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I have used this tool for 2 years now and I am very pleased with the quality of the cut, it flexes in the middle like other people said but if your careful and don't lean on the saw like a big dumb ape it works perfectly others who complain probably should give up working with these kinds of tools and pay somebody to do the job for them.
This device sounds good on paper, but in practice it fails to deliver. Next, the aluminum rail deflected almost 1/2 inch across the 8 foot length of plywood in the middle. First of all, mounting the sled to my Dewalt circular saw was a major PITA. The clamps that hold the rail down to your workpiece do not work very well, so I used regular C-clamps. This was the deal breaker for me. After trying to modify it and re-enforce it, I gave up and threw it in the garbage.Just get a long straight edge and forget about this type of device.
Works well. But be careful when putting together the 2 ends that they line up straight and not bowed. I ended up cutting a door side and having a slight curve in it by not checking. But it works well.
The box arrived in a partially crushed state with both ends broken open. The instructions state (and I confirmed) that there may be edge-burrs in the aluminum where it joins, and to sand or scrape them smooth. (Shipped from PSI) Incredibly, everything was still there. When I tightened the setscrews on the joiners for the two long aluminum guide halves, it made visible bumps in the opposite side of the aluminum--disconcerting but hopefully not a problem. Why couldn't the manufacturer have done this already. I haven't tried the thing out yet, but I am hoping for the best.
I plan to affix it to a piece of Masonite, a suggestion provided in the instructions, and eliminate this bother. The aluminum extrusions are held together by two long-ish flat metal rods held in integral channels with screws.
It mostly delivers. My hopes were high for this kit--a relatively inexpensive and easy-to-use setup to cut plywood in straight lines.
The two-piece rail is more work and frustration than I expected, however. My old Porter-Cable circular saw did not fit the clamps provided with the sliding base, and I didn't want to drill holes in my precious saw to attach the thing, so I bought a cheap Skil saw to dedicate to the purpose.
It's a bit of a pill to get the saw adjusted in the base to cut square, but once it's there the cut is surprisingly smooth and glue-ready. The screws distort the aluminum, for one, and either I can't get the connection tight enough, or the whole rail is flexible, because the thing can easily deflect 1/4" without some other support to prevent this.
Even with the extra setup work and expense, this kit is pretty useful for what it is, although it's no substitute for a Unisaw.
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