Plunge saw

A plunge saw or plunge-cut saw is a type of hand-held circular saw which differs from a regular circular saw in that it can plunge into the material to a predetermined depth during the cut. In other words, the depth-of-cut is not fixed and often can be adjusted to be just slightly over the thickness of the board being cut. This property also allows a plunge saw to cut shallow grooves into the workpiece, if necessary. Compared to traditional hand-held circular saws, plunge saws are said to increase operator safety, as well as allowing for reduced splintering and tear-out.[1]

Plunge saw mounted on a guide rail (track) and attached to a dust extraction system.

Plunge saws vs. track saws vs. Circular Saws

Plunge saws usually come with a track system which lets them slide on a guide rail during operation, allowing the operator to perform long and accurate cuts. For this reason, plunge saws are sometimes called track saws.[2] However, any type of hand-held circular saw with attachments for guide rails can be categorized as a track saw,[3] and this feature can thus also be found on some regular circular saws without the plunge-cut feature.

Plunge Cut Saws and track Saws differ from circular saw in two key ways. [4]

1) Track Saw are designed to run on a dedicated track, and feature a dedicated base plate that engages with the track.

2) A Track Saw is designed to plunge to an adjustable, predetermined depth, where as a circular saw is designed to operate free hand and the depth of cut is fixed based on a manual adjustment.


History

The German power tool manufacturer Festool introduced the first guide rail in 1962,[5] and patented and released the first plunge-cut saw in 1980.

See also

References
  1. "Plunge-cut Saws | Popular Woodworking Magazine". www.popularwoodworking.com. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  2. What is a Plunge Saw? - Toolstop
  3. "Table Saw or Track Saw - The Final Showdown". Tools and Tutorials. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  4. Gharper (2021-11-23). "How does a track saw compare to its competitors?". Tools and Tutorials. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  5. "Company history". www.festool.com. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
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