Shortening Sliding Tablesaw Carriage

[Jim Becker]

Both Felder and SCM have ~8''' sliding saws available. The latter requires about 19' for full wagon travel and I would imagine the former is similar in specifications. That makes them still usable for ripping most sheet stock...it's a little more cumbersome than with a ten footer, but certainly workable when space requires it.

[Tom Bender]

Ok an easy question for those with experience. Why is a slider so much better than an ordinary TS plus a track saw?

[Mike King]

Ok an easy question for those with experience. Why is a slider so much better than an ordinary TS plus a track saw?

Accuracy and safety.

[Kevin Jenness]

Accurate straightline and square crosscuts on one machine. More power/ heavier arbor/less deflection/less bogging on heavy cuts than a tracksaw. Adaptability to jigs. Safer cutting of small parts.

A tracksaw certainly has benefits, especially for really large and heavy pieces that are impractical to load on a slider or larger than its capacity. A slider is a versatile tool for panel processing but it is also very useful for furnituremaking and small work if set up properly. With room for only one dimension saw I would never go back to a cabinet saw.That would not be true for everyone.

[Jim Becker]

Ok an easy question for those with experience. Why is a slider so much better than an ordinary TS plus a track saw?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but "in general" and succinctly, what Mr. King said. There's been a lot of discussion about this over time and those of us who have owned sliders...the highest percentage...would never go back to a cabinet saw given the choice. (I'm "stuck" with a cabinet saw right now in my temporary shop due to space concerns and I truly hate standing behind that blade as is necessary, rather than off to the side with my hands nowhere near the blade) A lot of things are subjective, of course, and there is also human nature...embracing a slider means learning to work differently. That and the tendency for the cost of a true slide to be above even the fanciest cabinet saw available are unfortunate barriers to many woodworkers.

Track saw does provide accuracy, however, as well as the ability to cut larger panels more easily than slinging them onto a cabinet saw. And honestly, there were times when I pulled the track saw out, despite having the slider, simply because I didn't have help to lift a very heavy sheet of something onto the big saw. So I don't feel they compete...they are complimentary, regardless of table saw format.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Ok an easy question for those with experience. Why is a slider so much better than an ordinary TS plus a track saw?

Tom it's about being able to repeatably make cuts, quickly, and have complete control of the stock while you do. I make mitered newel posts often. I can take one stock board, one saw setup, and end up with a four part, glu up ready, mitered post in seconds of cutting and setup. It can be done with a traditional saw, but you are making a jig to keep the long newells under control and you will still probably have something move and need to visit the jointer and re-rip everything to a smaller width. You will be spending most of the day doing it with a track saw, if you can find one with the cutting depth to pull it off.