DIY Track Saw

For a while now I have wanted a track saw.
I don't use sheet goods for my woodworking projects often but when I do breaking them down to
manageable size on the table saw is a real wrestling match even with roller tables to help support the work.

But, track saws seemed to be way overpriced for what you get. Really, $600 for a saw with both short (59") and long (102") tracks?
And you almost never see a used one for sale.
I did see a Dewalt with only the short track, which was damaged,
(how do you manage to get the blade all the way through the sacrificial strip and into the aluminum track?)
at a pawn shop. Not only did it need a new track, it also needed a new blade,
and it was $300. Not a bargain.

So.. time for some do it yourself design.
Step one, buy a good power hand saw.
Step two, buy a good fine toothed blade for the new saw.
Step three, visit the Lumber Liquidators store.
"I need the cheapest 10 or 12 mm laminate that you have in stock with no foam backing, a minimum of 6 inches width,
smooth face, not textured, and longer is better. It doesn't matter what it looks like."
"Sir, I have this discontinued pattern for $1.19 a square foot, will that do?"
Step four, time to play in the shop.
Rip the edges off of the laminate.
Route a 1/4" deep, 1" wide slot in the laminate, then cut to length.
Drill and tap a couple of holes in the base plate of the saw and mount the newly made piece to the base plate.

Clicking the thumbnail image will bring up a full screen image file.

Now take another piece of the laminate, rip the edges and the ends off and attach a 1/4" x 1" aluminum flat bar to it
Make sure to keep the flat bar straight. (Using my level as a straight edge I got the bar straight within .010" over the entire length, I think that's good enough.)

Use the saw to rip the edge off of the track so that there is zero clearance between the blade and the track.

The long track took a bit more work to complete. First a 1/8" x 2" slot was routed into the bottom of two pieces of laminate.
This is for a 1/8" x 2" piece of aluminum flat bar. This provides lateral stability since the two pieces of laminate have to be glued together end to end.
Clamp the 1/4" x 1" guide rail to the 1/8" x 2" aluminum bar. Use a digital caliper to keep the pieces parallel while drilling them with a 10-32 tap drill.
Drill clearance holes in the bottom bar and countersink for flat head screws. Glue the laminate pieces together and use the bottom flat bar to make sure they are straight.
Tap the holes in the guide bar. When the glue has dried drill the holes through the laminate and screw the whole thing together. Rip the edge off of the laminate with the saw and then rip to width.
The long track is 109" long.

So there you have it. A DIY track saw. And the total cost was under $150. (I already had the aluminum flat bar, so I didn't have to buy it.)
So what does the commercial saw have that mine doesn't?
Well, I don't have dust collection, and the commercial saws do. (And yes it does throw a lot of sawdust at you.)
And my saw is not well suited to making plunge cuts. And the commercial saws can probably cut thicker material,
but then, I only want this for breaking down sheet goods so I don't need deeper cuts.