Track saw attraction???

[Keith Hankins]

Keith,
This all sounds good to me (especially the dust collection) except the crawling around on the floor. I appoligize if this sounds rude, it is not meant to be, but I built too many benches and mounted too many machines on mobile bases to be crawling around on the cold concrete to make my cuts. I have this picture in my mind of me on the floor and someone looking in at me in my workshop, or my dad looking down at me from up high wondering what all of the stuff is for if I work off of the floor.

By the way, my boys are grown now too. When I finally realized that, I built an outfeed table.
Hank

Not rude, you could do a torsion box for use as well seen a lot. However, I prefer not to heft it up on a table thats a whole lot harder on me then jut ploping it down and running a saw through it and picking up just a piece.

To each his own. Go to youtube and search on torsion box for TS55 and you will see some pretty darn good ones, if you really want to hoist that whole sheet up on something. you could also go over to the FOG and search lots of solutions there.

https://youtu.be/p4VTxEGyU0Y

cheers.

[guy knight]

i use mine to square the ends of a full sheet and on the jobsite to install cabinets

[Jim Dwight]

I guess somebody mentioned dust collection but I will say it again. Dust collection on track saws is quite good and requires only a shop vacuum. DC on a table can be good but it needs overhead as well as below the blade pickups and a good sized DC.

I think safety was also mentioned in passage but deserves reinforcement. It would be difficult to cut yourself with a track saw (I may find a way but so far so good). Table saws can be used safely, so far so good for me there too, but you have to be pretty careful since the nature of the operation has you putting your hands at least somewhere near the blade.

I think the key attraction, the ability to just EXACTLY where you want, for sure, every time, is the key thing. You can use parallel guides for multiple cuts and save some time. If you have a MFT or, even better I think, a Ron Paulk style workbench you can cut to stops for crosscuts too. Even in the usage you see more (marking and cutting) I find myself finding more accurate ways to mark where I want to cut because the saw is going to cut where I place the track.

For those thinking supporting the wood is an issue that seems contrived to me. I have a lattice work of 1x4s that I used to use over my table saw and workbench but now put over saw horses. I also throw it over the trailer that brings sheet goods home sometimes. Others use knock down supports. There is a guy who did some good youtubes that uses a lattice like mine with legs on it that fold down. You need to spend a few minutes coming up with something but it will be easy for anybody on this forum to do if they want to. I never cut on the floor. I've used my track saw to cut down subfloor. In that case, I stacked it on sawhorses and let the blade nick the sheet below (actually I used one of the sheets under all the cuts). My point is it just isn't difficult.

If you have a large shop with a slider and ways to handle sheet goods I agree you can get along fine for that without one. But you still could use one for when you aren't in the shop and for angles and cutting finished cabinets, and doors, and a thousand other things. Any tool that will cut this well has a place - if you want to give it one.

If you have a small shop like mine and work by yourself like I do. I think a combination of a smaller table saw (24-30 inch rip) and a track saw will serve you better than a large table saw with 60 inch ripping capacity. You need less space when you do not move the sheet goods and it is easier to cut things up accurately when you aren't fighting your shop for space. I've done both and I think it's a no-brainer. The track saw is the clear winner.

For those that think a home made guide is equivalent I will say I've done that too and I am confident it is not the case. You can cut to rough size easily with a home made guide. I did for decades. But cutting to finished size is a struggle. Circular saws do not have the bearings that track saws have. They just don't cut as well regardless of blade. At least my Milwaukee doesn't. And home made guides to not trap the base of the saw to force it to follow the line.

[Martin Wasner]

I see the appeal for hobbyist for sure. They are relatively cheap and they don't take up much space. I'd like to get one, but I honestly can't think of anything that I'd actually use it for. To be fair, I thought the Fein Multi tool was a joke until I bought one. I have a feeling I'll have a similar experience to the track saws.
I break down sheets in a Striebig vertical panel saw, so I'm the ultimate in lazy when it comes to manual sheet cutting. Come to think of it, the Striebig is just a big track saw.

[Henry Kramer]

OK, since I started this thread I feel obligated to comment. I have spent a good part of the weekend doing Google searches and watching youTubes on track saws. I admit that they DO have their place and I may even get one, some day. I can see that they may help straighten out a twisted board although I am still unsure how well the "sticky strips" work when laid on rough cut lumber.

It seems to me that there may be a trend of going with smaller table saws. I searched for some time before I found my PM66 and as I said earlier it's the backbone of my shop and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I do have some pretty good dust collection with my table saw both below and above the blade but I must admit that I doubt that it is as good as the track saw. I'm still not sure that I like having both a cord and a vacuum hose getting in my way when I am ripping but I suppose one gets used to it after a while. There may also be a trend to do without jointers. Maybe it's a space issue or maybe the track saws cut so darn smooth that people feel it's not needed. I won't be getting rid of my jointer either. I admit to being old school. I still use a RAS and many don't see the use for them anymore but it's an old DeWalt and it cuts very accurately. It's what I use to cut my boards to length.

I like some some of the creative torsion boxes that I have seen. Some are really space saving but take a while to assemble and disassemble.

I do do appreciate all of the feedback and I certainly got my question answered.
Hank

[Mike Cutler]

Henry

I wouldn't, and don't, rely on the strips on rough cut lumber. The strips work on surface tension for adhesion. The smoother the surface, and cleaner the strips, the better the adhesion. Rough cut, at least what I get, isn't smooth enough, so I use the clamps.

The cord and hose don't get in the way, but the guide rail end piece Festool sells to mitigate this is only so-so. It has too sharp a leading edge and the cord, and hose, can get a little "grabby" on that edge. I've seen some home made adapters that are a little smoother. I have the cord and hose coming down from the ceiling.

I don't see a track saw taking the place of a Jointer. They're good, but not that good.

[Dale Murray]

Henry
I don't see a track saw taking the place of a Jointer. They're good, but not that good.

I have not read this entire thread and I am really quite impressed with Makita tracksaw, one of the tools I totally proselytize to any who will listen. Not Makita specifically, but track saws in general, though I am quite pleased with the Makita.

I cannot attest to the jointer claim but I can say it would be a brilliant way to get one straight edge on a board, prepping it for a couple passes though the table saw to finalize both edges. I am upset I did not come up with this first, however, I am quite please as I have about 40 linear feet of 8/4 hard maple to true up and was not looking forward to pushing my LN #8 through all that wood.

[Mike Cutler]

Dale

I was talking about the Jointer as a whole machine. I use mine the way you do. Rip a reference edge in the rough stock and then size to width on a TS.

I know a few years back on the John Lucas website, he had a tutorial on how to get a glue ready rip on two boards simultaneously with a track saw. I don't know what happened to John's stuff, he passed a few years back, but if it's still around, it was a pretty good article.

[Henry Kramer]

OK guys, I did it. I don't know if anyone is still following this topic but FYI, I ordered a Festool TS 55 REQ and a CT 26 Dust Extractor today. Partly out of curiosity, but mostly because several of you gave some pretty darn good uses and applications for a track saw that I am sure that I can apply. Evidently I could have purchased the TS 55 EQ a little cheaper because of the newer REQ model just coming out. I am not sure of the differences between the two, if any. I should receive everything in a few days. I will keep you all posted.
Thanks,
Hank

[Peter Aeschliman]

OK guys, I did it. I don't know if anyone is still following this topic but FYI, I ordered a Festool TS 55 REQ and a CT 26 Dust Extractor today. Partly out of curiosity, but mostly because several of you gave some pretty darn good uses and applications for a track saw that I am sure that I can apply. Evidently I could have purchased the TS 55 EQ a little cheaper because of the newer REQ model just coming out. I am not sure of the differences between the two, if any. I should receive everything in a few days. I will keep you all posted.
Thanks,
Hank

Wow, what a turn around! You'll like it!

As for the jointer thing... I will keep my jointer, but it does save time when you use it to straight-line rip. Less material to have to remove while edge jointing. But I do that after I face joint and face plane, so that the track saw cut is close to square.

It's a great tool. Not necessary, but very convenient in my opinion.

[Allan Speers]

.......... I have spent a good part of the weekend doing Google searches and watching youTubes on track saws. I admit that they DO have their place and I may even get one, some day. I can see that they may help straighten out a twisted board although I am still unsure how well the "sticky strips" work when laid on rough cut lumber.

..........I admit to being old school. I still use a RAS and many don't see the use for them anymore but it's an old DeWalt and it cuts very accurately. It's what I use to cut my boards to length.....

You got me thinking, Hank. What's interesting is that a tracksaw is kind of like a RAS except you can move it around. In fact, the Eurekazone EZ-ONE table, with it's trapezoid bridge, gives almost exactly the c-cut function of an RAS, except the blade can travel over 48".

The downside is being limited by the power & precision of a CS. I'm actually considering mounting a 14" RAS onto my EZ track, somehow. (without the RAS's sliding rail.) But if I can somehow pull that off, would I have the world's best EZ-ONE setup, or a 48" RAS? I guess the former, since I could still use my plunge router on the rail as well, but it makes you think.

I think there's a whole new hybrid tool, waiting to be invented.

[David Ragan]

You don't need a $800 track saw all you need is a saw that tracks.

I have been using a simple guide system Penn Industries used to sell that utilizes a piece of angle aluminum.
But anything will work even the factor edge of a piece of .....plywood.

If your young and strong muscling around 3/4 ply is not big deal.

But you can also build an accessory table that sits to the left to support the sheet.

I'm going to look into this. How about one of those aluminum 8' studs from BORG?

[Henry Kramer]

You got me thinking, Hank. What's interesting is that a tracksaw is kind of like a RAS except you can move it around. In fact, the Eurekazone EZ-ONE table, with it's trapezoid bridge, gives almost exactly the c-cut function of an RAS, except the blade can travel over 48".

The downside is being limited by the power & precision of a CS. I'm actually considering mounting a 14" RAS onto my EZ track, somehow. (without the RAS's sliding rail.) But if I can somehow pull that off, would I have the world's best EZ-ONE setup, or a 48" RAS? I guess the former, since I could still use my plunge router on the rail as well, but it makes you think.

I think there's a whole new hybrid tool, waiting to be invented.

Interesting, it might work. I think that I will stick with my 1956 DeWalt MBF for cutting boards to length. I have the RAS mounted on my long wall in the garage with benches on either side so I can simply plop a 16' board up there, measure, cut and I done. I dont see myself dragging out a track for that. However, prior to a few days ago I didnt even see myself with a track saw so I suppose anything is possible. I'm certain that I will get good use out of the CT 26 though, and will probably pick up a ROS sometime too. My son demonstrates them inside in showrooms on straight drywall compound and its appears completely dustless.

[Jim Dwight]

Hank,

It sounds like at least one wall of our shops is similar. I have a RAS (an old Ryobi (not as old as your DeWalt)) and a 12 inch CMS (non-slider) on a bench along the long wall with hardwood boards stored above them on pieces of conduit in holes in the 2x4s of the wall. So I can lift a board down and cut to length. I'm not done with this or much of anything else in this shop but ultimately both the CMS and RAS will use stops. I will not use the track saw for crosscuts within the CMS's 8 inch capacity or the RAS's 12-13 inch capacity. More than they are capable of, however, is a good use of the track saw. An upcoming project will be a 3x7 foot bench with a Ron Paulk style top and his crosscut setup. It will roll on wheels and have tool storage underneath (not be portable like Paulk's designs). Once that is finished, I could do narrower crosscuts on it - also using a stop - but probably won't since the other tools are sitting there and work fine.

Jim

[Ole Anderson]

To cut 4'x8' sheets of ply easily on a TS requires that the TS have a massive out feed table. Not everyone has room for that. My main fascination with track saws is that you lay the edge of the guide right on the cut line, no offset as is needed as with using a circ saw and straightedge. Also you can cut angles easily on large sheet goods, or even in place on already built things. Just the other day I used it to trim cut 3/4" oak flooring along a wall to fit some base. I originally bought mine to break down 8 sheets of 3/4" Hickory ply for my kitchen cabs.

Mine is a Grizzly that you can get with two sections of track and the clamps for around $320. https://www.grizzly.com/products/Tra...er-Pack/T25552

I did make a shoe to help with dust collection. I use mine with a shop vac and small hose. Adding an automatic vac relay was really worth it, it gets used on other tools as well. http://www.amazon.com/DGC-PRODUCTS-I.../dp/B005ELWUWG