Don’t know which saw to get first or next? Here I compare the features, difference and similarities of the track saw, circular saw, table saw, and miter saw! Which saw is the best first or next purchase for you depends on what kind of work you do and how much you want to spend. After watching this video, you’ll know which will be the best fit for your work until you can acquire all four!

This video is sponsored by The Home Depot ProSpective tool review program. #thdprospective #homedepotpartner #woodworking

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ARTICLE
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TOOLS USED (affiliate links)
Makita Track Saw: [ Ссылка ]
Makita Miter Saw: [ Ссылка ]
Makita Vacuum: [ Ссылка ]
Ridgid Octane Circular Saw: [ Ссылка ]

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All of these saws use a circular blade and are meant for cutting straight lines. There will be a few factors we compare that cover the differences. Those are portability, repeatability, dust collection, capacity, and ripping vs crosscutting.

Of all the options, the circular saw is the most inexpensive and basic. That said, it’ll do pretty much everything all the other saws will do. Think of it as the jack of all trades. It’ll get any straight line cut job done - but there’s probably a tool that does each particular cut better; albeit by sacrificing capability in other areas.

Table saw capacity (what size wood it can handle) is dictated by how far the fence will move over and what size material you can support and move over the saw.

Table top versions have limited dust collection that works so-so. As you get into contractor and cabinet grade saws the dust collection improves. And, if you combine a large dust collector to the cabinet port with overarm dust collection to the saw guard - you can get pretty close to dust free performance.

The table saw is also king when it comes to repeatability. Once that fence is locked down, every piece you feed through is going to come out the same. Which is why it’s the heart of most woodworking shops. For fine work, consistency is what counts mounts.

The downside of the table saw is that it doesn’t handle cross cutting dimensional lumber very well. With a miter gauge or crosscut sled, short pieces are manageable with repeatable results. But once the lumber has much length it’s just a giant lever hanging out in the wind trying to tip itself off the saw.

The miter saw is the answer to the table saw’s weakness with crosscutting. The miter saw is a cross cutting machine, literally. If your goal is to make boards shorter, that’s where this baby sings.

Being built to excel at cross cutting though means that it’s no good for ripping. As far as working with sheet good goes, it’s useful up to twice its cross cutting capacity. So if the saw has a 13” capacity, by flipping the board and taking two cuts, it can cut something up to 26” wide.

Though not a new tool, the track saw has been enjoying some recent popularity. It has most of the portability and capacity of a circular saw, but with much better dust collection and accuracy.

To be really effective it rides on it’s track. So the tool is a bit limited to whatever track length you have. Granted, tracks can be combined together to an infinite length - or the cut paused and the track reposition as needed.

Why go through that pain? Well, the saw is made to be captive to the track so there’s no worry of it drifting off line. Once the track is dropped in place, the saw will make a dead straight cut right along the tracks edge. Most tracks have a plastic “chip strip” along the edge that shows exactly where the saw will cut and also holds down the wood fibers where the saw blade exits the wood which minimizes tear out.

Because of its track, track saws are great for ripping cuts and excels at breaking down sheet goods that can be too unwieldy to take to a table saw. The cuts are super straight. But repeatability is limited to your ability to accurately mark and position the track.

Dust collection is the other place the track saw has a lot of improvement over the circular saw. Because there’s a lot of enclosure around the blade the saw does a better job at directing the dust to the collection port. Combine a track saw with a vacuum like the portable Makita vacuum I’m using and you can keep a cleaner shop or feel comfortable taking the setup into a client’s home.

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