Mel Koresh contacted me recently to share an invention he has developed and he thought tiny house builders might be interested in. I am going to let Mel explain it to you.
I’ve been a siding contractor for 11 years here in Michigan (Pro-Tech Siding Contractors) and working as a machinist for 8 years allowed me to come up with this design to help make siding more economical and efficient. The Side Track handles siding with ease and also works great for remodelers and carpenters since it will cut a variety of materials. The shipping box is 24” x 60” x 4” and the Side Track needs only minor assembly.
The Side Track Saw Table by itself measures 2’ x 5’ and it’s a very lightweight portable saw table made of 1” square aluminum tubing with an aluminum extruded saw slide system and has a ½” thick work surface. The Side Track comes with a DeWalt 6 ½” rechargeable saw, battery and charger specifically designed to fit the Side Track, no mounting plate or bolts are required. I also recently redesigned the Side Track to fold in half making it even more portable so it will fit in the trunk or back seat of a car or truck. Current saw tables on the market are 6’ long and weigh 80 lbs. and require an expensive mounting table and use electric saws that need cords and generators. With the Side Track, batteries can be charged using your car or truck cigarette lighter outlet. So you can basically build anything anywhere even with no power!
This saw table will cut most vinyl, aluminum, wood and hardi plank siding material. It will also cut most lumber 1 ½” thick such as 2×4’s up to 2×12’s and decking material. Another unique feature is that the Side Track locks into 18 pre-set roof pitch positions from 4/12 to 12/12. Once you know your roof pitch you just move the saw slide to the appropriate pitch, tighten the knob and you are ready to cut. Moving from straight cuts to angle cuts only takes seconds. You can cut a complete rafter without a framing square. The Side Track will set up on folding saw horses or can be mounted to a DeWalt miter saw stand using the pre-drilled holes for the brackets. And because it weighs less than 40 lbs it can be used up on scaffolding since it doesn’t require extension cords.
The Side Track is patent pending and I’ve use it extensively for 2 years siding all day every day working for 18 area builders on new home construction and cutting a wide variety of materials on remodeling jobs.
I’ve been selling the Side Track on my web site and have had good results and I’m look forward to having the Side Track in area siding supply stores in the near future. To learn more visit Mel’s website www.SideTrackSawTable.com
Here is a customer’s response to Mel’s design:
Mel,
Its funny you should email today.
This was the first day I’ve used it….installing some hardi plank.
Man what a great track saw!!! Very smooth and supper easy to us.
Not to mention how light this baby is…you nailed the design.
Everyone has asked me about it.
I would highly recommend this side track to anyone in the construction industry.
I will get some pics for you when I get a chance.
The job I’m on now wouldn’t do justice…but I have a renovation coming up
that’s all hardi plank, 2 story’s high plus gables…..I’ll be sure to send you some good shots. It will be around the first of the year before I can get them to you via email.
Thanks again and good luck. -Jonathon -Sneed Perpetual Builders Inc
As a contractor’s tool this is great, as a tool for the average homeowner who may use it once or twice it’s kind of steep on the price. After visiting his web site this tool is now on my list of good things to add to my tool supply as one job would pay for it and others would add to it’s value. For others not being in the business, you would have to think long and hard to justify it’s purchase. Great tool though.
When you consider that it includes the saw, battery, and charger it is probably a good value. He should add those items to the picture of the invention so buyers realize they get the complete package for that price.
To call it a “Table Saw” is a bit of a stretch…Mel refers to it as a “saw table”. As a Professional remodel contractor…I can see a little benefit for using this for siding cuts…but at $650 a real power miter saw is just as economical and way more powerful. He obviously designed this to aide his siding business by using a cordless saw up on a set of pump jacks or scaffolding it is a huge time saver.
I have a portable Table Saw that I use for “rip” cuts with flooring siding etc. This unit does not look like it can make those type of cuts…let alone deal with sheets of plywood…I use a simple clamping jig and the same cordless saw for those type of cuts.
I still wish him luck with selling his product…Its a bit of a Niche market.
You can get this saw, charger, battery etc for $175 to $200…at amozom and other places…that puts his device in at about $450 to $475
Moontreeranch, your right I do call it a saw table.
I do need to clarify that I strictly use the Side Track for all my cuts. I usually cut all the siding and soffit for a 24 to 30 sq. house in 2 days. I use it on the ground and up on my pump jacks. The Side Track won’t rip lumber but then it’s not practical to use a table saw to cut a 4/12 angle on 24 sq of siding. Some of the houses I side have 3 angles. It takes only seconds to change angles with the Side Track. I use 2 saws one with a plywood blade and one with a carbide blade and cut just about anything 1 1/2″ thick.
This looks like a great tool for someone working on a larger scale that a small hobby. At that price, you’d have to be making a lot of cuts to justify the expense. Still, I’m attracted to the ease of use for quick adjustments. I always lean towards “the right tool for the job.” Thanx!
This table design works FANTASTIC!!! Very light weight and compact. We have use other brands in the past this is the fastest and simplest to alternate between pitch cut and 90 degree cut. When your cutting for multiple workers at the same time time is always a factor and this is as fast as it gets.
This is a beautiful invention! The design, quality and price of this saw absolutely seem perfect. As a woodworker, I have a great passion for these tools. I think this is a dam good tool and will be very useful. Just loved the design and quality.
That is an awesome invention. The design of the table is very lightweight.
I’m interested to know how effective is this track saw. It certainly is a cool invention to have around.