Kreg ACCU-Cut

Track saws have exploded in popularity in just the last few years, with the folks over at Festool really leading the charge.

Super simple to use, capable of cutting incredibly straight cuts over extremely long distances, and as versatile as a table saw without needing to take up all that space in your shop, the only problem with traditional track saws is that they almost always cost a small fortune.

That’s where the Kreg ACCU-Cut comes into play, though.

Designed from the ground up to provide you with track saw capabilities without the sky-high price tag, you’ll be able to turn your favorite circular saw into a track saw with this nifty little gadget.

Simple, straightforward, and really easy to use it’s hard to imagine any woodworker out there able to make use of all this accessory has to offer.

Below we dive a little deeper into this Kreg ACCU-Cut review, sharing with you what we like about it, what we feel it could have done better, and all the benefits (and drawbacks) of this tool. Let’s jump right in!

Track saws really became popular in the last 10 or 15 years in large part because carpenters and woodworkers were sick and tired of clamping down a straight edge along a piece of material to rip longer pieces with their circular saw.

As mentioned above, these tools offer a lot of the same capabilities that table saws offer without having to actually have a table saw in the first place. You’ll be able to make long, straight rips but you also be able to do so on-the-fly – and on job sites – where a table saw just wouldn’t have been practical.

On top of that, you’re able to turn any circular saw into a track saw with the Kreg ACCU-Cut and get better results than you would have with loose and potentially sloppy table saws (particularly towards the budget and of the market).

With a brand-new blade and your craving, ACCU-Cut dialed in you can get cabinet-level cuts out of a “track saw lite” kind of configuration in ways that would have been almost impossible to pull off otherwise.

It just doesn’t get much better than that!

The ability to rip up to 53 inches long on all kinds of materials – plywood, MDF, 2x4s, and more – on the go without having to maneuver around a full-blown table saw isn’t something that most take for granted.

With a Kreg ACCU-Cut, you are immediately able to improve the accuracy and consistency of your cuts in a way that’s tough to do otherwise.

Who’s It For?

There are a couple of people that are going to be able to get a lot of use out of their Kreg ACCU-Cut, but you will find it as useful as serious woodworkers.

As we mentioned above, getting incredibly long, straight, accurate rips in any kind of material is tough to pull off – even when you have a table saw. Less expensive table saws designed with a more “construction” approach to ripping materials are never as accurate or as consistent as cabinets and fine woodworking table saws.

Obviously, a freehand circular saw is also never going to be as accurate or as consistent as even the least consistent table saw would be.

By attaching a Kreg ACCU-Cut to your circular saw, though, you change everything completely.

All of a sudden you are able to get very accurate cuts, very consistent cuts, and all without having to set up funky jigs or mess around with table saw settings.

Slap a new blade (one designed with fine woodworking in mind) into your circular saw and you’re getting just as good results from your Kreg ACCU-Cut that you would with a really high-end table saw – all at a fraction of the price.

Day-to-day construction professionals are also going to get a lot out of the Kreg ACCU-Cut, and many of them have left glowingly positive Kreg ACCU-Cut reviews online because of how this tool changed their daily routine.

Nobody wants to have to lug around and maneuver a job site table saw, regardless of how lightweight or portable they are making them these days. Table saws are always big, always cumbersome, and always require a lot of fine and minute adjustments.

Contractors and carpenters can transform their circular saw into a full-blown table saw (with more flexibility and versatility to cut at different angles and on different surfaces) without dealing with the headache and hassle of table saws at all now.

Best of all, switching between a circular saw set up with a Kreg ACCU-Cut and a freehand circular saw takes about 30 seconds or so. You really get two tools in one!

What We Like About Kreg ACCU-Cut

The build quality on the Kreg ACCU-Cut is nothing to sleep on.

The track itself is made of high-quality aluminum components with a bit of glue synthetic “sacrificial” material that is strategically positioned.

This material is called sacrificial because it’s designed for your saw blade to clip into and cut to get more accurate cuts on the material you’re actually working with – protecting your work surface and your blade along the way.

Black strips of material on the underside of the track provide a bit of extra grip as well. The clamping system at both ends of the track locks your saw into place, guaranteeing that you get straight and consistent cuts without any worry at all.

The sled system that attaches to your circular saw and “rides” that track is well-made, too.

Constructed entirely out of plastic, it is surprisingly lightweight but still incredibly strong and durable. The only thing metal on the sled at all is the clamps and fasteners that are attached to your favorite circular saw, guaranteeing that you get a locked-in and consistent fit every time you load the sled into the track system.

Using both of these components in concert with one another is about as easy to do as possible. There’s almost no friction whatsoever, too. This is possible thanks to the smart channel system throughout that funnels away sawdust, dirt, and debris to ensure a smooth and consistent glide.

There’s just a little bit of play between these two components (less than 1/32 of an inch) which allows for those straight, consistent, and accurate cuts. For construction work that’s almost overkill. For cabinets, it’s not bad and there are ways to reduce that play even more to get even better tolerances.

Best of all, both sections of the tracks can be snapped apart from one another and used independently.

You would have to purchase a second sled to use both pieces separately 100% of the time (and slides are sold by Kreg separately), but you can also use one individual piece on smaller lengths of material that you are working with to avoid cumbersome issues with the oversized track.

Speed is such a priority with this system and it’s something that we really need to hammer home.

Freehanding with a circular saw will usually produce halfway decent results most of the time. And in the world of construction that’s probably not going to be an issue (until you start to get finished work, anyway).

But as soon as you start to get into the world of fine-woodworking or furniture making (or cabinetry), those freehand cuts just aren’t going to cut it any longer.

At the same time, nobody wants to have to make tediously slow cuts on a table saw over and over again – all while having to make adjustments to the saw or the material you’re working with just to get the finish results you are after.

With a Kreg ACCU-Cut system, all of those issues disappear completely.

You can slap the track system down on your material, make sure that it lines up with all of your marks, clamp it down to the material itself, and then rip away – rinsing and repeating the process almost instantly as much as necessary.

That’s tough to beat.

What We Don’t Like About Kreg ACCU-Cut

There are a couple of things that we didn’t absolutely love when it comes to the Kreg system, and it’s important that we highlight them here in this Kreg ACCU-Cut review.

For starters, the fact that you can only rip materials that are a maximum cutting length of between 48 inches and 53 inches long (depending on the ACCU-Cut that you get) is a bit of a handicap.

With a traditional table saw there’s no limit to the maximum length cuts you can make. Track saws are all hindered and handicapped by the length of the track itself and this one is no different.

Secondly, the clamp system itself needs to be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis to get the tight lock that you are after. Should those clamps come loose at any time your cuts are going to suffer in a big way.

Other than that, though, it’s really hard not to like everything this tool brings to the table.

What’s Included?

Right out-of-the-box you’re going to get a couple of different things with your new Kreg ACCU-Cut, including:

• The actual track system itself, two-piece rails that can be clipped together or used separately from one another
• The saw sled that needs to be attached directly to your circular saw with the mounting hardware (included within the box)
• A number of pads that can be attached directly to the bottom of your rails to add extra grip
• Anti-splitter strips that provide even cleaner cuts when you’re using circular saw systems with this tracking tool
• A starting block that helps to align all of your cuts straight out of the gate

As well as an owner’s manual to help you get up and running with your new Kreg ACCU-Cut.

Overview Of Features

The design of the Kreg ACCU-Cut allows you to make rip cuts, cross cuts, and angle cuts that are between 48 inches and 53 inches long. You can also use the Kreg system to cut smaller cuts as well, making this a particularly versatile piece of equipment you’ll want to keep in your workshop.

The ability to totally transform any old circular saw into a full-blown dedicated ripsaw and “baby table saw” isn’t something that you are going to want to overlook. You’ll be able to put out quick, consistent, and accurate cuts with the help of this track system in a way that would have been nearly impossible to do otherwise.

The anti-slip mechanisms and capabilities of this saw help you to align the track before you claim things down pretty quickly. The material on the bottom of the track can be placed by you strategically to guarantee the kind of fit and finish that makes this track perform well in all conditions.

All in all, it’s tough not to get really excited about everything that the Kreg ACCU-Cut offers.

Review Summary

To put it simply, there’s just something really special about the Kreg ACCU-Cut that hundreds of thousands of contractors, DIYers, and woodworkers have already fallen in love with.

Dedicated track saws are unbelievably expensive – from hundreds of dollars to a few thousand dollars, depending on the brand that you move forward with.

The Kreg ACCU-Cut isn’t even going to set you back $100!

You just aren’t going to find that kind of value anywhere else.

The Kreg brand has built a legendary reputation amongst woodworkers all over the world for their quick, easy use, and (obviously) well-built jig systems. This is similar to those tools and accessories but is going to be immediately useful for people outside of the woodworking world as well.

As we highlighted earlier, anybody that needs to make long accurate cuts on a regular basis but doesn’t want to have to use a table saw every single time – or might not even have the budget for one, either – will find the Kreg ACCU-Cut immediately useful.

Every year it feels like new novelty tools and accessories hit the market promising the moon and the stars when it comes to improving your output, your efficiency, and making your life easier.

The overwhelming majority of those tools and accessories fail across the board.

That can’t be said about the Kreg ACCU-Cut.

Well-made, well-engineered, and immediately useful if you need to make straight accurate cuts quick and consistently, don’t be surprised if you find yourself writing your own glowingly positive Kreg ACCU-Cut review online shortly after you get your hands on this accessory, too.

It’s just that good!