Compact Compound Slider
This 10-in. miter saw has an articulating arm for cutting stock upright against the fence.
Ridgid’s 15-amp, 10-in. sliding compound miter saw solves an enormous number of problems for me. Let’s start with the slide mechanism. Two heavy-duty aluminum arms roll on bearings, and the action is very smooth. And because the slide mechanism provides zero rear clearance, you can set up against a wall.
The size and weight of this saw is much easier to maneuver in my tool truck. My old 12-in. sliding miter saw is impossible to tuck between boxes, wheel wells, lumber, and the other things that pile up, not to mention the difficulty of lugging it to the job site through doorways and around obstacles. But I thought I needed to have a big 12-in. saw for cutting 5-1/4-in. base upright against the fence (beveling a saw is a frustrating endeavor for most models). I made do with the overall unwieldiness of a 12-in. slider for efficiency’s sake.
I was floored to see the Ridgid’s blade housing is knocked out enough that it can cut 5-1/4-in. base vertically with its 10-in. blade. I ran base, casing, and shoe for several days during the test period and there were only a few occasions in an outside-right situation cutting in the middle of the board when I had to bevel the saw. That’s OK, because the saw has the best bevel control I’ve seen. It was simple to adjust square out of the box, and the saw remained dead square. To tilt, lift a release lever by the miter lock knob, then flip the tab on the neck of the saw, and everything releases. Bevel the saw and lock into the detent.
The upright belt-drive motor is smooth and shows almost zero reaction torque or head bounce. When I cope ogee base, I make my inside-right cut, then flip the board over and drop the head through the square portion of the cut to minimize time with the coping saw. The Ridgid has no problem doing this delicate work.
The dust collection is adequate, but the beveled guard and blade light took some getting used to. The light seems overly bright. It casts a clean line down the blade, but I think it’s 1/32 in. or 1/64 in. thinner than the actual (very nice) included blade. The guard housing reflects a lot of that light around and off the blade plate and carbide, making it sometimes difficult to focus on a pencil line. I did not notice this outside—where I do most of my cutting—but when I set up in a dim basement for trim, I did.
The saw feels powerful. It fights way above its weight without taking up any more space than necessary. It flew through hem-fir 2×10 just as easily as my 12-in. saw. It cut PT 4×4 without a hiccup. And it’s corded, which I consider a plus—no battery to change or forget to charge during lunch. The saw is made by Delta Power Equipment Corporation; it carries a five-year warranty and doesn’t include the same lifetime service agreement as most other Ridgid tools. That said, it’s easily one of the most well-designed miter saws I’ve used.
Mark Clement (@myfixituplife), remodeling contractor and author of The Carpenter’s Notebook.
Photos: courtesy of Ridgid
From Fine Homebuilding #310
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