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A New Table Saw or Track Saw?

Cynthia White

Cynthia White

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3,220
Location
Vancouver Island, Courtenay/Comox Valley, British
I have the Bosch 4100 Contractor's Table Saw or whatever it was called when I got it 4 years ago. When I finish what I'm working on (built-in bookcases), the next projects in the foreseeable future are all cabinets, built-ins everywhere. The Bosch has been great, but it's small, and it does get bogged down in hardwoods regularly. Just this week I discovered that my fence creeps away from the blade after many passes, so now I have to clamp the fence down to be sure it doesn't move. My biggest problem is handling sheet goods. I have to (obviously) break them down into manageable pieces before I can carry them to the Bosch. So I've been thinking I really need a real full-sized table saw. But then I was thinking maybe the Festool track saw would solve most of my problems at least with sheet goods, and I wouldn't have to cut everything twice.

What does my esteemed audience think?
 
I bought the Festool (the only Festool I'll ever own) just for that purpose (sheet goods) and it can't be beat for that. You will need probably need more than one track (I suggest a 76" and a 55" for maximum versatility) but it's unparalleled for that use. The track saw can cut the sheets to finished size, and it has multiple other uses...I use mine as much for straight edging rough sawn lumber as anything. That said, I still see it as second fiddle to a good table saw. So while I hate deviate from the popular opinion I think, in your shoes, I'd try to upgrade my TS and keep a tracksaw in my sights as a future purchase. You can build a suitable track for a regular circ saw (if you have one) for the sheet goods, and even if your work is mostly cabinets, they still need face frames, doors, drawers, etc. All are done on the TS, and really need one with a good fence. Just my opinion......
 
I agree. Unless you are setup for it, dealing with sheet goods can be a challenge on the tablesaw. You could push your saw right over while working on a full sheet of 5/8" material. I do mine on the ground with a shop made guide. This rig is strictly for breaking things down to a manageable size and does not replace a precision guided system. This means I break down parts slightly over size and then have to cut to actual size on the tablesaw. This makes double work but, I do it so sporadically that this works for me. If I worked with sheet goods every other month or more, I would consider a different method. To get me through a kitchen or bedroom project, this saves me a lot of money.

GCS-v2 Shop Made 013.jpg . GCS-v2 Shop Made 018.jpg
 
Get an after market fence for your saw to improve that issue, if you can. Then the track system. You will have the best of two worlds and probably at less money. As I recall, you are on the small size, like me. Shuffling sheet goods around is a bear! If you haul them home in the back of a truck, slide one off at a time onto a cutting platform, i.e., sawhorses with a waste board like 1" Styrofoam) Set up the tracksaw right there and make your cuts. Easy peasy. Glenn's suggestion is a good one! I used something like his until I invented my own, but I no longer manufacture it. Festool is good but pricey.

Oops. Forgot you are in the frozen north. Have to get your sheets inside your shop before you can work on them. Hubby will need to help. I have a hoist and swing system to get a sheet horizontal. And a panel trolley to push them around upright on the long side. I also made a folding tilting fixture from a magazine's plan to get a sheet from vertical to horizontal at waist height. It works but I sure wouldn't brag about it! But then I can't get up and down all that well anymore!
 
If you want a cheaper alternative to a tracksaw, I just got one of the Kreg RipCuts and really like it, for $35 it is really a nice tool I have only used a few times now, worked quite well, easy set up, and I got to use my own saw. . I don't often cut down large sheet goods, and since I have a ShopSmith don't always have my tablesaw set up. This fit the bill, and very cost effective, saved the cost of a tracksaw and as far as I can tell cuts just as straight.

https://www.kregtool.com/store/c48/saw-attachments/p79/rip-cuttrade/
 
I don't know how much room you have, but here's what I did to take care of sheet goods. When I laid out my shop, I allowed for an outfeed table, but also added a side support table that serves as my router table and holds the fence system. When I need to cut sheet goods, I remove the router fence (six 1/4-20 threaded inserts in the table). It gives me about 49" of support to the left of the blade. One could easily get by with 40-42" to the left of the blade.

TS_2IS_a.jpg
 
I have both, but the Festool track saw is my go to for sheet goods and straight lining rough cut lumber. I do not have the multifunction table and associated guides, but have been eying it. It appears to be perfect for accurately cutting cabinet parts.
 
Ted Calver said:
I have both, but the Festool track saw is my go to for sheet goods and straight lining rough cut lumber. I do not have the multifunction table and associated guides, but have been eying it. It appears to be perfect for accurately cutting cabinet parts.
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Go for the table! I've had mine for a year or so, and have found it very useful - both for the saw, and as a clamping surface. Lee Valley has some 20mm bench dogs and other accessories for it, too.

Last week, I had six bifold doors to cut down to accommodate the new hardwood flooring, and the job was the easiest ever using the track saw and the MFT. I set up a roller stand to support the door's overhang, put the door on the MFT and had them all cut within just a few minutes.

Using the various clamps and dogs, it makes a great sanding table, too. I've also adapted a Lee Valley LED gooseneck lamp and a Foredom flex-shaft motor holder (using a Lee Valley adapter) to the MFT so I can do power carving on it, with the afore-mentioned clamps holding the work. It really IS a Multi Function Table (MFT)!
 
Cynthia White said:
I have the Bosch 4100 Contractor's Table Saw or whatever it was called when I got it 4 years ago. When I finish what I'm working on (built-in bookcases), the next projects in the foreseeable future are all cabinets, built-ins everywhere. The Bosch has been great, but it's small, and it does get bogged down in hardwoods regularly. Just this week I discovered that my fence creeps away from the blade after many passes, so now I have to clamp the fence down to be sure it doesn't move. My biggest problem is handling sheet goods. I have to (obviously) break them down into manageable pieces before I can carry them to the Bosch. So I've been thinking I really need a real full-sized table saw. But then I was thinking maybe the Festool track saw would solve most of my problems at least with sheet goods, and I wouldn't have to cut everything twice.

What does my esteemed audience think?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately both. Track saws are outstanding for breaking sheet goods down to manageable size. But they have an error factor that needs a good table saw to make sure all of your parts are the same size. your Bosch saw is a job site saw and does that job well. It is not a shop saw and as you are finding out it does not do shop work well.
 
Cynthia look toward the long term when it comes to major tool purchases. I knew my work would be furniture and the amount of sheet goods I would deal with would be minimal once I got my shop put together. Sure a track saw would have been great but in the overall big picture I decided on a good table saw and then got a good guide to use when I broke down my sheet goods. Carol mentioned a better fence system but my expierence with contractor saws is that en expensive fence would be like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and it still will not solve the problem with bogging down with hard wood. A guided saw while great for ripping up to 4/4 wood I believe would also bog down if you were working with 8/4 or even 6/4 oak or maple. Unless you have unlimited funds what ever you do is going to be a compromise. I know this is going to get a lot of criticism but I am also not a fan of the festool. I looked at em and even tried one out but the thing I did not like was the fact that the blades are and odd size so you have to buy you blades from them. At least that how it was when i looked at em. Anyhow another $.02 worth of advice.
 
Don, I also have a distaste for Festool for different reasons, but just a small correction: I have 2 Tenryu blades and one Oshlun I use on my Festool Track saw. I also believe Freud now makes blades for them.
 
Chuck Thoits said:
Unfortunately both. Track saws are outstanding for breaking sheet goods down to manageable size. But they have an error factor that needs a good table saw to make sure all of your parts are the same size....
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Well that's a revolting development. So even with the track saw, the pieces cut out of plywood will still need to go through the table saw? I thought that track saw was so fantastic, I would only have to make the one cut?!

fred hargis said:
Did any of this help with a game plan, Cynthia?
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Well, a little, I guess. I had my heart set on that track saw, but if the pieces still have to go through the table saw, then I'm not sure it's worth the expense. I can cut down plywood with a circular saw and put it through the table saw like I'm doing now. It's pretty clear that I need a real table saw. I think I've come as far as I can with the contractor's jobsite saw.

:huh:
 
Ah... contraire, guys!

I use my track saw (not as expensive or fancy as a Festool) and cut within a quarter millimeter of perfectly square. What is so hard about that? I don't like running it through a second saw either.

Even with a bigger and better table saw with a decent fence, it is still very hard to muscle around a 4x8 sheet of plywood, not to mention to have the infeed and outfeed room to do it. Just do a good job clamping the track in the right place. As for mirror image on parts (likes sides of cabinets, etc.), cut as carefully as possible, stack them, check with your fingertips for flush all the way around. If I get an oddball, I usually can rout it flush with its partner. But that doesn't happen all that often.

Your back and arms will thank you for the tracksaw. And you can put off a new table saw purchase.

And as for putting a good fence on a lesser saw? Yup, BTDT. See pictures in "Setting Up Shop" by Sandor Nagyszalanczy. There's a shot in there with my benchtop saw and a Biesmeyer fence that I used for over ten years before I got a cabinet saw. And that is a whole less saw than Cynthia's. And I built large pieces of furniture with it. Only once did I have to hunt up a bigger saw. I needed to cut a large cove in a 2x10x10' piece of clear pine for a fireplace mantle. A friend across town came to the rescue. Sharp thin kerf blades and a feed rate to match. Clean cuts, no burning. Technique can make a huge difference!

If you go the track route, and want some tips, let me know. I have a few tricks up my sleeve for little or no number measuring to make perfect cuts.
 
Not a single problem, though I'm sure I don't use mine as much as someone who earns a living with it. Bit I'm not gentle with it, I sold the case that came with it, so mine just sits around in the shop and it's been dropped (3' down to the concrete), banged, and otherwise mistreated and not missed a beat. BTW, I'm anything but a huge Festool fan, this is the only one I'll ever own. But the tracksaw is fairly well done. (Mine's the small one.)

Edit: should have mentioned, I've had mine about 6 years so it's seen some use.
 
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