Dewalt jobsite saw AND Dewalt tracksaw OR 3 hp table saw

[Carl Crout]

Our new vacation home in CO is going up fast. By next summer I should be working on transforming part of our barn into my ww shop. I have the Dewalt jobsite saw now for use on the house

1. Should I just buy the DW tracksaw to go with it for cutting sheet goods and ripping thicker stock?

or.

2. Sell the jobsite saw and buy a 3 hp table saw?

Comments?This isn't my main shop but do plan on being there 4-5 months per year. A good table saw if new would be around $3000. I could buy a tracksaw, extra track and clamps for $600

The only thing I don't like about the tracksaws is having to measure twice and put two marks on the board. That takes time and introduces more error. It seems like one of the tracksaws had a "squaring" attachment?

[Robert Engel]

A jobsite saw is only going to get you so far in a ww'ing shop.

All depends on what you're doing and how deep your pockets, of course a cabinet saw is best.

No matter what, I'd hang on to the tracksaw.

[Mike Kees]

Since you already have the jobsite saw why not buy the tracksaw and try it out. You can always upgrade a table saw later on.

[Clark Hussey]

I use my track saw quite often. It is my go to for breaking down sheet goods. Also for squaring one edge on rough cut wood. I only have a small jointer. Never thought about having to measure twice as a down side. I do have a 3hp table saw but certain operations are easier with the track saw.

[Alex Zeller]

I have a DeWalt jobsite saw and find it's under powered for almost anything I tried to do WW related. Even with a brand new blade I easily could feed a board too fast and bog it down. About all it was good for, and with it's small table not that good, was cutting sheet goods. It's fine for it's intended use. Light, rugged, and easily moved. Since getting a cabinet saw it's just collected dust. I think you will quickly want to replace it.

[Jim Dwight]

I've never used a DeWalt or other jobsite saw. I used a Ryobi BT3100 for about 10 years. It has a 15A universal motor with belt drive. I used it to make a lot of furniture for me and my kids. I added extension rails and could rip over 60 inches. The table was small and it had no accurate cross cut capability. But it could still do good work. If your DeWalt jobsite saw is anything like this, it is quite useful including for furniture. I ripped over 3 inches in hardwood with my Ryobi. The blade had to be sharp and clean but it would do it, at reasonable feed rates.

I current use a SawStop PCS with the 1.75hp 120V motor. Many think it will not do real work either but they are wrong. I think it needs a thin kerf blade worse than the Ryobi did but for this cuts it needs one. But it does good work, equivalent to that done with a 3hp or 5hp saw, it is just not tolerant of my use of the wrong blade for the work I want it to do.

But you seem to be mainly interested in a track saw which I also use regularly. Mine is a DeWalt and I like it. The Kreg is interesting too but they do not seem to offer a track over 8 feet. I like having one for cutting up sheet goods and to edge solid lumber. It is possible to join tracks but you have to be careful that the joined tracks are straight. I do not need to put marks on the work at all to cut with my track saw. I made what I call track positioning guides which adjust with a hairline pointer and allow me to position the track precisely with no marks. They have a dado to go over the rib of the track and a stop that moves to the setting I want. But I learned quickly that a limitation of my track saw work was the ability to put a mark exactly where I wanted to cut. So I got an Incra t-square and 0.5mm pencil for when I want to cut something within it's capacity by cutting the mark. I think Makita track saws are another reasonably priced track saw option. The current low price leader seems to be Wen. Home Depot will sell you the track saw and about 100 inches of track for about $200. Izzy Swan has a youtube on it and decided to keep it in his shop.

You may want to look at youtubes by Ron Paulk. He is a trim carpenter who uses jobsite saws (currently SawStop but used to be DeWalt I think) and track saws. He sells plans for work surfaces that work with both. They break down for transport or storage. My outfeed/work/assembly table is based upon his two layer top system and has 20mm holes for clamping and cross cutting. I can very accurately crosscut up to about 31 inches using long dogs in my shortest rail and either a clamp on fence or short dogs in the table top. The fence lets me use a stop for crosscuts.

In a large shop, there are a lot of ways to do good work but for a small shop like I have, I think the combination of a smaller table saw (mine has 36 inch rip capacity) and a track saw is a better way to go. I just do not have the ability to manipulate 8 foot sheets through the table saw. With a track saw I have no need to. They take a little different way of working and work best with a holey work surface but there are many things they do better than table saws.

[Marc Fenneuff]

I just put my BT3100 out to pasture. I did a LOT with it but was ready for a cabinet saw.
I would recommend getting the tracks saw first. If you look on YouTube, most everybody is breaking down sheet goods on foam blocks on the floor these days. I still cut down sheets with a circular saw and a straightedge. I will eventually get a track saw.

[Anuj Prateek]

I have and use a DeWalt job site saw.

It has enough power to handle softwood and occasionally thick hardwood.

Part that is bad is accuracy and small table in front of blade. With bigger table saws I have read that you can get glue ready rips. Small table limits crosscuts and makes aligning long boards against fence difficult.

If I had the option I would sell job site saw and buy a full size table saw.

[John K Jordan]

Carl,

I have two jobsite tables including the Dewalt and a PM66 cabinet saw with a sliding table attachment. If in your situation I'd keep the Dewalt until all the construction I ever plan to do is done and then look for a better saw for the shop.

I do a wide variety of construction and maintenance here at the farm including building my 24'x62' shop. I find the jobsite saws plus a compound miter saw of some sort indispensable for construction. ( I use a 12" Bosch Glide.) I can easily move either to a new building site or around the house as needed.

I don't build cabinets and such in my shop and don't need a track saw or know much about them. I use a small circular saw with a clamp-on guide to break down plywood when needed then use the table saw if I want more precise edges.

The precision and power of the cabinet saw is well worth the investment in my opinion, if the budget allows. An older, used, good quality table saw could be a less expensive option for the shop.

JKJ

[Jim Dwight]

Marc, I got my PCS while still having a BT3100 but it lost it's elevation threads in the aluminum casting and I retired it. I actually had a heli coil kit for it but decided it was not useful enough to repair and continue to try and find a role/space for.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'm a fan of the little Dewalts, so I say keep it. Not sure I'd personally bother with a track saw either, they are to slow and error prone to set up. That saw will work very well for most projects you'll encounter in fitting out a new place. To the people who say that the table is to small, it's not hard to use auxiliary stands if needed. I use them hard and they are certainly less powerful than a cabinet saw but that is usually only evident when something is going wrong with the cut. Good saws.

That all being said, I'd personally also get a big cabinet saw to if that's an option. Use the little Dewalt for the rough cuts and things you don't want to abuse your nicer saw with.

[Carl Crout]

I've never used a DeWalt or other jobsite saw. I used a Ryobi BT3100 for about 10 years. It has a 15A universal motor with belt drive. I used it to make a lot of furniture for me and my kids. I added extension rails and could rip over 60 inches. The table was small and it had no accurate cross cut capability. But it could still do good work. If your DeWalt jobsite saw is anything like this, it is quite useful including for furniture. I ripped over 3 inches in hardwood with my Ryobi. The blade had to be sharp and clean but it would do it, at reasonable feed rates.

I current use a SawStop PCS with the 1.75hp 120V motor. Many think it will not do real work either but they are wrong. I think it needs a thin kerf blade worse than the Ryobi did but for this cuts it needs one. But it does good work, equivalent to that done with a 3hp or 5hp saw, it is just not tolerant of my use of the wrong blade for the work I want it to do.

But you seem to be mainly interested in a track saw which I also use regularly. Mine is a DeWalt and I like it. The Kreg is interesting too but they do not seem to offer a track over 8 feet. I like having one for cutting up sheet goods and to edge solid lumber. It is possible to join tracks but you have to be careful that the joined tracks are straight. I do not need to put marks on the work at all to cut with my track saw. I made what I call track positioning guides which adjust with a hairline pointer and allow me to position the track precisely with no marks. They have a dado to go over the rib of the track and a stop that moves to the setting I want. But I learned quickly that a limitation of my track saw work was the ability to put a mark exactly where I wanted to cut. So I got an Incra t-square and 0.5mm pencil for when I want to cut something within it's capacity by cutting the mark. I think Makita track saws are another reasonably priced track saw option. The current low price leader seems to be Wen. Home Depot will sell you the track saw and about 100 inches of track for about $200. Izzy Swan has a youtube on it and decided to keep it in his shop.

You may want to look at youtubes by Ron Paulk. He is a trim carpenter who uses jobsite saws (currently SawStop but used to be DeWalt I think) and track saws. He sells plans for work surfaces that work with both. They break down for transport or storage. My outfeed/work/assembly table is based upon his two layer top system and has 20mm holes for clamping and cross cutting. I can very accurately crosscut up to about 31 inches using long dogs in my shortest rail and either a clamp on fence or short dogs in the table top. The fence lets me use a stop for crosscuts.

In a large shop, there are a lot of ways to do good work but for a small shop like I have, I think the combination of a smaller table saw (mine has 36 inch rip capacity) and a track saw is a better way to go. I just do not have the ability to manipulate 8 foot sheets through the table saw. With a track saw I have no need to. They take a little different way of working and work best with a holey work surface but there are many things they do better than table saws.

Thanks for the detailed response. Having a 3 hp Unisaw at the home shop makes me worry that I will disappointed when I try to rip with the DW jobsite saw. I still remember how great it was when I upgraded from the Craftsman "develops" 1 1/2 hp belt driven saw to the 3 hp. The Craftsman struggled ripping a 2x4 while the Unisaw powers through everything. Having said that I have nothing to loose by trying the DW first. So far I have just used it for 1x pine for the house and it works fine for that

[Jim Becker]

Carl, were it me, I'd keep the DeWalt jobsite saw for now...at least it's a good one...and get the track saw. See how much woodworking you do at the vacation home and what kind of projects they are. Make any decisions on more robust gear once you determine what will be suit your real needs. It's absolutely true that a cabinet saw is going to "out saw" the tool you have now...but given this will at least for now be your "second shop", let things develop a little. You may even have better choices in a year or two once you get settled into a routine at the vacation home.

[Jon Endres]

I wouldn't be without a track saw. Yes, you can build jigs and such, but it's been so nice to just cut sheet goods to size and straightline rough lumber. I typically don't "rough cut" sheet goods, I use some good measurements and layout tools and get it as accurate as possible on the first cut.

[Randy Heinemann]

I own a jobsite saw (not Dewalt but I think also a good one) and a Festool Track Saw with MFT table. I have worked with the two in combination for several years and find that I don't need anything else. I don't bring large sheets into my basement workshop but rather have them cut to a manageable size which I can handle either on the jobsite saw or the tracksaw.

Whether the two in combination will work for you depends, to some degree, on what you regularly make in the shop. For cabinets, drawers, and furniture they work well for me and. I find the tracksaw a big help when cutting up sheet goods, using a guide rail to get some of the most accurate cuts I have ever made.

[Jim Dwight]

I don't think you will be too disappointed with ripping of either a DeWalt portable table saw or a track saw but both may need a good ripping blade for cuts deeper than about an inch in hardwood. I used my normal thin kerf combination blade in my PCS and the normal 48 tooth blade in my DeWalt track saw to cut some oak today for a leg vise. It varied from 3/4 to 1 1/8 after I ran it through the jointer and planner. Neither struggled. But if it was much thicker I would have needed ripping blades in both.

[Jeff Bartley]

Carl,

Keep the Dewalt jobsite saw, buy a tracksaw, and buy a cabinet saw! I say this because if you're setting up a woodworking shop in your vacation home you'll eventually want a bigger saw than jobsite saw. Tracksaws work their own magic for so many other tasks that (for me) they justify their expense, I'd own one regardless of the other saws. If you wanted to save some cash on a cabinet saw there's plenty of good used saws on the market. Just be careful of the slope if you start looking at old iron, it gets slippery quick!

When looking at tracksaws you need to ask yourself, 'what is the thickest material I plan to cut?'. If you want the biggest blade the saws get expensive fast! I've had the Dewalt for a long time and if it died today I'd buy another tomorrow.

Where is your place in CO?

[Carl Crout]

Carl,

Keep the Dewalt jobsite saw, buy a tracksaw, and buy a cabinet saw! I say this because if you're setting up a woodworking shop in your vacation home you'll eventually want a bigger saw than jobsite saw. Tracksaws work their own magic for so many other tasks that (for me) they justify their expense, I'd own one regardless of the other saws. If you wanted to save some cash on a cabinet saw there's plenty of good used saws on the market. Just be careful of the slope if you start looking at old iron, it gets slippery quick!

When looking at tracksaws you need to ask yourself, 'what is the thickest material I plan to cut?'. If you want the biggest blade the saws get expensive fast! I've had the Dewalt for a long time and if it died today I'd buy another tomorrow.

Where is your place in CO? Westcliffe- about one hour from Salida or Canon City, 1.5 hours from CO Springs and 3 hours from Denver..... 12 hours from Texas. LOL

I imagine 8/4 would be the thickest I would cut. Was hoping for this I could use the track saw.

Which tracksaw has the squaring attachment so I don't need two pencil marks?

[Carl Crout]

Carl, were it me, I'd keep the DeWalt jobsite saw for now...at least it's a good one...and get the track saw. See how much woodworking you do at the vacation home and what kind of projects they are. Make any decisions on more robust gear once you determine what will be suit your real needs. It's absolutely true that a cabinet saw is going to "out saw" the tool you have now...but given this will at least for now be your "second shop", let things develop a little. You may even have better choices in a year or two once you get settled into a routine at the vacation home.

Thanks Jim, maybe I can find a good used cabinet saw on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace

[Eric Schmid]

Which tracksaw has the squaring attachment so I don't need two pencil marks?

If you’re referring to the squares that attach to the track, I would not rely on those for accuracy, at least not for cabinetry. There are bench systems like the MFT and Parf dogs, which can be used to square up panels.

The Dewalt track saw is a good saw. Mine is used in construction and has been trouble free for a decade. Dewalt does not have a good system of accessories, however, for things like making cabinets.

They do offer two squares that attach to the rails, one at fixed 90 and the other is a protractor for angles. The fixed 90 is not 90 degrees in my case. Close enough for short cross cuts in construction lumber, but not sufficient for squaring up panels. There is too much rail and not enough registration on the reference edge to get reliably square panels.

If you’re going to use a track saw for squaring panels, there are many more options for the Festool system. Makita uses a similar track and Dewalt supposedly runs on the Festool track. It seems like you spend as much money on these track saw components getting to the accuracy of a cabinet saw. The track saw is a winner on portability, however, even if that portability is just folding it all up to store in the garage.

I’ve got to go...make a bath vanity with my track saw. Two pencil marks and all 😝. The stationary tools are all in storage waiting on completion of the new shop. The carcass and doors will be made entirely with the track saw as I don’t have a zero clearance insert in the jobsite table saw. Slow but sure.