Panel Saw?

[Haakon]

Just ordered a Festool track saw with 2x 1400mm tracks, looking forward to cutting with pleasure from now on!

 

[omgsideburns]

We've got a SawTraxxxxxxxxxxx

I don't know what model.. it's yellow.. and has a saw on it.

 

[Salmoneye]

I bought a DeWalt Track Saw super cheap on clearance. I think i'ts a 20 or 27v (can't remember but they were going to move up to a higher voltage so the existing ones are CHEAP! If mine broke or was stolen I would have another one ordered within 10 minutes. For me it beats a panel saw 10 to 1. Super precision, portable (you can even trim a panel on the job site), super clean cut, multiple pieces of substrate at once... ... Super happy with our decision.

 

[artbot]

just got a beater safety speed cut for $400 and cleaned it up. great for repeating cuts that aren't high precision cuts. have a ts75 (festool) and a 10' track for very crucial high risk trimming. another great thing about a track saw is that it's not depending on a fence or some other forced 90 degree base (like a panel saw). you can have a diagonally mounted print on a substrate and just cut to the printed edge. even with a nice cnc router, the track saw is still a faster set up and nothing cuts cleaner than a track saw. the blade spins backward against the plastic cutting guide which creates a scissor effect which cuts off the fibers instead of splintering with the direction of a blade.

if you are trimming lots of lighter weight pieces (pvc, petg, veneer, aluminum, mdf), i'd get the ts55. the ts75 is huge and very powerful but a beast to use for a long period. but then the ts75 can cut three sheets of 3/4 plywood at once stacked on a table.

 

[phototec]

As others have reported, a track saw is a great tool, and is the way to go for very clean splinter free edge and precision cuts. I used one for the first time a few years ago while working on the Extreme Makeover Home Edition project house built for SGG Patric Ziegler in Salado, TX. For one week I worked in a large white tent the called "Art World" and the TV production company, Lock & Key Productions had several large box trucks loaded with just about every kind of portable wood working tool you could think of right next to the tent, and they had a DeWalt track saw with three different size tracks, the longest being just over 8'.

We made several pieces of furniture for the project house, including a large credenza, a custom coffee table and display cases, we mainly used 3/4" thick furniture grade plywood, and used a table saw to cut all the rough sizes, and the DeWalt track saw to cut all the finished cut sizes, the cut edges were ready for edge banding without any additional work.

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I was just amazed at the finished edge after cutting, I have a high end table saw in my shop and never get the same smooth finished cut edge as you can get using the track saw with it's anti-chip edge system that eliminates splintering. As soon as we fished working on the project house for SGG Ziegler, I looked into purchasing a DeWalt track saw, but I found them to be a bit pricey, I'm still looking a good sale. [/FONT]


Here is a good article about the difference between a Panel Saw and Track saw:

http://toolmonger.com/2011/02/16/reader-question-are-panel-saws-still-relevant/


For anyone who is not familiar with Extreme Makeover Home Edition house for SGG Patric Ziegler and his story, here is a short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi_PUY40NFg

 

[fmg]

FESTOOL all the way.Pricey but well worth it and an endless amount of great accessories.

 

[Haakon]

Ordered mine from the UK, price was less than half of Norwegian retail price, even including over $100 in shipping.