In praise of - the track saw

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm making the base of a corner cabinet. Normally, these cuts would be a PITA to do on a table saw even with a sled.

The track saw makes them so super easy it's almost a sin....

This is just one of the dozens - if not hundreds - of things a track saw excels at besides breaking down sheet goods.

[Mike Wilkins]

Breaking down sheet goods is why I got one myself. After making a mess of a sheet of hardwood plywood ($$$$$) using a crude set-up with a circular saw, I bit the bullet and got one myself. It was a slap yourself on the head, should have got one years ago moment.

[Larry Frank]

Yes, a track saw is a great tool. I am too old to lift and guide a full sheet of plywood across my cabinet saw. It gives a clean accurate cut.

[Ken Kortge]

Some tracksaws (all?) have features that cover the top edges on both sides of the kerf to provide stunningly clean cuts on both top and bottom.

I've used a radial arm saw for many years but hated trying to rip plywood with that. Hand-held circular saws and tables saws just freak me out. I found myself avoiding use of plywood because I hated cutting it - at times resorting to using a jig saw to cut it. Sorry, but true. I'll turn in my man card tomorrow.

In 2008 I started investing in tracks and accessories from Eurekazone.com with fantastic success!! Its a small company started by a carpenter, and like their "dead wood" concept of safety. Check out their repeaters, miter square, and cabinetmaker (under Products > TS Accessories). Simple (not fancy), but they work well for me. I just got their router kit and have big plans for putting it to use.

I don't have their "Saw Edge Guide", which is basically a very large version of the edge guides that many circular saws come with or have available. I've read that folks like them, but I prefer the control the tracks provide.

Sorry if this sounds like a commercial, but their stuff - plus a decent sliding miter saw to replace the aging radial arm saw - has changed my view of woodworking. No more fear.

[Warren Lake]

ive pre cut over the line with a circ saw and used a router on a pre made jig that cuts right where you lay the jig. 2 steps.

A few days ago a straight piece of scrap with a 1/4 baltic stuck on then cut off with a 6.5 circ saw, you place that on your line and it cuts perfectly and doesnt chip out as the baltic is sitting on the line pushing down from the weight of the saw. Never tried a track saw but its pretty simple just to make up your own guide and you dont have to measure just lay it on your line. if you jointed your own solid you could make any length guide you wanted

[Ole Anderson]

I just used mine to help my son cut 43 inch tall bead board wainscoting as we didn't have a jobsite table saw. So easy to use, just lay the edge on the cut line, no clamping required. But the type of cut Rich shows is where it really excels.

[Larry Edgerton]

ive pre cut over the line with a circ saw and used a router on a pre made jig that cuts right where you lay the jig. 2 steps.

A few days ago a straight piece of scrap with a 1/4 baltic stuck on then cut off with a 6.5 circ saw, you place that on your line and it cuts perfectly and doesnt chip out as the baltic is sitting on the line pushing down from the weight of the saw. Never tried a track saw but its pretty simple just to make up your own guide and you dont have to measure just lay it on your line. if you jointed your own solid you could make any length guide you wanted

Ditto. I have an old Speedmatic saw with perfect cut quality and 2-4-6-8" clamp on fences that are as accurate as one needs to be. The cut is as good as the cut on my slider. This method was used long before I could say "saw". Cost, $25 at a yard sale and some scrap. I do the same with routers on occasion as well. So although I do not argue the merit of a track saw, I do question the cost. I would have no use for the plunge, unnecessary complication to my needs.

[Ole Anderson]

I would have no use for the plunge, unnecessary complication to my needs.
Ah, the plunge. I presumed that because it plunged, that it would, ah, plunge. Not so with the riving knife in place. At least on my Grizzly. I found that out once when I tried to do a plunge cut and pushed down so hard the blade came in contact with the riving knife. You only do that once. School of hard knocks.

[Jim Dwight]

I used to use a "shoot board" with my Milwaukee circular saw and a 40 tooth blade to cut up sheet goods. It worked pretty well but the edge of the bottom board that you put on the cut line gradually got eroded. I blame this on the arbor bearings of the circular saw letting the blade move a little during the cut. So after a few uses, I had to guess how close to put the guide to the cut mark. So then it became a rough cut tool with the table saw making the final cut. Workable but not equivalent to the track saw.

Track saw advantages include the fact that the rubber edge of the track does not go away quickly. I've used my DeWalt to cut up around a dozen sheets of sheet goods on the one edge I've used so far and it is a little dinged but very usable. Dings are mostly on the 102 inch track when I didn't line it up so the outboard end of the cut had minimal overhang to get about 5 inches at the infeed side of the cut. When you do that, it is possible to touch the rubber edge with the saw if you start fighting the track. I don't do that any more and should replace the edge. I'm waiting until the orginal blade gets replaced with a new one. I have the replacement blade but I haven't put it on yet.

Other advantages include the much better dust collection and higher quality cut. I haven't used this yet but tracksaws also cut to the same place when cutting at a 45 degree angle. Circular saws don't . My track saw also has variable speed (uncommon on circular saws) and feedback circuitry to maintain constant speed. It further has a riving knife and anti-kickback wheel in the saw base so the saw cannot come back at you on a kickback. It is just a much more sophisticated saw than any circular saw I've seen.

I'm not arguing against the alternatives based upon circular saws being at all unworkable. I worked that way literally for decades. But that sort of a system is just not the same as a decent track saw.

[Art Mann]

I used several different home made circular saw guides over the last 25 years and they worked okay. Finally, I had a job that I thought was big enough to justify a track saw instead of my old setup. Looking back, I wish I had bought a track saw the day they were introduced. I get easier setup, better cut quality and near perfect dust collection. If yo do a lot with sheet goods, this tool is worth considering.

[Peter Quinn]

Ah, the plunge. I presumed that because it plunged, that it would, ah, plunge. Not so with the riving knife in place. At least on my Grizzly. I found that out once when I tried to do a plunge cut and pushed down so hard the blade came in contact with the riving knife. You only do that once. School of hard knocks.

The newer festools have a riving knife that is on a spring and self retracts for plunge cuts, the older ones were pretty quick to remove which as you noted necessary for plunge cuts. I've used a grizzly but never for plunge cuts, I guess at that price point you don't get fancy engineering. My makita has no riving knife, which is good, because mine would be sitting in the bottom of the box getting dirty....why do you need riving knife on a track guided saw? Some mal applied euro safety law I presumed. It does help to have a back stop to start plunge cuts without experlatives. I just did some ceiling access cut outs in maple ply built in closets that would have very combursome without a track saw that plunges, with it piece o cake.

[mreza Salav]

You can do most of the things a track saw does with other methods (jig + circular saw, rough cut, router jig, etc etc) but none is as accurate and fast (both at the same time) as a track saw. If you have a few cuts to make or have plenty of time to set up, sure but if you have a bundle of work to do or do it to make a living a good track saw is a no brainer. Here is part of the pile of sheets I had to go through for our kitchen and trim work in the house (ended up using 70+ plys over all).
And yes, a plunge feature can be super useful and no the riving knife doesn't get in the way with some saws (like Festool).

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[Jim Dwight]

Another big advantage for me is it uses less space. When I cut large pieces on my table saw I needed eight feet on either side of it and nearly 4 feet on either side to handle sheets. At least 12 by 20 feet if you don't want to struggle. That's hard to come by in a shop my size (14x24). With a track saw, you need about 8x12 total and can get by with less (the size of the sheet plus a couple feet all around so you can get to it). I also cut up on the trailer I bought the goods home in sometimes by throwing a lattice over it. That means only smaller pieces enter the shop. A circular saw will do the same thing in break down mode but not cutting to finish size (without significantly more effort). Since some of the pieces I need are large, having to make the finish cut on the table saw means more space is required.

[Mike Henderson]

Yes, a track saw is a great tool. I am too old to lift and guide a full sheet of plywood across my cabinet saw. It gives a clean accurate cut.

+1 Same reason I got one. Plus, I always had to make a first cut on the cabinet saw just a bit wide because I couldn't control the wood that well. Then, I'd have to make a second, final cut. With the track saw, I can cut extremely accurately the first time.

The only problem with the track saw is that you need something to set the panel on because the blade cuts through the panel and a small amount under the panel.

Mike

[Jeffrey Martel]

The only problem with the track saw is that you need something to set the panel on because the blade cuts through the panel and a small amount under the panel.

Mike

I use a 4x8 sheet of insulation. Plus it helps with dust collection as well.

[Mike Cutler]

I guess I'm the odd duck here. I like the track saw for ripping an initial edge on a board. (I don't do enough work with plywood to the extent many do.)
Most of my projects start with rough sawn wood. A track saw saves a lot of jointer time, or coming up with angle jigs for a table saw.

[Larry Edgerton]

Sometimes its just fun to take a stick and whack a hornets nest! :p:p:D

[Mike Cutler]

Sometimes its just fun to take a stick and whack a hornets nest! :p:p:D

More fun if you're a beekeeper and have a bee suit.;)

[Jim Dwight]

I guess I'm the odd duck here. I like the track saw for ripping an initial edge on a board. (I don't do enough work with plywood to the extent many do.)
Most of my projects start with rough sawn wood. A track saw saves a lot of jointer time, or coming up with angle jigs for a table saw.

My last project was a couple sets of low shelves for my wife's office/crafts room. One was 7'8" long and the other only about 3 feet long and both were about 3 feet high. They fit under the sloped ceiling in specific parts of her room and hold stuff in plastic containers. They are 16 inches deep. She wanted pickled pine. So I glued up shelving boards, sanded them, stained them and then put on some water based poly. I used the track saw to make the cuts including getting a straight edge on the boards before glueup. Worked great. For the crosscuts, I used a known accurate square to draw a line and cut to the line. Some day I will have a Ron Paulk style setup for the crosscuts. I used my home made parallel cutting jigs cutting the boards to width. That worked pretty well but one or two had some width variation, presumably because the track couldn't be clamped with the guides on it and the boards were not completely flat nor my technique good enough and the track moved a little. I've done this on sheet goods with better results. So that will need attention next time. But about a 1/16-1/8 error in width on a couple boards in this project was not a killer. Overall I consider this a success for the track saw. The only plywood in these projects was the luan plywood backs. It was inexpensive solid wood but mostly solid wood projects.

I think people buy track saws for sheet goods but once you have one, you will find it is handy for other things. I've also used mine several times to trim solid wood doors. The depth of cut for the DeWalt is plenty for even exterior doors and the accuracy is welcome there too. I put a couple degree bevel on one too.

[Brian Hood]

So I'm just completing an 8' dining table, required joining three 1 3/8" planks. Used a Festool track saw on an ezsmart track to make the cuts then went back with a long 1/4" bit in a wimpy Festool 1010 router a with it's guide locked into that same ezsmart track. (I'm using what I've got.)
Anyway, absolutely perfect results.

[Rick Potter]

Aside from the usual plywood ripping, and 45's for counter corners, the neatest thing I used my DeWalt for was to make two sets of corner shelves for around the outside bay surrounding my kitchen sink. Each set had several shelves to make (both sets different angles), and each shelf had five sides. The kicker was that these shelves were only about 7" X 10".

We made up cardboard templates, outlined them on the oak boards and did them all with the track saw. Worked great. Some cuts were only three inches long.


Here is a shot of them in progress:


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I know I could have made a straight line auxiliary fence setup on the TS, to do it, but at that time, I had never seen one.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I used several different home made circular saw guides over the last 25 years and they worked okay. Finally, I had a job that I thought was big enough to justify a track saw instead of my old setup. Looking back, I wish I had bought a track saw the day they were introduced. I get easier setup, better cut quality and near perfect dust collectionExactly....
I use a Ryobi with a 40T Freud blade and a shop made guide for some special times when the track saw won't work - - such as kitchen counter tops with a built in splash guard.
I can come close to the Festool's cut quality and accuracy - - but - - it takes forever to set up and I have to go painfully slow to make sure the saw doesn't wander....
and there's still a high risk the saw will somehow screw up a $200 plus section of counter top....

I equate using a shop made guide to clamping a 2x4 on my table saw to use as a fence. Sure it would work - - most of the time, but, it wouldn't be as accurate, safe or quick as the real thing..

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have several offcut pieces of 3/4" foam that I lay under my workpiece and cut into. They were essentially free, and protect my workbenches from the saw blade. I have not had any problems with my Grizzly track saw since I got it.

Doc