Wider Table Saw or Track Saw

[Jim Dwight]

There are lots of ways to make wood dust and a lot of tools can be accurate if set up correctly and used correctly. But a panel saw will never make it to my current shop just because of the space it needs. I do not have it. And I do not need it since I have a track saw.

This may be obvious but it seems the people who argue against track saws mainly, if not totally, don't have one and have probably never used one. I used my home made guides for a circular saw for at least one decade but it is just not the same. You have to push the circular saw against the guide, the track saw cannot wander off the guide rib of the rail. I also never got as good of a cut, regardless of the blade I used with my circular saw. My guess is the bearings may be better in the track saw. Dust collection is normally present in track saws and not present in circular saws. Track saws are precision tools, circular saws are not.

My foam board is the size of my outfeed/work table, 3 foot by 7 feet. It sits on edge behind the work table except when I am using the track saw. Takes up very little space. I have also used scraps on the work table but i think the foam works better. You could even throw the foam on top of your table saw if you stow the rip fence. I do not like to cut on the floor. My old body doesn't like going up and down very much.

[Charles Lent]

The one and only time that I had Home Depot break up a sheet of 3/4 birch plywood, they cut it with their panel saw by feeding the blade so fast that there were 2" splinters on each side of the cut. When I complained, they told me that it was the best that they could do. I ended up trashing most of the sheet because it was unusable for my project. Ever since then I have brought whole sheets home and broken them up myself. I can do it without any splintering, using the right blade, a zero clearance saw foot, and slower feed. I also don't buy any sheet stock from Home Depot or Lowes any more. I've found sources that sell much better plywood at only slightly higher prices.

Charley

[Brian Holcombe]

I’ll vote for a bigger tablesaw.

[Rich Aldrich]

I bought an EZ smart track saw system and a Makita 5007 mga. Then I built a cutting table with strips of plywood standing on edge. I can easily handle sheet goods alone with this system where I struggled with a table saw. Accuracy is greatly increased as far as squareness.

I still use the table saw for ripping.

[Dan Rude]

I am similar to Rich, I have the TrueTrac system I picked up at the last woodworking show in MN 2016. I was ready to pull the trigger on the Black Friday Kreg Track Saw system this month, but saw TrueTrac has a dust extraction system now. So I ordered it and the Squaring Jig and will try it out. It was about a $200 Cheaper than the Kreg System at $399. I did already have the 8' version I use with my M18 fuel. Dan

[Alan Lightstone]

OK. I qualify in the all of the above category. I owned a 52" SawStop table saw, and downsized it to a 36" saw when I moved to a bigger shop. Despite having the large table saw, I bought a Festool tracksaw and used it mostly for sheet goods.

When I moved to the new shop, I bought a panel saw, which is much more convenient for sheet goods, but takes up a huge amount of shop space. and downsized to the smaller SawStop.

With a very bad back and neck, moving large sheets to a table saw is a total non starter for me. I can wheel sheets to the panel saw without lifting them.

Owning all three, I find the combination of panel saw and smaller table saw the best.

If I didn't have the room, I'd go for the smaller table saw (36") and the track saw (bigger size is better here, IMHO. If Festool, I would go for the TS75, and cordless would be more convenient.) I would opt for that combo and you'll recoup a decent amount of shop space.

[Alan Lightstone]

The one and only time that I had Home Depot break up a sheet of 3/4 birch plywood, they cut it with their panel saw by feeding the blade so fast that there were 2" splinters on each side of the cut. When I complained, they told me that it was the best that they could do. I ended up trashing most of the sheet because it was unusable for my project. Ever since then I have brought whole sheets home and broken them up myself. I can do it without any splintering, using the right blade, a zero clearance saw foot, and slower feed. I also don't buy any sheet stock from Home Depot or Lowes any more. I've found sources that sell much better plywood at only slightly higher prices.

Charley

I have found that the panel saws in HD and Lowes are broken easily more than half of the time. Not sure how they accomplish that, but I'm always amazed that they are frequently broken.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

My shop Real Estate is worth much more than 16 inches of table saw that I will rarely use.
Another Vote for Track Saw.