Any woodworker using a circular saw knows that getting perfectly smooth and straight cuts can be rather tricky, even for a seasoned worker. In this article, we go over guide rails that help you with that.
Read on to find out which one you need.
Why Guide Rails?
Even the smallest difference in measurements can ruin the entire stock, which can turn out to be a very expensive mistake. However, using a good circular saw guide rail can make your cutting job a lot easier and accurate. Circular saw guide rails or track systems are tools that you can place on your workpiece, which enable you to make accurate cuts with ease.
A good circular saw guide rail also helps to improve safety while cutting by preventing the saw from tipping to the side.
Best Circular Saw Guide Rail: Quick Glance
Here is a list of the 5 circular saw guide rails we have discussed in our article:
- Kreg KMA2700 Circular Saw Track
- DeWalt DWS5100 Dual-Port Folding Rip Guide
- Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide
- WoodRiver Guide Rail
- Festool FS-1400 Guide Rail
Our Recommendations
If you’re shopping for the best circular saw guide rail, you may be overwhelmed by the number of choices available on the market. And, purchasing the best one may be quite a difficult choice, given the plethora of options out there.
So, to make things easier for you, we’ve done the research for you and compared the top 5 circular saw guide rails so that you can select one easily and quickly. Read on to know our recommendations of the best circular saw guide rails for your next woodworking project.
Kreg KMA2700 Circular Saw Track
The first product on our review is the Kreg KMA2700. Classed as among the best circular saw tracks by both professionals, as well as experts, the Kreg KMA2700 can transform your circular saw into a high-performance cutting system.
The saw track features the Accu-Cut Circular Saw Guide Track System that guides the saw along the aluminum track, ensuring it moves in a straight line and enabling you to get accurate, straight and splinter-free cuts with your circular saw every time.
The Kreg KMA2700 allows easy setup and offers excellent control and accuracy enabling you to make crosscuts, angled cuts and rip cuts up to 48 inches in length in MDF, plywood, and other large-sized wood panels.
The saw tracks are equipped with dual guide strips that eliminate the need for clamps to keep them in place. The saw tracks have an anti-chip feature that prevents splintered cuts and the anti-slip coats help to prevent the workpiece from slipping.
The Kreg KMA2700 keeps the saw moving along a straight line and lets you make straight cuts even on sheets that don’t have a flat straight edge. Usually, circular saws cause the face veneers to splinter while cutting and the Kreg KMA2700 prevents these problems because of the Accu-Cut.
The saw track is extremely easy to assemble and you can get to work immediately and it is quite lightweight and portable, making it convenient to carry it along wherever you go.
The saw track is not only a sturdy and reliable option for professional woodworkers, it is intuitive and easy to use even for inexperienced, novice users. With the Kreg KMA2700, you can make a variety of cuts with your circular saw easily and quickly and increase your productivity.
Specifications & Features
- Dimensions: 27.5 x 8.75 x 2.5 inches
- Weight: 5.05 lb
- Cuts up to 50-inch-long panels, MDF and plywood
- Lets you make rip cuts, crosscuts, and angled cuts
- Anti-chip strips prevent splintering by supporting the material while cutting
- Guide track allows accurate cutting
- Anti-slip guide strips keep the material in place
- Comes with a 90-day warranty
What’s Included
- 26.5 inches aluminum guide tracks (2 nos.)
- Universal saw sled
- Tack connectors (2 nos.)
- Track indicator chip
- Starting block
Our Favorite Feature
The Anti-Chip Strips are our most favorite feature in the Kreg KMA2700 Saw Track which lets you angle your cuts using your circular saw with maximum accuracy without splintering the material.
DeWalt DWS5100 Dual-Port Folding Rip Guide
The Dewalt DWS5100 is a dual-port, folding rip guide that has a rip capacity of up to 14.5 inches on the right side and a rip capacity of 12 inches on the left side for rip cuts like risers and stair treads, allowing cuts of maximum width. However, the length is dependent on the position of the blade within the circular saw.
Made of durable aluminum, the Dewalt DWS5100 rip guide is lightweight and sturdy. The guide can fold to around 19” length and 3” width making it convenient to carry around and store. The rip guide features permanent markings that are laser etched, which will not fade away with use in the long run and also makes the setting easy, quick and accurate.
The markings also ensure that you can get precise and accurate cutting for several years. The only drawback of the Dewalt DWS5100 rip guide is that it is compatible only with Dewalt circular saw models.
Specifications & Features
- Dimensions: 19” x 3” x 1”
- Weight: 1.2 lb
- Maximum Rip Width (Left): 12 inches
- Maximum Rip Width (Right): 14.5 inches
- Durable and lightweight aluminum construction
- Permanent markings that are laser etched and won’t fade over time
- Comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee
- Comes with a 3-year limited warranty and a 1-year free service contract
What’s Included
- Dewalt 12-inch rip guide
Our Favorite Feature
We find that the laser-etched markings of the DeWalt DWS5100 Rip Guide are its best feature. This is our favorite because the markings will not fade in the long run and allow you to get easy and accurate cuts every time.
Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide
Now you can convert an ordinary circular saw into a high-precision cutting tool with the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide. With loads of features, the saw guide lets you make a wide variety of cuts easily and accurately. Now you can make crosscuts and rip cuts up to 24 inches wide with the help of the Kreg Circular Saw Guide.
The saw guide is equipped with an oversized edge guide that enables you to get precise and straight cuts even in large-sized materials every time by giving you the control you need.
With just a single setup, you can now cut multiple pieces of material to the same size. The Kreg Circular Saw Guide eliminates the requirement for measuring, marking, and layout line markings on the material because this is included in the saw guide.
The saw guide has a lightweight, compact design that allows you to carry your saw to the material instead of having to lug large, bulky, and heavy workpieces to your saw. The Kreg Circular Saw Guide features a reversible edge guide that makes it perfect for use by both right- and left-handed users. The saw guide comes with a Universal Sled that can be used with most circular saw models.
However, because of the limited size of the Kreg Circular Saw Guide, it may not be able to handle a huge variety of cuts that you may want to use it for. Nevertheless, the features, the affordable cost, quality, and reliability of the Kreg Circular Saw Guide, make it a great value-for-money option to consider.
Specifications & Features
- Dimensions: 30.88 x 8.75 x 2.5 inches
- Weight: 2.45 lb
- Lets you get 24-inch-wide rip cuts and crosscuts
- With a single setup, you can make multiple cuts
- Reversible edge guide makes the guide perfect for right- and left-handed users
- Oversized edge offers precise control
- Comes with a universal sled that makes it compatible with most types of circular saws
- Portable and lightweight
- Comes with a 90-day warranty
What’s Included
- Aluminum guide rail
- Universal saw sled
- Precision edge guide
- Instructions
Our Favorite Feature
Our favorite feature of the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide is the Reversible Edge Guide that makes it very convenient for both right- and left-handed persons to use the saw.
WoodRiver Guide Rail
Next on our list of the best circular saw guard rails is the WoodRiver Guide Rail. The guide rail system lets you place a tool guide for cross cuts, routing or rip cuts at an acute angle on a panel of any size. The two 56-inch guide rails are equipped with extrusions made of heavy-duty aluminum. It has a 2-1/8-inch x 0.5-inch profile with integral T-tracks of 0.25 inches.
You can use the guide rail connector to lock several guide rails from a continuous guide for your router or circular saw for any length of material. The rails have clamps that secure the rail at both ends.
The clamps can be placed anywhere on the underside of the guide rail’s extrusion and can swivel at any angle around the T-shaped anchor. Made of aluminum, the guide rail is lightweight, yet sturdy and durable, which means that it can endure wear and tear and can be carried around easily between worksites.
Specifications & Features
- Dimensions: 58 x 1.95 x 6.54 inches
- Weight: 3.62 lb
- Aluminum design
- 2 x 56-inch rail components
- The component has a profile of 2-1/8-inch x 0.5-inch and 0.25 inches T-tracks
- Clamps to fix rails on both ends
- T-shaped anchor allows the clamps to swivel freely
What’s Included
- WoodRiver Guide Rail
Our Favorite Feature
We like the Guide Rail Clamps feature the most in the WoodRiver Guide Rail, which helps to lock the rails at both ends and prevent them from shifting around, enabling you to get more precise and accurate cuts along with increased safety.
Festool FS-1400 Guide Rail
Made from aluminum, the Festool FS-1400 is sturdy and durable. These rails are very versatile and come in 8 lengths from 32” to 197”, allowing you to choose the appropriate rail for every cutting application.
The guide rail features an integrated splinter guard or a rubber lip that perfectly aligns to the cut line, helping you to save time and also protects the material from tearing against and across the grain preventing the material from splintering or tearing out.
The Festool FS-1400 can be fixed in place using the Festool FSZ clamps and the guide stop can be adjusted to prevent any backlash and provide precise and accurate work.
The dual self-clamping, non-skid strips keep the material in place and prevent any movement while cutting. The rails come with guide rail connectors that allow you to connect them for a continuous, rigid, and secure connection.
With the Festool FS-1400, you can save time, money, and effort by eliminating the need for careful measurements, wasted material, and rework. The guide rail lets you make precise angle cuts on both sides up to 45 degrees, which enables you to cut panels and boards to any angle or size precisely, quickly, and safely.
However, the only limitation of the Festool FS-1400 is that it is quite pricey. Nevertheless, the high-quality design and the features of the guide rail make it a good buy. The Festool FS-1400 is sure to enhance your cutting experience while helping to save time and money for both a professional, as well as an amateur woodworker.
Specifications & Features
- Dimensions: 55.12 x 9.84 x 0.43 inches
- Weight: 5.94 lb
- 8 varying lengths from 32” to 197”
- The integrated splinted guard prevents the material from splintering or tearing out
- The guide rail connector offers an easy connection
- Rubber lip provides splinter-free edges
- Anti-skid clamping strips prevent any movement while cutting
- Angled cuts of 45 degrees on either side
- Comes with a 3-year limited warranty
What’s Included
- 55-inch Festool FS-1400 Guide Rail
Our Favorite Feature
The Integrated Splinter Guard is our favorite feature in the Festool FS-1400 Guide Rail, which helps to align the material perfectly to the line of cut and helps to protect the workpiece from damage while saving time and effort.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for the best circular saw guide, then it may be difficult to say which is the clear winner among the products that we have reviewed because they are quite similar to each other. However, our favorite that stands slightly ahead of the others is the Kreg KMA2700 Saw Track.
The features of the Kreg KMA2700 Circular Saw Track, especially the anti-slip guides that hold the track in place, resulting in precise and accurate cuts, the sturdy, durable build, and reliability, make the product a complete value for money buy.
However, in the end, your final purchase will depend on your personal preference and the product that will meet your requirements the best.
We would love to get your opinion of what you think is the best circular saw guide rails. Do write your views in the comments section below.
