Storing track saw tracks

[Rick Potter]

I have two long tracks for my track saw, along with short ones. I now hang them on a central post in my shop, but also use the post for a lot of other items and they are in the way. I am looking for an alternate place to hang the long ones. They are 108", if memory serves.

I saw that someone stored them sideways on the rollup garage door in a You Tube video, and it seemed like a good place.

If anyone has done that I would like to see pics of the brackets you used. I have several ideas, but don't want to reinvent the wheel.

Any other good ideas for storage are welcome also.

I cannot hang them horizontally above windows or any where where I need to reach up high. Pushing 80, and supposed to stay off ladders, and both rotator cuffs are shot. No wall space left.

Thanks,

[Monte Milanuk]

I used these:

https://www.fastcap.com/product/track-rack

A person could probably DIY something similar for less $$$ if they had the time/inclination... I had neither, so I got a couple sets and mounted my long rail (2700?) and two normal length (1400) rails on the garage door. My little stubby rail still gets propped up out of the way, but that's not as likely to get knocked over as the others.

[Matt Day]

Fastcap are the off the virtual shelf ones, and people are 3D printing.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I just put two screws in the wall (in a horizontal line) with heads large enough to fit in the "T" slots on the back of the track. Slide slightly left/right to hang/remove.

[Jim Becker]

In my old shop, I had a horizontal sheet goods storage area with a piece of two-by on the top as a support rail, I put my tracks, including the eight footer, on top of that horizontal piece of two-by and made some rotating stops that kept them upright and against the wall. They were out of the way, at an easy hight to access and well supported. I will likely do something similar when I get a new shop building up because I found that setup very functional for me. Right now, my long track is on top of the row of wall cabinets in my temporary shop and the short tracks are hanging vertically from screws behind my levels which are on the same screws for storage.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I have had two 55" festool tracks, that I used to connect for my 8' rips. I used the Festool connectors to join these tracks. I store these tracks, disconnected, hanging vertically on a pegboard hook.

My Son bought me the 10' Track for Christmas. This posed a bit more of a challenge.

So I decided to hang it on the garage door rails, using one of the track connectors cut in two (in theory, I don't need these now I have the longer track). Each half of the cut connector slides in the end of the longer track. (This garage door is unplugged and does not open as my Sawstop is parked in front of it.)

Yes, I have to get a small step ladder out to get it down, but that's not very often.


https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/i452/cedwards874/FestoolRailStorage2.jpg



https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/i452/cedwards874/FestoolRailStorage1.jpg

[Jack Frederick]

“supposed to stay off ladders” It seems that anything overhead with the RC’s shot is a problem. If you can find a 6 or 8” width on the wall to set them vertically like a book shelf they are easy to get at and it is just much safer and more comfortable. Could you make a shelf under your work bench to slide them in and out of?

[Alan Lightstone]

I just put two screws in the wall (in a horizontal line) with heads large enough to fit in the "T" slots on the back of the track. Slide slightly left/right to hang/remove.

That's what I did. Same for the Mafell tracks.

[Jared Sankovich]

Brackets are just a couple offcuts of 3/4 ply
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[Phillip Mitchell]

LOL, coors light for scale.

[Jared Sankovich]

LOL, coors light for scale.

Lol that was exactly it. Sent the pic of the new jointer (at the time) and coors was for scale. Carefully set on the aluminum guard.

[John Stankus]

I used these:

https://www.fastcap.com/product/track-rack

A person could probably DIY something similar for less $$$ if they had the time/inclination... I had neither, so I got a couple sets and mounted my long rail (2700?) and two normal length (1400) rails on the garage door. My little stubby rail still gets propped up out of the way, but that's not as likely to get knocked over as the others.

+1 (or is that +2) on the FastCap. I moved from a nail in the wall to the Fastcaps. The work nice and aren't that expensive (though a nail is cheaper :) ). Allowed me to use some space that wasn't usable for much else.



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John

[Bill Dufour]

Is your house on a crawlspace wit the shop on a slab? Cut a hole in the wall and slide them flat into the crawl space onto a long hanging shelf.
Bill D

[Alex Zeller]

I don't have a track saw but I do have a 8' Lufkin wooden straightedge. I store it in my lumber rack.

[Jim Dwight]

My 3 DeWalt tracks are on the single garage door at one end of my shop. I made little L shaped brackets out of a piece of 3/4 scrap and a piece of 5mm luan for the longer part of the L. They are just screwed to the garage door inner skin (it is an insulated door). They work fine but they did increase the weight of the door a little and the spring on the door is apparently too light to compensate. I tried winding it up a bit harder but it did not help. It doesn't bug me too much or I would just get a heavier spring. I find having them on the door to be less in the way than in the lumber rack. I can put the two shorter ones in my Paulk style workbench but they are handier on the door and the long one wont fit in the workbench.

[Roger Feeley]

Chris,
Is 1 8’ track that much better than two 4’ ones?

[Jared Sankovich]

Chris,
Is 1 8’ track that much better than two 4’ ones?

Im Not Chris, but the 118" is better than 2 55" any time you cut over 48"

[ChrisA Edwards]

Chris here, even though after connecting two 55" tracks, with the Festool track connectors, and using a Starrett straight edge to make sure they were aligned, I still did not get them exact as my two long edges were not parallel when put together, close but about 1mm gap on each end.

My son felt obligated to buy Dad something for Xmas, now he works and I'm retired, so I told him I wanted the long Festool track, something that I had a had time justifying buying myself.

It only comes out when I need to rip long stuff, but it sure is nice.

[Rick Potter]

Some good ideas guys, as well as some video's I tracked down after looking at the Fastrack setup. I am going to go with something on that order out of wood. Modify it a bit for my situation, and I'll be good.

I measured my longest track, an 118" Makita, and it will fit on the 10' garage door, or possibly on a 6' steel shelving unit I have. Anyway, I think I now have several solutions in mind, thanks to Creekers ideas.

The walls are all windows, shelves, cabinets, stationary tools I don't want to reach over, or overfilled pegboard. I am waay overcrowded, and trying now to thin out little used tools.

Got rid of 244 magazines today, and have twice that left to let go. Lifetime collections back to the late 50's on some.

[Alan Lightstone]

Chris here, even though after connecting two 55" tracks, with the Festool track connectors, and using a Starrett straight edge to make sure they were aligned, I still did not get them exact as my two long edges were not parallel when put together, close but about 1mm gap on each end.

My son felt obligated to buy Dad something for Xmas, now he works and I'm retired, so I told him I wanted the long Festool track, something that I had a had time justifying buying myself.

It only comes out when I need to rip long stuff, but it sure is nice.

Unfortunately, pretty well known that when using the Festool track connectors it is difficult to keep/make it perfectly straight, as Chris said. Hearing this, and seeing it myself with my Starrett straight edge, I bought the longer Festool track also, so I have both.

The Mafell track I have has a much better connection system and it is bang on every time. But the saw to use it is a beast, and I only use it on very thick woods that my Festool can't handle.

[Jim Dwight]

This is my take on the "are two tracks as good as one long one" question (rephrased by me). I use my long DeWalt at home but two 50 inch Wen tracks at church. I've been surprised that the joined tracks work as well as they do. If I had to travel in my truck to do work, I would not try and carry my long one, I would use two (but 55 inch instead of 50). If you use a long straight edge - like a 6 foot level - you can get a good cut with the joined track. I think there is still an advantage to a long one but it's a lot easier to carry two 55 inch tracks around. I also joined my tracks when using the track saw to prepare the edge of 10+ foot boards for the top of my dining room table. I can only use one connector on the DeWalt track but the edges still came out straight.

I've also messed up joining the tracks working at church. Trusted just butting them together and it was not close to straight. But if you are careful, my experience is that it works fine. I would not get rid of my long track but I think 2 55 inch are OK.

[Mike Goetzke]

I use the Fastcap but up-side-down so as to not damage the anti-chip (I have a very expensive garage door :eek:).

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[Dave Sabo]

Jared & John & Mike - you may want to consider storing your rails the other way round.

As you have them now they are resting on their rubber splinter strips and gravity is deforming them where they contact the supports.

YMMV.

[Mike Goetzke]

Jared & John & Mike - you may want to consider storing your rails the other way round.

As you have them now they are resting on their rubber splinter strips and gravity is deforming them where they contact the supports.

YMMV.

My text is correct but the pic is old I quickly flipped over the brackets to correct the issue you bring up.

[andy bessette]

...I had a horizontal sheet goods storage area...

For narrow sheet goods I also have a horizontal rack sorta high on the wall. My 118" track stores here. My 55" and 80" tracks hang vertically from a nail on the wall. Also have a 55" track that I have cut into approximately 20" and 35" (very handy).

[Jim Becker]

For narrow sheet goods I also have a horizontal rack sorta high on the wall. My 118" track stores here. My 55" and 80" tracks hang vertically from a nail on the wall. Also have a 55" track that I have cut into approximately 20" and 35" (very handy).
Yea, I have a shortie track that's extremely handy in the shop. That one happens to be a Makita that I bought off another 'Creeker awhile back who had extras for some reason.