Table saw v Track saw A bit of advice please

[bluenose]

I have decided to sell my table saw which is a Sheppach ts 2500ci.

I am thinking of replacing it with something that I have seen mentioned at various times on here and that is, a Track Saw.

I have found my table saw to be quite brilliant for my needs which is basically hobbyist/DIY.

I wonder if someone who uses a Track Saw might enlighten me a little with regards to its versatility. For instance, with my table saw being set-up nice and square I can simply pop the job on it and cut it to size and, if I should need another 1mm taken off then it is quite simple to do. Is it fairly easy to remove that extra 1mm with a Track Saw or is that asking too much?
I assume that setting up the Track Saw for use would entail a lot of set square use, can it be as accurate as using the table saw?
Is the saw restricted as to the minimum size of timber that be cut?

I have never churned out loads of jobs in my workshop (its a garage really!!) and now that I am turned 80 that is not going to change really but, it's always nice to have the gear to be able to do a job when necessary, either for myself or for family and friends.

Any help/guidance/recommendations will be gratefully received.

Final thought, any idea's as to what I might ask for my Sheppach which is in excellent condition?

 

[Woody2Shoes]

This Youtuber usually talks a lot of sense. Here he expounds on the relative merits of table saw and track saw (in a surprisingly unbiased way for an American! )

I think that in truth, the relative merits depend very much on what you want to cut up, what sizes and accuracy you need and how often. For me, a track saw is most useful for breaking down sheet material. A hand-held circular saw or handsaw, or a bandsaw, or a chainsaw, do everything else I want to do with (non-manmade, or manmade) material.

One of the good things about a portable (non-table) saw is that you're bringing the tool to the workpiece - rather than the other way round - which must be helpful with chunky workpieces as one gets less able.

 

[Droogs]

It all depends on whether you are intending to use the track saw free hand by just putting the track down and having at it or if you will create something like Peter Millards dropping track MFT type bench which will give you a lot of repeatablility depending on how well you make the bench really

 

[GaryHandS]

I have decided to sell my table saw which is a Sheppach ts 2500ci.

I am thinking of replacing it with something that I have seen mentioned at various times on here and that is, a Track Saw.

I have found my table saw to be quite brilliant for my needs which is basically hobbyist/DIY.

I wonder if someone who uses a Track Saw might enlighten me a little with regards to its versatility. For instance, with my table saw being set-up nice and square I can simply pop the job on it and cut it to size and, if I should need another 1mm taken off then it is quite simple to do. Is it fairly easy to remove that extra 1mm with a Track Saw or is that asking too much?
I assume that setting up the Track Saw for use would entail a lot of set square use, can it be as accurate as using the table saw?
Is the saw restricted as to the minimum size of timber that be cut?

I have never churned out loads of jobs in my workshop (its a garage really!!) and now that I am turned 80 that is not going to change really but, it's always nice to have the gear to be able to do a job when necessary, either for myself or for family and friends.

Any help/guidance/recommendations will be gratefully received.

Final thought, any idea's as to what I might ask for my Sheppach which is in excellent condition?

 

[GaryHandS]

I find my track saw really useful but I wish that I had the use of a circular saw bench too. Certainly the track saw is good for on-site work, eg. trimming the bottom of a door or cutting a 1.2 x 2.4 board in to a manageable size for further work. (There's a fair amount of crawling around on your hands and knees when using a track saw.) For repetitive work however, like cutting a number of pieces of timber all the same length, the bench saw is the answer. I'm sorry not to helpful to your plight but I'd get a track saw and keep the bench saw too.

 

[Bill Derr]

Ideal world situation - have both. Both will be good at what they do best and less so for stuff they don't do best.

 

[Padster]

So I have recently decided to go down the route of a track saw, as I am doing a bit of overhaul on my workshop (also single garage).
I did a lot of research, as mentioned @petermillard has a lot of very useful stuff about this topic and many others on his youtube channel, there are many others as well.
So why do you want to change - I ask because at 80years young I’m guessing you know more than I, and have managed all this time with what I understand is a good piece of kit, what do you feel you can’t do?
My choice was because I rarely rip full sheets but when I did I rarely had enough room and often pulled it all out onto the drive, I also had an inferior bandsaw.
Since my change I‘ve built new benches - one MFT, and purchased benchdogs kit, for use with the track saw, all the benches are now the same height meaning I can still rip full sheets with the track saw across them. I have upgraded the bandsaw, and have a better station for my mitre saw, meaning the table saw became redundant.

Hope this helps a little - and when it comes to track saws - I‘d have loved Mafell or Festool, but budget meant I went for the Bosch and have zero regrets.

regards

Padster

 

[TheTiddles]

Here’s a trim cut done on 30mm thick MRMDF with 3mm elm veneer either side, done by a Mafell KSP40 (a little track saw)

I got rid of my table saw, I do occasionally miss it. They aren’t the same thing as a track saw so it really does depend on what you’re making

Aidan

 

[murphy]

I got rid of my Axminster table saw and I missed it so much I had to buy another one, they are great for quick cut smaller jobs, holding smaller work to cut with a track saw is tricky, I then bought a smaller Bosch table saw with sliding carriage, I have it fitted on a cabinet with castors, I have had it for about 4 years and never regretted buying it, it is very accurate once set up properly, and with the money I had left, I put towards a Festool track saw which was another great buy, so my advice is to have both, if you can, and you have the room, if you sell the table saw you will regret it.

 

[NewbieRaf]

For me a track saw especially with an mft is very quick, a lot less faff and less messy than a table saw. Having said that I’m finding ripping on an mft especially narrow boards a faff to setup especially in a small shop for obvious reasons. I would recommend having both

 

[colinc]

I have a small Mafell track saw and a small Kity 419 table saw. I find they are both indispensable but for different jobs. The track saw is great dealing with sheet goods, but the table saw with various jigs does a lot of joinery work the track saw cannot. You won’t regret adding a track saw, but you will regret getting rid of your table saw I think.

 

[TheTiddles]

It’s probably worth a footnote that I’d only gotten rid of my table saw as I have a decent bandsaw now. It does very much come down to what you are making
Aidan

 

[recipio]

A track saw will never replace a table saw. Apart from making square cuts you can change blades easily to suit the material being cut. The only problem with both is the space needed to break down a 4x8 sheet but two trestles and a jigsaw will allow that.
I've always regretted selling machinery - especially when you have to pony up for a replacement. I would hold on to your Scheppach if I were you !

 

[djellworth]

+1 for the stumpy nubs discussion of table saw usefulness. Despite the ridiculous name I like the cut of his jib and think he generally talks a lot of sense.

 

[Britman]

I'd have to say that having both is a good way to go if you can.
Repeatable, accurate cuts are a breeze to do with the track saw and MFT or parallel guides, even my cheap ass Mac Alistair give me accurate cuts.

But as others have said a we'll set up table saw is so versatile.

 

[petermillard]

I have both; the table saw rarely gets used - very narrow rips and cutting wedges - and I may get rid of it before too long. But that’s down to the kind of work I do; I’d be curious to know why the OP wants to ditch his table saw??

 

[Chris Hawkins]

I'm not sure it's possible to help without knowing how it is used. I have a table saw, band saw. mitre saw and track saw and use them all daily (except track - used infrequently). Each is better at something than another. Most of my work is small (<1m) and I wouldn't want to be without any of them.

 

[bluenose]

Thanks to all for your valued contributions, some really splendid and interesting links provided too.

It would seem many of you think that I should keep my table saw but, what I really need to decide now I suppose is, am I going to get involved in woodwork enough to warrant keeping it. I mentioned in my original post that I have never really been turning out lots of work, I suppose that really, in the main, all of my equipment has been made full use of in the 'doing-up' of all the properties that I have moved into over the years and this is where I made my gains that now makes me 'reasonably comfortable' in my final years
I do now spend rather more time doing long walks and playing snooker and this is all at the expense of time in the workshop. It would seem logical really I suppose, to get rid of the table saw as it is a sizeable bit of kit that stands doing nothing more often than it is used and, to get something like a Track saw that takes up minimal space but is always handy if a job crops up.

Sods law I suppose that if I part with it, someone will come along and ask me to make something for them that would have been a doddle if I'd kept it!!

Any ideas what the second-hand market is like and what could I expect to get for it bearing in mind that it's in very good nick?

Thanks again for your input chaps, much appreciated.

When I'm sat at my pc, apart from the Lexus Owners Forum, this is where I spend a lot of time, fabulous site

 

[Britman]

Thanks to all for your valued contributions, some really splendid and interesting links provided too.

It would seem many of you think that I should keep my table saw but, what I really need to decide now I suppose is, am I going to get involved in woodwork enough to warrant keeping it. I mentioned in my original post that I have never really been turning out lots of work, I suppose that really, in the main, all of my equipment has been made full use of in the 'doing-up' of all the properties that I have moved into over the years and this is where I made my gains that now makes me 'reasonably comfortable' in my final years
I do now spend rather more time doing long walks and playing snooker and this is all at the expense of time in the workshop. It would seem logical really I suppose, to get rid of the table saw as it is a sizeable bit of kit that stands doing nothing more often than it is used and, to get something like a Track saw that takes up minimal space but is always handy if a job crops up.

Sods law I suppose that if I part with it, someone will come along and ask me to make something for them that would have been a doddle if I'd kept it!!

Any ideas what the second-hand market is like and what could I expect to get for it bearing in mind that it's in very good nick?

Thanks again for your input chaps, much appreciated.

When I'm sat at my pc, apart from the Lexus Owners Forum, this is where I spend a lot of time, fabulous site

Out of curiosity does it have all the attachments like sliding table and extension table.

 

[TRITON]

Considering large machinery is currently not easy to come by, if you sell and find its not exactly what you wanted, getting a replacement is going to be difficult.
That said if you are sure, take note of availability and ask a price not far off that you originally paid.