Convince me I need a track saw.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I love my track saw, Festool TS55, bought it about 12-15 years ago, replaced the blade once.

Toughest cut I've made with it, was to rip a 2"x 4" x 8' across diagonal corners, creating a very long wedge. Used one more 2" x 4" for track support.

I rip all my cabinet grade plywood down to about 1/4" oversize, if the piece will be manageable to final size on the table saw. If not, I'll cut to actual required size with the track saw.

It gets used for cuts where it is the best tool, in my limited tool inventory, for the necessary operation.

When the saw quits, I will repair off replace it

[Larry Edgerton]

I bought one because I am getting freak'in old, and many times it is easier to take the saw to the work than the work to the saw.

I have no shortage of tools that can do the same job, but I am coming up short on muscle. The track saw cures that. For example my downsized shop is small and its hard to muscle a sheet to the slider without banging in to something so I buy a lift of maple and cut it in half length ways in the storage barn and now the sheets are half as big and half as heavy. I have used it other ways since, and although I would not say it is mandatory for me I consider it money well spent. I made a base for my 16" Makita skill saw so I can use that with the Festool track, that has been handy as well.

Adapt or die I guess.

[Warren Wilson]

I doubt anyone “needs” a track saw. I have one and enjoy using it because it is a good tool and I like using good tools. Breaking down sheet goods is where I find it most useful but before I had the track saw I used a shop-built jig that was OK. I also like it for cutting long tapers, but can manage those without a track saw, too.

I have one. I use it. I like it. But only my wife understands I “need” it the same way I apparently “need” so many other odd things.

[Edwin Santos]

I bought one because I am getting freak'in old, and many times it is easier to take the saw to the work than the work to the saw.

I have no shortage of tools that can do the same job, but I am coming up short on muscle.

Adapt or die I guess.

My situation exactly. Humbling too since I can remember throwing sheets around like they were potato chips once upon a time.
More and more I'm taking tools to the work, at least to get it to manageable size if not finish cut. This is also why I went in for one of those Crazy Horse dollies, and now handling sheet goods is trivial. Almost totally eliminating dust has made things more pleasant too.
I recently got into veneering and find myself cutting up Baltic Birch for substrate quite often. After learning to do so the hard way, I am now building mock-ups of furniture I have designed, so cutting up MDF for that has become more common too.
But like others have said, there are almost no tools in woodworking that are absolutely, essentially the only way to perform an operation. So if you're determined enough, and don't place much value in the benefits, you can find other ways to do what a track saw does.
I thought mine was a bit of a luxury item, but now I find myself reaching for it all the time.

[Rick Potter]

Track saws are not just for large pieces. I had to cut small shelves for 5 different sized outside corner transitions on my kitchen cabinets. Each was different in size and had four shelves. Seven sides on each shelf. Smallest cut was about two inches long, the largest was about 13".

I made cardboard templates, and transferred the shape to the shelf boards with a pencil, then cut them all with a DeWalt track saw, using the 59" track. If you can draw a pencil line on it, you can cut it. A dab of double stick tape work piece to keep it from moving, and scraps to support the track works fine.

This was done before I made an 'L' fence for the table saw, which could have done the same thing.

[Tom Bussey]

Did anyone ever blow up my pictures and really look at what was there. I have a couple of tee squares so that I can position the aluminum straight edge so that the saw blade cuts the plywood in half ,half the kerf on one side half the kerf on the other side. But I wouldn't trust it to be exactly to size. Lets take making Kitchen cabinets. The size for the lower for me is 23 1/2 by 34 1/2 So if I cut 24 inches off from the end that leaves a piece that is 72 inches and then I rip it on half I have two pieces basically 24 x 72 that I can handle on my table saw. Age is not a cop out because I will be 76 in Oct. But I could just as easily cross cut it and make 2 pieces 24 X 36. The top cabinets are basically the same but lighter and easier to work with.

I have tried as best as I can to position the guide bar exactly where it need to be but to say I can get the exact size repeatedly is kind of far fetched. Granted I have a sliding table on my other saw, I have a picture on a different post and it is set up off from a 5 cut and it is off .002 in on a 24x24 piece of plywood. So forgive me if I have a hard time believing that one can get a 90 degree cut with a track saw.

In case someone is wondering why 23 1/2 wide. I put a 1/4 rabbet on the edge and cut a Dato 1/4 deep in the face frame and it end up at 24 inches.

I guess I am to used to working my way which came from experience. Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. I guess I am not persuaded to buy one anymore than I persuaded you yo get rid of the track saws. Actually I have looked at them in the store and think they are kind of neat. I wish they would have been around in my early days of braking down plywood on my hands and knees.

[Mike Kees]

Hey Tom I did look at your photos. You have some great jigs that obviously work well for the applications you need them to do. Is the sled on your straight edge jig attached to the rail ? If it is you essentially have a "tracksaw". I am not going to try to convince you of anything ,you obviously know what you want to use and have ways figured out to accomplish things. As I stated earlier in the other thread a track saw is a very important tool for me in the type of work I do. I think the biggest attribute is the level of precision that can be achieved with a tool that you" take to the work " . I can not transport my sliding table saw to job sites ,but the track saw makes it there easily. Not all work is portable , the counter job I mentioned in the other post was in the middle of an 80' long counter with a laminate color that was discontinued. If I mainly worked only in my shop it would get used much less. I have however found it very useful braking down plastic laminate for counter tops . I can do this myself on the floor over foam versus needing someone to help me on my slider. One of the great things about woodworking is there are usually about 5-6 different ways of accomplishing any given task ,and as such one can do it with whatever method they have the tools to do it.

[Brian Holcombe]

Tom, you can do the same thing with a track saw if you buy or make a reference system for it.

[Jim Dwight]

Tom,

If I was to make another set of kitchen cabinets, which appears unlikely, I would definitely cut all the boxes out with my track saw. To do crosscuts, I have a jig that puts my shortest track across my 3x7 foot outfeed/assembly/track saw cutting table. I have a clamp on fence for the table that I can true as necessary and a movable stop for the fence. I don't use it every day because it takes a bit to set up but if I was cutting up the wood more multiple cabinets I would set it up. Every day cross cuts I use a 18 inch plywood square to draw a line, slap a track on the line and cut. Festool's MFT is another way (but pricey from my perspective like all things festool). It is a smaller version (and nicer version) of my table setup.

Tracksaws depend on jigs to get the most from them. My most used jig is what I call my track positioning jig. It has a dado to go over the guide rib of the track and a movable stop with a hairline pointer on the measuring scale. I can set the stop and reliably position the cut without no measuring or marking. And I can do the same cut as many times as I want to. I have parallel guides and some people prefer them for repeat cuts but I prefer my simpler positioning jig.

I don't think track saws are unique in any way in needing jigs to do things, I just think they haven't been around as long as I have so I was more familar with the jigs for other tools than I used to be for track saws. Probably still am.

But track saws are an excellent way to make 90 degree or any other cut. If you can measure it the track saw can cut it. It cuts exactly where you set it to cut, every time.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Maybe if I had a lot of money tied up in my table saw, I'd consider a track saw unnecessary.
As it is, having and using a decent quality (Makita cordless) track saw allows me the luxury of getting by with my Ridgid TS3660 contractor saw.

[Edward Weber]

Maybe someone could compile some type of list of the types of operations, other than breaking down sheet goods, that they use their track saws for. Not everyone knows how they can be used if their area of work doesn't expose them to certain tasks.
Just a thought

[Brian Holcombe]

I had to trim close to finished ply on an install so I took the track with holes, screwed it to the wall and ran my tracksaw along the ply. Made a nice cut. Not sure how else one would do such a nutty thing, but this way was accurate and effective

[ChrisA Edwards]

Maybe someone could compile some type of list of the types of operations, other than breaking down sheet goods, that they use their track saws for. Not everyone knows how they can be used if their area of work doesn't expose them to certain tasks.
Just a thought

Just used mine this morning. Making three end tables, two 32" x 32" and one 32" x 18". So I have White Oak glued up about 35" square for the two large ones and about 35" x 20" for the smaller one.

Although I could cut the parallel edges on the 32"x32" on my table saw, I can't cut the 90 degree first cut, using my crosscut sled or miter gauge. So I go to my MFT style table, a piece of MDF with dog holes.

I have stops, in the bench dog holes, that allow me to cut a perfect 90 degree with the track saw, and actually did all four sides, rotating the piece 90 degrees after each cut.

Yes, I could have done this with a straight edge and a circular saw, but not have to set the straight edge at an offset, allowing for the base edge to blade distance, getting a clean ZCI cut and just aligning a small pencil mark for the actual cut, plus having the saw run on a track, I'll stick with my track saw for ease.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Maybe someone could compile some type of list of the types of operations, other than breaking down sheet goods, that they use their track saws for. Not everyone knows how they can be used if their area of work doesn't expose them to certain tasks.
Just a thought

Track saws (and cordless routers I might add) are showing up more and more on Youtube videos I being used for a whole lot of cuts that were once only done on a table saw.
One of the underused features of a plunge track saw is it's ability to just kiss the surface under the piece of wood being cut. The better ones have extremely accurate depth of cut control.

I got rid of the expense of having to drive my van all the time when I got my cordless Makita track saw. Now when I pick up sheet goods, I cut them down to finished size right in the parking lot. That allows me to carry up to three 4X8 sheets - all cut down to final finished size for transport in my Hyundai Kona (subcompact SUV). This savings was huge. Instead of having to buy a nearly $40k van, I can get by real well with a $26k AWD that gets over 35MPG.
When I scaled down the house renovations we were doing and got out of having a van, I debated long and hard over keeping a van for picking up sheet goods or getting rid of it.
I know this is a non-issue for a lot of people, but, it was a factor in my decision.

Menards has a small 4" track saw (corded) that I'd like to take a look at. Presently I use a 3 3/8" Makita 12V saw & a shop made guide for some things I run into. Most recently, I had to install a large pantry in the eating area of a kitchen. There is old wood paneling. I scribed a line on the paneling, moved the pantry out & used my Makita to cut the paneling on the wall. I was wishing someone made a track version of that saw & later read an ad for Menards that listed a 4 1/2" track saw.

In another thread here, I mentioned I had to cut the top, bottom and two shelves to make a six sided diagonal corner cabinet. I looked up the dimensions on the internet, made a cardboard layout to use as a template, then simply transferred the lines to plywood. Making all the cuts was as simple as just moving the track and making the cuts. Doing the shelves required no math beyond just redrawing the layout lines 1/4" on the inside of the existing lines.
The cabinet went together perfect, it fit right into it's spot & was dead even on both sides with the other cabinets & the shelves fit perfectly.
I had dreaded that cabinet from the beginning of the job, but, it ended up being very easy to do.
BTW - on that I should mention that I cut both top & bottom at the same time by laying one piece of plywood on top of the other.

I had to remove a damaged hardwood floor from a dining room. In order to do that, I had to make a 9 1/2' cut between the hallway and the dining room. I joined the two 55" tracks I had, laid the track flat on the floor and positioned it up to the wall at the back of the track. I stuck the anti kickback thing in the track of the Festool, plunged it down and made about a 6 foot cut. I backed the saw up a couple feet, moved the track, then plunged the saw back down with the power off so I could position it as close to where I had already cut as possible. Since I was in the line between the floor boards, it wasn't hard at all to get a perfect cut. & as I mentioned above, depth control on the better track saws is amazing - so there was no cut in the subfloor at all.

I straight line rip one edge with the track saw. It's just simply easier to do it that way instead of using a sled. I also use a sled though if the situation calls for it.

I mentioned once here that I was going to post "If you had a track saw, we wouldn't be having this discussion" in response to someone asking here - "How do I make this cut"?

Track saws aren't a substitute for anything - - I still resort to using a shop made guide for things like cutting counter tops that have an integral backsplash. I've done those with a track saw, but, it's too "iffy". I also use a shop made guide when I'm cutting things like cement or fiber board that are nasty/abrasive.

Speaking of counter tops - - I found nothing beats a track saw for making a sink cutout. It requires taking the dust cover off my Makita - but - a DeWalt can do it without having to remove the dust cover.

Can this all be done without a track saw? Maybe - I know I won't be the one doing it without one.
To me, a track saw is simply another power tool.

[Edward Weber]

Well I really want to thank those of you who actually took the time to explain all of your tracksaw tasks. I'm still not sure if there is a need for one in my work as of now but I have a better idea of some of the capabilities.