Last updated on March 19th, 2023 at 12:37 am
Ever wondered whether you even need a track saw in your workshop?
If you own a circular saw and a table saw, buying a track saw can be quite difficult to justify, especially when you’ve not used it before.
A track saw is not the most common type of saw you’ll find among DIYers or simple homeowners, simply because most people don’t know the uses or how important it is.
You might think it’s just a fancy looking circular saw, but it’s not. It’s far more than that.
If you’re ever thought about getting one for your projects, but haven’t seen enough reason to, then you should continue reading to see 8 good track saw uses that will finally move you to get one.
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1. Accuracy – Make long and accurate rip cuts
If you carry out projects that require a high degree of accuracy like furniture and cabinet making, then the accuracy of the cuts you make is undoubtedly very important to you. Yes?
That’s one reason there why you should get a track saw.
Track saws are built for making long accurate rip cuts. They’re portable means of breaking down large stocks of wood or board with clean, accurate and precise cuts.
Other saws like circular saws and even table saws can end up producing splinters or tear-outs on the wood you’re cutting, but track saws will produce little to no visible tear-outs.
Get a track saw if you need a reliable means to make long, neat, clean and accurate rip cuts consistently.
2. It’s a multipurpose saw
A track saw can do the work of a table saw, circular saw, and even a panel saw with the right accessories bought with it.
It allows you to make long, smooth and accurate rip cuts with the aid of a guide rail or track which you can combine with the saw.
It’s a multipurpose saw. You can make rip cuts, crosscuts, plunge-cuts and even bevel cuts with it.
3. Take the saw to the job
A track saw does most of the job a table saw does, and at the same time it has one important advantage it.
This advantage is that, while a table saw is big and mostly stationary, a track saw is small and portable. Which means you can take it with you to the job instead of bringing the job to the saw.
Hence you can use it to rip or break down unusually large boards without having to go through the trouble of carrying the boards to where the saw is.
4. Quick Setup – less downtime
If you want to rip large wood stocks using a circular saw, you’re very likely to use clamps to hold a straight piece of wood to the board to serve as a guide.
On the other hand, with a track saw, you don’t need clamps. It’s very easy to setup up. Just align the track of the saw with your mark and you can make your cut right away.
There’s no setup needed, no clamping as the bottom of the tracks have sticky rubber strips that stick to the board you’re cutting preventing any form of play or movement between the track and the board.
Just align and make your cut, with no downtime.
5. Make extremely long cuts by connecting the tracks
If you plan on cutting plywoods or boards much longer than your single track saw track, then you can add multiple tracks or rails to your existing track to make the it longer.
This will allow you to cut really long stocks or plywood with ease.
6. Fits in tight spaces
Unlike table saws that are quite large, track saws a quite small, and you can fit them in tight spaces to make cuts.
7. Very portable
You can pick up your track saw with just one arm and take it with you wherever you want to go.
They’re very portable unlike table saws and does not require a second pair of hands or any type of machinery to help move them from point A to point B.
8. Make flush cuts against adjacent surfaces
The design of track saws allows you to use them for making flush cuts against adjacent surfaces like walls.
This will be quite difficult or even impossible on other saws, but with a track saw, it’s fairly easy.
