Track saws

[MakerDP]

I am seriously considering dumping my table saws and fixed mitre saw and getting a track saw setup and a sliding mitre saw. I've been reading in a woodworking magazine that there is nothing you can do with a table saw that you can't do easier and safer with a track saw and a router table setup - and it takes a fraction of the space to do it. Breaking down sheet goods safely and easily I guess is a breeze with a track saw. The sliding mitre saw is not needed but it makes cross cuts a whole lot simpler to setup.

Any of you guys have any experience with them?

This is the setup I am thinking of going with... https://www.kregtool.com/landing/adaptive-cutting-system.aspx

It's not cheap but man I think it would make my life a whole lot easier and safer.

[davidwpack]

I prefer a table saw. A lot of times when you cinch down the lock it becomes "unsquare" to the workpiece. It does ok for really long pieces of plywood that are too bulky to maneuver on a table saw.

[jjasilli]

A track saw might replace a tsble saw for some people, but I'm sceptical. A track saw might be nice, but I wouldn't toss my table saw too soon.


I doubt the space saving.  My table saw top is also a workspace / workbench for me.  It's also a place to make cuts.    Without the table saw top you still need a large, flat surface to use a track saw.

[MakerDP]

A track saw might replace a tsble saw for some people, but I'm sceptical. A track saw might be nice, but I wouldn't toss my table saw too soon.


I doubt the space saving.  My table saw top is also a workspace / workbench for me.  It's also a place to make cuts.    Without the table saw top you still need a large, flat surface to use a track saw.

Did you follow that link I gave? That's a pretty nifty setup! Folds away and rolls up to lean against the wall. Also doubles as a workbench.

I'm not totally sold on it yet but I'm close.

[sluckey]

Have you considered a Shop Smith?

[MakerDP]

Heh, that would be awesome Sluckey but I could build a whole lot of amps for what one of those things costs.

Honestly, a lot of my concerns over table saws is safety. You know how us guitar players get when our left hands go anywhere near anything sharp or crush-able.

I was doing a little more research last night and it seems like Kreg really did their homework when they made this Adaptive Cutting System. They addressed a lot of the concerns people have with track/plunge saw setups.

There is a great video from Woodworkers Guild of America where a guy built a face-frame cabinet doing all cuts on the Kreg system. He was very pleased with the ease of doing it and the precise results he achieved. He made it look easy.

It looks like it would take about $1200 to get the fully-accessorized setup. Not too bad.

Thanks for all the input guys.

[jjasilli]

Foldaway workbench is great for portability, or if you truly lack space for a regular workshop. 

[shooter]

safety. You know how us guitar players

I've had more than a few musician types go runnin when I fired up chainsaws or shop tools 

best I can tell my table saw was built in the late 40's, got it for $20 at a garage sale in the late 80's.  I still have all my digits, that saw has built and remodeled homes, cut so many board feet of lumber it would be impossible to guess! I do set the belt just sloppy enough to let the motor slip if something jams.  bottom line,
respect it and it'll be a friend for life

[MakerDP]

You are absolutely right Shooter but that still doesn't stop the puckering whenever I chop an onion. 

[shooter]

 
now that, you might need to talk with a proctologist about 
I spent 40yrs double-checking the 140,000VDC was ACTUALY off, or the 320vdc 100A was OFF, or the.........
my pucker is well calloused 

[Fresh_Start]

I’ve had a Festool track saw for years.  By itself, it can’t replace a table saw but it sure avoids trying to wrangle a big sheet of plywood on my little Bosch portable saw.  I just got a thing that clamps to the track for near-perfect 90 degree cuts. That’s a good start for anything wider than my sliding miter saw can cut. However, I’ve learned the hard way that getting precise, repeatable parallel cuts with a track saw is very difficult.

That Kreg system is really neat. The way the track goes up and down while staying parallel to the floor is far better than the way Festool tips the track on one hinge. (I don’t have MFT system because I could buy a nice cabinet saw for less.)  Precise perpendicular cuts should be no problem with the track and perpendicular holes in the table. Don’t know how difficult it is to calibrate. And Kreg has a much more affordable solution for parallel cuts. Precision and repeatability?

For me, the table saw guarantees me two parallel edges, both perpendicular to the faces of the workpiece. It also has a lot more power than any track saw. I don’t use dado blades but they can be used for all sorts of things. A cross cut sled on a decent sized table saw would make the sliding miter saw less essential. Add a dado stack and you can do all kinds of cuts, tenons and dadoes (doah) especially.

[jeff_free69]

I have a Dewalt table saw and the Track saw too.
They're both very good, but  table saw isn't that big.
I love the track saw for cutting big sheets.   Even use it for smaller jobs where you might be tempted to use a regular circular  but want a perfect cut.  The clamps hold it from underneath and work well  ( kinds wish they made a really short track too)
Yeah, pricey, but much cheaper the Festools.   Seems like it shouldnt be that expensive  but glad I made the investment.

[MakerDP]

Thanks for all the input guys. After doing some extensive research, it seems to boil down to this...

1) A track saw by itself is not going to replace a table saw, for pretty much all of the reasons you guys listed above... much much easier to do repeated cuts and parallel cuts on a table saw mostly. Mitre cuts are a lot more difficult on the track saw.

2) When used with a MFT (multi-function table) system they really start to shine. Now repeated and highly accurate parallel cuts, rips, crosscuts, mitres, etc are all EASILY done on such a setup and setup is quick. Your typical MFT setup does not save any space over a table saw. But, this is where Kreg did their homework on their new system... The table system folds up and wheels up against the wall and it is easily and quickly expandable to cut full sheets down. They really studied the Festool stuff and addressed pretty much all the issues people had with the Festool MFT system and its shortcomings... especially its outrageous price.

The only thing it really doesn't do well is dados and things like mortise and tenon or spline joints or finger joints. It would not surprise me if they are already working on a baseplate for a router to go along with this system to take care of dados. The other stuff, I already have nice router jigs for dovetails and finger joints and I could probably easily use the Kreg table to act as a router fence for dados.

I think I am sold on it and will likely purchase tomorrow or next weekend.

[MakerDP]

( kinds wish they made a really short track too)

Can't you just buy the long one and cut it down to a size that works for smaller jobs?

[MakerDP]

Well I went and looked at one at the semi-local Woodcraft store. The salesman gave me the rundown and I was impressed enough to pull the trigger. I probably won't be able to do anything with it until Tuesday night though.

I'll let you know my thoughts when I get some formed.

[MakerDP]

Wow I am loving this system. It took a few evenings to get it all set up and calibrated. Not difficult, but I was taking my time to make sure I got it right and hot and tired in my garage after work.

I did a small box project using some scrap non-squared-up 1/2" plywood and holy cow I was NEVER able to get such accurate cuts out of my table saw as this thing. (I could never seem to get my crosscut sled calibrated correctly on a table saw.) Setting up a cut on this is simple and quick. Making the cut is too. I bought a hose and adapter to connect it to my ShopVac but there is still a little bit of sawdust, but not an unmanageable amount by any means.

One really really cool feature... say you are making a rectangular face frame... with the two measuring tracks and stops you can set one to one length and the other to the other length quickly and easily then cut both pieces in one pass.

More to come... designing a new guitar cabinet idea and hope to build it in the next week or so.

[galtjunk]

Check out
https://www.eurekazone.comTrack saws, tables, router stuff.

[MakerDP]

So I have been living with my Kreg Adaptive Cutting System for a few weeks now. I've been tackling some projects to get to know the system. So far I have built a rolling cart for my ShopVac (super easy to hookup to the Kreg saw now - I included electrical connections for the vac and whatever tool it is hooked up to), a rolling lumber storage cart and a prototype wall cabinet with the intention to make more for the garage and eventually in the main house as well.

So far, this thing is simply amazing. It has totally transformed my woodworking. I can use it confidently and setting up repeatable and extremely accurate cuts is a breeze. It handles everything I need it to do except rip cut boards longer than 48". With the vacuum hooked up it makes almost zero mess at all. The learning curve was very very shallow. Once it was all set up I was making awesome cuts quickly in very little time.

The only thing I have encountered so far is that it will not handle very thin material very well. It would not cut all the way through the 1/8" hardboard I used for the wall cabinet backs, but if I got a 3/8" sheet of plywood to use as a sacrificial board underneath it that would solve the problem. Not too big a deal for something I would not do very often and when I did I would cut a lot of the same sized pieces at the same time. I probably should have held out for finding some 1/4" hardboard for this application anyways. It will have no trouble cutting through that at all.

[shooter]

I have trouble with 1/4" ply on my tablesaw no matter the blade, my "fix" set blade to 1/2 height, cut the kerf, then flip n finish, I typically tweak the blade up a 1/16" for the bottom cut

[MakerDP]

hmm I didn't think of that... that should work great on the Kreg as well. THanks for that.