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Miter saw recommendations

ry91 | Posted in Tools for Home Building on August 20, 2007 11:10am

Hi everyone,

What would be a good compound miter saw to buy that is of good quality and accuracy, yet somewhat easy on the budget? One that will allow me to do most everyday rough carpentry and finish work. I’m sure I’ll get as many opinions as there are registered users here. But the last review I can find from this magazine is very old, and there are sure to be a lot of new saws out there. I did a google search, and newest review I found was 2004.

Any suggestions would be a good starting point.

Thanks,

Ryan

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Replies

  1. rnsykes | Aug 21, 2007 12:41am | #1

    I love the Makita 10" dual bevel slider.  It custs so much nicer than our Bosch 12" slider, it's lighter, comes with an excellent blade.  The laser guide is adjustable from one side of the blade to the next, and operates even when the saw is not running.  It has a soft start motor which I enjoy, not sure of the benifit on a miters saw, but I enjoy it none the less.  It's not as heavy as the 12" saws, and that what my deciding factor was.  I have it on a cheap Ryobi saw stand that is worth twice what i paid for it.  I have no complaints about the saw or the stand.

  2. User avater
    Sphere | Aug 21, 2007 12:55am | #2

    If I was to do over, I'd get a mAkita or Hitachi slider.

    I am not overly impressed with my 2 y.o. Bosch 12" Slider.

     

    1. alias | Aug 21, 2007 01:08am | #3

      Have had the hitachi 10" slider for over 10 years IIRC , motor wise you cant beat it . As far as dependability. But the two big draw backs are the fences . just plain suck ...all around . And the miter gauge poor ledgability and to much info crammed on the scale. Funny, i was eyeballing the bosch 10" slider this weekend, what your beef with the 12"?? .." No matter how flat the pancake , there are always two sides"

      1. User avater
        Sphere | Aug 21, 2007 01:14am | #4

        Mostly it has a "run out" issue..s'posed to be factory Recond. But it seems to me at least, to be excessive, even with a decent Freud Blade.

        Heavy as all hell, but that is to be expected.

        The other gripe is ME, I keep reaching around back to bevel it ..LOL  DOH!! 

        1. alias | Aug 21, 2007 01:24am | #5

          i have all 10 " blades so the 12" jump kinda has me leary $$$, also i wanna slap some blade stablizer's on those 12". i have a block that they deflect more than the 10". i break out in hives when i see a deal on recon's or buy new. Is it worth the savings , but when the pennies matter i always make the leap . But..... i always wonder/

          Cheers , stay well.." No matter how flat the pancake , there are always two sides"

          1. User avater
            AaronRosenthal | Aug 21, 2007 08:23am | #12

            Hey, can I put in my 2 1/2 cents (Canadian)?
            I have a 10" Hitachi slider and just got the Bosch 12" compound non-slider for deck work. Got both brand new.
            I really regret getting the Bosch. Good saw, blades not TOO expensive, but I would have been better off with a 12" Hitachi slider. I may still give back the bosche and sell off the 10" to get a 12".Quality repairs for your home.

            AaronR ConstructionVancouver, Canada

             

          2. tomas | Aug 21, 2007 11:08am | #13

            I'd suggest you wait for the Festool KAPEX.I used to have the Hitachi 10" slider and thought that was a great saw but purchased the KAPEX a week ago and I have to say it's the best slider I've ever come across.It has many unique features.Just check out the German or British website.It's probably a lot more than you want to spend but it really is german engineering at it's best.Cheers
            Thomas

          3. alias | Aug 22, 2007 01:47am | #19

            hows about the low down, on the kapex?? i'm hesitant to ask but it being festool whats the damage to the wallet?? Wait let me sit down, awright let it rip..... thanks.." No matter how flat the pancake , there are always two sides"

          4. marv | Aug 22, 2007 03:49pm | #21

             festool whats the damage to the wallet

            The festool add said it was under $2,000!You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.

            Marv

          5. User avater
            DDay | Aug 22, 2007 05:47pm | #22

            The most reliable number floating around is about $1200 for the festool Kapex. At that price, your looking at over double the cost of the bosch, hitachi, and dewalt sliders. I've seen the demo's on the european websites but that price is far too high. When you look at the domino or the plunge saws with guide rails, those do things that other tools cannot match. The kapex is another miter saw. So even though I'm sure it will be better than the others, it won't be twice as good.There is a difference between appreciating festool products and being blindly loyal.

  3. User avater
    user-246028 | Aug 21, 2007 01:54am | #6

    I asked the same question a few weeks ago. 10" Makita slider or the Hitachi. I'm going with the Makita.

    Dave

  4. LittleItaly | Aug 21, 2007 03:05am | #7

    I don't know why everyone seems to avoid the Dewalt products.  Me and the guy I work with both have DW; Myself the compact 10" single bevel and he has the 12" double bevel with belt drive.  We used to work for another company that had the old 10" Mak slider, and we wore it out.  It always seemed kind of sloppy and awkward, crappy fence, cheesy controls, readout, etc. 

    I can't figure out why Mak has waited so long to update their product.  I have their Li-ion kit and it is outstanding in performance usability.  When you look at their cordless product from as recent as 2 yrs ago it looks so archaic and bulky.

    FWIW

    1. rnsykes | Aug 21, 2007 11:44pm | #18

      I think that the belt drive is awesome, but I have issues with the the positive stops on the table.  I had a 12" non slider dewalt for about 3 years, and before I gave up on it, the positive stops wer so badly worn that there was anywhere from 1-1.5 degrees of slop on the common stops like 90 and 45 degrees.  I just thought it should have lasted longer.  Don't get me wrong, 80% of my had tools are dewalt, so I have nothing against them.

  5. User avater
    dedhed | Aug 21, 2007 03:56am | #8

    http://www.toolup.com/Saws/Miter-Saws/6497-6/productinfoxaxIDxbx6497-6xcxManxbxMilwaukeexcxpidxbx%7BF8D0BF57-ED21-46EE-A2A0-A0DAB15D1E74%7D.html

  6. john7g | Aug 21, 2007 04:31am | #9

    Never saw much need or a miter saw in rough framing.  Circ saw does what I need for framing.  It is rough framing afterall. 

    Trim work go for the Hitachi Sliders.  I've had my 8.5" since '92(?) Original fence is somewhat inadequate but I was able to make fence extensions from some .100 7075 AL & solved the problem.

  7. Ragnar17 | Aug 21, 2007 06:29am | #10

    Ryan,

    I've got the first generation DeWalt 12" compound saw (I think its #705) , as well as the 12" slider that bevels both ways.

    I really like the 705, and it's the one I use most often.  Sliding compound saws are good if you have very large cuts to make, or for long angle cuts, like finish stringers on stairs.  Other than that, a 12" non-slider will do pretty much anything you ask of it.

    The 705 also has a great miter gauge -- it has a vernier component that allows you to make easily-repeated settings down to a 1/4 degree or less, so it really eliminates the guesswork.

    I think a 12" compound saw is best for installing trim (something I do a lot) because there's so much vertical capacity that you don't often need to cut the piece "on the flat".  This is especially true when cutting crowns, and the 705 has crown stop attachments that work great.

    Unfortunately, I haven't seen any of the newer DeWalt saws, so I don't know if the features I have on my older saws are still being used, or whether the quality has remained consistent.  My 705 is probably 10 years old now.

     

  8. thinkerf | Aug 21, 2007 07:40am | #11

    I would suggest you look deep into the future if you can afford it.  It's the nature of the tool beast.  Right now you might have a few jobs in mind and think most saws will be overkill.  I started with a basic Hitachi CMS.   It didn't have any bells and whistles, but it did everything I expected it to - make clean and accurate cuts.  It wasn't long before I was dreaming about bigger and better.  I have had the Makita 10" slider for about 2 years now and I must say it is a killer saw.  Dead-on right out of the box and it ships with a great blade (although most saws in this category probably have nice blades).  The Makita gets my vote.  Whatever brand you end up buying try and think about bigger projects down the road.  I almost always get the bigger/better tool and I have yet to think that I wasted my money.

     

    Ryan     



    Edited 8/21/2007 1:06 am ET by ThinKerf

  9. FNbenthayer | Aug 21, 2007 02:11pm | #14

    Look for a Delta 36-412 I think they discontinued the saw recently so you might find a good deal. The saw has front bevel controls and great cutting capacity http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuideProduct.aspx?id=5428 the only trade off is that it's pretty heavy.

     

     

     

     

    The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
    - Fyodor Dostoyevski

    1. marv | Aug 21, 2007 03:50pm | #15

      I'll second the 8.5" hitachi slider....I love it.You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.

      Marv

  10. JJV | Aug 21, 2007 06:20pm | #16

    You mentioned "easy on the budget".

    What's the budget?  That would obviously help determine what direction to point you in.

    $400 will get you a decent 10" slider or a decent 12" CMS.  I have one of each and I find myself going for the 12" more often now, and I use the slider more for wide crosscuts. (BTW the slider is a Makita and the 12" is a DeWalt dual bevel CMS.  Both fine tools and good choices.)

     

    Most nights are crystal clear, but tonight it's like he's stuck between stations.

  11. User avater
    DDay | Aug 21, 2007 07:37pm | #17

    Any slider will add cost. If your fine without the slider, check out the dewalt double bevel. It will cut 6 1/2"s vertically and it fairly light. I think you may have missed out on amazon's deal though. I think they just had a deal for a free reconditioned 18v cordless drill in you buy more than $300 worth of dewalt tools. They'll probably have another deal around the corner.

    http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW716-Double-Bevel-Compound-Miter/dp/B000ASDN60/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/002-6973908-0736864?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1187713879&sr=8-4

  12. grpphoto | Aug 22, 2007 05:10am | #20

    I bought the 10" DeWalt non-sliding CMS. I bought it because it weighs 32 pounds and has a handle, so it's easy to carry in the field. As it turns out, it's near perfect for me. The fences work well, the dust collection is extremely well designed, and it's fairly well adjusted right out of the box. The blade that comes with it is decent, but there are better ones out there. I replaced it when it got dull.

    My only complaint is that things are so tight under the guard that none of the hub-mounted lasers will work with it. I can do without those, though. It also only leans to the left, which is not an issue for me.

    George Patterson
    1. ry91 | Aug 22, 2007 10:33pm | #23

      Thanks EVERYONE! Sounds like most like the DW or Makita. I'll shop around    looking at those two. The Kapex is WAY too $$$ for me. But if I win thelottery... This definately narrows down the flooded fields of saws!

      Ryan

      1. User avater
        DDay | Aug 23, 2007 12:33am | #24

        The one thing I don't like about the makita is the short fence. The dewalts fence is tall and much easier to cut crown against the fence.

        1. Ragnar17 | Aug 23, 2007 02:49am | #27

          The one thing I don't like about the makita is the short fence. The dewalts fence is tall and much easier to cut crown against the fence.

          Exactly.

          My buddy has a Makita CMS.  There's a lot to like about it, but we had to do some crown with it last week and it was a nightmare.  We ended up scabbing together some auxillary fences out of some scrap trim just so we could make the cuts with the crown standing up.  I don't know why the saw wasn't originally designed with removable sections to make the fence higher when needed.

      2. USAnigel | Aug 23, 2007 12:48am | #26

        Like many have said it all depends what you will be doing. I'm on my second Dewalt 12" and only because this one has the motor outback out of the way. It has tall fences which is great for crown and tall base. The japan models all seem to have short fences which I don't like because they make you try and cut stuff laying down. With a small angle gauge its tough to be accurate this way.

        Blades make a big impact on how well it all works, so don't go cheap on these.

  13. wood4rd | Aug 23, 2007 12:35am | #25

    Before buying one, I would recommend lifting it up and carrying it around, because that is what you will be doing alot. I have the Makita 1013 and have it mounted on a miter saw stand with wheels so it is easier to move around.

       I have had it for at least 8 years and the only problem I have had is the hold -down pin has sheared two times. This has happened when I was transporting it in a trailer and bouncing on the bumpy roads. What I do now is bungee down the sawbody so it cant pivot up and down. It costs $35 to have the pin replaced at the Makita shop so I know better now. 

  14. troubleseeker | Aug 23, 2007 03:24am | #28

    Lots of guys around here use the Dewalts, and mostly seem pretty happy. I have the 12 MAkita, but I only use it in limited situations, such as tall baseboard or very large crowns.. It is at the top of the price pyramid $$$ and very heavy, but very smooth action and accuracy.  The truth is that I still do at least 90% of my work with my old Dewalt 12" standard miter saw.  Dirt cheap compared to the SCM's  and very light to move around with capacity enough for almost all daily work.

    1. ry91 | Aug 24, 2007 08:56pm | #34

      I bought the DeWalt 18v six pc. set at Costco a few years ago. Best purchase I've made in a long time! I like DW, and have had good experience with Makita, too. I'm sure the market is competitive, and there are many good saws. Any "must haves" on the saw? Single bevel vs. double bevel? I'm a DIYer, so not needing quite what you all need. Gotta have a cool new toy, though! And will use it as my main saw. My garage is too small, and too filled with other crap, to have a tablesaw, even if it was portable. After this I will have to buy new skis next year.

      Ryan

      1. BillBrennen | Sep 10, 2007 06:19am | #36

        I second the comment that a tall fence is a "must have" on a miter saw. Unless you really plan on cutting a lot of wide stock, the DW 716 is a great saw. I'm not too keen on DeWalt stuff, but really like their miter saws.Bill

  15. regreaves | Aug 23, 2007 04:57am | #29

    I own an older Dewalt 12-inch CMS. I was happy with it until I bought a Hitachi 12-inch slider recently. It is so far superior in accuracy. All this time I thought the miter joints didn't come out right because the walls were crooked!

    Only one problem-it's so heavy my back hurts the day after I drag it around.

    1. alrightythen | Aug 23, 2007 07:48am | #30

      I always had the same trouble trying to cut crown with a short fence..then I learned to cut it flat...with a chart of the off angles...it's a piece of cake.

      so quit your griping and learn to cut flat :P

       

          View Image                                          View Image    

      1. Ragnar17 | Aug 23, 2007 09:44am | #32

        so quit your griping and learn to cut flat :P

        Yeah, yeah.  :)  It's just so much easier to cut crown when its leaning against the fence.  Especially when futzing around with outside corners, I find it a LOT easier to make a simple adjustment to the miter angle, and leave the bevel angle at 90.  With the cruddy bevel gauges on most saws, I'm lucky to set with an accuracy of +/- 1 degree.

        So quit your griping and buy a saw with a sizable fence.  :P

        1. alrightythen | Aug 23, 2007 04:08pm | #33

          I know...I wasn't really serious.

          it is pretty simple when you can stand your crown up....just  that cutting it flat wasn't as hard as I thought was.

          and I love my Makita...tried very hard to buy a different saw. But in the end couldn't not buy the Makita.   View Image                                          View Image    

    2. User avater
      AaronRosenthal | Aug 23, 2007 09:03am | #31

      I'm glad to have read your post.
      I have convinced my dealer to take back my Bosch 12" non-slider (I have a 10" Hitachi slider too) so I can buy the Hitachi 12". But, I am already unhappy with the weight of my 2 saws, and getting one even heavier is just not smart.
      Oh well.Quality repairs for your home.

      AaronR ConstructionVancouver, Canada

       

  16. Billy | Aug 26, 2007 02:04am | #35

    I have the Hitachi 10" slider (old model) and I really like it.  It is smooth and accurate.  I add an auxiliary fence for cutting crown.

    Billy

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