight. I have both sizes, and lots of blades for both. The 6 1/2" gets used 10 times more.

The better question is what about auto start for a dust collector? Milwaukee's batteries aren't Bluetooth, and I don't believe their dust collectors have Bluetooth either, and a I know their small cordless vacs do not. Supposedly they are working on Bluetooth for their vacs though. Makita has Bluetooth, and a decent track saw. Still good to see Milwaukee finally step in with a tracksaw that has dust collection as none of my Milwaukee saws have dust collection.
 
Yes, BT for cordless tools is a big plus so you can activate your dust collector or vac.

Do any of the BT capable vacs besides Festool have delayed shut off?
 
If it is priced like the Dewalt track saw I would not expect a lot of purchases. A $400+ saw is not in the wheelhouse of most carpenters who will find it absurd to spent that much for a saw. Has anyone seen the Dewalt in the wild. I have seen a handful of Festool track saws, but no Makita's. I definitely have never seen any Mafell tools in the field other than mine.

As for M18 tools I have a good number and they are good, but not great. Of course they are basically disposable given the price points and the selection is ridiculous. Literally something for everyone. Their drills leave a lot to be desired as they do not have the delicate controlled touch the Festool drills do, but other than that I have never been disappointed with any of the their tools. I have found the yard care tools to be exceptional.
 
I wonder how it is going to perform against the higher voltage of its competitors.

Their standard circular saws can keep up but they need those huge HO batteries to do it.
 
The design reeks more of the Parkside/Titan etc. cheapo chinese tracksaws than Festool. But there is nothihng wrong with that.

Just from the pictures:
+ uses Festool track system
+ includes off-cut side anti-splinter attachment

- the placement of the single battery on the front is not ideal balance-wise
- the 106" "long" track is just too short /but yeah, buying tracks from MW is a bad idea to begin/
- no dedicated "rip" blades - at least not listed

Open questions:
* can someone post here a bottom picture of how the cams are setup?
* does it maintain the cut line on bevel cuts like TS55 or is the cut offset like on the Makitas ?
* how good /precise/ are the bearings? /directly translates to cut quality/
* does it use an air channel in the casing like the TS(c)55 for good dust collection ?

Summary:
A good tool for carpenters to go along with their other M18 tooling. Potential competition to the Makita XGT tracksaw. Not sure if it will really compete with TSC - looks more like a "me-too" product which is shooting at the mass market, not at the higher end.
 
[member=15585]Svar[/member]
Thanks those are both /unexpeted/ plus points and raise the bar above Makitas.

Wonder if the Festool patent(s) for the "indirect" cams setup expired. This is the first non-Festool I see with TS55-like cams.

Any idea what is the bottom left thingie on the pircure - an anti-tipping device for Makita tracks ?
 
mino said:
Any idea what is the bottom left thingie on the pircure - an anti-tipping device for Makita tracks ?
Yes, it is. They seem to have incorporated various features from other brands. Scoring stop, for example. To me the critical issue would be spindle, bearings, plunge hinge quality (=cut quality). Plus power.
 
Check the two clips below to see how the M18 compares to the TSC55K. You can see how bad the M18 is bogging.

M18


TSC


I'm not trying to trash Milwaukee or anything it is just an interesting design choice compared to the Festool, Makita, and DeWalt. I suppose others like Mafell and Bosch only use a single 18v pack.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
TomK_2 said:
Check the two clips below to see how the M18 compares to the TSC55K. You can see how bad the M18 is bogging.

M18


TSC


I'm not trying to trash Milwaukee or anything it is just an interesting design choice compared to the Festool, Makita, and DeWalt. I suppose others like Mafell and Bosch only use a single 18v pack.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯


The Milwaukee is really laboring in the video...I'm surprised at that. Even the older regular kerf TSC had an easier time.

I wonder how the Mafell with a single battery compares to the dual battery TSC/K?

Right now I have the MT 55 corded and the TSC/K cordless...like them both. The thin kerf TSC cuts a lot easier than the older regular kerf TSC.
 
I'm curious about the type of wood they used in the Milwaukee demo.  The sound was pretty bad, but in the background it sounded like someone asked if it was walnut and another person answered that it was not.  I thought they said it was "white" walnut, another name for butternut, a much softer wood that should have been easier to cut through.  Am I wrong or did someone else hear the same thing?

Mike A.
 
I Saw toolbox buzz guy cut the same slab at 45. 2” ?  Looks to be more like 1 1/2”. But rail adjusters look good. They suck on the makita and their rails vary wildly.
 
Cheese said:
TomK_2 said:
Check the two clips below to see how the M18 compares to the TSC55K. You can see how bad the M18 is bogging.

M18


TSC


I'm not trying to trash Milwaukee or anything it is just an interesting design choice compared to the Festool, Makita, and DeWalt. I suppose others like Mafell and Bosch only use a single 18v pack.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯


The Milwaukee is really laboring in the video...I'm surprised at that. Even the older regular kerf TSC had an easier time.

I wonder how the Mafell with a single battery compares to the dual battery TSC/K?

Right now I have the MT 55 corded and the TSC/K cordless...like them both. The thin kerf TSC cuts a lot easier than the older regular kerf TSC.


There is a difference in the thickness of the two boards. 50mm for the Milwaukee and  Sedge mentions the board is  32 mm thick (time index 25:03). Plus what species wood are they both using.

I agree the Milwaukee sounds like it is laboring on the cut but it's cutting 18mm more than the TSC. There was no mention of using a rip blade in either video that I heard.
 
Bob D. said:
There is a difference in the thickness of the two boards. 50mm for the Milwaukee and  Sedge mentions the board is  32 mm thick (time index 25:03). Plus what species wood are they both using.

I agree the Milwaukee sounds like it is laboring on the cut but it's cutting 18mm more than the TSC. There was no mention of using a rip blade in either video that I heard.

Thanks Bob,

I did miss Sedge saying it was 32 mm. The Milwaukee video is also not 50mm. It is 2" nominal or 1.5" / 38mm. How do I know? Looks about the same as the 2x4 the wood is resting on during the cut. Also, you will notice there's another camera in this video. I believe this was the toolbox buzz camera and in their video (linked below) you can see the saw is set to 1.5".



I swear I've seen a better video where Sedge was showing the speed difference between the TS and TSC on hard maple...
 
I see that now. Going back and looking at the DOC setting on the saw it's at
1-1/2" (time index 00:20), so not a true 8/4 or 2" as he states multiple times.
 

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