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The day I stopped hating on track saws after 15 years of table saw loyalty
I was at a job site in Denver last month helping a buddy with some built-ins in a tight hallway. He pulled out this old Festool track saw and I almost laughed at him. I've always used a jobsite table saw for everything, figured tracks were just for guys who couldn't square a board. He set it up in like 30 seconds and made a cut on a 10-foot sheet of maple that was dead straight. I borrowed it for the rest of the day and realized I've been fighting with material handling for no reason. Now I'm looking at grabbing a used one off Craigslist under $400. Anyone else make the switch later in their career and regret not doing it sooner?
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terry_carter1523d ago
Man I just watched a video from one of those weekend workshop guys who said the same thing, totally changed my mind about track saws being a gimmick. Might have to finally give one a shot after hearing that.
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diana201h ago
The "workshop guy" stuff is hit or miss, but the back and shoulder thing is the real dealbreaker nobody talks about. I've seen guys in their 50s and 60s at the lumberyard who can barely lift a 4x8 sheet without grunting, and they still try to wrestle it onto a table saw. A track saw makes cutting down that big sheet a one-person job without needing a spotter or your chiropractor on speed dial.
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One thing that never gets mentioned is how much safer a track saw is for your back and shoulders compared to lugging a full sheet across a table saw. I spent years with a tweaked lower back from wrestling plywood around a basement shop. A buddy of mine actually switched after a herniated disc, and he says it's the best tool purchase he ever made for his body, not just his work.
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