Track saw?

Here's a video:

There are others that show the same approach. This is almost as good as a track saw and a lot cheaper. I need to make another one.

Or maybe it's an excuse to buy a track saw <grin>.

In his video, Colin says something that I believe is incorrect. He talks about dealing with the thickness of the blade.

If I'm not mistaken, there is no need to worry about the thickness of the blade because the measurement taken and the jig itself is on the part of the board that is being kept. The jig was cut such that *inside* of the blade will follow the edge of the jig which will be set right at the measurement mark. Therefore the width of the blade will impact the cut-off, not the good piece.

I may be in the minority here but if your funds are short, I'd buy the best track saw I could buy with some sort of parallel guide. Put off the table saw until you can afford both. Track saws are amazing and amazingly simple tools.

As a bonus, you can use the track as a router guide (track), as well.

As long as you cut the right direction, you're correct. The width of the blade is immaterial. The cut is against the sacrificial/alignment strip. The waste is outside of saw blade, not the inside which is where the track is aligned with the cut.

I can afford to buy both, but I'm trying to predict if I'll have enough use for a track saw over the long haul.

I own a Festool 55 track saw. And several rail lengths. I have used it some. Not a huge amount. It works very well for cutting straight lines. Perfectly straight. Usable directly in furniture or shelves straight off the blade. No clean up or jointing necessary after cutting with the saw blade. For sheet goods plywood, it is great. For other types of cuts such as straight lining a crooked edge board, it is great. Trimming doors to clear carpet, great. But there are many cuts it is not the right tool. Such as cutting shorter boards down to length. Table saw with miter gauge or chop saw is the right tool. Ripping boards into face frames, use a table saw, not the track saw. Like all tools, its not great at everything. But it is very, very good at certain things. And probably worth having for many/some people.

As for which brand track saw and rails to get, watch YouTube videos to maybe make a choice. Festool, Metabo, Makita, DeWalt all have track saws. I think DeWalt has one. Different prices and maybe different results from these choices. Which is best or worst or good enough is something you will have to decide. When I bought my Festool 55 about 15 years ago I think it was the only one available. Or the only one I knew about. So best was an easy choice.

As for making yourself a guide to make your circular saw act exactly like a fancy high priced track saw. I am sure that is possible. Maybe practical for some or many. But an analogy. I am sure some people have made a contraption with a threaded rod and screw mechanism and a rack to hold an electric drill. They made a drill press!!!!!! Or you can just buy an expensive fancy dandy drill press. Your choice.

The answer to this question is probably related to how much work you do with plywood and sheet goods. Or maybe how much straight line ripping of boards you do to get them ready to rip on a table saw. Track saw is great for straight cuts. Short and long. But not really repetitive work. Cutting 20-30 boards to two foot lengths, not really a track saw strength. It can be done. But a table saw or chop saw is the right tool for this specific task. Cutting ONE 4x8 foot plywood into two foot widths, track saw great. Especially great for work where its best to take the saw to the work instead of carrying the work to the saw. If you are ripping face frame material to 2 inch widths for your kitchen cabinets, and your parents kitchen cabinets, and your sisters kitchen cabinets, and your brothers kitchen cabinets, and your cousins kitchen cabinets, then the track saw is not the best choice. Analogy: Its kind of maybe possibly like back in the olden days when lumberjacks cut all the trees with axes. Chain saws are easier. But both will work.

If you can afford both, go for it. All of us have some limit to our funds. What would be your next tool choice if you didn't buy both?

If you're using sheet goods for cabinets, and the like, a track saw is the best choice. It's not just for breaking down sheets for the table saw. They're just as, if not more, accurate than a table saw.

Table saws excel at rips and dados. With a sled or miter gauge, small parts are easier on a table saw, too. A track saw isn't appropriate.

A track saw is portable, powerful, and accurate. It is the best thing for breaking down plywood. If you have to trim a bit here and there on plywood, it's quick and easy.

But pricey, yes. I bought a Makita and it was a lot.

When I bought my Festool TS55 about 12 years ago, there were two others on the market (Makita and I can't remember the other). All in, the Festool wasn't that much more expensive than either alternative. Things have changed some since. Even Kreg has gotten into the market. I have no idea what the quality of any of the alternatives are. I've had no reason to look.

" snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com" snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

A simple guide can be made with a piece of hardboard (or plywood) and another piece of wood for a fence. Just screw the fence to the hardboard and run your saw along it. (You can do both sides too, so one side is about 1 1/4" and the other is about 3 1/2" or whatever your saw measures.) You'll need to apply some side pressure to keep the saw tight against the fence so you'll definitely need to clamp the guide in place.

How do the track saws keep the track in place?

Puckdropper

With few exceptions a "good" track saw could replace a table saw. Cuts on a Festool track saw are very clean.

I tend to break down sheets with my track saw but I rely on those cuts to be accurate so that I do not have to make those cuts again on the TS.

Or in simpler terms, place the track on the keeper side.

Keep in mind that with a track saw you can straighten bowed boards much more easily than with a TS. It almost would replace a jointer in that respect.

Resawing with a track saw? That's an image. ;-)

Rubber strips on the bottom or if you're chicken, clamps. The clamps go into extrusions on the back side of the track, though, so aren't in the path of the saw.

Bowed, not cupped or warped is what I was shooting at. ;~)

Track saws have a recessed area that is parallel to the blade. The track has a raised area that fits snugly into that recessed area. There are adjustments for proper friction fit.

The tracks have a rubber friction pad that tuns the length of the track,

The problem with making your own guide for your regular circular saw is that many things can spoil the cut.

A track saw guides the saw and the saw cannot drift away from the track. With a straight edge the saw could drift away from the straight edge. And this can easily happen with an inferior blade, and especially if the saw shoe edge is not parallel to the blade.

I've always either used a table saw, or a plane, for bowed boards. With a bench stop and a smooth plane you can straighten to a sight line in just a few seconds. Won't work on plywood, of course (but plywood doesn't usually bow).

That's important for me, I made my own track from hardwood plywood, one