Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Power Tools). This thread is read-only.
Since I’m slowly remodeling my new hoise and garage I’ve been doing some research on track saws for cutting sheet goods. I came across this little gem.
At $3500 it’s a bit out of my price range, but it sure looks awesome. It’s kind of an old vid, so some of you may have seen it before.
That is really cool. I saw that last year. I think it’s German. The guy has bell bottoms.
I really think I should have got a track saw over a table saw.
He certainly has a strange sense of fashion
I agree with you DR. Toolselect (before they went off the air) had a festool ts55 chalange to see if it could replace a table saw.
I have to be honest tables saws freak me out more than any other power tool. I know you should never been completely comfortable around a power tools but using a table saw always makes me tense. I wish saw stop saws were more affordable. I know you can’t do dados with a tacks saw what other things can’t you do?
Track saws are the way to go to brake down 4×8 sheets of ply wood it makes it so easy. Festool is $585 with a 55′ track The Dewalt with two tracks 59″ and a 102″ $588. I had the Dewalt and had an issue with it so I sold it and went to the Festool and have been very happy with it.
I don’t remember what else a track saw can’t do. Cutting long sheets down or long strips on a table saw are sketchy.
Regopit, do you have a table saw. If so, what do you use it for?
Harold Wray wrote:
I don’t remember what else a track saw can’t do. Cutting long sheets down or long strips on a table saw are sketchy.
Regopit, do you have a table saw. If so, what do you use it for?
Yes I do I have the Dewalt DW744XRS with the rolling stand.I use it after I brake ply wood down to more manageable size Dado cuts I use it for a lot of things.
Good info Regopit. I get a feeling a table saw is still very much needed.
I just read this on festools website. They are recalling all the ts55 req. Wow!
That was back in Sept of 2013 sent them my saw and the sent me a new one
Harold table saws can do dado, grooves, rabbet, setups for repeatable cuts, cut tenons, raised panels, splines, etc. While it is possible to do most of these with a track saw, it would actually be more labor intensive.
I’ve seen that some people say it’s easier to true an edge on lumber with a track saw. Track saws at their core are circ saws for people like me who can never seem to cut a straight line, unless I go super slow which can burn up the wood and wear the blade faster.
I am all in all sold on the Festool Tracksaw Red. I have it and just got the MDF/3 table to accommodate it and even my Carvex jig. I sold my contractor saw and am glad I did. When I build my garage I am going to have a large woodshop on the back. I will probably add a Saw Stop table saw. Right now I use my Milwaukee router for cutting dados and rabbits but the table saw is a really good way to do that too. But my TS55REQ is FREAKN’ AWESOME!!!!
Table saws are huge timesavers for repeated cuts and quick to adjust for varying sized cuts.
The track saw really is the best tool for 4×8 stuff though. You can cut strips with it just fine, but a table saw is the best tool for that job and a hell of a lot faster.
I think an argument can be made either way Travis. For me it is way quicker to use the track saw. I don’t have the room in my woodshop and man handling a 4×8 sheet onto the table with limited room is a pain. I can lay a sheet on the ground, set my track and zip it’s done and viola I have an easy to handle piece of material. I would argue that having a stationary saw set up with material accessible could be quicker but not for me. Plus my girlie arms can’t handle the big wood….Yukka Yukka Yukka got to put on da wife beat uh and pump da iron
That’s what you get for having capri wearing calves you end up with no arm strength Chrisk. Some really good arguments both ways on why you would a table saw or a track saw they both have their good points and bad points.