Track saw, and door sizing.

[Obj99]

I am a diyer, and want to know, is it acceptable or viable to use a track saw to reduce the width of a door stile, when sizing a door that requires a small width reduction, instead of using a plane or a router. Obviously you can use the tracksaw to trim the bottom of the door, but what about the width. If so, how accurate would the Festool tracksaw be.

 

[peter halle]

Welcome to the FOG!

The track saw is as accurate as your ability to align the splinter strip to a line or other marks.  Sure it could work.

What kind of door(s) are you thinking about?  Others might be able to give some tips.

Peter

 

[waho6o9]

"Obviously you can use the tracksaw to trim the bottom of the door, but what about the width. If so, how accurate would the Festool tracksaw be."

It would be very accurate using a Festool Panther rip blade, one continuous rail, and maybe a little sanding to make it
presentable. 

Welcome to the FOG!

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Is the door assembled? If not may need to be cautious on making sure you clamp the work piece correctly to the rail.

 

[RKA]

[member=70469]Obj99[/member] What concerns would you have about this?  I ask because I don't really understand why you're distinguishing between the crosscut and the rip cut.  I've ripped pine doors to size with the factory 48 tooth blade, a single 55" track, a combination square to set and reposition the track consistently and a few clamps.  Works fine if you're doing a few here and there.  If you were batching these out to fit out an entire house, I'd get a longer rail or join 2 rails to speed things up. 

That said, using the tracksaw will obviously give you a straight edge.  You may still find a hand plane useful to finesse the edge to fit your jambs. 

 

[Sparktrician]

I'd be using two rails, joined and aligned properly, and clamped to the door.  Don't forget to bevel the latch side by 3-4 degrees, depending on thickness, to allow that door to slide past the jamb when it opens and closes. 

 

[ChuckM]

I am assuming you are getting a track saw (regardless of brands) not just for trimming doors.

One does not need a track saw to trim doors. My contractor needed to trim a bathroom door after some title work was done. He used a circular saw and a plywood sheet tacked with a a straight edge to complete the job. (I did not own a track saw or I would have let him use mine.) To avoid splintering, he blue taped the exit side of the door before cutting. I had to admit for one-time jobs, his method worked so well.

 

[sancho57]

Track saw would be your best choice. You can create your bevel and cut it at the same time.

 

[demographic]

I've used a tracksaw to ease doors but they always needed me to run a plane over the edge to finish it.
I honestly don't care what people say about them producing a "Finished edge"... Its just not.
Anyone who thinks a circular sawcut edge is an internal finish, should be bombed off site never to come back.

Just a few shallow passes with a plane sorts it out but no way on earth is a sawcut edge finished.

Mind, I'm not a fan of electric planes for a finished edge either. Still needs a proper plane afterwards.

 

[ChuckM]

I can't but wonder how people trimmed doors BEFORE track saws became popular for the trade people. [eek]

Here is a photo of the bathroom door trimmed using a circular saw. Looks great to any reasonable homeowner. I know for a fact that here in North America not every title installer has a track saw or can afford one, and they trim doors whenever needed. Some independent title installers who do everything in small jobs in my city could go unemployed if their tool kits must include a track saw, green or not in colour.

 

[demographic]

I can't but wonder how people trimmed doors BEFORE track saws became popular for the trade people. [eek]

Here is a photo of the bathroom door trimmed using a circular saw. Looks great to any reasonable homeowner. I know for a fact that here in North America not every title installer has a track saw or can afford one, and they trim doors whenever needed. Many independent title installers who do everything in small jobs in my city could go unemployed if their tool kits must include a track saw, green or not in colour.

I've done it witha handsaw before, but still ran a plane over em afterwards.
But the original poster was specifically asking about not using a plane on it, which I personally think is too rough a finish.

I can go along with a sawn edge being glue ready but unless someone is after a very rustic look  its not a "Finish"

The marketing bods at Festool may well disagree but they are salesmen... not carpenters or joiners.

 

[ChuckM]

But the original poster was specifically asking about not using a plane on it, which I personally think is too rough a finish.

Of course, no two woodworkers may see eye to eye when it comes to what a fine finish is. I remove machine marks with a plane even though other Forrest Woodworker II saw blade users are happy with the finish the blade leaves. I am not, when it is a furniture piece I am building.

On the other hand, I don't look under to see what it is like on the bottom edge of a bathroom door, and  the blue tape method is used by some trade people I know.

 

[jeh]

I can't but wonder how people trimmed doors BEFORE track saws became popular for the trade people. [eek]

Here is a photo of the bathroom door trimmed using a circular saw. Looks great to any reasonable homeowner. I know for a fact that here in North America not every title installer has a track saw or can afford one, and they trim doors whenever needed. Some independent title installers who do everything in small jobs in my city could go unemployed if their tool kits must include a track saw, green or not in colour.

If the margins are that tight then they are not charging enough. $700 spread out over several years of jobs is a rounding error.

 

[ChuckM]

We are not talking about renovation contractors or trade persons here who go to jobsites with a boatload of tools like mitre saws, jobsite table saws, track saws, sanders, etc. These are mostly tile installers or handymen who take on themselves to finish small trim jobs for bathrooms, kitchens, windows, decks, etc.

I know a retired carpenter who still does small jobs, but he earned his pre-retirement living using circular saws (cordless and corded) for decades. He is not going to get a track saw as a handyman, is he?

The point is that many people make a living as trade people (at least in my city) using tools that are main-stream and pretty basic. Some of them really can't afford using high-end tools with their limited budgets.

I don't know personally anyone who owns a Kapex to do site work, but we seem to find a good share of them here in this Forum. Dewalt, Hitachi and Bosch mitre saws are saws used by renovation and roofing contractors as far as I have seen.

 

[Svar]

The point is that many people make a living as trade people (at least in my city) using tools that are main-stream and pretty basic. I don't know personally anyone who owns a Kapex to do site work, but we seem to find a good share of them here in this Forum. Dewalt, Hitachi and Bosch mitre saws are saws used by renovation and roofing contractors as far as I have seen.

If I had to guess I'd say over half of Festool market in the US is represented by well-to-do hobbyists.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

If it’s a small amount I favour a hand plane. If considerably more, and electric or cordless planer would be fine, otherwise circular saw, or plunge saw, then plane and a light sanding.
Often with a nice blade, a plunge saw will produce a nice cut that may only require a light sanding to finish.

Lots of ways really, I’ve seen people run a door through a table saw a few times too.

 

[Sanderxpander]

I've trimmed a few doors with my 55 but never used a plane on it. I think I did lightly hand sand them before painting but I dare anyone to spot any roughness from skipping planing after two layers of ground paint and two layers of finish. Let alone it's the side or bottom of the door.

 

[dataz722]

To me the biggest concern isn't the saw, its what type of door it is and how much needs to come off.  If its not a solid wood door and you need to take more than a 1/2" on each side you could run into problems.  Either opening it up to empty space or an MDF core.

 

[demographic]

I've trimmed a few doors with my 55 but never used a plane on it. I think I did lightly hand sand them before painting but I dare anyone to spot any roughness from skipping planing after two layers of ground paint and two layers of finish. Let alone it's the side or bottom of the door.

Weird, personally I hardly ever touch a door with a sander.
In fact, its a rare day when I sand anything.
Plane? Hell yes,
Cabinet scraper? On hardwood sometimes, not much good on softwood.

Sander? I don't even own one although I guess my multicutter thing counts with the right attachment.

Surely it takes longer to sand a door edge than to do a couple of passes with a plane? What about removing the arris/sharp edge?

This is in a commercial environment and I'm a carpenter not a piano maker, I've done shuttering in sewage works and finishing carpentry in a billionaires grouse shooting lodge but realistically most of my work is kind of in the middle of that and schools, care homes, bars, some housebashing but I try to avoid that cos the money isn't really there.
To my eyes a decent handplane is an amazingly versatile tool, doesn't need plugged in and gives the best finish.
A sawcut is never a finish detail unless I'm building a barn, hell I even try to hide it on formwork so it doesn't end up on the finished concrete.

I still say that using a saw is a perfectly valid first stage for a door edge, but just giving it a few passes with a handplane is so easy and effective that i just can't work out sanding it instead.

On the door bottom, hell yeah, who even see's it?  Unless its badly setup and some wally has designed it so it opens onto a stairwell without a landing its against the floor.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

Obviously making a decision to sand or not, would be subject to the state of finish after sawing, or planing or both.
With the right blade and technique, the saw or planer should suffice but, if that’s not the case, a light sanding won’t hurt before paint or lacquer.

It depends on a few variables, door type, material type, and how much is to be removed.