Track Saw options

[dkerfoot]

The Festool tracks are pretty simple to use. Just set them down on the cut line, and make your cut. You do not have to clamp them, they have an anti-slip strip on the bottom. I'm guessing the other brands are similar.

The best part of using my track saw is having beautifully smooth, tearout-free edges on both the top and bottom of the cut.

Of course, my sawboard was free (made from scrap), works with both my circular saw and my router and hangs on a nail when not in use.

If I were running a production shop I could see justifying the Festool version, but that extra $600-$800 buys an awful lot of wood that I can work. (Ditto for the $400-$500 for most other systems)

I am glad there are options like Festool available, but I think that it is easy for hobbyists like myself to fall into the trap of collecting under-utilized tools instead of actually working wood.

My personal advise for most hobbyists is to try a sawboard first and then, if you find it isn't meeting your needs, go ahead and spend the money to fix the problem. My guess is that 90% of the readers of this forum would never need anything else.

[JimD]

Doug,

I used a sawboard for years and you're right that they are very handy. I used mine with a Milwaukee saw and it was great to break down sheet goods or, with care, to cut something like a cabinet back to final dimensions. I don't know if it was me or the saw or both but the edge of my sawboard always got chewed up so I couldn't just put it on the sawmark and cut if I wanted the result to be accurate. Close, but not precise. I also had to be careful to keep the saw against the guide.

A tracksaw is guided on both sides so less care is required. It also does not chew up the edge and if it does get damaged, it can be replaced. My longer guide is significantly over 8 feet which works better than a 8 foot saw board for cutting sheet goods the long ways. Dust collection is much better but I often cut outside too. Depth adjustment is much better. It's safer because of the plunge cut. When you set the saw down, the blade is not exposed. But the key difference is the ability to easily make finished cuts. They are smooth and exactly where the edge of the guide is. That let me eliminate the extension rails for my BT3100. Anything longer than 24 inches can be cut with the tracksaw. It's rails will probably just hang on a nail on the wall in the new shop.

[Cochese]

Of course, my sawboard was free (made from scrap), works with both my circular saw and my router and hangs on a nail when not in use.

If I were running a production shop I could see justifying the Festool version, but that extra $600-$800 buys an awful lot of wood that I can work. (Ditto for the $400-$500 for most other systems)

I am glad there are options like Festool available, but I think that it is easy for hobbyists like myself to fall into the trap of collecting under-utilized tools instead of actually working wood.

My personal advise for most hobbyists is to try a sawboard first and then, if you find it isn't meeting your needs, go ahead and spend the money to fix the problem. My guess is that 90% of the readers of this forum would never need anything else.

I fell into that ten percent. It was worth it to me, especially because I use it all the time for cutting. I even try to make excuses to use it instead of the table saw. If I could perfect my way of having a stop, I'd only use the table saw for dadoes.

[lrr]

I agree regarding using my track saw whenever I can instead of my table saw. I do most of my crosscuts on my radial arm saw, so my table saw was primarily being used for rips. Feeding plywood sheets was near impossible. I was ready to upgrade my BT3100 to a SawStop cabinet saw until I discovered the Festool track saw. I did put a Forrest blade on the BT3100 to give it some new life, and it can now handle tough cuts like 8/4 oak.

I know track saws are not for everyone but I've found I cannot imagine breaking down plywood sheets with anything else, and especially in a small shop. I decided not to buy the MFT Workbench, instead building my own large workbench. I milled a top with 20mm holes to utilize all the accessories from Festool and other manufacturers.

Regarding dadoes, I mostly use my RAS. Most of my cuts are on long pieces (like bookcase sides) and so pulling a dado blade across the wood is easier than sliding the long board thru the table saw. For long dadoes I use my router table.

Of course, it all boils down to personal tastes/preferences. My methods are just that -- my preferences. I've been woodworking for 50 years so a lot has changed in my shop over the years.

[os1kne]

Thanks for mentioning the sawboard. I was happy using a sawboard and edge guide for years. If I didn't have the dust control requirements that I need to have now, I'd just go out and get another regular CS. Track saws seem to be the only CSs available with decent dust control.

[mpc]

I use a sawboard with a Porter-Cable MAG series CS. It has a ~1 inch fitting above the blade that catches a fair bit of the dust when hooked to a shop vac. I use a piece of Borg sump-pump hose as an adapter to the vac - it's light, flexes easily, and is a snug no-tool fit to the PC's dust port. I don't know how well the PC's dust collection compares to a good track saw though. I originally selected the PC MAG for the thick base plate - I prefer thick & square sides to stamped-metal base plates. My first CS had a stamped plate and if the plywood workpiece flexed a little the gap between the plywood and my guide clamp (before I knew about sawboards) sometimes allowed the saw's base plate to wedge into the gap leading to a lousy cut. The curve of the stamped metal base plate sometimes tried to ride up thinner guides too. Both issues go away with sawboards.

mpc

[Condoman44]

Track Saw Update

I started my winter project which is a series of built-in bookcase/shelf/drawers to be installed along the long wall in the master bedroom. This will give us much needed space and organization. Rather than build in place the individual units will be built in the basement shop and then installed as completed. This reduces living space mess and makes assembly much better in the shop. As a result of this I had occasion to begin by cutting the 3/4" birch plywood yesterday.

I should mention after this thread started I was inspired to revisit the options I had chosen. While the Makita track clamps worked fine, the DeWalt one hand clamps are much better. I could lean over a 16" piece and remove the clamp with little effort and of course tightening is way easier.

I have two of the 55" Makita rails and had only one Festool #482107 connector. I frankly never thought about one on top and bottom. Now with two connectors it seems more stable.

With a high of 45° yesterday it was not ideal to be working in the garage, but that is the best we will see for now. When I finished and hauled to parts to the shop I was a little disappointed about how accurate my cuts were for same items.

I decided to change the way I measure cuts. Previously I had two blocks, one for keeping the cutoff piece and one for not doing that. The difference was the width of the blade kerf. A block was placed on the far side of the track to square the nicely rounded track edge and then a measurement was made to the sheet edge from the block.

My 2.0 version is a block with a notch that allows the block to butt with the rail at the splinter guard and ride over the guard. Like the blocks above one for keeping and one for not. From the block you use you measure to the edge of the material and subtract 1" from what is needed. My hope is this will be easier on the eye and provide better cuts overall. Time will tell.

This is one block with its profile:

[JimD]

I haven't built this yet but plan to before trying to build cabinets using my track saw:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?201175-DeWalt-tracksaw-parallel-guides

I really like my DeWalt track saw but getting a bunch of parts exactly the same width based upon measurement seems like it will be very difficult. This jig should help a lot. Festool makes a parallel guide but, like all Festool items, it is pricey.

[Neal]

Jim D, thanks for the link. That looks like a really interesting solution to the non-festool track saws, and a good and interesting use of the 80/20 too.

[Condoman44]

I wanted to update the results I am getting with the regard to post #22.

I have had 3 more plywood cutting sessions in the garage and the parts are coming out dead on with the new measuring system.

The DeWalt clamps are definitely the right choice. I have had to hook up the bullet kerosene heater as the outdoor temps here are often in the mid 20's.

On a humorous note the first built-in unit is finished and installed. It took some doing to get in place and after several failed attempts to make any sort of turn down the hallway and into the bedroom, the bedroom window had to come out. Fortunately for me these are replacement windows that pop down and out for cleaning, so it took only a few minutes to get the 85 inch high unit in place.

[lrr]

On a humorous note the first built-in unit is finished and installed. It took some doing to get in place and after several failed attempts to make any sort of turn down the hallway and into the bedroom, the bedroom window had to come out. Fortunately for me these are replacement windows that pop down and out for cleaning, so it took only a few minutes to get the 85 inch high unit in place.

I had a close call a couple years ago making a headboard for our king-sized bed. Besides being wide, it was pretty tall, and the top was trimmed with crown molding. I have a basement shop, and when we went to get it up the stairs, it would not clear the ceiling when it got over the stairs. We tipped it sideways, and it cleared by about 1/8". Once we cleared the ceiling and into the stairway, we could bring it upright. No more big projects like that without doing some measurements first.

And that reminds me -- how did Gibbs on NCIS ever get that sailboat out of his basement shop?

[JSUPreston]

And that reminds me -- how did Gibbs on NCIS ever get that sailboat out of his basement shop?

I believe he was quoted as saying "I broke the bottle."

As a side note (because my whole family is hooked on that show), Mark Harmon does woodworking as a hobby, which is why Gibbs does it on the show.

[jussi]

I believe he was quoted as saying "I broke the bottle."

As a side note (because my whole family is hooked on that show), Mark Harmon does woodworking as a hobby, which is why Gibbs does it on the show.

If you're ever at the tool Swapmeet at Anderson Plywood in Culver City, Ca you can ask him yourself. He's a really nice guy and very unassuming. Wouldn't even have noticed him if someone didn't point him out to me.

[Condoman44]

I also used a saw board and various saw guides for years always looking for a better and more accurate cut. The track saw was the best answer to all my sheet cutting issues. I bought the TS just before doing a job to replace 11 doors (not pre-hung). It was paid for by that job and was worth every cent.

With by age and aches it is much less likely I will haul plywood any more than is necessary to get it on my cutting table in the garage and bring the pieces down to a manageable size to be moved to my basement shop.

If the Festool was my only option I might not have gone this route but the Makita was priced right for me.

[lrr]

I believe he was quoted as saying "I broke the bottle."

As a side note (because my whole family is hooked on that show), Mark Harmon does woodworking as a hobby, which is why Gibbs does it on the show.

I mentioned my question to my wife after I posted, and she said the same (about breaking the bottle). She obviously pays better attention to the show, or maybe I just missed that episode. I wondered if he might be a woodworker in real life. Good to know he is, and a relief -- proves he is a nice guy. Aren't all woodworkers nice guys?

I've seen him on the Tonight Show in the past, and he seemed more soft-spoken than I was expecting. Definitely not as stoic as Gibbs!