Jointer required after track saw?

[andrew whicker]

Sorry for the late response. Thanks for all the replies. I like the kerf idea. Was just wondering if it saved a step. I joint with my table saw quite a bit.

[Jim Becker]

Sorry for the late response. Thanks for all the replies. I like the kerf idea. Was just wondering if it saved a step. I joint with my table saw quite a bit.

Many of us with Sliding Table Saws, will go right from cut to glue-up when we can pin a board down on the wagon for the cut and the material was already flattened and thicknessed. What enables this is that the board cannot move when clamped or is otherwise held down to the wagon through the cut and the edge is "worthy" if the blade is sharp. With the track saw, you're "mostly there", but you can easily slightly distort the cut line because your hand is moving the saw down the track and it's just not going to be perfect. The kerf cut that others have mentioned where two boards are side by side can account for the variations...some folks use a router and rail for this instead of a saw to the same effect...any slight deviations are mirrored on the adjacent piece of material.

[andrew whicker]

Haha, I've been sold on the sliding table saw ever since I saw someone tapering a leg on one with a jig and hold down clamps.

I might try the kerf thing, but it sounds like it might be finicky to set up. I'll have to make a stand for my jointer so that I can move it and then have it sit stationary again. I just don't have enough length one way as it sits right now. So using my jointer is going to require more work.

My other option is send the wood to the local woodshop have them do the table top for me. I'm already sending them the pieces for flattening (10 ft x 2 ft x 2" thk pieces, qty 3) and will have to send the glued table back to them for flattening / sanding. Probably save me a lot of money too if I consider the tracksaw a necessity. In reality, I could probably use a worm drive saw and a straight edge. Still have to make a stand for the jointer though.

I'm delaying making a decision, but need to make one soon.

[Jim Becker]

Anybody local to you have a 10' slider? wink, wink...nod, nod....

[andrew whicker]

Haha, I'm not that cool.

[andy bessette]

On heavy stock I will make a light skin cut after cutting nearly to size. My Festool TS55 produces glue-ready edges.

[Brian Holcombe]

If you have a 7 plane or try plane, just tune the edge by hand after cutting with a tracksaw. I've done that enough times for nearly invisible glue lines.

Two things have produced near invisible glue lines in my shop with consistency and ease.

One is jointing then using the thickness planer to bring the stock to width. The thicknesser produces a better edge than jointing (so long as the reference edge is totally flat) because the scallops are smaller and more consistent. I do this on everything under 9" wide.

The other is jointing then finishing the joint with a hand plane. I do this on everything over 9" wide.

I don't have a slider or tablesaw, so I don't reference to them.

I'm pretty impressed by those turning glue ready joints off a tracksaw, that's really cool.