Even though this post is a few years old, I wanted to say thanks for the video. I have been trying to join 2 large live edge walnut slabs with a Makita track saw using 2 55" rails put together. Although I have been getting the edges fairly close, I felt they were not sufficient to glue up. I like the idea of the final pass to create the finished edge and it worked great. Very good idea......Thanks again!
I tried it with my Mikita track saw with the standard thin kerf blade that came with the saw in 2 inch walnut 8 ft long. It didn’t work. What blade did you use?
UA-cam popped up 3 vids on track saw as jointer. Just what I needed to justify top level ts instead of jointer, mitre saw, and table saw for small workshop to earn a bit of cash in retirement. Makita, Festool, or Mafell
Oh my geez us!!! That was epic!!! I’ve been on the fence about buying a track saw... I’m getting into building large live edge table tops and this video just opened the heavens to show me the way!!!
Are you using a ripping blade for this setup or a standard track saw blade? Also this will save me a lot making my first dining room table so thank you for your knowledge
Great video, I like everything about it. I was almost convinced that I need a euro-style sliding table saw + jointer to efficiently do this work with rough or live edge boards. This may take a bit more set-up time, but it'd sure help avoid back problems...those can render one useless for weeks.
You just saved my butt. I was trying to joint 2 inches thick by 92 inches white oak boards on my jointer but the boards were way too heavy and way too long to handle correctly so the results I was getting were mediocre. Thanks for the great video.
thanks for this video i needed to edge joint two boards , i saw your video and did the job with my track saw, it worked very nicely. also your idea on how to clamp the boards was very helpful. i am just an amateur wood worker and watching these skill type videos are very helpful.
Great video! I too was having trouble with joining the tracks together with rods that they sell. I ended up seeing a festtool live show that stated that the ends of the extruded aluminum tracks are not square, and you have to leave a gap when you were joining them. Really frustrating, I wish I would’ve seen that in the directions, except mine didn’t come with any. 🤔
Thanks for making the video, this has been really helpful for an 8/4 Oak door project I'm looking to build. Are you using a TS55 or TSS75 to make these cuts? What blade are you using?
Looked to me like he just needed to trim a little off each board just to make them straight and close the gap between. Close enough that the blade would cut both boards together.
I don know what I’d doing wrong but I can’t get this method to work and I don’t know what to do. Doing the same project. 2” thick wood for a table top.
Great video. Any budget friendly track saws you would recommend for this? Seems like the main thing is having a perfectly straight track for this application.
Firstly, thank you for this great tip! I have been using this method to get scaffold boards to fit together perfectly. It has been working fine but for some reason now the blade just heats up really really quickly and wrecks the piece of wood I'm working on. I see another question which may be the same issue but wondering if there is any other reason why this would suddenly start happening, such as the wrong blade? Thank you!
Are you using a ripping blade such as the Festool 18 tooth? They will do that kind of cut much faster and easier than the blades with higher tooth counts, which tend to overheat (wear out) when making long rip cuts.
@@KavanaghGTR Thank you for your response, yeh I wondered if that was the problem. I have the evolution track saw and I don't think they do a blade such as the 18 tooth Festool one and I can't find a compatible blade unfortunately. Thank you
I’ve had a heck of a time cutting long 3/4 to 1” hardwoods with my tracksaw. Swapped out numerous blades and still getting loads of smoke and burned edges. Cutting at a 45 deg for miters is also a PITA. Do you have any recommendations for me?
Selandry1 blade is installed correctly. I wish it was that! I’ve had no problems cutting sheet goods but when it comes to walnut, mahogany or bamboo it’s smoke and burn central with brand new clean blades.
It must be that your work piece is not fully supported and sags when you cut causing the blade to bind. You need full flat support to do an angled cut. Try a better support system.
Turns out was indeed foolish and after cleaning my blade last time I installed it backwards. I just wanted to thank you for your helpful advice. Always double check!
That track saw joint is awesome! I wonder if you could flip one board upside down to make the final cut in case your track isn’t perfectly straight, there by giving you a perfect seam when you turn it right side up and flipping end to end?
@@fredparsons5134 I don’t mean to be facetious or anything. I’m just wondering if I understand what you mean because with the method in his video you accomplish the very thing you are inquiring about. unless I am missing something which is 100% possible
@@fredparsons5134 Yeah, this makes no sense. If the track isn't perfectly straight, the two boards will still be cut to fit together perfectly. If the track saw mistakenly has a slight bevel to the blade, both boards will be cut with the same bevel and fit together perfectly. The video shows the only way to do it.
Wow, great demo. Very impressed by the tools and your process for home DIY. May I ask, what is the blue straightedge model? Is that from Rockler and is it 36"? Thanks.
Sorry for the delay Dave. It is a kregg fence from my miter saw station that I use whenever I need any really straight edgery (new shop word!) in my shop.
Ideally, yes, you would want the tops face jointed as flat as possible so your edge joints would end up as close to 90 degrees as possible. I would have assumed he had already done this bit he didn't mention it so your question is valid.
Can you let me know the specific blade that you are using for this? I am trying to figure out what is the best blade to rip 11ft boards for joining. Love the video...exactly what I'm looking for...thanks!!!
Thanks for sharing this. I'm building a 10' walnut counter top right now and looking for tips since my jointer is small. Did you do anything to ensure that the line you were cutting between them was parallel to the outside edges? Ie, how did you ensure you ended up with a rectangle and not a trapezoid?
I had the same thought. I would assume you make the tracksaw cut for the "inner" face of each board, then set up a fence on your table saw to rip a tiny amount from the "outer" face of each board. Using the inner face against the fence should lead to a parallel cut. Curious how you ended up approaching this.
Great 👍 on ur technique and educational skills, but a greater 👎 on the use of mahogany. Any use and promotion of wood you can NOT guarantee is harvested sustainably is a no no. But maybe deforestation of tropical forests also is *Fake news*?
This video just saved my bacon!! Thank you very much 🤘🤘🤘
Sitting here with 13ft boards looking for exactly this
Definitely will be trying this! I have a small shop and no jointer so my track saw just became even more useful :). Thanks for sharing!
using the sacrificial piece of pine on the bottom of the two boards was an awesome piece of advice. Thanks!!
out of curiosity, how did the glue up go, and 4 years later, is it still together? ;p
Even though this post is a few years old, I wanted to say thanks for the video. I have been trying to join 2 large live edge walnut slabs with a Makita track saw using 2 55" rails put together. Although I have been getting the edges fairly close, I felt they were not sufficient to glue up. I like the idea of the final pass to create the finished edge and it worked great. Very good idea......Thanks again!
Just the information I was looking for! I’m planning my first 8’ table and this will save me $2.65/bf. Close to $150 easy. Thanks for this tip!
SAVED me!! I can't thank you enough.
I tried it with my Mikita track saw with the standard thin kerf blade that came with the saw in 2 inch walnut 8 ft long. It didn’t work. What blade did you use?
UA-cam popped up 3 vids on track saw as jointer. Just what I needed to justify top level ts instead of jointer, mitre saw, and table saw for small workshop to earn a bit of cash in retirement. Makita, Festool, or Mafell
Oh my geez us!!! That was epic!!! I’ve been on the fence about buying a track saw... I’m getting into building large live edge table tops and this video just opened the heavens to show me the way!!!
Get the TS 75 because I think you may want more capacity to cut thick slabs if you are doing a lot of solid wood counter tops.
Thanks for the video! I happen to have both those track sizes and needed to cut a straight edge on 2 walnut slabs 10' long
'''
This was great information. I just did it on a 2” mahogany table and the glue joint was perfect
Best jointing tip ever.
Thank you!’❤️
Are you using a ripping blade for this setup or a standard track saw blade? Also this will save me a lot making my first dining room table so thank you for your knowledge
Standard tracksaw blade. I just made long desktops with this method. Works so well.
Just what I was looking for! Amazing tip!
That is just simply amazing.... Thank you for time spent on making the video.....
Great video, I like everything about it. I was almost convinced that I need a euro-style sliding table saw + jointer to efficiently do this work with rough or live edge boards. This may take a bit more set-up time, but it'd sure help avoid back problems...those can render one useless for weeks.
Thank you so much! I have an upcoming project which will require some jointed panels and will try this with my TS55.
You just saved my butt. I was trying to joint 2 inches thick by 92 inches white oak boards on my jointer but the boards were way too heavy and way too long to handle correctly so the results I was getting were mediocre. Thanks for the great video.
Thanks, I actually came up with this solution myself as well. Good to know the idea isn't as crazy as I thought
What brand track saw and tracks?
thanks for this video i needed to edge joint two boards , i saw your video and did the job with my track saw, it worked very nicely. also your idea on how to clamp the boards was very helpful. i am just an amateur wood worker and watching these skill type videos are very helpful.
This is a great video. I will be making a door with HD lumber that needs a joiner. The only one I have is a track saw. Thanks for sharing this tip.
Great video! I too was having trouble with joining the tracks together with rods that they sell. I ended up seeing a festtool live show that stated that the ends of the extruded aluminum tracks are not square, and you have to leave a gap when you were joining them. Really frustrating, I wish I would’ve seen that in the directions, except mine didn’t come with any. 🤔
Just copied the technique shown. It works like a charm. Thanks very much indeed
Thanks for making the video, this has been really helpful for an 8/4 Oak door project I'm looking to build. Are you using a TS55 or TSS75 to make these cuts? What blade are you using?
Nice vid thank you! Did you cut the depth in multiple passes or one pass for each?
You just saved me so much time by suggesting this!! Investing in that tool has paid for itself over and over
Glad it helped you.
Did it yesterday and worked like a charm!
like the video...great seeing it in action for that purpose.
Were the first cuts just eyeballed or were you referencing off of something?
Looked to me like he just needed to trim a little off each board just to make them straight and close the gap between. Close enough that the blade would cut both boards together.
Awesome tip about ripping the boards together to get the perfect edge! I would have never thought of that.
It’s the first time I’ve seen this done and it looks to be a fabulous tip. I’ll be trying this for sure. Thanks for sharing 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I’m guessing this would work with a regular circular saw?
Thanks for the info. Where did you get those blue straight edges?
Very cool tip, as I purchaced the Festool 75 myself and would like to implement your idea . Btw very nice shop
Will be trying this with a homemade track tonight!
Awesome. You came to my rescue with this one! Thanks for posting this
Informative. Thank you!
Awesome tip and video! Is there a final product video? DD
I don know what I’d doing wrong but I can’t get this method to work and I don’t know what to do. Doing the same project. 2” thick wood for a table top.
The only way you can screw it up is if you don’t have it clamped correctly or your guides move. Good luck.
This is brilliant!!! I'm going to try this ASAP!
Could you clamp those board together and do a cross cut?
Lurdes Duarte
Sure. You can do about anything that a table saw will do with a track saw.
Great video. Any budget friendly track saws you would recommend for this? Seems like the main thing is having a perfectly straight track for this application.
@HomesliceDrummer i did this with a wen track saw which is the least expensive track saw, it worked very nicely.
Firstly, thank you for this great tip! I have been using this method to get scaffold boards to fit together perfectly. It has been working fine but for some reason now the blade just heats up really really quickly and wrecks the piece of wood I'm working on. I see another question which may be the same issue but wondering if there is any other reason why this would suddenly start happening, such as the wrong blade? Thank you!
Are you using a ripping blade such as the Festool 18 tooth? They will do that kind of cut much faster and easier than the blades with higher tooth counts, which tend to overheat (wear out) when making long rip cuts.
@@KavanaghGTR Thank you for your response, yeh I wondered if that was the problem. I have the evolution track saw and I don't think they do a blade such as the 18 tooth Festool one and I can't find a compatible blade unfortunately. Thank you
Very useful and interesting.
what type of blade did you use?
Great job! Thanks
Good way to go,thanks. Just got the Makita.
binnsh
Heard the Mikita rocks.
Just used it a few times, but it's very nice. Stock blade is lousy however. Lots of good track saw tips in your video.
Clever, I like that
I’ve had a heck of a time cutting long 3/4 to 1” hardwoods with my tracksaw. Swapped out numerous blades and still getting loads of smoke and burned edges. Cutting at a 45 deg for miters is also a PITA. Do you have any recommendations for me?
Is your blade on backwards? I did that once. Teeth should be facing in in the front and down in the back.
Selandry1 blade is installed correctly. I wish it was that! I’ve had no problems cutting sheet goods but when it comes to walnut, mahogany or bamboo it’s smoke and burn central with brand new clean blades.
It must be that your work piece is not fully supported and sags when you cut causing the blade to bind. You need full flat support to do an angled cut. Try a better support system.
Turns out was indeed foolish and after cleaning my blade last time I installed it backwards. I just wanted to thank you for your helpful advice. Always double check!
That track saw joint is awesome! I wonder if you could flip one board upside down to make the final cut in case your track isn’t perfectly straight, there by giving you a perfect seam when you turn it right side up and flipping end to end?
Huh? Flip upside down? seems to me the purpose of the video solves the problem without having to do all that flipping upside down and around
@@josiahutah3712 , it's not hard to flip a board over.
@@fredparsons5134 I don’t mean to be facetious or anything. I’m just wondering if I understand what you mean because with the method in his video you accomplish the very thing you are inquiring about. unless I am missing something which is 100% possible
@@fredparsons5134 Yeah, this makes no sense. If the track isn't perfectly straight, the two boards will still be cut to fit together perfectly. If the track saw mistakenly has a slight bevel to the blade, both boards will be cut with the same bevel and fit together perfectly. The video shows the only way to do it.
Very clever. I’m going to do this as my benchtop joiner can’t do long boards.
Just what I needed! Thanks!
Excellent
Great tip. Do you use a rip blade or the stock blade?
Stock blade
Simple and awesome!
Wow, great demo. Very impressed by the tools and your process for home DIY. May I ask, what is the blue straightedge model? Is that from Rockler and is it 36"? Thanks.
Sorry for the delay Dave. It is a kregg fence from my miter saw station that I use whenever I need any really straight edgery (new shop word!) in my shop.
wouldn't you plane the board's flat first... then the cuts would be a perfect 90 to the surface and joined together Square.... just wondering
Ideally, yes, you would want the tops face jointed as flat as possible so your edge joints would end up as close to 90 degrees as possible. I would have assumed he had already done this bit he didn't mention it so your question is valid.
Which saw did you use the 55 or 75?
55. You can get by with the 55 for most jobs, but I still find myself wanting the 75 occasionally.
ingenious!!!!
Can you let me know the specific blade that you are using for this? I am trying to figure out what is the best blade to rip 11ft boards for joining. Love the video...exactly what I'm looking for...thanks!!!
Jared Kanter its the stock blade that came with the track saw.
Just answer my question. Jared how did it work out for you? I have to do the same
Thanks for sharing this. I'm building a 10' walnut counter top right now and looking for tips since my jointer is small. Did you do anything to ensure that the line you were cutting between them was parallel to the outside edges? Ie, how did you ensure you ended up with a rectangle and not a trapezoid?
I just took a hair off each side so if it’s not a perfect rectangle it’s only off by 1-2 millimeters.
I had the same thought. I would assume you make the tracksaw cut for the "inner" face of each board, then set up a fence on your table saw to rip a tiny amount from the "outer" face of each board. Using the inner face against the fence should lead to a parallel cut. Curious how you ended up approaching this.
Great 👍 on ur technique and educational skills, but a greater 👎 on the use of mahogany.
Any use and promotion of wood you can NOT guarantee is harvested sustainably is a no no. But maybe deforestation of tropical forests also is *Fake news*?
Stiff Wood How about just appreciate the video and keep your liberal ideology to yourself?
Go away
Do you think it is in the best business practices for a lumber company to destroy the resources they rely on for a living? Didn't think so. Go away.