Panel Saw vs Track Saw (What Do You Really Need?)
Trying to determine if you need a track saw or a panel saw for your woodworking shop is a big financial decision. Both saws excel at making straight cuts but go about it in completely different ways. A vertical panel saw could streamline your workflow, saving time and money whereas a track saw could give you increased capability and easy portability at a lower cost. In this guide, we will go through the similarities and differences and the deciding factors to help you decide on the right tool. We will also look at the pros and cons of each saw and help you determine which offers better value, and capability, while also meeting your specific needs in your woodshop.
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Main Differences Between a Panel Saw and Track Saw
There are quite a few differences between a track saw and a panel saw including cost, capabilities, speed, and portability. The main difference is that a panel saw is only capable of making straight cuts in sheet goods, yet a track saw can easily cut solid lumber at different angles and bevels. Also, a panel saw is a large piece of stationary equipment whereas a track saw can easily be put away for storage or taken to a job site if needed. A panel saw is essential a circular saw blade mounted on vertical guide rails is only capable of making 90-degree crosscuts or rip cuts on full sheets of plywood. A track saw is very similar except the saw runs along a track you can place in any position on a sheet of plywood.
Which is Better a Panel Saw or a Track Saw?
Deciding which is better between a panel saw and a track saw depends on what kind of woodworking you do in your workshop. If you're a cabinet maker or need to break down large sheets of material on a daily basis a panel saw is the best option. If you're a hobby woodworker and only use sheet goods every once in a while a track saw is a better option and a more versatile tool. Also, if you need to work on a job site or work at a client's house a track saw is easily portable and most offer great dust collection.
Pros & Cons
Panel Saw Advantages
A panel saw's biggest advantage is its ability to quickly break down large sheets of plywood with very little setup time. Panel saws are also designed to enable only one person to safely make long straight line rip cuts and crosscuts on full-size panels with ease. Also, most panel saws can make precise cuts down to an accuracy of 1/64 of an inch.
Panel Saw Disadvantages
The largest disadvantage of a panel saw is its limited capability of not being able to cut solid wood or smaller pieces. Vertical saws are also only capable of two types of cuts, a 90-degree crosscut or a rip cut. Also, knowing that a panel saw is a stationary machine is not ideal for a small shop or hobby woodworker.
Track Saw Advantages
Track saws have quite a few advantages over panel saws with a more powerful motor and increased capabilities. Track saws are able to break down large sheet goods similar to panel saws but with a higher quality of cut. This is primarily from splinter guards on the tracks that prevent the plywood from splintering, creating a much cleaner cut. Track saws are also highly accurate and easy to use with the track acting as a cut line ensuring perfect alignment. Also, they can be easily moved from one place to another unlike panel saws.
Track Saw Disadvantages
Track saws do have some disadvantages with the largest being the amount of setup time for each cut. For each cut, it takes a long time to measure, mark, align, and clamp the track to the panel Also, the track saw will need to be moved around between cuts making it time-consuming. Another big disadvantage is the length of the track you have, most track saws come standard with smaller sized tracks making it impossible to make long cuts. Also, track saws make plunge cuts so you have to account for the saw blade going below the bottom of the plywood panel. I personally use a sheet of 4x8 foamboard insulation as my work surface so I don't cut into my workbench.
Tool Comparison Panel Saw vs Track Saw
Accuracy
Both panel saws and track saws are capable of highly accurate cuts, a panel saw is typically calibrated to an accuracy of 1/32 or better and the accuracy of a track saw will depend on your placement and clamping of the track. Panels saws excel at making accurate repeatable cuts by using stops on the frame and a permanently mounted saw for perfectly square cuts. Track saws on the other hand will need to be perfectly aligned to your markings and clamped however, they do have a higher cut quality and can be used for finish cuts. Also, track saws can be paired with parallel guides to quickly offset your tracks from the edge producing very accurate and clean cuts.
Capability
When it comes to capability the differences between a track saw and vs panel saw really stand out. First, panel saws are not capable of making angled or bevel cuts and can't process solid wood. However, panel saws are able to make long rip cuts by pushing the panel along the infeed and outfeed rollers through the blade. Also, panel saws can quickly make cross cuts without any setup time. Track saws on the other hand are able to make angled and bevel cuts, as well as making plunge cuts into solid wood. You can even increase your track saws capability by purchasing a long track or something I have recently done is add a miter gauge to my track. Using a miter gauge you can quickly set 90-degree crosscuts and make accurate angled cuts without complicated measuring.
Time Savings & Speed
If you're looking for the biggest time saver for quick repeatable rip cuts and crosscuts for sheet goods the better option is a panel saw. With a panel saw you can quickly break down anything from MDF, plywood, particle board, or even plastic sheets on a daily basis. Most commercial shops that use sheet goods will invest in a panel saw to save time and money. However, if you're a hobby woodworker, taking the extra time to set up a track saw is not worth spending the money on a panel saw.
Dust Collection
Both panel saws and track saws are able to handle dust collection however, both require additional tools or kits. Most panel saws don't come with dust collection guards or hoses which require you to buy a costly add-on kit. Also, most panel saws don't take into account sawdust behind the panel or any that falls down to the floor. As for track saws, nearly all of them come with a dust bag but similar to other tools they don't do much if you don't use a dust extractor. I personally have a cheap Wen track saw that I rarely use and when paired with a Festool dust extractor it captures nearly all of the sawdust.
Safety
One of the main benefits of a panel saw and a big reason why they are used in commercial environments is due to safety. Panel saws have a fully enclosed blade and their design makes it nearly impossible for someone to get injured from a spinning blade. Track saws are fairly safe but a plunge saw has some inherent risks. Track saws can be susceptible to binding in the wood, especially if you're cutting green lumber that has not been kiln-dried. Some track saws are equipped with a riving knife and mechanisms to prevent kickbacks.
Portability & Size
If you're looking for a tool that you can use at a job site or easily store out of the way, the best option is a track saw. You can easily move a track saw around to various locations and quickly set up a workspace on sawhorses and take up a small space for storage. In comparison, full-size panel saws can take up a significant amount of space and are typically mounted on the floor. However, if you need the functionality and speed of a panel saw in a compact form, Milwaukee makes a pretty good compact panel saw that takes up less space.
Price Comparison
When comparing the price point of both a panel saw and a track saw, a panel saw is more expensive by a lot. A panel saw can range from 2 to 6 thousand, yet you can find compact or portable panel saws like the Milwaukee for under 2 thousand dollars. Standard track saws are much cheaper but the price depends heavily on the brand and size. Some of the higher-powered Festool track saws they can run as high as 800 while Dewalt and Makita track saws are around 500. I personally bought a Wen track saw which currently sells for around 100 dollars, it's not a high-quality tool but it gets the job done. One downside with track saws is that you may need to buy longer tracks to fully rip a 4x8 sheet.
Panel Saw and Track Saw Alternatives
If you're on a budget and don't want to buy a new tool but need to have a better experience breaking down plywood there are a few alternatives. You can buy kits like the BORA NGX clamp edge system or the Kreg Circular Saw Track to convert your own circular saw into a track saw. Or you could build your own straight edge guide for your saw however, unless you have complete control over your saw it may not be very accurate. The benefits of a track system ensure that you don't deviate from the straight line of the track. I personally have tried a few of the alternatives and they do work but there are other things you need to consider to achieve the same performance as a track saw.
Final Thoughts
Should You Buy a Panel Saw?
If you're cutting a large number of sheet goods on a daily basis a horizontal panel saw is the way to go and will save you a lot of time and money. Especially if you are a cabinet shop that uses a table saw or a track saw to break down plywood and want to save time or increase productivity. Using a panel saw is by far the fastest and best for cutting a lot of plywood quickly. I have also ranked the best panel saws available in another article to help you make the best investment possible.
Should You Buy a Track Saw?
If you're a hobby woodworker that needs to be able to break down sheets of plywood a track saw is a good investment. Having a track saw will allow you to process sheet goods easily and is capable of being used on other projects and expanding your capabilities. I personally found having a track saw super helpful in the shop especially when I am working by myself.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes, you can use a track saw as an alternative to a panel saw however, the speed of breaking down plywood panels is significantly slower and you need a sacrificial worksurface to cut on. I personally use a track saw in combination with a table saw to cut panels to size.
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Yes, a track saw can cut angles. You can either mark your workpiece or use a miter gauge on your track to quickly set your angles and cut. I personally would make sure to clamp down the track to the work piece to ensure a perfect cut. If you think you will need to cut angles go with a track saw.
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Essentially both a track saw and a table saw can perform the same functions except a table saw is not able to make angled cuts. You can easily use a large cabinet table saw or sliding table saw to rip or crosscut plywood with a larger outfeed table. However, if you have a small portable table saw, buying a track saw may make things easier when working with large plywood panels.
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