What T-track does
A length of T-track is a channel with two lips along its top. A bolt slid in from the end, or a nut made for the track, sits under the lips with its thread sticking up. Put a stop, hold-down, clamp or fence on that thread and tighten a knob, and the part locks wherever along the track you want it. That is the whole job: an adjustable anchor point. It does not guide anything by itself, and it does not make a jig accurate; it makes a jig's stops and clamps movable.
- Stops. A T-track stop block on a fence or sled sets a repeat length without measuring each part.
- Hold-downs. Toggle and cam clamps on track hold work on a jig, a drill press table or an outfeed or assembly table.
- Fences. Sub-fences and featherboard bases slide along track to where they are needed.
- Jigs. Many jigs are built around a base with track let into it, so the same base serves different parts.
Profiles and fasteners differ
| Track | Slot, as listed | Fasteners it takes | Other details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockler T-track (on its T-track table top) | 3/4 in wide × 3/8 in deep T-slot | 1/4 in and 5/16 in T-bolts; 1/4 in hex bolts | Set in melamine-coated MDF |
| INCRA T-Track Regular and Plus | A large T-slot; no depth listed | Standard 1/4-20 hex bolts and nuts | Hard-anodised aluminium; 18 to 48 in, cut to fit; scale on the Plus |
Each maker's own listing for its own track. Other tracks have their own profiles, and one maker's bolts, knobs and accessories may not fit another's track. Not a ranking.
T-track is not a standard part with one size. Rockler lists its slot's width and depth and three fasteners; INCRA lists only that its slot takes ordinary 1/4-20 hex bolts and nuts. A stop or hold-down sold for one track may need a T-bolt with a head shaped for that profile. Before buying accessories, match each one's listed fastener to the track it will run in; if a track is already fitted, take a bolt to it and try the fit.
T-track is not a miter slot
A miter slot is a channel machined into a table saw or router table top to guide a bar — the miter gauge's, a sled's runners, a jig's guide bar. INCRA calls 3/4 × 3/8 in the standard miter gauge slot, and its miter sliders are made to fit it. A T-track holds a bolt head; a miter slot guides a sliding bar. Some saws' miter slots are themselves T-shaped — Grizzly's H7583 tenoning jig needs a 3/4 in slot with a T-slot — so even slots differ. Aluminium 'miter track' sold to set into a router table or jig is a guide for a bar; check that the bar of the gauge or jig you will use fits it, as INCRA has its own bars adjusted to each slot.
| Point | T-track | Miter slot or miter track |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Anchors a stop, clamp or fence where it is locked | Guides a bar, runner or gauge along a straight path |
| What runs in it | A bolt head or nut, under lips | A bar fitted to slide without play |
| Moves during the cut | No; it is locked | Yes; the bar slides |
| Sizes | Each maker's profile | 3/4 × 3/8 in is called standard by INCRA; some are T-shaped |
A general comparison. Check the actual slot, track and bar. Not a ranking.
Where track is used
- Crosscut sleds. A track on the sled's fence carries a flip stop for repeat lengths. Sled design and squaring are in table saw sleds; keep the offcut free so it is never trapped between stop and blade.
- Router tables and fences. Track on a fence carries featherboards and sub-fences; see the router table guide.
- Outfeed and assembly tables. Track let into the top takes hold-downs and stops for assembly work.
- Drill press tables. INCRA lists drill press fences among its track's uses; see the drill press guide.
- Jig bases. A base with track becomes a family of jigs; see the jig guide.
Note— No holding figures
Makers list what fasteners their track takes, not what load it holds. How firmly a clamp on track grips depends on the clamp, the knob, the track's fixing and the material it is set in. No holding force is given here.
Safety— A stop must not trap the offcut
A stop locked in a track sets where the work goes; at a saw it must never hold an offcut against the blade. Use a stop on the sled's fence for crosscuts as the sled's design allows, keep guards in place as the saw's manual requires, and make adjustments with the saw switched off. See table saw safety.
The other joinery jigs and tools are mapped in the pocket hole guide.
Before buying or fitting T-track
- Each accessory's listed fastener matches the track
- Track length planned; can it be cut to fit?
- Mounting as the maker directs: let into a dado or on the surface, with its screws
- Stops and clamps tried on the fitted track before the first real cut
- Miter slots and miter track kept for guiding bars, not anchoring stops
Sources
Track dimensions and fasteners are as Rockler and INCRA list them for their own products; INCRA gives no slot depth. BenchRoot gives no universal T-track size, no clamping force and no holding strength for any track or fastener, because no source reviewed tests them.
- 1.
Rockler T-Track Table Top, 28" x 40". Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.
Used for: Rockler's T-tracks listed as 3/4 in wide × 3/8 in deep T-slots, accepting 5/16 in T-bolts, 1/4 in T-bolts and 1/4 in hex bolts, in a melamine-coated MDF table top.
- 2.
INCRA T-Tracks (T-Track Regular and T-Track Plus). INCRA (Taylor Design Group).
Used for: INCRA's T-Track Regular and T-Track Plus: a large T-slot that accepts standard 1/4-20 hex bolts and nuts, hard-anodised aluminium, 18, 24, 36 and 48 in lengths that can be cut to fit, pre-drilled holes and fasteners included, an adjustable scale on the Plus; uses listed on workbenches, drill press fences, jigs and miter gauges; INCRA's miter sliders made for any standard 3/4 × 3/8 in miter gauge slot.
- 3.
Model H7583 Tenoning Jig, Owner's Manual. Grizzly Industrial, 2009.
Used for: A table saw jig that needs a standard 3/4 in miter slot with a T-slot — showing that miter slots themselves are not all one profile.
- 4.
INCRA IBOX Owner's Manual. INCRA (Taylor Design Group), 2023.
Used for: A miter bar with expansion discs adjusted to slide smoothly in a particular saw's or router table's miter slot.
About this guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.