Ultimate Tracksaw Setup and Calibration

The Ultimate Tracksaw Cutting Station video has proved very popular and so in this new video I elaborate on the symmetry aspect, show how I set up and calibrate my saw cutting and then do the five cut test. I am very pleased with the accuracy of this top and am delighted that many viewers have created tops to a greater degree of accuracy.
STOP PRES:
@SirLesMeyer has pointed out that my final caption should show that the deviation over 1 m should be 0.09 mm which is about 1/256 " - very very tiny !!

[@KunoGroHoldertreff-B12]

Another very educational video! Thanks for that! Many teachers will admire your talent and expertise, which enables you to explain even difficult content in an understandable way! I have disabled young people in the metal sector for over 30 years and I know what I'm talking about!🙂

[@stvcolwill]

Peter please keep these coming. Theyre awesome!! especially practical and demonstrative uses of your Ultmate Table. Thanks so much!

[@mickgoodbe235]

Excellent video Peter

[@tmartin6717]

Peter, first let me say that I used your PARF system years ago, and since then there has never been a more useful addition to my shop, ... thanks. I am also not surprised that your new setup is so accurate, but maybe more accurate than you think. I propose that you do another test and compare it to the first. There should be two sources of cutting angle error, one is the station itself, and the second is random alignment of the work sample. If the second test is identical to the first, then you know the station error exactly. But if it is different, then you can see the small effects of work sample positioning. Thanks again for your brilliant innovations.

[@shawncaudill424]

Absolutely amazing thank you for your skills and your thoughtful videos. Thank you once again.

[@garyhorton6652]

Hey Peter, I have been following you on you tube for years now. Please put your atomic clock back in its proper place as your integrity is unmatched. Beautiful new top! Thanks for sharing! Oh yes you are also correct that many of us do not have a CNC machine.

[@projectrebuild908]

That is incredibly accurate.

[@JohnMcGrathManInShed]

Nice work Peter, that is plenty accurate.

[@petelondon8478]

Love the atomic clock

[@popebobcat3716]

I have a different approach to calibrating the scale. In my setup, I have Incra but you only need a block of something with a known length. Step 1 - set the stop to 100 + known length. Step 2 - with the block between the stop and your scrap board, make a cut. Step 3 - remove the block and stack the newly cut piece and the rest of the board against the stop. Step 4 - without allowing the board to move, remove the newly cut piece and zero out your stop at 100 against the board. The only way I know of with fewer steps is when you attach a sacrificial piece to the stop and cut it off when set to zero on the scale. But that gets tricky if you are using stops on the other side of the rail the way I do.

[@fibre17]

Master, teach me.

[@jemo_hack]

Great job Peter, love your work and educational service. Quick ask, I thought the off cut was outwards from the cutting edge of the rail, in other wards, the purpose of the rail and the rubber edged was to hold in place the fibers as they are been cut, therefor your keeper cuts will be under the rail. from where you where cutting, to your left? I have the same fence, I just placed it on the other side of the rail, as to use the stop from the cutting edge of the rail to fence stop to get repeatable sizes, am I doing it wrong? Festool seems to follow the same logic I’m using. Cheers!

[@MINGLE2008]

Hi Peter thank you for another interesting video. Your video will help me to build my new mft work station. I would be grateful if you can give a copy of the plan.

[@james-de-rozarieux-green]

Hello Peter, thank you for producing such informative videos. A perhaps silly question - when you are making tracksaw cuts on your MFT, are you cutting a little way into the table itself?

[@dannymurphy1779]

Facinating video! I was just wondering how you are registering the square on these cuts, do you have those silver discs under the track as a stop perhaps???

[@GrahamGphotoParker]

Hi Peter. Would be interested to know why the work piece came in from the cut side of the rail and not the other under the rail, or was it just for the 4 cut test

[@robertpearce802]

I think that the table is symmetrical about the left/right axis but not the fore/aft axis. Trying to remember my chemistry from almost 60 years ago, I think that it is a member of the C2v point group.

[@anthonyjriz3]

the test at the end is awesome. do you know of any test where you can measure the work piece and find the angular error? lets say I already threw away my off cuts lol

[@NickFabi]

Thank you Brian for another informative video. Though I can help but feel that the way you set up the material on your table makes it far to far away from you and as a result of hyper extending you have a lot less control over the saw. If the saw was to get jammed and jump off of the track you would have a lot less control over it. Just a personal thought as I have had this happen a number of times in my early due to various reasons and one of these occasions I managed to keep control over it resulting in just a large gauge out of the rail not me which I don’t think would have been the case if I was extending across a work bench that far

[@MrJacrider]

Peter, great video. Wondering if you could show us in a next video what your support structure for your MDF top looks like. What height do you have the work surface? It looks like saw horses, but is there some attachment to keep things from moving? Many thanks.