# buying woodworking tools



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

There's a certain type of power saw that I'm looking to buy (it's called a track saw). Rather expensive. I'm having trouble finding it in Mexico - I suspect there's not much market for that kind here. I want it for my hobby.

I've not settled on the brand yet, but for the cheaper brand (Kreg) I can't seem to find it in Mexico at all. Amazon US has it but won't ship it to Mexico. Mercado Libre has no track saws of any brand that I could find. Home Depot US doesn't carry it (it has similar items but not the actual one). Home Depot Mexico has even less.

Another brand that makes a track saw is Bosch. Bosch is more expensive. Perhaps marginally better. For the Bosch one, Home Depot US has it, but Home Depot mexico does not.
Amazon US has it and so does Amazon.MX, but the Mexican price is hugely marked up - it's 60% more expensive from Amazon.MX for the saw and track.

So I'm looking for suggestions - tool distributors in the US that will ship to Mexico and just add shipping & duty to US prices, or tools store chains in Mexico with web sites and a wide selection.

I've not bought stuff from ebay before, I think I did see an ebay.mx entry for one of these.

One hassle is the track is a 5 foot long thing. Aluminum, not heavy, but it can't be bent during shipping or its useless. So it's not easy to ship. I saw one being unwrapped on a video and it looked like it came in a light wooden box, so maybe it's ok. 

What I'd really like is to find a local tool store that can special order it for me, and will do so without marking the thing up like Amazon. 

Does anyone know if Home Depot Mexico will special order stuff available at Home Depot US?

Well, any help or suggestions appreciated. (Actually, I can think of some likely suggestions I won't appreciate, but barring those obvious negative ones).


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

eastwind said:


> There's a certain type of power saw that I'm looking to buy (it's called a track saw). Rather expensive. I'm having trouble finding it in Mexico - I suspect there's not much market for that kind here. I want it for my hobby.
> 
> I've not settled on the brand yet, but for the cheaper brand (Kreg) I can't seem to find it in Mexico at all. Amazon US has it but won't ship it to Mexico. Mercado Libre has no track saws of any brand that I could find. Home Depot US doesn't carry it (it has similar items but not the actual one). Home Depot Mexico has even less.
> 
> ...


The Home Depot Mexico will not order anything from Home Depot US. They used to (before my time) but they had issues and stopped the practice.

I've never owned/used a track saw. But I am a Dewalt power tool bigot. If you went by price alone it looks like a Dewalt track saw may be the top of the line. (I've got these totally unfounded bad feelings about Bosch). I believe Dewalt is manufactured in Mexico (Toluca or maybe Monterrey) but I could be mistaken. Maybe just the components are made here. I have purchased direct from Dewalt Mexico with no problems. 

There is an online ferreteria (Ferretería en Línea que te Provee y Asesora) that has many many things. They often list stuff on mercado libre but also sell direct. You would need to determine exactly how to say track saw in Spanish or perhaps you could email them a picture and then have a conversation. I purchased a top of the line Honda lawn mower from them and it was delivered to the house in less than 24 hours (and we were hundred miles away).

It is a shame that sometimes private vendors mark up things so much on Amazon Mexico but I have Prime Mexico and use it a lot. Some things I can only get on Amazon US (like my size 13 shoes) and I just bite the bullet. BUT - I do purchase stuff on ebay from time to time. Never Never again anything from China - it never arrives. I stay away from the ebay 'global shipping program' (which is Pitney Bowes under the cover). I look for products which say Free Shipping in the US. 

Ebay has a special arrangement with EstaFeta (Estafeta Members ®). They give out a private virtual address in Laredo which will receive products purchased on ebay. So Laredo is in the US and stuff gets shipped for free there (if I tell the vender to use that zip code). There is a LONG list of things that can/cannot be imported into Mexico. I take the ebay listing and send it to estafeta and ask; can i import this, how much will the import charges be, how much will shipping be etc. You need the weight/dimensions etc. I have used their service several times - most recently for a $1000 pool robot. You have to be a little patient at times but it has always worked (when I have pre-qualified the purchase with them). Don't try to have black iced tea bags imported...

So - are you building a wooden sailboat ?


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Thanks for all that excellent info. My main use will be ripping down sheets of 4x8 plywood and masonite. I don't have a table saw, don't have room for a table saw, and am afraid of table saws. I'm looking at a track saw as a much safer and easier to use alternative for dealing with the sheet material. I'll build a 4'x8' work table to make the rip job easy for me to do solo. (I'll build it with removable legs for on-end storage). 

I will probably also press the saw into service in place of a chop/miter saw, which I don't have either. If I have any money left, I might buy a miter saw for cross cuts.

I established early on that I didn't want a cordless model. I've never been happy with battery tools. The first set of reviews I looked at only reviewed a cordless Dewalt, so that's why it got eliminated early. I'll have to go back and check if their older corded model is still available - I have it in my head that the review said they went cordless-only and that's why I wrote them off. I don't have any working cordless batteries anymore.

The Bosch has a key advantage when it comes to the track. First, once you put two of them together, it's enough longer than 8' that you have room for the saw on the track before and after the material, unlike the other models, which don't give you enough track for a landing zone. The other advantage is the way it locks two pieces together so that it's a guaranteed straight result - a superior design to the other vendors tracks.

Main advantage of the kreg is it's cheaper while having almost all the fancy features. The makita is also cheaper, but I don't like it as well. Don't want to pay for a festools. There are a few super-cheap brands I don't trust at all. There's a mafell that's too expensive - and the bosch is actually made by mafell and is identical minus a few features I don't need. No Milwaukee yet.

But in the end I have to start with the list of ones I can get and pick from there...

As far as what they're called in spanish: sometimes they are just called Sierra Circular. Sometimes they are Sierra de inmersión, or Sierra circular de corte de inmersión, or sierra de pista. The tracks are sometimes called riel guía. 

"Sierra circular de inmersión con rieles guía" is probably going to be clear, I hope.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

Is the seaweed THAT bad this year ?


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Lol, not for the seaweed.

Amazon.com has the Kreg saw (just the saw, no rail kit) for $299, only shipping to the US, but for free. Amazon.mx has just the saw for 8407 pesos, free delivery. Mercado libre has it for 15,147, free delivery. Ugh.

I couldn't find any track saws on your online tools store, but I haven't tried writing them to ask yet.

I'm planning on driving to Laredo next month to get my stored stuff, I might just buy it from Home Depot Laredo and try to bring it over the border myself (paying the duty). If I start off with Hey, I've got this saw I just bought that I need to pay duty on, they might decide to pay less attention to my other stuff. You think?

I can buy the Bosch using 'store pickup' at the Laredo Home Depot.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

No - regarding the seaweed I was implying you should spend your time on the beach and let some hard-working cheap Mexican labor do your demo work.

I would still contact that ferreteria I suggested. They are in Mexico City/Puebla and they probably speak English. You can probably find anything on earth in Mexico City. Also, I often find that if I have my mind set on a particular solution and I explain what I am looking for to a knowledgeable person they very often come up with a better/alternative solution.

Good luck.


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