Why serious Woodworkers need track saws

[Jim Dwight]

I used to use a table saw with 60 inch rip capacity, a workbench at the right height for outfeed support, and a router table the right height for infeed support. I could cut up full sheets of plywood by myself. But the size of space required challenged my shop and it was sometimes difficult to keep the sheet goods consistently tight to the rip fence.

Now I cut up sheet goods with less effort and space required using my DeWalt track saw. It was about $600 with a 106 and 59 inch tracks (might be off a little on length). I made parallel guides for it. I still plan to make a Paulk style bench with crosscutting attachment. I use a wooden lattice on a couple sawhorses now to cut up sheets.

The biggest advantage of track saws are greater precision and less space required. To cut up sheets with the tracksaw, you need space equivalent to the sheet plus walking space on at least one side. With a table saw, you need twice the length of the sheet. Big difference. Some might argue the precision but I know for me the track saw is better. I can set the stops on my parallel guides and cut repeatedly to that dimension. Exactly. No worry about wandering from the rip fence. Doesn't matter if I am smooth with the saw movement.

They are also handy with solid wood. I'm building shop cabinets at the moment but the base of the base is PT 2x4s. About as far from hardwoods as you can get. But to straighten an edge, I used the tracksaw. I did the same with a really old 1x6 I removed from the attic when I finished it. I was recycling it into the back brace for the base cabinet. Much easier to rip the board straight with the track saw than it is to use the jointer. You can lay the track on the wood and it will stay in place due to the backing so you can cut up pretty small pieces with the tracksaw.

The tracksaw is also safer. There is no reason to get close to the blade. Kickback with my DeWalt is almost not possible, it can't go backward on the track. It has a riving knife (most brands do).

Some cite the dust collection. My tracksaw is better than my table saw but I collect the dust from my table saw too. It is definitely better than my RAS and CMS but that's not saying a lot. For those with DCs, the tracksaw wouldn't be as good since it needs a maximum 35mm hose. But hook it up to the shop vac and you get most of the dust.

Speed is also better since you are not struggling to move heavy sheets other than once to get them on the cutting surface. Sometimes I do that right on the trailer I brought it home in. If you want to see quick, watch the Ron Paulk video where he is using parallel guides and his worksurface to make a bunch of garage cabinets. They're crude with pocket screws holding them together but he prepares the pieces in just a few minutes.

I still use my table saw for narrow rips and small pieces of wood. It's also better for most joints. Without it's extension rails it takes up far less space. It's probably possible to do almost everything on the track saw but I have both so I try to do what each is best at.

The track can also be used with a router and possibly other tools. The router on the track can make really accurate sliding dovetails and other joints. The Festool tracks can be purchased with holes 32mm on center for drilling cabinet sides (with a router).


Most of us would be better off with smaller table saws and a track saw than with a large table saw with extended rip capacity.

[Rod Sheridan]

Jim, I'm glad you're enjoying your track saw, they're very useful.

That said I don't own one, I have a sliding table saw which is more useful to me as it can square goods without effort and incorporates a scoring saw for chip free cuts on laminates.

There are many ways to approach the issue, I simply cut panels oversize freehand with a skill saw and then cut them on the slider.

I can see where a track saw could be very useful for work in the field as well.............Regards, Rod.

[Chris Padilla]

Lottsa ways to skin cats these days.... :)

[Kent A Bathurst]

........I have a sliding table saw..........

Rod - exactly what cool stuff do you NOT have? :p

[Jim Dwight]

I thought about guys with sliding saws when I was writing the original note. I've never used one but I assume they make lots of cuts a lot easier. Cutting square cuts with a track saw almost requires a jig. The Festool MFT is a small table (larger one is about 28x45 if I remember right) that incorporates a jig for a track so you can make precise right angle (or other angle) cuts. Ron Paulk accomplishes the same thing in his workbench with a crosscut jig of plywood to hold a track (and his has stops for repeat cuts). So cutting square or other angle cuts is something that track saws are rather good at but it requires additional equipment.

Not sure about laminate cutting. One of the tests commonly done is melamine, however, and good panel saws cut it without chipout. That is usually done with the normal "comes with" blade and there are special laminate blades.

I agree completely there are other ways to work and those other ways can produce very good work, equally as good. I think others may underestimate what can be done with a track saw and I think really good results come somewhat easier with a tracksaw (but it is certainly no miracle worker).

[John TenEyck]

I'm really cheap and as a hobbiest I need/can afford to be. I just lay sheet goods on two saw horses, sometimes even on the floor, clamp a straight edge on the cut line and make the cut with my circular saw. I can't finish cut that way; well, I can but generally don't. I just break the sheets down about 1/2" over size and then finish cut those pieces through the TS. Not high tech. or fast, but it costs nothing.

John

[Jim Matthews]

The real advantage of the track saw is storage size.

Portability is a close second (mainly for pros).
For hacks like me, keeping garage space for cars
explains the enduring appeal of the design.

[glenn bradley]

Lots of good info Jim, thanks. I avoid sheet goods whenever possible. Even the little I do have to work with it I would like a tracksaw. It would primarily be for breaking down panels oversize. Like so many specialty tools, the importance and value ride the curve of what you do an how you do it.

[Jim Dwight]

I'm pretty cheap too. My DeWalt may be my most expensive tool purchase. Costs more than a Festool Domino. But a Grizzly works fine based upon the reviews if you change out the blade (and maybe change the plunge spring). Dust collection and some other tweaks but you can get one with one track for less than $250. About $300 with enough tracks to do what I do. So half or less what I gave for my DeWalt. For those who want the best, a Festool is supposed to be better in some ways than my DeWalt and only costs twice as much. So from about $300 to $1200. If the Grizzly had been around when I got the DeWalt I might have purchased it instead. You get to make your own accessories with the Makita, DeWalt or Grizzly but that saves money too. For hobbiests, who enjoy tinkering, having to make your own jigs could even be seen as a plus.

[Jim Becker]

I personally do believe that track-saws are very useful tools for many types of woodworkers and many types of woodworking situations...I'm glad I own one, especially for "on site" home improvement work. Like some others, I do have a sliding table saw in my shop, so it's a rare moment when I use the track saw in the shop, but...it does get used from time to time for convenience or for "problem solving". I happen to be a Festool owner, but there are a number of great choices available to match both needs and budget.

[Martin Wasner]

I'm about as seriously as you can get, I don't have a track saw.

[Sam Murdoch]

The track saw is so easy and quick. I use it for partsing out cabinet parts but where it really becomes indispensable is when doing field work. Cutting up sub floors, wall paneling, plywood patches of any kind, and resizing doors is so easily done with the T-saw whether working off the floor or on saw horses or a dedicated table. Fast as can be to go from a long rip to a short cut off or to swing a piece around and cut some angles or plunge cuts or cut out a corner. I also use it to cut long tapers in pine wall boards or trim and for cutting scribes on cabinet faces or side panels. Screw the track to a wall set the depth and chop through wall boards or the like with no damage to the studs behind. It is actually a fun tool and I am still discovering ways to use it.

I can tell you that the T-saw has changed the way I work, eliminated lots of useless muscle effort and made me more efficient and more relaxed. This from a guy who's has been a professional woodworker (lots of sub-categories) for more than 30 years. Got to have one.:cool:

...and I forgot to mention - cutting in stair treads between stringers to exact size and slight angles as is often the case when trimming out a site built stairway.

[Jim Dwight]

I just came inside after using my DeWalt a little. I'm cutting up the pieces for drawers for a 8 foot long cabinet that has my RAS and CMS on top. Mainly I was using the RAS to cut up strips I'd cut with the tracksaw yesterday but I cut a couple more strips when I ran out and needed 4 more drawer sides (it was a little more than half a sheet). They are 6 1/2 wide. My parallel guides could have possibly worked but not with the clamp that holds the track tight to the guide. So I marked and cut. I don't love cutting that way, it wastes time and I tend to mess up. One is nice at pretty close to exactly 6.5 and the other is a little more than 1/32 off at one end. For shop drawers it will work. That isn't as good as I do with the table saw. I need to make another jig to align the track when making narrow rips. It will index off the same rib that guides the saw and go to the edge of the wood. I'll have an adjustable hairline to adjust for the blade width.

I added this mainly to make the point that the best accuracy with track saws is found with jigs to set the track with. For rips down to a little less than a foot, the parallel guide works great. When they get narrower than this I need to come up with a new jig. Or use my table saw. Still working on it. I used a fine pencil line for what I was doing but a knife line would have been better.

[Sam Murdoch]

I just came inside after using my DeWalt a little. I'm cutting up the pieces for drawers for a 8 foot long cabinet that has my RAS and CMS on top. Mainly I was using the RAS to cut up strips I'd cut with the tracksaw yesterday but I cut a couple more strips when I ran out and needed 4 more drawer sides (it was a little more than half a sheet). They are 6 1/2 wide. My parallel guides could have possibly worked but not with the clamp that holds the track tight to the guide. So I marked and cut. I don't love cutting that way, it wastes time and I tend to mess up. One is nice at pretty close to exactly 6.5 and the other is a little more than 1/32 off at one end. For shop drawers it will work. That isn't as good as I do with the table saw. I need to make another jig to align the track when making narrow rips. It will index off the same rib that guides the saw and go to the edge of the wood. I'll have an adjustable hairline to adjust for the blade width.

I added this mainly to make the point that the best accuracy with track saws is found with jigs to set the track with. For rips down to a little less than a foot, the parallel guide works great. When they get narrower than this I need to come up with a new jig. Or use my table saw. Still working on it. I used a fine pencil line for what I was doing but a knife line would have been better.

Some folks set a razor blade into the line at each end of the cut and then touch the guide rail to the blades for perfect alignment.

Narrow rips is not where the T-saw excels - especially for repetitive rips - but it can be done by making certain that the guide rail is fully supported (usually involves a separate piece that is longer but equal in thickness to the cut piece) - that the cut piece can't move - and that the guide rail is clamped down. You need to eliminate even minor error with this operation so clamping down the rail is essential.

[Ole Anderson]

Tracksaws and sliders are not really in the same class. Like suggesting a 5 hp cabinet saw when one mentions needing a $500 portable jobsite saw. Does a serious WW need one? Obviously not, but I agree they are very useful. If nothing else, they are useful for breaking sheet goods down to near final size for final ripping on the TS. Or better. Been there. We all have different needs and budgets.

[Frank Ashmore]

backing down sheet goods is about it

[Wade Lippman]

Kickback with my DeWalt is almost not possible, it can't go backward on the track. It has a riving knife (most brands do).

Kickback is quite easy with the Festool if you are careless enough. DAMHIKT

You are making the assumption that serious woodworkers use sheetgoods extensively. I almost never do. From where I am sitting I can see 7 pieces of furniture I have made and not one of them has a hint of plywood in them.

And while it is probably no worse than my SCMS for dust, it is much worse than my tablesaw.

[Michael W. Clark]

I discovered another good use for a track saw, actually saw the idea here from someone else. If you install stairs or re-treads, get a short rail. The treads are not square and you can cut the angles easy with the track saw. Use a longer rail for ripping them to width/depth.

For cabinet parts, I rough cut with the track saw for dust collection, then do all the repetitive cuts on the TS. I don't care if the cuts for cabinet sides are 23-1/4" or 23-5/16", but I want them the same. I am after repeatability, not precision. I have the Festool saw and rails. I cannot do repeatative cuts without building additional jigs or buying accessories. Even if I did, you have to move those for every cut in addition to the boards, so I am not sure what is gained unless you don't have a TS.

Track saws are good for straight lining too, especially safer in woods prone to movement and saves jointer time.

Mike

Edit: I have had a kickback too from TS55. It was my fault in starting it in the material, but it did kick-back. Much less violent than a circ saw kickback though (no chords were cut!).

[Julie Moriarty]

I made the plunge (pardon the pun) when I bought a Festool setup a couple of years ago. No doubt in my mind it was a really cool tool and I ripped some pricey plywood with hardly a problem. But the cost I couldn't justify and I returned the saw and accessories.

I think they are great for sheet goods. They are great for jobsite work. But for the average weekend warrior, you'd have to assess what you have, what you intend to do, and then decide if this is the right tool for you.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I don't want to rain on the parade, but...........

For a [relatively] few bucks, I have gotten some 3/8" x 3" aluminum bar stock, and a tap-and-die set. Combined with 1/4" plywood, I was able to make a guide rail with countersunk 1/4" machine screws up thru the ply into the aluminum.

In total >96" for one, and...i dunno...40" [?] for the other. Not a "track saw", but it gives a solid, stable guide rail. I can nail each cut, every time.

Did it twice - once for a friend's Saw Boss [which has a dust pickup that works great] , once for my beloved PC 314 [no dust pickup].

I see the cool technology with a true track saw, but the $$$ is a wide gap.

Am I missing something? Never test-drove a track saw, so....I dunno....maybe I am?

[Dennis Aspö]

I have a cheap small green bosch circular saw, I use a homemade guide.

[Jim Dwight]

For those who think the tracksaw is only for sheet goods, you should google "getting the most from your MFT worktable". The author makes custom furniture apparently only in solid hardwood and has converted his shop to use of the Festool system. He still has his slider but talks up the Festool pretty well.

To those who want to use their tracksaw - or track saw alternative - to break down sheet goods I think that's fine, I used my Milwaukee with guides for several decades too. But if you add a parallel guide to the tracksaw (Precision Dogs sells one for about $200 that may work for the Makita and Grizzly as well as the Festool) you can achieve table saw or beyond accuracy. The inherent advantage of the tracksaw is the wood isn't moving and the saw is guided in both directions. Absent significant operator error the cut will be square, straight and where you put the track. The last part is not insignificant. Positioning he track is a significant potential source of error. I think the parallel guide and other jigs solve that.

I will say this once again for emphasis. When I cut using the parallel guide, I am not getting table saw accuracy. I am getting beyond what I get with my table saw. Maybe not beyond what you get with yours but you aren't getting better either. With the guide correctly positioned track saws are very, very, accurate. They are capable of much more than break-down cuts.

I hope I didn't offend anyone with the title. I'm not trying to say you aren't a serious woodworker if you don't have a tracksaw. That would be stupid. What I am trying to say is if you make a lot of sawdust, you can help yourself do it better, easier and more quickly by getting a tracksaw.

I also understand the comments about the shop versus jobsite. A tracksaw, even with an accessory table, is a lot more portable than many table saws. But for those of us without unlimited shop space, the advantage of not needing twice the sheet goods length for ripping is nice too.

[ken masoumi]

I made the plunge (pardon the pun) when I bought a Festool setup a couple of years ago. No doubt in my mind it was a really cool tool and I ripped some pricey plywood with hardly a problem. But the cost I couldn't justify and I returned the saw and accessories.

I think they are great for sheet goods. They are great for jobsite work. But for the average weekend warrior, you'd have to assess what you have, what you intend to do, and then decide if this is the right tool for you.
That's exactly what I said in a similar discussion on another woodworking forum, I was told a track saw is more versatile and far more accurate than a homemade track/circular saw system, also, there's no good reason for a hobbyist to justify the cost ,I should get it if I can afford it as long as it pleases me when I use it!
I still do not have a proper/expensive track saw, the DIY track I use with my CS pleases me to no end so I'm good for now.
Working on subtle hints to my wife for next Christmas though, lol.

[Dennis Aspö]

I'm not a serious woodworker, just a hobbyist, but I lucked into a seriously good table saw, still the sliding table is a little too small to easily handle full sheets. That's where the circ saw and guide come into play.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks for the detailed write up Jim. This is helpful to me.

At the risk of sounding foolish, can you tell me what is a "parallel guide" and perhap post a picture? When I googled that, I got a post on FOG that looked like Veritas planing stops and I dont see how something like that helps with a tracksaw.

Thanks very much.
Fred

[Brian W Smith]

Track saws in whatever form(store bought,or simple straight edges)are invaluable.But,they really shine on location,out in the field.If you're space limited in the shop,a nice vertical panel saw makes lots more sense.I did without one for 30+ years,using conventional methods.......had one now long enough now that I can say we'll never be without one.We also have a custom short throw slider that we will also never be without.Our 14/16 TS(runs 10" blades),never extends past 25" now......in fact,rarely even goes past 16.

It's a work flow for us.A sheet hits the shop,goes on the vert panel saw...then either heads to the big TS or goes to the slider.That 32 sq ft slab is never in a horizontal orientation.I'm too old to lumber wrestle anymore.Good luck with your track saw,BW

[James Zhu]

Thanks for the detailed write up Jim. This is helpful to me.

At the risk of sounding foolish, can you tell me what is a "parallel guide" and perhap post a picture? When I googled that, I got a post on FOG that looked like Veritas planing stops and I dont see how something like that helps with a tracksaw.

Thanks very much.
Fred

http://precisiondogs.us/products/precision-parallel-guides-v11

Festool has its own parellel guide, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7D0yrZY8vU

[Rod Sheridan]

Rod - exactly what cool stuff do you NOT have? :p

A track saw :-)

I also don't have a Festool router, nor a Domino..................regards, Rod.

[Jim Dwight]

I missed Fred's request for more parallel guide information. If I did this right, this should be a link to the manual for Precision Parallel Guides:

http://precisiondogs.us/sites/default/files/Precision_Parallel_Guides_Manual.pdf

This is one of at least 3 guides available for a Festool. Seneca also makes some, Festool makes some, and there is a guy on eBay with the least expensive ones (they have plastic ends). This one is basically a commercially available rail with fittings. If it or the others wouldn't fit a Grizzly track (I'm not sure if they will or won't) you could make your own ends of wood. There is a guy who is building all his kitchen and bath cabinets himself and posts here and did.

What I use is based upon Cary's design:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?201175-DeWalt-tracksaw-parallel-guides

I tweaked it slightly but it is essentially what Cary posted. It's a good design. Some my changes are mentioned at the end of the thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqA9edtoSCs

This is a neat video of Ron Paulk using Festool parallel guides and his workbench. It shows the parallel guides in action. If you have Festool guides, watch the point about 2:50 into the video where he shows a small mod. I did essentially the same thing to Cary's design for the DeWalt when I made it. The Precision and Seneca designs for the Festool don't need this mod because they rest on top of the wood. I think that's a better arrangement - but isn't possible for the DeWalt. The serious use of the tools starts around the 4:00 mark. Note how quickly Ron cuts up his parts. That's essentially my point about speed, precision (repeatability) and accuracy (achieving the desired size).

[Allan Speers]

I have to add my support for the tracksaw idea. Certainly, a TS with a good sliding table would be better, for everything except breaking down plywood. If you have the space & the budget, then go for it. Me? I didn't, and I really like the safety of the "deadwood" concept. I actually sold my Unisaw, and have so far not missed it at all.

I use the deluxe Eurekazone system, including their "EZ-ONE" table. I have lots of problems with this company, in terms of BS claims and horrible support form Dino, plus the general insanity over on their website. - But I think their basic system is the best available, including Festool. When using their deluxe table, you even can rig up excellent dust collection - as good as any TS setup. Their are a few caveats, though:

1: You of course are limited in cut depth and horsepower.

2: Accuracy is limited to the quality of the CS you own.

For cut depth, esp at 45 degrees, I was going to get the 10-1/4" Makita, which also happens to be pretty accurate & rigid. However, I just upgraded my band saw instead, so I can run a 1.25" blade and do accurate angle cuts that way.
Since I no longer need to cut 3" deep at 45 degrees on my track system, I have the option of getting the large Festool CS. Yes, to put on my Eurekazone track system. Expensive, but it should be very accurate & very safe.


Some company really should make a circular saw designed specifically for tracksaw use in a shop. Festool comes close, but it is underpowered and slightly too small - Both trade-offs that make it great for mobile contractors. Imagine a 2-3HP, brushless, 10-1/4" track-based CS, with all the features of the Festool? Couple that with something like the Eurekazone EZ-One table, and tablesaws would start to look extremely quaint & old fashioned.

[Jesse Busenitz]

How many of you small to mid size shops have track saws? Where you do 90% of your work in the shop. I don't see the upgrade chain as Table saw~Track saw~ Sliding table saw. They definitely have their place especially on the job site but I won't part with my PM66 yet. Just my 2 cents......

[Myk Rian]

Need? I don't need no stinkin track saw.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Need? I don't need no stinkin track saw.


The Inimitable Myk......... :p :p

[Myk Rian]

Just don't like being told I need something.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Just don't like being told I need something.


Do tell, do tell............

You're good with me, brudda.

[Susumu Mori]

This is a fun topic and I want to join.

I had a small table saw. Mostly solid wood and had been happy with it for more than 10 years. But recently I started to use some sheets to meet some quick requests from my wife. Sheet goods give me a different type of fun woodworking. All good.

And then I discovered Festool systems and fell in love. MFT, a track saw, and some guide rails. Together with a bandsaw for rip, I stop using my tablesaw completely. Now my friend took it and it's officially gone. I had no regret.

But the story didn't stop there. I purchased a sliding miter saw. Together with the bandsaw and the miter saw, my MFT/track saw stop seeing solid woods.
Then I start to have itch when my sheets are bigger than the MFT (often happens). I know that I can break down a sheet on the floor, saw horses, or some kind of shop-made sacrificial tables, but squaring is a challenge (it is challenging sometimes even with MFT).

In the end, I "plunged" into a sliding table saw few weeks ago. MFTs are still very useful for other things, but if the table saw arrives, I'm not sure if I would ever use the track saw. I feel that I should have invested on the sliding table saw to begin with...... Oh well, trying different approaches is a part of fun in woodworking, I guess.

[Kent Adams]

Tracksaws and sliders are not really in the same class. Like suggesting a 5 hp cabinet saw when one mentions needing a $500 portable jobsite saw. Does a serious WW need one? Obviously not, but I agree they are very useful. If nothing else, they are useful for breaking sheet goods down to near final size for final ripping on the TS. Or better. Been there. We all have different needs and budgets.

I was thinking the same thing. Comparing a slider to a track saw is like comparing a Gulfstream Jet to an ultralight. Heck, there are sliders and then there are SLIDERS. There are SLIDERS on the market that cost as much as a Bentley and then there are sliders on the market that cost as much as a used Honda Civic. That's a slippery slope.

[ian maybury]

:) It's all good fun. Most of the time our position on matters like this is an evolving one anyway, or is dependent on exactly what sort of work we do - so it probably doesn't pay to dig in on any position.

Jim's opening post certainly holds water regarding the space required for a slider vs a track saw - although if we get picky we might argue that the floor space has to be kept clear while the slider is a multi use space.

My last solution was a Festool track saw with a Robland combo with a small table. The Festool was great, and the quality of cut a revelation. Even with the advent of parallel bars and the like there's no chance that i'd switch my 8ft Hammer slider for it now though.

I wouldn't want to be without the Festool either. There's times when it's very useful for stuff like breaking down a big sheet to bring it into the shop, making a quick cut when the saw is busy, out of shop jobs and the like...

[Roy Harding]

I think that the things people build with bench top, direct drive, "table saws" are great. I think that the things people build with "contractor's table saws" are great. I think that the things people build with cabinet saws are great. I think that the things people build with sliding panel saws are great. I think that the things people do with track saws are great.

Anyone else see a pattern there? It's not the tool, it's the people.

I happen to have a european slider - but nothing I build with it is "better" than what I built when I only had a bench top, 6 amp, 8 inch blade "table saw". It just takes me less time.

Tools make our life easier and our builds faster. They don't make our products "better". What tools we use are the product of an equation which includes (at a minimum) - cost, space available, value of time spent using them, and "known/taught" methods of work.

I think what folks do with track saws is outstanding. I think the SAME folks would make outstanding pieces using a handsaw and a pencil.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Really? Serious woodworkers must have a track saw? Did Sam Maloof, James Krenov, Tage Frid or George Nakashima have a track saw? Are you SERIOUS?:confused:

[Jim Matthews]

You need air.

[Art Mann]

I have owned a Makita track saw for a couple of years now and used it regularly for both woodworking projects and general carpentry and remodeling. My experience is very similar to that of the original poster. Here, in no particular order, are some of my observations.

1. My shop is only 24 X 28 and I really wanted to reduce the square feet occupied by the table saw setup. Since I no longer cross cut sheet goods on a table saw, I was able to reduce the footprint down to just the saw and one 3 X 5 outfeed table.

2. After upgrading the blade, the track saw leaves as fine a cut as any table saw blade I have ever used, regardless of cost.

3. It is a waste of effort to cut sheet goods mostly to size with a track saw and then re-cut on a table saw. The track saw is just as accurate as a table saw if you use it with any amount of skill and discipline.

4. There is no problem with dust. I have a hose that goes between my shop vac and the saw and it captures a far higher percentage of dust than my table saw dust collection.

5. I used many, many home built saw guides over a period of 20 years or so and they worked fairly well. However, I was never able to achieve the accuracy and quality of cut that I get with the Makita track saw and they were much harder to use. A track saw guide will simply not allow the blade to wander even a few hundredths of an inch. Furthermore, circular saws are designed primarily for carpentry and rough sizing work and not precision cabinet/furniture construction. The Makita is manufactured to better tolerances than other saws I have used.

6. A Festool track saw may be better than a Makita or Dewalt but I have no interest in finding out. I got a solution that works very well for my applications at less than half the cost of Festool. I need to replace a lot of other equipment that doesn't work very well before spending any money on Festool upgrades.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Sorry to disappoint you fellers, but...

As of late, I have been doing some serious pondering, and I can pretty much see my way clear to where I do not need a TS - the other gear can do just fine, given a track saw-type setup to go with the BS, CMS, and jointer........

[Roy Harding]

Sorry to disappoint you fellers, but...

As of late, I have been doing some serious pondering, and I can pretty much see my way clear to where I do not need a TS - the other gear can do just fine, given a track saw-type setup to go with the BS, CMS, and jointer........

I'm not disappointed in the least. If it works for what you do - great!

[Brett Luna]

My dear, dear wife bought me the DeWalt track saw for Christmas after my having mentioned the words "track saw" to her, perhaps twice. I'm quite enamored of it. It was especially nice for recently breaking down a couple of sheets of ¾-inch sheet of MDF. I'm not givin' up the table saw, though. No how, no way.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

You need air.

Let's see if I understand this.....some of the great masters didn't have track saws.....I believe each of us should use that which works for us as individuals .........and I need air? LOL!

[Art Mann]

Unless someone earns his living by doing woodworking, he doesn't need any woodworking tools. No hobby is a necessity by the very definition of the word. I do woodworking in part because I have access to tools that make building nice things easier. While I would like for all woodworkers on this forum to be aware of the benefits of a track saw, I would not suggest that they are for everyone. Is that what someone is saying?

[Martin Wasner]

A track saw could come in handy for me, but it'd rarely get used . I don't have much need for straight cuts in the field, and I have almost zero use for it in the shop. Basically I'd only use it for things that I don't want to cut on the Striebig.

[Ole Anderson]

I have a track saw and find it very useful for many operations. And I have a BS and a MS, but I couldn't get along without a TS. How else can you quickly and accurately size smallish, narrow strips of wood needed, say, for the rails and styles of a cabinet door? Fit a dado blade to a track saw? Nope. Cut cheeks and tenons using a tenoning jig? Nope. Cut smallish perfectly square panels for cabinet doors? Not easily. Well maybe with a track saw and a sliding track MS. (I don't have one of those.)

[Jim Dwight]

It is very possible to cut smaller pieces of wood with a track saw, I have, by putting another board of the same thickness under the track. It is also very possible to use the tracksaw to square a panel but that is easiest if you have a MFT or Paulk table with crosscut attachment. Otherwise it's a mark and cut which isn't really very hard.

I agree, however, that having a 24-30 inch rip table saw is awfully nice even with a track saw. It does joints much more easily as well as narrow rips. One of the interesting things about the Paulk workbench is he integrates a small table saw. Says what he thinks.

[Allan Speers]

I have a track saw and find it very useful for many operations. And I have a BS and a MS, but I couldn't get along without a TS. How else can you quickly and accurately size smallish, narrow strips of wood needed, say, for the rails and styles of a cabinet door? Fit a dado blade to a track saw? Nope. Cut cheeks and tenons using a tenoning jig? Nope. Cut smallish perfectly square panels for cabinet doors? Not easily. Well maybe with a track saw and a sliding track MS. (I don't have one of those.)

Cutting smaller pieces with a basic tracksaw can be done, but it is indeed a little tricky. You need special clamps, plus a second peice on the left, etc. - But for someone on a budget, who gets a basic tracksaw system for breaking down plywood, it CAN be done, with accuracy.
If you have the Eurekazone EZ-ONE, or similar table with a track that raises & lowers, then it's literally as easy as on a table saw, and much safer. You can also do it on a good band saw, but then you have to change blades which is a small PITA.

However you do mention the two things were a TS excells, and a tracksaw system cannot compete: Dados & tenon jigs.

OK, fair enough, but dados are best done with a router, IMO (esp if you have a router attached to your track system.) Tenons? I do them by hand. Quick and easy. I've never once wished I had some machine or jig to help me with them.

Everyone just has to find what works for them. The main thing is, there are LOTS of experience w-workers (not production shops) who don't own table saws, there are good alternatives for everything. - and the safety of a tracksaw system cannot be overlooked.

[scott vroom]

Cabinet saws are from Mars, track saws are from Venus.

[Jim Dwight]

A little off topic but the one Festool I would buy the soonest is the Domino. Lose tenons work just like regular tenons and it seems like it would speed things up a lot. So a track saw + a Domino....

I don't really advocate no table saw. They are a better way to do narrow rips off smallish pieces (i.e. not a sheet of plywood) and are often just plain handy, even if you like using a tracksaw. Safety counts, however, and the full sheets of 3/4 aren't getting any lighter for me.

[jack duren]

A little off topic but the one Festool I would buy the soonest is the Domino. Lose tenons work just like regular tenons and it seems like it would speed things up a lot. So a track saw + a Domino....

I don't really advocate no table saw. They are a better way to do narrow rips off smallish pieces (i.e. not a sheet of plywood) and are often just plain handy, even if you like using a tracksaw. Safety counts, however, and the full sheets of 3/4 aren't getting any lighter for me.

"it seems like it would speed things up a lot"

You sound like my brother. Loves to play golf but refuses to walk...

[Tom M King]

Is this good enough that I could call myself a "serious" woodworker, or does it have to be green? http://www.historic-house-restoration.com/images/ElamsHouse_Oct._2012_025.JPG :) This is the page on my website that I pulled that picture off of: http://www.historic-house-restoration.com/Woodwork.html

[scott vroom]

Is this good enough that I could call myself a "serious" woodworker, or does it have to be green? http://www.historic-house-restoration.com/images/ElamsHouse_Oct._2012_025.JPG :) This is the page on my website that I pulled that picture off of: http://www.historic-house-restoration.com/Woodwork.html

Tom, I'd be interested in knowing how you used the small router to allow you to remove nails. Also, what is the purpose of the small rectangular routed areas that appear to straddle board seams?

[Cody Colston]

Serious woodworkers need a track saw?

Hardly.

[Jim Dwight]

Serious woodworkers need a track saw?

Hardly.

I used to think the same thing. After 30+ years making sawdust I got one. Now I wish I hadn't resisted for so long.

[Brian Henderson]

I used to think the same thing. After 30+ years making sawdust I got one. Now I wish I hadn't resisted for so long.

I can't remember the last time I even used a regular circular saw, why would I need a track saw?

[Peter Quinn]

Just wondering...does anyone know if Sam Maloof used a track saw to build his pieces? Pity having to call his wife and let her know he wasn't serious. I'm a professional wood worker, not sure I'm particularly serious, I like to joke around a bit, I'm rather irreverent and an iconoclast to say the least. I like the track saw, its got a few neat tricks, but I wouldn't go getting all judgmental about it. The idea is hardly a new one, the fancy plunge saws with aluminum rails are a convenient way to extend the range of a circular saw. To me its not the best way to do anything. Period. Well, its pretty good at fixing screw ups and cutting things off for reworks, but in the shop? Nah, its the smallest cheapest way to get the job done. I have one for the home basement shop...for sheet goods! Break down sheet goods in a big shop? Try a panel saw, sliding table or vertical, beats the pants off the track saw IME. I don't say this to make guys that work with track saws feel bad, its a great tool and a boon to the small home shop or pro shop, but there are lots of ways to "work wood" seriously, and this is a pretty diverse crowd. Some guys use hand tools only or mostly, in it for the zen and the process it offers. Other guys have hobby shops many pros would kill for with big sliders and such. An every thing in between. To tell any of these people how to work is more than a bit presumptuous. The tag line of this post never sat right with me. I've learned enough to know that the only thing serious wood workers need is dedication, beyond that the tools and methods we each use are very personal choices that develop and evolve over a lifetime. If your looking for a litmus test for seriousness...the track saw is not it.

[Tom Giacomo]

I thought I was serious.

[Andrew Hughes]

Sam Maloof probably did have a track saw since manufactures would just send him stuff.He joked about the things that would show up that he didn't order.
I have a porter cable saw boss that I use for plywood here and there.They stopped making the saw boss because everyone like it too much.Aj

[Ron Teti]

I'm new here, and I am a track saw fan. Reading this post briefly .

I think that whether to use a track saw or not is personal preference.

I have a complete Festool system including the saw module for the CMS.

now as to whether the old masters used track saw etc, IMO they used whatever the most modern equipment was available at the time or whatever they were comfortable using.

more then likely they used hand tools for the majority of their work.

im sure when the shakers invented the table saw, they had a similar discussion.

[Ole Anderson]

OK, fair enough, but dados are best done with a router, IMO (esp if you have a router attached to your track system.)


Allan, I am glad that you added "IMO". I do dados (and rabbits) with my TS and on my router table and have even used a jig with my handheld router. Each has it's place. Personally I prefer a TS where you can tweak the dado width with shims or in my case with a dial-a-dado. And the blade isn't trying to pull the bit to one side as with a router, nor does the sawdust get packed in the slot and you are working on a CI table top.

[Julie Moriarty]

I thought I was serious.

Seriously?

[Glenn Clabo]

There's not a serious bone in my body...life is too short for that...but I do use a track saw because I like it. :cool:

[michael langman]

I never saw a track saw before I bought a piece of mdf at Home depot and I had them cut it for me. I thought it was a good idea, but never seriously thought of owning one.
A good blade on my skil saw and a straight edge have been all I have ever needed to cut a nice square piece of plywood.
I guess it's all a matter of preference and economics: unless I had a business of cutting plywood and mdf .

[Art Mann]

Is this good enough that I could call myself a "serious" woodworker, or does it have to be green? http://www.historic-house-restoration.com/images/ElamsHouse_Oct._2012_025.JPG :) This is the page on my website that I pulled that picture off of: http://www.historic-house-restoration.com/Woodwork.html

Actually, I would call that carpentry work rather than wood work. Whatever you call it, I used to do some similar work and I loved the challenge. I would really like to see before and after pictures of the project when it is all finished. I don't know whether a track saw would have helped you on this project but I have done restoration work where a track saw would have speeded the work considerably. Unfortunately, I only discovered track saws a couple of years ago.

[Robert Engel]

Seriously,

WW'ers do not need a $800 track saw, they just need to break down the materials, then cut their panels to exact size on the TS.

I do not own, nor will I ever own a track saw because I can spend that money in better ways.

IMO there is no reason to spend all that money when you've already got a tool that will do it.

I've built quite a few cabinets and there is no track saw made that will square up a plywood panel.

[Sam Murdoch]

Seriously,

WW'ers do not need a $800 track saw, they just need to break down the materials, then cut their panels to exact size on the TS.

I do not own, nor will I ever own a track saw because I can spend that money in better ways.

IMO there is no reason to spend all that money when you've already got a tool that will do it.

I've built quite a few cabinets and there is no track saw made that will square up a plywood panel.

"WW'ers do not need a $800 track saw" - I AGREE - as I understand there are some good less expensive alternatives to the FESTOOL out there.

Having said that, I otherwise completely disagree. The track saw is a wonderful alternative to muscling 3/4" thick (and other thickness) sheet goods and properly set up, one can parts out an entire kitchen worth of cabinets - square and true with relative ease. The Table saw in this case is a helper - not the primary tool. All well and good to be so dogmatic if you have the luxury of a sliding table saw and a fully functioning cabinet shop but if you are an occasional cabinet maker (or even a professional like me who build and installs cabinets regularly and has scaled down from a full function professional shop to what most would describe as a garage shop), using sheet goods, working out of your garage or a small shop with a unisaw or smaller table saw, a track saw can be indispensable.

[Bill Orbine]

My shop is well equipped, including table saw and panel saw...... I'm a serious WW and I do not need a track saw! The system I now have is far more productive and accurate than a track saw!


However, the track saw would be convenient for, say, if I had to do on field cutting or, if in shop I need to cut diagonals on sheet goods. Such system is worthy if I do this often. It does not happen too often to justify the purchase. It'll be sitting in the corner of shop gathering dust.

[Larry Edgerton]

Really? Serious woodworkers must have a track saw? Did Sam Maloof, James Krenov, Tage Frid or George Nakashima have a track saw? Are you SERIOUS?:confused:

Best answer!

Larry

[Matt Day]

I never saw a track saw before I bought a piece of mdf at Home depot and I had them cut it for me. I thought it was a good idea, but never seriously thought of owning one.


I think you're confusing a track saw with a panel saw.

[sebastian phillips]

Never understood the myth of "wrestling plywood" onto a table saw. Unless you have your sheet goods delivered onto the floor, and process them on the floor, you have to "wrestle" them unto something, whether you're cutting them with a track saw, chainsaw, or table saw.
I own a festool tracksaw, and love it for fitting laminate tops, scribing panels and such on installs. There is no way, however, I would build a kitchen with it when I have a cabinet saw in the shop. I can't imagine ripping face frame and door stock, 100's of lin. ft. ranging from 1.5" to 3", with a track saw. Just silly.
I never wrestle with plywood either. It comes into the shop vertically, and is stored vertically. There is a piece of blue tape on the floor about 7' in front of the blade. The vertical sheet is set on that line and lowered to the saw(resting on the table in front of the blade). I pick up the rear of the sheet and rip away.
Very fast, accurate, and safe. I never lift a whole sheet of 3/4 ply in my shop, and I seldom use the track saw in the shop, only odd tapers and such.

[Tom M King]

Tom, I'd be interested in knowing how you used the small router to allow you to remove nails. Also, what is the purpose of the small rectangular routed areas that appear to straddle board seams?

Nails were located with a metal detector. The jig that the Bosch router sits in routes out around each nail. The middle part left in the "small rectangular routed areas" is popped out with a beater chisel, and the nail sunk below harms way of the big milling router. The original floor is over 1-1/2 inch thick. Windows were out of that house for 30 years, and resulted in the tops of the Heart Pine floor boards rotting out, but the rot didn't go deeper than 3/4", except in one spot. We milled off the top 3/4" of the full 20' length of the affected boards, and replaced it with grain matching Heart Pine 20 footers. Underneath, in the basement, look up and it's all original.

[Ted Reischl]

My track saw is down at Lowes/Home Depot (yea, it is really a panel saw).

What is better about mine is that it comes with a power feeder and auto trailer loader. When FestTool comes up with that. . . . well maybe, unless I have to feed and house the auto trailer loader.

[Jim Dwight]

Cutting full sheets on a table saw can be OK if you have plenty of space and good support. But even then, you have to hold up against the rip fence (although a power feeder could help with that). A very large slider could also eliminate use of the rip fence. But it would require a lot of space. I just don't have the space for these sort of tools. Also, compared to these tools, the tracksaw is very inexpensive.

The way I use a tracksaw, there is less handling of the sheet goods and there can be even less. I sometimes cut right on the trailer I haul the plywood home on using a 1x4 lattice work. Even when I cut in the shop, the plywood goes on the same lattice set on saw horses. I lift one end and slide it on. So no worse than a table saw to easier. If you have a pickup, you can slide the plywood right out of the bed onto the same sort of lattice and cut it up. No lifting required. That's what Roger Muller does in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4VTxEGyU0Y

[John Bomment]

. If you have a pickup, you can slide the plywood right out of the bed onto the same sort of lattice and cut it up.

I can do that with my tablesaw,back up the truck into the shop and slide it out to the saw.
We all have different situations,not everyone needs a tracksaw,serious or not.
My saw is set up to handle plywood,
can crosscut to over 8', plenty of support and room.
I never use factory edges so just break it down near size then cut all the edges.
Double cut.
Tables are well waxed,no problem keeping it to the fence.
It really doesn't take long to cut up a bunch of plywood,much faster than using a tracksaw.
Track saws are great but I have no use for one as all my work is done in the shop.

[Rick Potter]

I cannot say that everyone needs a track saw, but in my case it has been a Godsend. I am 72, and have several previous injuries, the most pertinent being both rotator cuffs are very bad. Years ago I bought a shop cart to move sheet goods around, and get them off my pickup, but still needed help getting them on the saw. I have infeed and outfeed tables galore.

I got lucky, and found out about a sale Amazon was having on the DeWalt track saws a couple years ago. I picked up the track saw, with a 5' and an 8' track, for about $365 if memory serves.

Right now, I am building pantry shelves, and closet organizers out of 3/4" melamine. A couple days ago I cut 3 sheets into 12" strips using a 2X4 lattice setup on saw horses. Slid the sheets from the shop cart to the saw horses and cut. The heaviest thing I had to carry was a 12" X 8' strip over to the bench or RAS. This is doable for me, working alone.

Without the track saw, I would have to wait for help to come along, and she is no spring chicken either (shhh).

I guess I am just trying to say that situations vary, and this has worked well for me.

[Phillip Gregory]

How many of you small to mid size shops have track saws? Where you do 90% of your work in the shop. I don't see the upgrade chain as Table saw~Track saw~ Sliding table saw. They definitely have their place especially on the job site but I won't part with my PM66 yet. Just my 2 cents......

I don't have a track saw and my shop is certainly little. I use a straightedge and a circular saw to cut about 1/2" more than I need and then trim the remainder on the tablesaw. A track saw would be easier to use and possibly a little more accurate but I have a bunch of other tools I'd get first that would be more useful before I'd get a track saw.

The main use for a track saw from my observations would be people on a job site breaking down sheet goods. It would absolutely excel at that task and be very portable. The guys who have a table saw-less shop (e.g. band saw for ripping + radial arm saw/SCMS for crosscutting + router for rabbets and dadoes) would find one invaluable as they have no other way to work with long/wide sheet goods. But if you have a nice table saw, a track saw is a lot more of a "want to" than a "have to." I'd actually much rather have a panel saw than a track saw if I were going to be spending a decent amount of money to conveniently break down sheet goods. A panel saw is even easier than a track saw to set up and use, plus takes up less space while in use.

[Jon Grider]

To each his own. It appears the OP has made a ton or two of sawdust with his TS over the years and now prefers the track saw. From the outside looking in, I surely appreciate the apparent advantages of the track saw in some situations, but I don't see the need for me. I have adequate room for cutting sheet goods on my 66, and also have used a clamped straight edge as a guide with a circular saw many times. Track saws are more precise than a TS? If the need for accuracy of .0001" is needed, the project is probably not a great candidate for wood or wood products anyway. I have yet to have anyone complain that the tolerances my on cabs or furniture are too large. That piece of sheet goods you may try to maintain machinist tolerances on when ripping is probably .060" at a minimum off of being flat anyway, and most likely triple that.
For me I'd rather spend the $$ to feed my addiction to beautiful wood. However, if I hit the lottery..............

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Jesus did fine without one.

[David Ragan]

Well, I just read most of the posts on this thread cause my CS got bound up with me cutting across some 3/4 BB this afternoon. Was using a aluminum guide-pushing CS next to it. Not sure what went wrong. Makes one kinda nervous that blade spinning like that, binding, bad smells generated via burning wood.

Guess the next innovation is going to be one of the TS combos. Don't have any Grizzly stuff yet, seem to be good. Will investigate before taking the plunge. Festool, of course, is superb.

[Allan Speers]

I've built quite a few cabinets and there is no track saw made that will square up a plywood panel.


Simply not true.

At the risk of sounding like a shill for their company, A Eurekazone track system with one low-cost & basic add-on makes dead perfect 90 degree cuts in less time than it takes to wrestle a 4X8 sheet up onto your tablesaw.

I drive home from the yard, put 2 sawhorses behind my truck, drop my portable EZ table onto the sawhorses, slide the plywood onto the table, (Which is at the exactly height of my tailgate) drop my 5' miter track onto the plywood, and cut a dead-perfect line at 90 degrees exactly.

You'd still be wheeling that plywood into your shop.

[Art Mann]

I used to be insulted but now I just laugh at people who tell me something isn't possible when I do it all the time.

[Allan Speers]

Allan, I am glad that you added "IMO". I do dados (and rabbits) with my TS and on my router table and have even used a jig with my handheld router. Each has it's place. Personally I prefer a TS where you can tweak the dado width with shims or in my case with a dial-a-dado. And the blade isn't trying to pull the bit to one side as with a router, nor does the sawdust get packed in the slot and you are working on a CI table top.


Ole,

You raise good points, but as a counterpoint:

1: The bit wanting to go sideways isn't a problem at all for me, because my router is mounted to my EZ track. Not only does the track offer much more support, it lets you push the router in either direction. In other words, you can have it cutting away from the edge, with complete safety. Granted, getting the EZ routing base is a significant extra expense, but I bloody LOVE doing most routing tasks with the track.

2: I know what you mean about dust clogging, but I recently got an upturn bit, or whatever it's called, (I forget) and that vastly minimizes this problem as it pulls the dust upward, where my Festool shop vac can gobble it up.

[Rich Riddle]

I am building a greenhouse down a very steep hill and found the track saw indispensable today. It certainly has its place when one cannot muscle down a table saw to a job site. Other tools might work just as well, but for me the track saw offers quick and accurate proficiency.

[Mark Blatter]

I think you're confusing a track saw with a panel saw.

Ahhh, someone mentions the single tool I miss the most from my old shop. I wrestled many a sheet of melamine onto that Striebig saw and made the most accurate cuts. In a perfect shop, I would have a sliding TS and a Striebig panel saw.

[Alan Lightstone]

You need air.

Actually, you need oxygen. The nitrogen comes along for the ride.

My $0.02? Have both a Festool track saw and a Sawstop table saw. Both have their place, I use both. I think the skill of the workman dwarfs the choice of the tool. I just use it to save space in my small shop. And, it's a nice way to trim veneer sandwiches for barely visible butt joints (which can also be done with sandpaper, a shooting board, and a million other ways).

[johnny means]

I closed my shop up recently, but had a 10' Martin, SS ICS, and a Festool TS 55 for making straight cuts. I consider myself a serious woodworker (fulltime, professional, custom). IMO, anyone one who thinks breaking down sheet goods with a tracksaw is faster or easier than a good table saw or slider either doesn't know how to handle materials or is operating under some sort of handicap. Also, the gap in productivity grows with every cut. I can set a fence at 4" and have sheet of ply ripped down into strips in a couple of minutes. No setup other than initial fence setting. Your probably looking at half an hour with a tracksaw.

[Ole Anderson]

Actually, you need oxygen. The nitrogen comes along for the ride.

My $0.02? Have both a Festool track saw and a Sawstop table saw. Both have their place, I use both.
Same here but on a budget with a Grizz G1023 and a Grizz track saw.

[Julie Moriarty]

IMO, anyone one who thinks breaking down sheet goods with a tracksaw is faster or easier than a good table saw or slider either doesn't know how to handle materials or is operating under some sort of handicap.

Handicap? Space. To cut a 4x8 sheet on my TS I have to rearrange half the tools in my shop. Then I have to crawl under the plywood to get around the TS. My other handicap is strength. At 64, I now need assistance bringing a 3/4" sheet down the basement stairs and into the shop. It was always a struggle but now it's just not in the cards. So if I can break down the sheet goods in the garage, I can manage getting it into the shop. What I liked about the tracksaw, when I had it, was I could make cuts just as good as I make with the TS, clean, straight and right on the cut line. And when it came to making cuts other than 90 degrees and parallel, the tracksaw excelled.

What I didn't like was the cost. After you buy the saw, you need their track. Festool makes couplings for their track but they can come out of alignment if you're not careful when moving the track. The solution, of course, is buying longer track. And the cost escalates further.

[Prashun Patel]

[steps up on soapbox]

These kinds of threads always puzzle me. I can't yet understand why there is a need to crown a best method for what we do. As long as we can be safe, productive, and happy, why's it need to go any further?

Crowning a winner means the everyone else is on some level a loser. The rest of my and my childrens' day is filled with that kind of ranking.

[steps down from soap box]

[Ken Fitzgerald]

[steps up on soapbox]

These kinds of threads always puzzle me. I can't yet understand why there is a need to crown a best method for what we do. As long as we can be safe, productive, and happy, why's it need to go any further?

Crowning a winner means the everyone else is on some level a loser. The rest of my and my childrens' day is filled with that kind of ranking.

[steps down from soap box]

I couldn't agree more, Prashun!

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Prashun. Perhaps the best thing is to modify things such that "every woodworker should consider adding a track saw" to their bag of tricks, rather than "need one". I find it useful to have. Other's don't. And that's just fine. :)

[Peter Aeschliman]

Most of us are hobbyists. For me at least, the point of a hobby is to have fun. If a track saw helps you do it, great! It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks because nobody else can tell you what you enjoy.

[michael langman]

When I first started posting to websites like this I was not totally aware of how I was communicating to all of the people that read my posts.
I ended up upsetting some people because of the blunt way I said things and have since learned to be more subtle in my choice of phrases and points of view.
So I have learned that not all people are aware of that the way they say things can be misleading and cause controversy.

It is us prolonging the negativity of the post, and not the original poster.

[Ole Anderson]

Julie, you shouldn't have taken that first sip of the bright green Kool-Aid. There really are other less expensive alternates! I drink from the dark green pitcher.

[Roy Harding]

[steps up on soapbox]

These kinds of threads always puzzle me. I can't yet understand why there is a need to crown a best method for what we do. As long as we can be safe, productive, and happy, why's it need to go any further?

Crowning a winner means the everyone else is on some level a loser. The rest of my and my childrens' day is filled with that kind of ranking.

[steps down from soap box]

Absolutely agree. There IS, indeed, a "Best method/tool" - but it's a "best" for the particular individual making the decision. And that decision is influenced by many, many, many things - cost, space, individual strength, individual method of work, type of work being done, etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseum.

I enjoy threads which discuss the merits of a particular tool or method, I always learn something and sometimes come across a better method/tool for doing something - but YOUR "best" may not be my "best".

[Jim Dwight]

I was deliberately a bit controversial in the title, trying to get people to think about it. I didn't mean to offend, hope I didn't. I realize that many of you make more sawdust than I do and have worked out good systems that work for you. I did more before I got my track saw than I have done since, mainly due to time but also other priorities (our old house requires a lot and not all things involve making sawdust). I don't think my work was worse before I got the track saw, I just think it's easier with it. I was surprised with the accuracy and the way it gives you to do work differently. I hope maybe a few of you will try it and are similarly pleasantly surprised.

[Prashun Patel]

Now I've gone and done what I exactly did not want to do: discourage the OP.

I was just voicing a personal opinion. Some may argue (read, have argued) that I might need a thicker skin. I'll take that.

In fact, I've learned a lot on this thread. Don't feel the need to apologize, Jim; I respect your challenge.

[Britt Lifsey]

Think of it this way...with all of the other "serious Woodworker" threads popping up, you have started a movement! Arlo Guthrie would be proud :)

[Mike Cutler]

Now I've gone and done what I exactly did not want to do: discourage the OP.

I was just voicing a personal opinion. Some may argue (read, have argued) that I might need a thicker skin. I'll take that.

In fact, I've learned a lot on this thread. Don't feel the need to apologize, Jim; I respect your challenge.

Prashun Patel

Nothing wrong with any of your post's. In fact, I don't believe I have ever read anything you have posted that could be anything other than helpful and insightful

Everybody has different needs, and different work environments. The tool for one person may not be the best tool for another, and as we get older we just can not do the things we could do when we were younger, and then tools and techniques will change. It's life.

Do I have a track saw? Yes I do. I have two of them. A set of EZ rails for my Makita 7 1/4" and 8 1/2" Milwaukee worm drive, and I have the Festool TS-75.
The EZ rail and base "steals" about 3/4" of depth of cut form a saw. the Festool does not. Which is why I have both.
Do I need them? Not really, I've known how to make a guided edge for a circular saw for a long time now. Not as elegant, efficient, or easy to use, as either of the tracks I have, but fully functional. The TS-75 has been very handy on multiple occasions. I have limited time to work on projects, and find that I no longer want to spend hours, or a full day making jigs. The track saws buy me time.
Why do I have them? One reason is that my house was built in 1921. The studs and joists in this house are rough cut 2x's, and they are 2" thick and 4",6",8" and 10" wide. No "nominal", standard, 2x's for me. I cannot buy a 2x at a box store, I have to buy the next size up, and rip it to width. My garage and barn are the same way.
Another reason is that I do not have the luxury of a second set of hands, and my shop space is limited. A track saw bridges these gaps safely for a person that works alone.
I can easily see that a professional, that runs a shop for a living, would have limited use for a track saw, but for a person working alone, in their garage, it opens up possibilities. ( I had a 2" thick, 17' long, long, 36" wide slab of Padauk I was working with. Having a track saw definitely made it easier and safer for me to work with material this size alone.) I tend to start with big, long, heavy boards, and mill from there. A track saw allows me to control more of the material aspect of a project.

I don't consider myself a "serious woodworker", just a guy that has some talent, and like to push things a bit. ;)

[Jim Dwight]

Prashun,

You did not discourage me even a little nor was my last post in response to yours. You expressed a sentiment that others have expressed, if anything, more forcefully. I just felt like I needed to be clear I'm not in a position to talk down to anybody, but I found something out I think will help others.

I found this document interesting - hope the link works. This guy makes furniture for a living, mostly of solid wood, and really likes using a tracksaw. Often to guide his router. Works against the mindset that a tracksaw is mainly or only for breaking down sheet goods:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.festoolusa.com%2FWeb_files%2F Getting_the_most_from_the_MFT_multifunction_table. pdf&ei=28RtVfD1EsnPsAXX3oPIAw&usg=AFQjCNGhauw3zMnE3A8ca6rCB_PgKNN2nA&bvm=bv.94455598,d.b2w

If the link doesn't work, try googling something like "getting the most out of your MFT".

[John Sincerbeaux]

I had been a WW for many years when I heard a great quote from a "Serious Woodworker".
"There is an inverse relationship between the size of the tool and the size of the wood". I think the utility of a track saw illustrates this perfectly.

[michael langman]

My apologies Jim. I didn't mean to put the wrong idea out there about your post. I just thought a different perspective about how we view each others post would make us all better for it.
This post has been interesting and informative , and I know we are all as serious about our woodworking as we can be.:)

[Allan Speers]

.... I found this document interesting - hope the link works. This guy makes furniture for a living, mostly of solid wood, and really likes using a tracksaw. Often to guide his router. Works against the mindset that a tracksaw is mainly or only for breaking down sheet goods....

Exactly what I was talking above earlier. Using a plunge router on a track system is fantastic. You can't do every routing task with it, and it takes a little longer to dial-in a precise cut, but it's much safer, and much easier to control once you get things set correctly. Plus, you can even get a better edge, by moving the router in the "wrong" direction.

It's obvious great for edge-routing long pieces, and for molding. I have also occasionally cut dados & roughed mortices this way, which is great as I no longer own a table saw.

You just have to open up your mind to new ways of doing things. It does take time, though, to figure it out & get used to it.