Track Saws?

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

I love the track saw, it's really useful. But I've seen several times where someone asked, or someone declared, that a track saw could replace the table saw. Anyone who thinks it's a replacement for a table saw just hasn't thought things through very well...or they have no woodshop experience. I don't follow the mioter saw comment, but there's not one in my shop (there is an RAS, but that's a different argument...or opinion, whichever).

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[kmealy]

6 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

I love the track saw, it's really useful. But I've seen several times where someone asked, or someone declared, that a track saw could replace the table saw. Anyone who thinks it's a replacement for a table saw just hasn't thought things through very well...or they have no woodshop experience. I don't follow the mioter saw comment, but there's not one in my shop (there is an RAS, but that's a different argument...or opinion, whichever).

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The biggest problem I had with the (Craftsman) RAS was keeping it aligned and making sure it didn't just jump into the cut (early in my career, might not have had the best blade).   And thinking of doing a rip with it scared the bejeebers out of me.

 

I went many years without a miter saw and eventually got one when I had a job to make some very large compound mitered picture frames.  A few years later a friend gave me one that he said the blade guard was not working on.  I ordered a new spring for it and when I got it found that the old spring was there and just popped off position.  He was a guy who would just buy stuff rather than fixing.  I occasionally used one on mission trips mostly building decks, handicap racks and door frames.  Also used doing repair work when I knew I'd need to cut pieces on site (usually in the customer's driveway).  One is on a rack in the shop now that I used to cut things to length when the table saw is set up for something else.

Edited November 22, 2024 by kmealy

[Woodmaster95]

Fred, I couldn’t agree more about the track saw versus table saw debate. A track saw is an amazing tool - I use mine all the time. But a table saw? That’s the workhorse of the shop. They’re tools that complement each other, not replace each other.