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Thread: Track saw attraction???

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Chicagoland
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    86

    Track saw attraction???

    I see an awful lot of posts about track saws. I wish that someone would explain the fascination with them because I am not seeing it. I understand that they are primarily used on ripping and cross-cutting sheets of plywood. Now muscling a sheet of plywood onto my table saw is not the most desirable task however I am not seeing that there would be less muscling a sheet using a track saw unless it is laid down on the floor on top of some 2 x 4's or on top of some styrofoam. If that the case then a person would have to crawl around on the floor and that's not much fun either. Barring cutting on the floor, the other alternative would be to muscle a sheet onto some saw horses so if one is going to do that they may as well muscle the sheet onto the table saw, rip it and be done with the process. No clamping or unclamping a straightedge, wrapping up another cord etc. And I am saying this with a son who works someplace that would allow me to buy Festool products at a significant discount (which he is always trying to get me to do). I am not trying to be a wise apple here, I really don't see the attraction and wish that someone would explain it to me.
    Thanks,
    Hank
    Last edited by Chris Padilla; 06-26-2015 at 1:19 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Clinton Township, MI, United States
    Posts
    1,554
    I have a basement shop. I can cut down sheet goods to a manageable size in the garage and take them downstairs to finish the project.
    From the workshop under the staircase, Clinton Township, MI
    Semper Audere!

  3. #3
    For me, my shop is in the basement. Getting a full sheet of plywood down there can be a real pain ignoring even getting it on the saw. Sliding a sheet of plywood off the truck and right on to some sawhorses that are about the same height is a piece of cake. Lay the track down on top of it, and make your cuts easy peasy.

    Even if my shop was in the garage, my table saw is to small to handle a full sheet of plywood. Not to mention that you've got to have enough room around the saw for the plywood. On a job site you'd almost never have a saw that was big enough for a full sheet, and most portable table saws couldn't handle a half sheet particularly well.

    I've also found my track saw very helpful for ripping some hardwood that had two live edges that were pretty gnarly.

    If you're a big guy and have a big shop and a big saw, sure probably isn't worth the effort. For me, its a lifesaver.
    Last edited by Keith Outten; 06-26-2015 at 2:22 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    1,495
    Agreed with the others. And you don't need to clamp the guide rail down, btw.

    I find it far easier to move the saw over the workpiece than the other way around. Plus, cross cutting a plywood sheet down the center requires a 4' cutting capacity on the ts... that's a lot of space reserved for something I do very rarely.

    And lastly, you can straight line rip solid hardwoods, which you can't do as easily on a ts.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Kenosha, WI
    Posts
    108
    I agree with all the above.
    Marc
    Kenosha, WI

  6. #6
    For me...it's simply about ease of use. I don't need a big powerful TS with a huge table so I can man handle large sheets or boards. I find it easier to straighten the edges of boards without another large tool required. So...it takes up less space...is cheaper...it's safer....it can be handled by just me...stored easy. Bottom line...it serves my purposes. In fact...its a no brainier for me.
    Glenn Clabo
    Michigan

  7. #7
    hey - if ya don't see the need/value then a track saw is not for you & that's cool. For me it is the only tool that allows me to build plywood cabinet cases in any volume single-handed. Even with help, getting a 3/4" sheet of ply through a table saw is a daunting task. I have a 3/4 ply sheet that sits on 2 sawhorses with a 1" foam sheet on top as a cutting table. Back the truck up to the table, pull a sheet off, break it down to rough dimensions, label it and stack it on a cart. I can do a run of cabinets - break down 25-30 sheets - in a single day solo @ 63. Could not do that without a track saw. Want to do a taper accurately & safely in solid wood at any angle - easy with a track saw. Want to edge join 2 boards for glueup that are too long & heavy to safely use the jointer - clamp the 2 boards with the faces adjoining and run a track saw down the seam. Want to precisely cut a cabinet door to a line to get a perfect fit no matter the actual adjoining angle is - mark it and just cut to the line with a track saw. for me it is an indispensable tool - YMMV.

  8. #8
    I never found a table saw to be all that precise when cutting sheet goods. Managing a full sheet of something through the blade while keeping it tight to the fence, it is a challenge.

    I don't have a tracksaw but I'd like one.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Deep South
    Posts
    3,970
    Cross cutting a full sheet of plywood on a table saw is not that simple. You must have a very wide rail system and a huge outfeed surface, not to mention a helper, to get an accurate cut easily. My shop is only 24 X 28 and has a lot of other stationary tools. I just don't want to permanently devote that much square footage to do crosscuts on sheet goods. Let me turn it around the other way. Why do so many people with small shops devote such a large percentage of it to cut sheet goods on a table saw when you can buy a very precise and easy to use track saw to do the same thing and then hang the track on a wall and and put the saw in a cabinet?
    Last edited by Art Mann; 06-26-2015 at 12:28 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Whitewater Ks
    Posts
    584
    I think they have their place but I don't use one enough to buy one. I'll take my table saw with a good support table any day. If space was an issue I might think differently.
    Only one life will soon be past
    Only whats done for Christ will last

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Greensboro, NC
    Posts
    667
    Quote Originally Posted by Henry Kramer View Post
    I see an awful lot of posts about track saws. I wish that someone would explain the fascination with them because I am not seeing it. I understand that they are primarily used on ripping and cross-cutting sheets of plywood. Now muscling a sheet of plywood onto my table saw is not the most desirable task however I am not seeing that there would be less muscling a sheet using a track saw unless it is laid down on the floor on top of some 2 x 4's or on top of some styrofoam. If that the case then a person would have to crawl around on the floor and that's not much fun either. Barring cutting on the floor, the other alternative would be to muscle a sheet onto some saw horses so if one is going to do that they may as well muscle the sheet onto the table saw, rip it and be done with the process. No clamping or unclamping a straightedge, wrapping up another cord etc. And I am saying this with a son who works someplace that would allow me to buy Festool products at a significant discount (which he is always trying to get me to do). I am not trying to be a wise apple here, I really don't see the attraction and wish that someone would explain it to me.
    Thanks,
    Hank
    Track saws are not only produced by Festool, but by Dewalt and Makita off the top of my head. I love my Festool track saw, but you can accomplish the same thing with the other brands as well. Unless you have a giant sliding TS, the track saw is the easiest and most accurate way to break down sheet goods. If you don't have a very large sliding TS, the track saw is the next best thing, IMHO. If you break down sheet goods with a TS, then you are really missing out on how easy and, in my opinion, a more accurate way to cut with a track saw. I'm sure there are other ways to break down sheet goods other than with a track saw, but a non sliding table saw is one of the worst ways in my opinion.

    "Every serious woodworker needs a tracksaw". /s
    Last edited by Chris Padilla; 06-26-2015 at 1:19 PM.

  12. #12
    For me the big attraction is cutting odd shaped and angled panels accurately and with ease. Also, cutting a matched panel out of the middle of a panel is very useful.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    Pushing the tool through the wood.
    Pushing the wood through the tool.

    In a nutshell, this is what all ww'ers do. One is usually safer and easier than the other.
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  14. #14
    Henry, your main question is a good one, but there is an answer.

    You wonder how it's easier to lug a cutting table to the sheet goods and set it on saw horses, vs lugging the sheet goods to the table.
    ----------------------------

    First, you only have to lug the table once. Suppose you have ten sheet of plywood in your truck, all needing to be cut?

    Second, this is where the Eurekazone system really shines, and I hope this doesn't sound like a sales pitch. (I have been banned from Dino's forum for raising too many criticisms of their product, so BELIEVE ME, this isn't a sales pitch.) The Eurekazone "smart" table can be made as small as 2' X 4', with collapsable legs. After you set it up, the sacrificial supports (which never come off it even when stored or moved) pull out, extending the working surface.

    It's light, it's self-contained, and you can safely / easily cut a 4X8 sheet on it. I made mine the same height as my truck bed, so I just slide the sheets out onto the table & go. Note: As much as I love Festool stuff, this is one area where IMO it is NOT the best system. (The do make the best sub- $1,000 circular saw, though.)

    Another thing I love about the EZ track system is that the sacrificial supports raise the work up ~ 4", so you can get your hands underneath for various tasks, and also lay tools down on the table, under the stock.

    And last, you can use any CS with the EZ system, including the one you already own. If accuracy is important I recommend the Makita's, or even the Festool TS75. (Yes, on a Eurekazone track.) For just cutting sheet goods, though, any CS will do even an old Craftsman.

    There are MANY other uses for a good track system, both EZ & Festool offer ways to expand the system, including using routers on the track which is incredibly useful. - But that's a discussion for another thread.
    Last edited by Allan Speers; 06-26-2015 at 1:20 PM.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Kent Adams View Post
    Track saws are not only produced by Festool, but by Dewalt and Makita off the top of my head. I love my Festool track saw, but you can accomplish the same thing with the other brands as well. Unless you have a giant sliding TS, the track saw is the easiest and most accurate way to break down sheet goods. If you don't have a very large sliding TS, the track saw is the next best thing, IMHO. If you break down sheet goods with a TS, then you are really missing out on how easy and, in my opinion, a more accurate way to cut with a track saw. I'm sure there are other ways to break down sheet goods other than with a track saw, but a non sliding table saw is one of the worst ways in my opinion.

    "Every serious woodworker needs a tracksaw". /s
    Grizzly has one now, as well, which I bought. It works well enough as it is. Could use a few modifications that I haven't gotten around to making yet.

    I used it to trim the top of a fence perfectly flat a couple weeks ago. Worked great for that.

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