Track saw work flow - Printable Version

Track saw work flow - Printable Version

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RE: Track saw work flow - Cooler - 03-15-2018

(03-15-2018, 11:02 AM)Bit_Fiddler Wrote: I have a DeWalt track saw and 2 55" sections of track. I also bought the little bar to join the 2 sections of track together to make 1 long track - They fit well and the saw crosses the joint smoothly. I also had the same issue with cost for what you got... I ended up buying a refurb unit that saved me a few bucks but looked brand new.

I set up a couple of sawhorses with 54" 2x6's on the top - wider than the full sheet of ply I am breaking down. I lay several 8 foot 2x4s across the sawhorses to form a bed. I then place a 4x8 1.5" sheet of rigid foam insulation across the 2x4s for my cutting surface. I can lift/set the ply onto the sawhorses 1 at a time fairly easily and then tip it down onto the foam for cutting. I make my long cuts first, sometimes I clean up the factory edge with the track saw, sometimes I cut a little wide to clean up on the tablesaw later. No noticeable difference in cut quality, to be honest... Cutting slightly into the rigid foam seems to help the cut quality on the underside of the ply. Using a Dust Deputy with my vac seems to collect all of the dust. Once I have the long cuts made, I decide if I can cut them on my RAS or separate the tracks and make additional cuts with the track saw. For me, it is dramatically easier to break down ply using this method than to wrestle sheets on the tablesaw by myself.

Dave

I know it is going to be easier. Safer too, in my estimate. Time will tell. The circular saw seems like one of the safer machine tools in my shop, and the track saw would seem even safer.

Also safer on my back and less chance of falling down a flight of stairs. Up to 2' x 4' are easy to carry down. Larger panels are a pain. I invite friends over to bring assembled pieces up to the main floor in the winter. In the summer (no snow) I have ground level access from the back yard (actually it is a 3 foot step down, and then I can use a hand truck. But not in the winter. Hand trucks and snow don't agree with each other.

RE: Track saw work flow - Stwood_ - 03-15-2018

(03-15-2018, 11:25 AM)Cooler Wrote: Hand trucks and snow don't agree with each other.

We could fashion up some tire chains.
Uhoh

RE: Track saw work flow - photobug - 03-15-2018

(03-15-2018, 12:09 AM)Lynden Wrote: There is a lot of tracksaw use in this kitchen cabinet video series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrx1J9vr3Rg

That video really makes me appreciate my table saw. That looks like a lot of work. I recently broke protocol using my plywood breakdown tool indoors. I always just make one cut of a sheet good to get it to a working size to get to my table saw(s).

(03-15-2018, 09:22 AM)Cooler Wrote: The track saw came in last night. I only had time to inspect for damage. Everything looks fine.

I don't mind saying that it does not look like $800.00 worth of goods though. A saw. A 55" track and a vacuum hose. $800.00? Really.

I assume you bought a Festool? You knew that going into it and made the choice to make that investment, hopefully you find it worth it. I have been tempted to join the Green Cult also but with a $1200 RO sander, because if you buy a sander you need the matching vacuum to go with it.

RE: Track saw work flow - Cooler - 03-15-2018

(03-15-2018, 11:38 AM)photobug Wrote: That video really makes me appreciate my table saw. That looks like a lot of work. I recently broke protocol using my plywood breakdown tool indoors. I always just make one cut of a sheet good to get it to a working size to get to my table saw(s).

I assume you bought a Festool? You knew that going into it and made the choice to make that investment, hopefully you find it worth it. I have been tempted to join the Green Cult also but with a $1200 RO sander, because if you buy a sander you need the matching vacuum to go with it.

I found out that the Bosch vacuum hose will link to the Festool tools (you have to remove the locking mechanism --but it comes off with a twist). Then the hose can run to a shop vac. But yes, I knew it was expensive going in, but I thought it would look and feel expensive when I got it. It does not look and feel like $800.00 worth of equipment.

It may function like $800.00--obviously I will give it a chance to prove itself, but the "perceived value" is not there.

On the other hand when I bought my (very expensive) Hasselblad camera in the 1980s along with the very expensive Zeiss lenses, they looked and felt expensive. That is what is missing here.

RE: Track saw work flow - photobug - 03-15-2018

(03-15-2018, 03:51 PM)Cooler Wrote: It does not look and feel like $800.00 worth of equipment.

I guess that is the problem with the modern tool should it be sleek, lightweight and high tech or stout and heavy? Are you pairing your Festool tools with a Bosch vacuum?

I still have a camera bag with a Bronica body and lenses. I guess I am second tier tool owner.

RE: Track saw work flow - Cooler - 03-15-2018

I am using a Home Depot shop vac, a Bosch hose and a Festool saw. The Bosch hose fits both units.

RE: Track saw work flow - JohnnyEgo - 03-18-2018

You will probably grow to appreciate it more with use. When I first bought my Festool track saw and the associated vacuum, I was underwhelmed. I expected it to be a magical dust-free experience and that all my panels would have perfect, burn-free edges. I was pretty disappointed. But with each use, I grew to appreciate it a little more. Learned how to use the chip deflector correctly, which also meant buying all new chip deflectors. The first time I had to take a razor thin piece off a drawer that was too unweildy to do on the tablesaw, I grew to appreciate it even more. Now I have come to really appreciate the time-savings and ease on my back when breaking sheet goods. If it broke tomorrow, I'd grit my teeth and buy another one. So give it time.

I use a cutting table made out of some 2x4s for stuff I don't care too much about. If I want to have a cleaner cut, I'll throw some foam insulation board glued to a piece of 1/2" ply for an underlayment. When the time comes to replace or rebuild, I will probably go smaller at 3'x6'. Still plenty of room for material support for a full sized sheet, but it will make it a little easier to clamp and cut smaller pieces.

[Image: cuttingtable03.JPG]