Switched from a standard 7 1/4 inch circular saw to a track saw for a big deck rebuild in Boise.

The old way took me three full days just for the long cuts on the pressure-treated boards, and I was always fighting to keep the line straight. With the track saw, I did all the rip cuts in one afternoon with perfect edges, no tear-out. Anyone else made a switch like this for big sheet or long stock work?

3 comments

3 Comments

schmidt.grant3mo ago

Three full days just for the long cuts? That's insane. I can't believe you put up with that for a whole deck. My back hurts just thinking about it.

coleman.jade3mo ago

Used to think a miter saw was fine for everything. Then I had to cut 20 sixteen foot deck boards. The last three were off by almost half an inch. That's when I rented a track saw. Made perfect cuts in one pass. Never going back.

pipera502mo ago

Something nobody mentions is how the angle of your cut changes when you're moving the board around a lot. With a track saw the workpiece stays flat and you move the saw, so the kerf stays perfect. Miter saws are great for short stuff but once you get past like 8 feet the flex in the board itself messes with your alignment, especially on pressure treated lumber that's still a bit wet. A track saw also handles the tearout way better on edge cuts without the board bouncing around. Honestly the real game changer is being able to cut right where the boards are stacked instead of dragging them to a saw station.