Do you plan to set up a carpentry workshop of your own? Since you want to buy the essential things first. You are planning to buy a device that is fit for cutting most of the wood cutting types.
You are a person who knows that woodworking tasks are variable. Sometimes you have to make planks out of large lumber logs. At other times, you want to bevel cut your wooden pieces for crafting a table.
Still, you have in your mind that you wish to have angled cuts for joining different parts together. Similarly, there could be projects or orders that require a combination of both.
Finally, you end up in a decision that you need to have either track saw vs table saw. But which one is better? Don’t be upset.
Our article below will help you decide on which tool you should be investing in first. We will discuss each of them in detail and later compare them to finalize your purchase deal!
The Table saw
It is one of the top three or four essentials of the woodworking workshop. It has a circular blade mounted at the top of a holding panel. This panel is responsible for providing the framework that holds and locks all the parts together.
The blade is protruding its head a few inches above the table that makes its main body. Since you can witness a blade on a table, hence is its name “Table saw.”
Since it is a big machine with big tasks in hand, so it is power operated. Its enormous body, sharp blade, and power supply help it cut monster wooden logs into your desired sizes. So let us take a brief look at its parts:
⇒ Parts:
Its main components are more or less the same in all its types. Different types vary with their size, type of power supply, and holding panel of the blade.
It consists of a tabletop that makes the main body, blade, the primary cutting tool. It is held in place by the arbor. The saw has a power supply in the form of a motor connected to the central system through gear or belt.
It has a base that can be mobile or stationary. For angular cuttings, you will find a meter gauge. For keeping the wood in place, you can use the fence. There is a riving knife. There are lots of screws and bolts to hold it in place.
Don’t worry; it is not about just machines and blades. It is packed with some safety tools and gear too. Some of them detect flesh and have other sensors also.
⇒ Blades type:
They vary based on their size, the number of teeth, and the material used.
The sizes are usually 8, 10, and 12 inches in diameter. The greater diameter means greater penetration in the wood.
The thumb’s rule is, greater the teeth, the more significant is the neatness of the cut, the edges are complete square and vice versa.
More teeth mean slower movement through the wooden surface. On the contrary, fewer teeth rip the surfaces apart at a higher speed.
Now comes the variety of blades based upon their materials. It differs from the type of material you want to cut. For simple wood, blades made up of steel suffice.
However, you want to cut more rigid materials, then replace the simple steel blades with tungsten blades. This is not the limit. If you’re going to cut any harder stuff, you can use a diamond teeth blade.
So, you can divide the types into ripping, cross-cut, composite, and combination blades.
⇒ Application:
It depends upon the variations in the part, size, and blades. The table saw has found its application in an immense number of fields. To highlight just a few, you can use it for cutting the big logs into smaller ones, and size is no hindrance.
It can produce crosscuts, miter cuts, and any bevel ends. You can use it for cutting different types of materials like wood, plastic, acrylic sheets, Plexiglas, PVC, steel, etc.
⇒ Advantages:
It is best to deal with long cuts, no match to its abilities in this regard. The table saw is ideal for lumber and plywood sheets. It is perfect for cutting through thicker wooden planks and logs. You can use it for long working hours.
You have no problem dealing with the center of comprehensive sheets. As they are comfortably placed on the table, and a fence is there to manage the rest.
So neither a length nor the width of the feeding piece hampers its working. You can make the same cuts again and again on it.
⇒ Disadvantages:
It is not very accurate as it has teeth that rip pieces longer, heavier, and larger than three times you won’t, so its blade is designed to cut, but cuts are neither very sharp nor very clean. You feel a rugged surface after treatment with it.
Though portable models of a table saw are in the market, you cannot pack and unpack it as the track saw. You cannot carry the bigger versions everywhere. No matter how powerful you are!
They need a lot of space to fit in. Thus, if you are planning a carpentry workshop, allocate a special place for it. Since it is cumbersome, it requires a lot of space for working with big pieces. So, you cannot carry it in your garage if the weather is fantastic today!
It is sometimes hard to produce cuts on the ends.
⇒ Safety measures while operating:
You have to follow some safety measures while operating it. Please don’t wear any gloves while you use it, as it has flesh sensors. It would help if you kept the floor clear and cleaned before processing it.
Since it is a robust machine, so while feeding the wood, you should stand with feet apart in a well-balanced posture.
The Track saw
It has derived its name due to its working mechanics. It has a circular saw that runs on a rail track.
⇒ Parts:
It has a blade that operates by moving along the rail or track. The saw blade is mounted on it. It has a handle for holding it firmly. It has different adjustment knobs on it.
⇒ Blades types:
It uses different types of blades as the requirement of your job. Some are built with sharp and fewer teeth; others rely upon more teeth. They are different from others as they have to move on the track.
⇒ Application:
You may use it for almost all wood cutting purposes. You can use it for ripping plywood. They are useful in wood flooring. You will find them in making different cuts near the edges too. These cuts are bevel, miter, and of course, no doubt when it comes to straight cuts.
⇒ Advantage:
It makes cuts that are perfect in precision and accuracy. It is portable. A single person can pack it and shift it to where you want. There you can unpack, open, and operate.
Some of the varieties are cordless. They make the shifting more convenient as it is a portable device, requiring little storage place.
This saw produces very sharp, clean, and splinter-free edges and a perfect finished look. It has a blade that has no guard.
It is lightweight and hence manageable in so many senses. The track saw can make plunge cuts, miter cuts, and so many others.
⇒ Disadvantage:
Well, though, it sounds ideal to have it. But it demands a tedious start-up working. Once it’s set, you can ease in. It becomes challenging to manage large pieces of wood like plywood sheets, especially in the middle.
Which one is better, ” Table Saw Vs Track Saw”?
They both are gems of the woodworking workshop. They both are masters of their job. Both are good for making long cuts. Both can serve you with angular cuts.
Well, to make you more confused, they both use a variety of blades. Then, what is going to decide which one to choose? It is your nature of work that matters.
So, you would prefer a table saw in cases where you are dealing with planks of more exceptional thickness and width. The table saw is preferable when you need quick work, and finishing doesn’t matter much.
It is also superior to track saw where you want to work in a fixed, set environment. It gives the best results for the same repetitive cut on the pieces.
Then, if you are wondering, why should you spend on a track saw? The answer is simple. If you want to make excellent-looking cuts that are smooth with a perfect finished look, have it.
It is better to go for a table saw in cases where you are dealing with the wood ends. It is also handy when you want to carry it at places other than your carpentry shop.
Hence, if you are renovating your cupboards or trimming door edges, or you want to carry it to your friend’s place for some help. You can take it along. It can be packed anytime and is portable.
Conclusion:
The final words are that you have to choose your working favorite. It is not a matter of looks or flipping a coin. It is a matter of what work you want to carry out.
So, more giant blocks need bigger units, whereas good finishing comes with a good track saw. Both will rip, but former with speed and later with delicacy. The decision is your boss!