Do I need a track saw?

[Doug Hart]

I'm really looking hard at these, and just on the verge of purchasing.
I'm looking for opinions from those who own or have used them.
Festool? Makita? Others?
The Festool definitely looks like the best one out there, but it's a good chuck of change.
If I went with Festool, which one? The 6.25" blade or the 8.25" blade.

So many options.

Opinions?

[GirlyHandedDog]

I'm really looking hard at these, and just on the verge of purchasing.
I'm looking for opinions from those who own or have used them.
Festool? Makita? Others?
The Festool definitely looks like the best one out there, but it's a good chuck of change.
If I went with Festool, which one? The 6.25" blade or the 8.25" blade.

So many options.

Opinions?

Festool track saw, like all of their stuff is over-priced. Some of these track saws don't play well with angled cuts. Having used both, I personally like a good table saw and circular saw better than a track saw.

[Rune Bivrin]

I've got the Makita. While I wouldn't mind having a large table saw, the Makita is really useful, and works for a lot of cases where a table saw is problematic. Imagine cutting a 200 lbs oak kitchen table top...

[Jon Barnhardt]

I'm a eureka fan. Right now the new EZ One is on sale for 895 to the first 100 buyers.

I have a DIY bench but still love it.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I still use a 6" cordless circular saw and either a sled or guides like these, which double as clamps:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page ... te=ROCKLER

And you can get guide accessories that work with them too.

[subharmonic]

I have a Makita and love it. It doesn't replace a tablesaw for repeatibility nor the clamp down feature of Jons EZ system bit angled cuts are a breeze and the lock in track feature is nice. You will have a easy time with non perpendicular cuts for like braces and such.

[thekl0wn]

I still use a 6" cordless circular saw and either a sled or guides like these, which double as clamps:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page ... te=ROCKLER

And you can get guide accessories that work with them too.

Do want!

[Doug Hart]

I've considered a new table saw, even thinking about a Sawstop, but my shop really isn't big enough for a larger table saw.
The one I have now is a 10" with a 24" fence and it's really tight in there.

I was thinking the track saw would be really nice for those compound angle cuts like on the wedgehorn panels.
and of course, for cutting down full sheets.

Just not sure if it's worth the money

[67baja]

I have nothing against any of the options listed here, but I found a festool on craigslist with a 2' track, a 4' track and a 100" track for $400 and bought it. After I adjusted the blade, it is absolutely awesome. No complaints at all other than I want the parallel guides now. I am sure they are all very good.

[wallywally]

I own a TS55 Festool. It is a very nice tool. It can save time if used correctly. The finish of the cut is very good.... much better than a standard circular saw with a sled. It cannot replace a table saw.
The main reasons why I purchased it were: my wood working area must be portable due to my personal space constraints, and I needed the precision to build kitchen cabinets. I personally would not purchase a track saw if I had space for a table saw. I also believe that a circular saw and sled are more than adequate to build Bills designs.
If you decide to buy a track saw I would recommend buying a track long enough to rip an 8' sheet, joining 2 tracks takes too much time to get precise and is easily bumped out of calibration. I only have experience with the Festool so I cannot comment on any other system.

[koturban]

I have the TS55 as well, along with the CT26 dust collector. Very happy with it. Quieter than regular saws and dust collection is awesome. I have the 55 and 100" tracks.

Add the parallel guides and ripping large sheets is a breeze.

Still can't replace a table saw for smaller cuts, but it does what I need it to do.

[James R]

I just bought one of these, pretty handy device. http://www.kregtool.com/RipCut-Prodview.html

[koturban]

I just bought one of these, pretty handy device. http://www.kregtool.com/RipCut-Prodview.html

These are handy for making large pieces manageable for a table saw, but will amplify errors with each repeat cut.

I would prefer BF's sled in this case.

[el_ingeniero]

I've got the Makita tracksaw and a Skil battery powered circular saw.

I've been able to better accuracy with the Makita than with the circular saw on a sled. But that means on some pieces I could be as much as 1/8" out. There are places where you want to do better, like a DR throat.

IMO, a decent table saw with judicious upgrades and a pile of jigs is the key to super accurate cuts.

[Rune Bivrin]

I've got the Makita tracksaw and a Skil battery powered circular saw.

I've been able to better accuracy with the Makita than with the circular saw on a sled. But that means on some pieces I could be as much as 1/8" out. There are places where you want to do better, like a DR throat.

IMO, a decent table saw with judicious upgrades and a pile of jigs is the key to super accurate cuts.

If you're out by 1/8" using the Makita you're doing it wrong. No offense, but you should be within 1/64". Either you've got a dodgy measurement setup or you're cutting on the wrong side of the line.

I had a cheap B&D circular before, and that sucker wouldn't cut straight, but the Makita is completely predictable.