Dewalt TrackSaw vs Table saw?

[steve gard]

If you had no tools would you purchase a tracksaw or a table saw? Lets hear some explinations.

thanks

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Steve, you opened a can of worms. Tablesaw, easily. Dados, quickness, accuracy, stability, quality of cut, etc. Those will be questioned by track saw advocates, but thats why I'd pick the tablesaw.

[Tony Bilello]

If you will build furniture or cabinetry, the Table Saw will be the most important tool in your shop. No close seconds.

[Chris Padilla]

Well, look into the Festool line of tools that used a guide. What you are asking about is repalcing a TS with a GCSS (Guided Circular Saw System).

Festool and EZ have been around a bit and the DeWalt is new to the game. The GCSSs are getting better and better all the time and a fair amount of folks have been able to fully replace a TS.

I use both a TS and GCSS as my needs call it. I'm not sure I'm ready to get rid of my TS, however.

Think about it, when we cut wood, we are always doing one of two things:

(1) Pushing the wood through the tool or
(2) Pushing the tool through the wood

One is typically easier, safer, and faster than the other method but it really depends on what you are doing. Frankly, table saws are scary and I've found myself heading to the bandsaw more and more to do my cutting....

[steve gard]

Do you feel comfortable cutting lets say a 4-8" board down to 1" strips with the tracksaw?

[Mikail Khan]

Tablesaw for me. Its more versatile IMHO.

But it depends on what type of work you plan to do.

A track saw is probably better suited to breaking down sheet goods.

MK

[Jim Dailey]

Steve,

I have 3 Festool plunge saws & 1 table saw... And as much as I like my Festool plunge saws.... 3 Festool plunge saws do not equal my Unisaw. Not even close!!!

"Can you rip 1" strips from 8" boards with a track saw"? Yes, but if I had both a track saw & a table saw available.... table saw hands down.

Now if you asked about straight lining a 12 or 16 foot piece of stock or cutting a tapper, especially a long tapper then I'd go for the track saw.

Or if you asked "could a track saw like the DeWalt or Festool replace a panel saw?". I can tell you from experience that my panel saw mostly gathers dust since I started using the Festool plunge saws.

Hope this helps,

jim

[glenn bradley]

Originally Posted by steve gard

Do you feel comfortable cutting lets say a 4-8" board down to 1" strips with the tracksaw?

Like the folks you see that can use a router for everything including mixing cookie dough, yes, folks can cut amazingly accurate and thin strips with guided circ-saws. I use a table saw for those types of cuts. I also use a guided saw for the rare times I break down sheet goods.

P.s. My opinion on the matter is worth less than you paid for it.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,

If you had no tools would you purchase a tracksaw or a table saw? Lets hear some explinations.

The answer is that one doesn't replace the other, one compliments the other.

[Frank Hagan]

Most woodworkers remain in the "accumulation phase" for their entire lives, so many will opt for both, and use both. But let's say we were counseling a young person just getting into the hobby, one who doesn't have any tools yet. Which does he buy?

A guided circular saw system wins hand's down in this case, IMHO. If you could only have one or the other, and had no other tools, the guided saw gives you the ability to do much of the work of a table saw, and has the added benefit of providing a portable system that can be moved and transported easily. It also is marginally safer for the newbie, especially if there are sheet goods to be cut down to size for his proposed projects.

If he has a circular saw already, then the choice is harder. Clamping a board to sheet goods allows him to use the "panel saw" features of a guided circular saw system without shelling out hundreds of dollars, and the new table saw does better for accurate miters, thin strips, etc.

[Mats Bengtsson]

Originally Posted by steve gard

If you had no tools would you purchase a tracksaw or a table saw? Lets hear some explinations.

thanks

If you have no tools yet, you need to be able to handle all kinds of cuts. A table saw does a number of cuts a lot better and faster and more repeatable than a track saw, but as soon as the material is too big to push through the machine, or too far from the table saw, you need a track saw.

When later you have gotten a number of tools, table saw will be one of the absolutley most important ones, but until you have both table saw and track saw, if you need to pick only one, you need to take the track saw.

Look at ordinary non super enthusisatic neighbours. You will find a lot of them having a track saw and almost none with a table saw, and making do. Then look at all people with a table saw, they might swear on you needing to select the table saw first, but they will to 99% own a track saw as well (and as it is said, almost never used but it will not be sold due to undefined reasons).

But if you are into woodworking, you will not do well without the table saw.

--- Mats ---

[Chris Padilla]

Mats,

Since you're "over the pond", what is more prevalent in a "typical" woodworker's shop in Europe: a table saw, a bandsaw, or a GCSS (guided circular saw system or track saw). What is considered the central tool?

[Mats Bengtsson]

Originally Posted by Chris Padilla

Mats,

Since you're "over the pond", what is more prevalent in a "typical" woodworker's shop in Europe: a table saw, a bandsaw, or a GCSS (guided circular saw system or track saw). What is considered the central tool?

There is always some discussions, but almost everyone would say table saw.

--- Mats ---

[steve gard]

I've seen all the hype about cutting down sheet goods with a tracksaw, but does it have the cabability to rip down boards, and if so what is the smallest width you would rip off.

If you can't tell, I am debating a low priced table saw vs the tracksaw


thanks

[Mats Bengtsson]

Originally Posted by steve gard

I've seen all the hype about cutting down sheet goods with a tracksaw, but does it have the cabability to rip down boards, and if so what is the smallest width you would rip off.

If you can't tell, I am debating a low priced table saw vs the tracksaw


thanks

This is now dangerous to reply on, so I start with saying my view is table saw is needed.

But then I add due to its repeatability of cut width/length and speed in adjustment of width and cross cut.

The track saw (Festool) is extremely accurate and the track comes in many lengths. As long as you have a track long enough, you can rip as little material as you want and with extreme precision. You are making the adjustment aiming the rubber lining of the track, which was wide when it came and got cut off using the track saw, so it exactly matches the cut you get. You adjust the saw to the track to a limit where you can not feel the saw moving when trying, so there is no slack.

Thus, a cut with the track saw is extremely accurate. If I rip off a piece of a board with the track saw, and it happens that the width is just a little thicker than the saw blade, I will easily as a side effect produce a one eighth inch wide strip of the material, which is smooth enough to almost go for sanded and with perfect width all the way.

--- Mats ---