Another just curious post

[lowell holmes]

I ran across a Scott Phillips video where he is using a track saw.

I am curious, do any of you have and use tracks saws?
I will clamp a straight edge to a 4X8 sheet of plywood and rip it with
my "side winder circular saw".

I also will guide the circular saw with a speed square when cutting framing lumber.

Just curious.....

[Mike Cutler]

Lowell

I have two track saw systems. I have the EZ rails that I use with a 7-1/4" akita and my 8-1/2" Milwaukee worm drive. I also have the Festool TS75 with guide rails.

I used my Makita, and Milwaukee w/ EZ rails for a lot of home projects. My house was built in 1919, and is true dimension lumber. If I want to do any work I have to make my own 2x4's and 2x6's. The Makita will not cut through 2x material on the EZ rails, but the Milwaukee does.
I bought the TS75 when I needed to cut a bunch of 8/4 and 10/4 rough Padauk. My Milwaukee wouldn't extend the blade enough. I lose about 3/4" of blade death with the EZ rails and baseplate. With the Festool, I lose very little of the blade depth.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I use a straight edge and my PC circular saw because I am too cheap to spend the money for a track saw system

That being said, I have little doubt that a good track saw system would be faster than my straight edge/circular saw system and with the splinter retarders produce a better cut.

[Randy Heinemann]

I have owned a Festool TS55 for a few years. It is a great saw teamed up with the Festool tracks (or I guess others might be compatible too) for cutting up plywood sheets. In combination with the Festool MFT table, I use it most often for all my crosscutting in all types of wood. It's accurate with the tracks, on the table, and, one of the best things about it, almost all the dust/chips are collected in combination with a good vacuum (HEPA preferred). I'm completely happy with mine.

[Mike Henderson]

I have the Festool track saw. It's very easy to set up because I just have to align the track with the cut line. The saw cuts very cleanly. I find it a lot faster to set up than when I used a 2 by 4 (or a straight edge) and a circular saw because I had to calculate the offset of the 2 by 4 (or straight edge) to the inside of the blade. It was also easy to make a mistake that way.

Mike

[Matt Day]

Lowell, no disrespect but didn't you post essentially the same thread a couple months ago?

[Joe Jensen]

if you are just breaking down a sheet of plywood into smaller pieces than a straight edge and side winder is fine. Unless you've seen the cut result with a track saw and a sharp blade you won't understand. It's essentially perfect, as straight as hardwood that was perfectly jointed on a jointer. I have a Euro slider saw and the cut off a track saw is equal to that off a $30K slider saw. It's a finished ready to use cut, unlikely to get that with a straight edge and a sidewinder.

[Bill Dindner]

I've tried a straight edge with a circ Saw with decent results, I did find that for a critical dimension I needed to fine tune in the table saw. I now have a Festool TS 75 with and MFT setup. I went with the 75 for the extra capacity, which has come in handy. I like the system allot.

[lowell holmes]

Lowell, no disrespect but didn't you post essentially the same thread a couple months ago?
I do not remember it if I did. I just went back 3 months of posts and saw no posts concerning track saws by any one.

[Randall Houghton]

Lowell I've had a Festool track saw since 1999. I have made more money with it than any other tool I own. I have used it to size doors, cut floors for inlay, rough carpentry, finish carpentry and build cabinets. I cut wood, plastic, sheetrock, veneer, laminate and metal. It has been one of the best tools I've ever owned. I have about 12 or 15 Festool tools and I have found them to be accurate and quick to set up. I am a third generation carpenter and I have no complaints about Festool. You get what you pay for and there is no free lunch.
Randall

[Wayne Jolly]

I am looking into a tracksaw for one reason. Dust collection. My circular saw just makes a HUGE mess.

Wayne

[lowell holmes]

If I had reason to use a lot of plywood, I would have one.

[Nick Decker]

While I don't do a lot of plywood, I've considered one for putting a straight edge on rough lumber. Circular saw and straight edge can get kinda iffy for that.

[Mike Cutler]

While I don't do a lot of plywood, I've considered one for putting a straight edge on rough lumber. Circular saw and straight edge can get kinda iffy for that.

Nick
You would really be happy with a track saw for that function.
In my previous post I mentioned 8/4 and 10/4 rough cut Padauk. Those pieces of material were 16' long, 3'+ wide and I brought them home on a car trailer, which is where they were initially cut to size. No way one person is going to manhandle that type of material. I still have a 7'x3' "remnant" left over and that's too heavy to hump about.
Most of us here are hobbyists, and do this for own enjoyment, house projects, or gifts/projects for friends and family, and as such we work alone. Bringing a track saw to heavy rough cut lumber is much safer, and more efficient, for a person working alone.

[Nick Decker]

Mike, you may have pushed me over the edge. :)