Track Saw Eliminates need for Jointer?

[Richard Daugird]

I need to update my old Grizzley track saw. I have heard several times a quality track saw will give consistent glue-up ready cuts, what are the opinions here? I do have a small 6"(4"?) tabletop jointer, a thickness planer, and soon to build a 4'x8' router sled table for thicknessing big slabs from the sawmill. Can I get away without buying a big expensive jointer if I have a really nice track saw?

[mike stenson]

I've never seen a cut come off my track saw that I consider actually joinable. I could get by with a #5 and a #7 hand plane... but that's just really what the jointer replicates anyway.

[Richard Coers]

A track saw sure won't take the twist out of board. Jointers are way more than and edging machine

[glenn bradley]

This depends on what you are doing. I would use face frame parts or carcass parts right off the track saw or SCMS for kitchen and bath. For furniture I am a bit more fussy. To each his own. There are no wrong answers . . . it is just that some answers will work for you and some will not ;-)

[Ray Newman]

Maurice Mcmurray: what is this "partner board" you mentioned? Did an internet search and nothing came up.

[Michael Burnside]

Face joint? No. Edge joint? In a pinch I guess but be sure to alternate up/down if you are building a panel. But compared to my helical head, no my Festool tracksaw cannot replicate even edge joint results.

[Harold Patterson]

It won’t. You can straight line rip an edge but you will have to use a ripping blade for hardwoods over 3/4 of an inch or the saw will struggle. The saws usually come with a blade that is perfect for plywood or cross-cutting. The track doesn’t like rocking wood, so if you haven’t face jointed it first you will have issues with the track possibly moving.

[Edward Weber]

I think everything has been covered.
I just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading a "tracksaw thread" where everyone wasn't fawning over how great they are. They do have limitations that more often than not get overlooked.
They are great for what they do but they don't replace any other tool entirely, IMO

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Maurice Mcmurray: what is this "partner board" you mentioned? Did an internet search and nothing came up.

Sorry, I put that in the wrong place.

[Jim Becker]

Jointers are for more than doing edges so while a tracksaw, properly used, or a slider like I have can provide a glue ready edge on a board, that board must be perfectly flat first for the best result. In my regimen, I flatten and thickness first and then do the ripping using my slider. The same would hold true if I opted for my track saw. So the jointer is still necessary to flatten the stock prior to thicknessing, IMHO. This is also why I want a wide jointer in my operation...I need to do faces, but rarely do edges.

[Jimmy Harris]

As mentioned above, it can cut a pretty straight edge, but it won't do anything to remove any warp, cup, or twist out of a board. With a sharp blade in your track saw, you can, however, get a glue ready surface. It won't be finish ready. But you can get it flat enough to glue from and squeeze any gaps out with clamps. However, if you're not really good with a track saw, and your blade isn't super sharp, you probably won't get a glue ready surface every time.

If you want to skip buying a jointer, you can use a track saw or table saw, and a hand plane, like a No. 7 jointer. The track saw or table saw will get you 98% there, and it won't take but a couple of swipes with the jointer plane to get you to go time. Then, if you have a thickness planer, you can use a planer sled to tackle warp, twist and cup. And if you're boards are thick enough, or you have several that are the same width, you can run them through your planer on edge. If the track saw made them straight, the thickness planer can make them smooth and straight.

I don't own a jointer and never will. They take up too much room to do things (albeit more efficiently) that my other tools can do. And I've never regretted not having one. So you can definitely get by without one.

[Andrew Hughes]

The jointer is a very important machine to have. You can quickly cut a flat surface on a oddly shaped board then make a edge square to this face.From there you can go to the planer or your tablesaw even the bandsaw. Really depends on what your projects demand.
Without a jointer you’ll spend lots of time making silly fixtures on your planer or table saw to do what a jointer does in minutes.
Unless your into goofy work and like doing things the hard way get a jointer!

[mike stenson]

It's faster to use a handplane than it is to make those sleds and jigs.

[Richard Coers]

It's faster to use a handplane than it is to make those sleds and jigs.
Those jigs and fixtures last for decades. How fast can you flatten 4 twisted and cupped 2x10x8's with hand planes for a dining table?

[mike stenson]

It's faster to use a handplane than it is to make those sleds and jigs.[/QUOTE
Those jigs and fixtures last for decades. Just how fast can you flatten 6 twisted and cupped 2x10x8's with hand planes?

Those jigs need modification, storage, etc. Pretty fast. Each board is different. But often enough I do it by hand because I don't feel like powering up my 12" jointer. Thicknessing by hand is another story, but we're not discussing that.

[Richard Daugird]

This all makes sense, thanks for the input.

[Tom M King]

When you can make straight 12' handrails out of old 4x4's, that you can look at and see three sides, with a tracksaw easier than on a jointer, I'll break down and buy one.

[jack duren]

I need to update my old Grizzley track saw. I have heard several times a quality track saw will give consistent glue-up ready cuts, what are the opinions here? I do have a small 6"(4"?) tabletop jointer, a thickness planer, and soon to build a 4'x8' router sled table for thicknessing big slabs from the sawmill. Can I get away without buying a big expensive jointer if I have a really nice track saw?


Do you have a table saw?

[Richard Daugird]

Two table saws. I also have a cheap track saw for breaking down sheet goods and doing non-precision work. And a small jointer. I would'nt use the little jointer on anything like a table top glue-up.

[Curt Harms]

The primary reason I bought a Jet JJP-12 jointer/planer was for the wide jointer. I can get rough sawn air dried hardwood for very attractive prices. My first step on a rough sawn board is to flatten one face. Yes there are other ways to accomplish that but none as efficient as a wide jointer IMO.