A New Table Saw or Track Saw?

Seeing this thread and Neds post i looked up how much a Festool saw costs using LV site as local reference.
The small one is $744.
To me thats a heck of a lot of money for a single purpose saw.
Given to do other woodworking it is arguable that one still needs a table saw, i would sooner take that kind of money and add to it and by a decent size table saw, build a outfeed table around it and invest in some decent blades to go with it. It goes without saying that a decent table saw had better come with a decent fence or it is not in the running for categorizing as decent table saw.
Consider all the other cuts and processes that can be executed on a decent saw. This point is not being considered here.
Just like a router, which at one point i saw only in a narrow light,
Nowadays my table saw is the center of my woodowrking universe.
Consider
Rip cut
Cross cut
Angled cuts both in rip and crosscut mode
Making crown molding
With a half decent blade one can get a glue line cut equal to using a jointer.
Cutting tenons not only parallel but with the aid of a tenon jig even at odd angles.
Then consider adding a box joint jig and one can rapidly cut box joints even with a homemade box joint jig.
Then consider adding a dado blade set and it opens up a whole additional series of cut opportunities.
Cutting a dado, a rabbet, a groove .
Brent posted about making raised panel doors, well apart from fancy ogees one can make an entire panel door on table saw.
Then consider this is by no means the most comprehensive use of a table saw, its just the limit of what i have used mine for.
Now i have a cheapo skill circular saw, fitted it with a thin kerf diablo blade and it does a good job of cutting sheet goods i take care to clamp a striaght edge down and have learnt hard way to measure 3 times before i cut.
Its got its limits and i have plans to replace it with a better circular saw that has a more precise base and deeper cut capability but i dont see even if it were a festool that it would be able to take the place of my table saw.

But.....if i were only looking to knock off bookcases and cabinets and then get out of woodworking and do something else, i would buy a festool or dewalt track saw as i believe it would be an easy sell when u done to get back the most of ur investment for a second hand tool, and have a very decent tool to use for the purpose.
 
I've been running a DeWalt track saw now for several years. I've built 3 or 4 kitchens with it. Not as fancy as a green machine but works very well. I would say to go with a TS first and break the sheet goods down with the circular saw until you're ready for the next tool investment. Festool has some great ideas and makes wonderful tools but I (as just a glorified hobbiest) can't justify the cost of any of the tools they sell.... YMMV
 
yes. I use the track saw to break down the sheets to within lets say 1/4 inch, then I cut parts identical on tablesaw.
Its extremely difficult for me to 1. hold and maneuver an 80 lb sheet and 2. have enough space in garage to move sheet on table saw without full sheet banging into things, causing bad cuts.
ex: If Im making 4 cabinets, and all the walls are 11.25 wide by 30 inches high, I will cut a sheet with the track saw into 12 inch strips x96 inches.
Then quickly run them through the TS to 11.25, then cross cut them. Or cut 30.25 inches high panels, and rip them to 11.25 inches on TS.
Whatever way leaves me more of the sheet I want in any project.
The Track saw takes 2 minutes to set up, and it makes the panels 10 times easier to handle once they are knocked down to size.

its also a beautiful thing when Im cutting down a table top, a chest top, etc.....to correct length.
 
Seeing this thread and Neds post i looked up how much a Festool saw costs using LV site as local reference.
The small one is $744.
To me thats a heck of a lot of money for a single purpose saw.
Given to do other woodworking it is arguable that one still needs a table saw, i would sooner take that kind of money and add to it and by a decent size table saw, build a outfeed table around it and invest in some decent blades to go with it. It goes without saying that a decent table saw had better come with a decent fence or it is not in the running for categorizing as decent table saw.
Consider all the other cuts and processes that can be executed on a decent saw. This point is not being considered here.
Just like a router, which at one point i saw only in a narrow light,
Nowadays my table saw is the center of my woodowrking universe.
Consider
Rip cut
Cross cut
Angled cuts both in rip and crosscut mode
Making crown molding
With a half decent blade one can get a glue line cut equal to using a jointer.
Cutting tenons not only parallel but with the aid of a tenon jig even at odd angles.
Then consider adding a box joint jig and one can rapidly cut box joints even with a homemade box joint jig.
Then consider adding a dado blade set and it opens up a whole additional series of cut opportunities.
Cutting a dado, a rabbet, a groove .
Brent posted about making raised panel doors, well apart from fancy ogees one can make an entire panel door on table saw.
Then consider this is by no means the most comprehensive use of a table saw, its just the limit of what i have used mine for.
Now i have a cheapo skill circular saw, fitted it with a thin kerf diablo blade and it does a good job of cutting sheet goods i take care to clamp a striaght edge down and have learnt hard way to measure 3 times before i cut.
Its got its limits and i have plans to replace it with a better circular saw that has a more precise base and deeper cut capability but i dont see even if it were a festool that it would be able to take the place of my table saw.

But.....if i were only looking to knock off bookcases and cabinets and then get out of woodworking and do something else, i would buy a festool or dewalt track saw as i believe it would be an easy sell when u done to get back the most of ur investment for a second hand tool, and have a very decent tool to use for the purpose.

Here are a couple of videos for you to watch Rob. This guy builds cabinets using a festool track saw on a very versatile work bench he designed and built. I'm subscribed to his channel and he has a lot of very good ideas.

Here is the link to the 15 part video series on building this work station. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB1ATCukiUGSEvdBc7NnqlmxHAwdx6C83

Here is another video on his second generation work bench.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB1ATCukiUGRpTw3dlQFSk8uOmIEP3BJ1

And a link to the video series on building it.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB1ATCukiUGRpTw3dlQFSk8uOmIEP3BJ1
 
Alan I only saw him using that track saw to break down ply for his workbenches. Note he still has a jobsite table saw, made use of router and chop saw, and a bunch of other tools. :)

If his track saw could do it all with a workbench like that, then why did he setup a jobsite saw and make the bench double as such a large outfeed table.

I sill say if the choice is between table saw and track saw .....and OR situation, i take the table saw over the track saw.

Of course if money is no object bring it on and lets have both and more. :thumb:

There are times when i have wondered whether Ron Paulk has Festool sponsoring him with the way he plugs all their tools. I can see a pro like him getting value from them though.

BUt note something about that bench setup, its all good and well when one has a nice large area that is flat surface to setup on and work on. What happens when is not the case? Like say on an asphalt driveway like mine after a few years of weather caused heaving. Again i say we miss the obvious and that is this guy has skill that did not come overnight as the HGTV commercials would have us believe or Home Depots slogan you can do it we can help....yeah right!!!!
 
Alan I only saw him using that track saw to break down ply for his workbenches. Note he still has a jobsite table saw, made use of router and chop saw, and a bunch of other tools. :)

If his track saw could do it all with a workbench like that, then why did he setup a jobsite saw and make the bench double as such a large outfeed table.

I sill say if the choice is between table saw and track saw .....and OR situation, i take the table saw over the track saw.

Of course if money is no object bring it on and lets have both and more. :thumb:

There are times when i have wondered whether Ron Paulk has Festool sponsoring him with the way he plugs all their tools. I can see a pro like him getting value from them though.

BUt note something about that bench setup, its all good and well when one has a nice large area that is flat surface to setup on and work on. What happens when is not the case? Like say on an asphalt driveway like mine after a few years of weather caused heaving. Again i say we miss the obvious and that is this guy has skill that did not come overnight as the HGTV commercials would have us believe or Home Depots slogan you can do it we can help....yeah right!!!!

He has the necessary tools to do the type of work that he does.

The table saw and using the bench as a large out feed table is just taking advantage of the available space of the work bench. There are just some things that are quicker to do with a small job site saw. I look at it as the small job site saw supplements the track saw in his work flow.

I never worried about having a perfectly flat surface to set up my saw horses for a work bench. Never gave it a second thought until you mentioned it in your post. If something didn't sit just right I would subconsciously put a block of wood under the offending saw horse and get after it.

This is a very good system that has many years of experience and thought that went into it. If I start to do this type of work again I will seriously consider it.
 
watch the videos by Mrbigerock on youtube.
He has the entire festool setup, and does an entire kitchen with his tracksaw, router table and mitre saw(but he could have eliminated his mitre saw since he had a nice set up with the track saw)
 
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