Track saw vs tablesaw

[jwmay]

I'm a long time woodworker, professionally. I've owned a lot of saws over many years. A radial arm was my first one. I still had a DeWalt model GE 14" when I sold out. A radial arm saw would be the last type of saw I would buy. Consider instead a Makita compound miter saw with as large a blade size as you think you will need. Safer, more accurate, quicker to change angles on & on. I

I appreciate the thoughts. I have a Craftsman 12” sliding compound miter saw. It’s ok I guess. I can’t say it’s particularly accurate, but it’s usually good enough. The problem always comes down to space. Because of the design, it needs like 16” (or more) of empty unusable space behind the saw. My shop is 9’ wide. I don’t know that a RAS is an answer. But it appears that when it’s not in use, I have a tabletop for whatever I may need. While with the miter saw, it’s taking the same space and hoarding it.
I do see a lot of saw blade sticking out on them. But safe operation is my responsibility. I mean right now, I basically triage most of my projects with the following questions.
1. Will I need the tablesaw?
2:Will I need the miter saw?
3:Will this take longer than one day?

If any of those answers is yes. The project is scrapped. Because I’m not going to set these things up and tear them down every day for a week to “have fun making stuff”. Lol

But I’m imagining the RAS could be there against the wall all the time. No set up. Just spitballing here. And it rips and crosscuts.

 

[mmcmdl]

If I could ever clear out the garage I would guess that all the above would be used . At this point , Ive been using the vertical bandsaw for small wood things . One of these days !

 

[Larry$]

But I’m imagining the RAS could be there against the wall all the time. No set up. Just spitballing here. And it rips and crosscuts.

A RA saw sticks out quite a long way! Much more than it's travel/ cross cut length! Ripping on a RAsaw "can" be done but I don't recommend it. It is difficult to feed, the hold downs need to be very stout or it will lift the work, jamb the blade & break the guard (don't ask how I know!) When ripping: the motor hold downs are in the way, you can't finish the cut if it is very narrow by pushing it through as you would on a table saw, reaching out across the table and around the motor & arm is awkward at best.

The table saw is very versatile, I wouldn't be WO. If necessary it can be covered and become a work surface, rolled out of the way etc.

and tear them down every day for a week

What kind of a PIA that is depends on your ability to organize for it. Wheels are your friend, maybe also a quick way of raising /lowering some things so they can occupy the same "in use " space. For my hobby woodworking my traditional workbench with bench dogs, side & tail vices is the most useful tool I have. It can be used against the wall or pulled out if it better suites the work. It holds things flat so the entire surface can be sanded, planed, carved routed... It holds things on edge, even relatively long things endwise up. I keep most of my hand tools on the wall where they are instantly available. The space you have determines the kind of work you can reasonably make. I like to make furniture but I'm slow at it. That's OK I do it to entertain myself.

 

[MikeInOr]

Funny enough, I’ve been considering a radial arm saw. Sometimes I think I like reading about tools more than using them. Lol

I am a big radial arm saw fan! I grew up learning woodworking from my father and the only stationary saw we had was a Delta 10" turret arm radial arm saw.

Sometimes I think that I like fixing up old tools more than I like using them. My 16" Redstar turret arm RAS is a definite exception. I don't think I have had a project in the last 30+ years that hasn't included using the Redstar RAS. Sadly my 1947 Redstar 16" RAS is being replaced by an early 80's Delta/Rockwell 16" turret long arm RAS. The extra 6" of arm length allows me to do a 24" crosscut on the RAS. I am having a hard time listing my great old Redstar friend for sale.

If you buy a RAS make sure you get a good heavy cast iron one... preferably a real 12" blade or larger. I would reccomend skipping the Craftsman RAS's.

Due to all the other woodworking tools I have I don't use my track saw a lot. But when I do it is priceless for the function it provides.

There is something better than reading about tools, looking at pictures of them!

The gear box and elevation screw were rusted shut so the elevation wouldn't budge. Which is why I was able to pick up this 16" long arm radial arm saw for $100. I have invested a good bit of Evaporust to bring her back to life, The elevation now runs very smoothly! The saw was left outside at some point in its life where water infiltrated the elevation gear box.

The beautiful "old lady" 1947 Redstar 16" RAS:

Sorry for taking a left turn with this thread. The OP made his decision so I figured that thread was kind of petering out anyway.

 

[aluminum]

Would like to see someone's plans for a track saw . I have all the components on hand and just getting into the woodworking tools .

The best plan for a track saw if you ask me is to plan to whip your credit card out. Lol.. Between the aluminum extrusions, plunge mechanisms, and advanced dust collection designs, DIY is not really an efficient use of resources even for someone with access to a machine shop. You can make a straight edge fence system for a circular saw, but it won't be a true track/plunge saw with the same benefits. Yes a track saw is expensive, and it shouldn't be so expensive, but the alternative diy version is not a perfect substitute. I think good budget options are available as well: Even though the Ryobi is not a great track saw compared to the rest, I've seen it on clearance for under $200 with tracks for cordless, then the Wen with Powertec tracks is a decent option (corded and cordless available), followed in price by Kreg, then Makita, then of course there are the premium brands like Festool and Mafell. DeWalt and Milwaukee have their versions too, but I would personally recommend sticking with a brand that uses Festool style tracks like the ones I mentioned previously.

 

[mmcmdl]

The best plan for a track saw if you ask me is to plan to whip your credit card out. Lol.

My components list is much larger than my credit limit . I have many bearing slides and miles of 80/20 and whatever else needed . Just need a plan .

 

[aluminum]

So for those of you who wish to design and build your own, lets start with some design goals:
1) Easily expandable track length (<5 minutes)
2) Dial in depth of cut (<30 seconds)
3) Plunge mechanism or other accurate and repeatable means of starting a cut anywhere in the work
4) Track must work with any bevel angle between 90 and 45 degrees.
5) Track must be able to perfectly align the cut.
6) Must be compatible with track squares and track clamps and optionally with other accessories
7) Track and saw must be adjustable to take up slop and ensure smooth glide
8) Track must not slip on workpiece while cutting, even when not clamped down
9) Track saw must be attachable to a vacuum and attain 80% dust containment or better
10) The tracks must weigh under 5 pounds each for a 55" segment
11) Must cost less than a commercially available track/plunge saw system

 

[mmcmdl]

OK , project put on HOLD status !

 

[Shiseiji]

I have been considering replacing a Dewalt dw744 jobsite tablesaw, with one of those saws that has a track it follows. This so purely a space and utility consideration. My shop is 16’ x 12’ of useable space. Half of which is dedicated to metalworking.
Obviously I can’t process sheet goods there. So the tablesaw is stored in the garage, taking up space against the wall. I hate setting it up.
As I get older, handling sheet goods has become more than I want to manage. I was thinking I could do all my rips right off the trailer, saving any handling of full size sheets.
Using the circular saw with a guide is fine, but it’s time intensive.
I wondered if the “track saws” were faster.
Any thoughts?

Without reading through all four pages, I've done almost the same. Tracksaw and removed the extra wings off the table-saw I had for cutting sheet goods. I left a router table wing on. I bought two Bora centipedes. I use hollow closet doors purchased from Habitat for Humanity as the tops. I cut 2X down and notched them to fit the Bora holders so they are pretty steady. When I'm done it all fits in a locker I made and the folded up closet doors go in an overhead. I've used solid insulation in the past so I can just cut down the middle when needed.

Ron

 

[tcooper27]

A RA saw sticks out quite a long way! Much more than it's travel/ cross cut length! Ripping on a RAsaw "can" be done but I don't recommend it. It is difficult to feed, the hold downs need to be very stout or it will lift the work, jamb the blade & break the guard (don't ask how I know!) When ripping: the motor hold downs are in the way, you can't finish the cut if it is very narrow by pushing it through as you would on a table saw, reaching out across the table and around the motor & arm is awkward at best.

Yeah but the arm on a classic DeWalt style saw can be rotated 90 degrees to sit almost flush against the wall when not in use. My experience with ripping on a RAS has been the opposite. I've ripped 4x4's in one pass, 2"+ thick hardwoods, ploughed 3/4" wide grooves with a dado stack, etc. With the blade guard rotated correctly to prevent lift, anti-kickback pawls, and a proper push board it's easy to feed wood through drama-free from a good distance. A featherboard or two helps with smaller pieces, but that's true on a table saw as well.