Plunge Saw

[Ruffdog64]

Recently i`ve been looking into a plunge saw and although I`m a carpenter and it`s business expense i don`t have £300.00 plus to spend so have been looking at cheaper alternatives and wonder what you guys have used and your experience of them, thanks Harvey

 

[finish_that]

Actually its the rails that make the most difference when you are on a budget, the typical budget saws come with 700mm rails which are only good for short cuts , joining them to make a (std) 1400 is a pain and they often make the saw stop or skip at the join which is a pain. So ideally try to budget for 2 Makita or Festool rails and a budget saw compatible with those rails.
I currently use a Parkside (Lidl) saw with festool rails 2x 1.4m and a 1080mm rail with a generic MFT top, works perfectly - the Festool saw I have is second hand and has the common failed armature problem which I am saving up to fix, the Parkside saw is incredibly similar in design and only really lacks variable speed and a bit of refinement in the controls.
Looking online its really hard to get anything with long rails on a budget so you may as well choose a saw that comes with the short rails and buy a 1.4 rail later.

 

[AJB Temple]

For those who are interested, Lidl have their plunge saw and rails available today.

Never tried them - just happened to see them. Very cheap.

 

[MattRoberts]

I have the scheppach PL75 with a 1400mm rail. It's pretty good - reasonably accurate, reasonable dust collection. I believe the rails are also compatible with the festool / makita ones. It also has a riving knife, which is a great feature.

On the negative side: the rails aren't as grippy as say a festool, and there's no soft start, so it kicks like a mule. The adjustment knobs are also quite stiff to use.

Overall I'm pleased, but it's on my list to upgrade in the not too distant future

 

[Doug71]

This is worth a watch if you are looking at buying a plunge saw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8sagpnlF1Q

 

[pollys13]

I have the Woodstar Divar 55 which I understand is a Scheppach clone Is covered in buying advice on this forum.Many other makes parts are interchangeable with it. Good prices on Ebay but still search for best price off Ebay if decide to buy one. Google and will find reviews. Comes with a ripping blade so will need to buy smoother if across the grain. Trend was a good price.

 

[Ruffdog64]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply, certainly food for thought,Harvey