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Quality? Milwaukee 12″ SCMS (6955-20)

johnpjackson | Posted in Tools for Home Building on December 4, 2008 07:29am

I’m getting ready to buy a 12″ sliding compound miter saw (SCMS). I had been zeroing in on Makita but then saw a bunch of review information ranking the Milwaukee 6955-20 SCMS above it. The rationale for that people have given all looks good. I was suprised today though when I went and physically looked at the Milwaukee at Home Depot. The knobs and mechanism for setting the miter angle felt pretty flimsy, like they could easily be damaged by an accidental whack into something while carrying the saw. The dust collector shroud around the saw blade was very thin plastic that looked like it too could easily get broken if you weren’t careful with it. Also, the hardware used for limiting the depth of cut looked like an afterthought and not very accurate.

I’m surprised I haven’t found others noting these things. As the most expensive saw in it’s class I was expecting to be more reassured by it’s quality and attention to detail.

Though most seem to have rated this saw better than the Makita gear, the Makita 10″ SCMS on display right next to this one had less cheap plastic and it’s controls had a more solid feel. I’m leaning toward the Makita again. I’m just questioning my judgment a little because the judgment of those people who liked the Milwaukee seemed trustworthy enough too. Is there anyone else out there with experiences with either of these two saws and wants to share those? Thanks!

-John
Amherst, MA

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Replies

  1. JulianTracy | Dec 04, 2008 08:01am | #1

    When I first saw the Milwaukee - I thought right away it looked and felt like a cheapo plastic pc of ####. Like a fancy Ryobi product.

    Even the digital display - which everyone seems to love - seemed to be just a simply black plastic LCD unit - like from a cheap watch.

    Plus - it's huge as all get out.

    I've got the Dewalt 718 - at 55lbs, it's the lightest out there. For some reason they get a lot of flack - but I've had good luck with mine and I'm no Dewalt lover - I'll gladly tell you how crappy most of their tools are, but the saw's worked for me.

    JT

  2. User avater
    xxPaulCPxx | Dec 04, 2008 08:38pm | #2

    BTW, I saw yesterday that HD had the Ridgid 12" SCMS marked down $200 to $349.

    Tu stultus es
    Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
    Also a CRX fanatic!

    Look, just send me to my drawer.  This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.

  3. User avater
    Mongo | Dec 05, 2008 01:23am | #3

    John,

    I certainly understand your concerns. I went shopping fully planning on walking away with a Makita or Bosch 10" slider. I didn't even know Milwaukee had a 12" slider on the market.

    The more I messed with the saws, the more I realized the Milwaukee was the one I wanted.

    One concern for me was the depth of the saw. It's got to be around 36" from front to back, and yup, it feels like the miter knob sticks waaaaay out. It does. With the dust collection port sticking straight out the back, it might even approach 40+ inches. Physically, it's not small.

    I bought it. I've used it. I've put it through a bit of use over the past few weeks, a library/office: floor-ceiling bookcases, built-in desk, cabinets galore, walls of wainscotting, built-up crown. I'm just finishing up a bedroom; built-in platform bed, built-in desk, more bookcases, more crown, yadda yadda.

    I'm to the point now where I sort of slap the saw around like I used to do with my old Dewalt.

    The saw has been great.

    The depth of cut cam that you flip in and out does flex down about 1/16" or so when the set screw contacts it. But there is no depth of cut ruler, so I just bring the blade down where I want it, set the set screw and cut away. It's repetitive and accurate with mulitple cuttings.

    I though the digital miter readout was a gimmick. Sure it looks dorky, but the thing is nuts on target. And the real beauty of it all is the micro adjustment with the miter. Not sure of you played with that, but if you make a 32 degree cut and it's off a tad, use the micro to set the miter to 32.2 degrees. When you come back tomorrow, you don't have to eyeball 32.2, you can set it on the digital readout.

    I do a lot of built-up crown, 9, 10, 12 pieces, and it's the cat's meow for getting repetitive and precise cuts to wrap the same corner with different pieces of molding multiple times.

    The literature says this saw weight 65 pounds. My Thomas ST2820 compressor weight 66 pounds, but I'll tell you, I was lugging both around today and the compressor feels a helluva lot heavier than the saw.

    The big drawback for me with the Makita was the handle. I hated that handle. I have flexibility problems with my right wrist and it was literally painful to swing the Makita head up and down due to the orientation of the Makita's handle.

    The Milwaukee is pain-free and there's no safety that needs to be pressed prior to pulling the trigger. Makes it easy to use it left or right-handed. Of course that limitation may not apply to anyone else.

    Ergonomically we don't all operate the same. Work-wise, we don't all do the same tasks, or incorporate the same work flow during our working hours.

    For me, this saw is great. But there was a bit of trepidation making the purchase, because it wasn't even on my radar when I went shopping that day. It was actually an uncomfortable purchase. But for me it's been an excellent purchase.

    It's like Julian's post. He hates this Milwaukee saw, but he wrote that people give him flak about his Dewalt, saying that the Dewalt is a piece of junk. But he loves his Dewalt.

    All I can tell you is I like this saw. I can tell you I couldn't use the Makita, not because it's a piece of junk, but only because physically I couldn't use it due to the orientation of the handle. I can tell you that I like this saw better than my old Dewalt, but my old Dewalt was an OLD Dewalt.

    For you, the Makita might be best.

    Everyone just needs to realize that no one saw fits all.



    Edited 12/4/2008 5:30 pm ET by Mongo

    1. Snort | Dec 05, 2008 02:54am | #4

      Ditto everything Mongo said. My guys got one 4 months ago, and it has been worked hard, and taken it.I've got 2 DeWalts (old and new), that I liked a lot, but I'd much rather use the Milwaukee. The bevel adjustment is very positive. The digital read out and micro adjust work amazingly well, and the dust bag actually catches some dust.We recently did a really dark stained knotty alder job, under less than illuminating conditions. The lights were a major boon, and they're my only gripe. I wish they were brighter, LED, so I could see if the guys are goofing off in the dark.We just finished a job with two rooftop railing systems. The Milwaukee's not a lightweight, but it went up a ladder just fine.And, HDs selling it for $499. Now you see this one-eyed midget

      Shouting the word "NOW"

      And you say, "For what reason?"

      And he says, "How?"

      And you say, "What does this mean?"

      And he screams back, "You're a cow

      Give me some milk

      Or else go home"

      1. User avater
        johnpjackson | Dec 07, 2008 04:25pm | #5

        Ok, I bit the bullet and I just bought the 6955-20. I'm going to try it out over the next few days and see how it is. So far, so good. And, I *was* able to get it from a local Home Depot for the $499 price some people have mentioned. I just made a newer post explaining how I accomplished that. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and advice! :)-John

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