Shopping for sliding compound miter saw
riverjamie
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I’m shopping for an sliding compound miter saw. I was looking for a good review article that compares them. Can anyone suggest one? Also I would be using the saw mainly for molding. Would this be a good choice or should I just look for a good double bevel compound?
Thank you and Happy Holidays
Replies
Dewalt.....had mine for years, it's great, works as well today as the day I bought it.
Personally I think Hitachi's 8-1/2" is the best saw out there. I have had mine since the mid 90's and still working fine. I recently bought Hitachi's 10" compound (20% off sale), the verdict is still out, I purchased the 10" for the reason that it is dual bevel vs the 8-1/2 a single bevel compound.
I think as mentioned to me by J.P. that Hitachi would do good by introducing the 8-1/2 with dual bevel capacities.
I'm sure you will get other opinions soon.
Bill
You're most likely going to get recommendations all over the place here. Everybody seems to feel, undertstandably, the saw they bought is absolutely the best on the market.
According to the reviews I've read, the Makita sliders are the class of the field. Some (mainly, I think , people who do framing) like the Bosch, primarily because all the controls are up front. Other brands have their followers too.
Most trim carpenters will use a plain CMS that bevels to both sides. These are more consistently accurate and will hold their settings better than any of the sliders. Even with the Makita slider, you have to expect to fiddle with the adjustments now and then to keep them accurate -- especially if you move them around a lot. The only really good reason to buy a slider is if you need the 12" cross cut capacity (most CMS will only cut a 2 x 6).
If you are truly looking for a machine to cut mainly moldings, I would stay away from sliders.
My makita's a piece of junk. The fence is aluminum, and it warps from temperature change all the time. I don't know why, but I can't keep it square and true to save my life. And, I got some of the strangest advice from Makita on how to fix the problem. Believe it or not, and I'm not kidding here, the guy at their home office actually told me to jump on it to bend it back to straight.
JC
I use the Bosch 10" slider and is very accurate.
i use a dewalt 12 inch slider, double compound, there isnt much it wont cut!!
i use it everyday cutting cherry and maple crownmoulding about 6 inches wide
caulking is not a piece of trim
Steve thanks for the reply. Do you find it easy to set saw up for the compound cuts? Some people have told me that the Dewalt has to be adjusted all the time? Do you find that to be a problem? Another commented that he had to take his fence to have to milled at a mechine shop because it was not square?
Thanks again
The points of difference between the better compound sliders are pretty small. If you really want to compare, getting your hands on one of each is by far the best test. Otherwise, any one will do a fine job. I've got a Makita, and just love it.
Malcolm
I've used the Elu [probably not available in US] and the Hitachi 8 ½" for a number of years to cut very accurate angles on very hard timber for parquet flooring.
The smaller diameter saw blades are a lot less prone to bend and 'walk' when trimming mitres and do a better job, in my experience.
IanDG
I agree exactly with what IanDG said. I have a Makita LS 1013 and while it seems decent, I would not recommend it. A thicker kerf blade for sure, and it is very difficult to adjust a mitre by a half degree or so. If you don't need the capacity, buy a 8 1/4".
Re: Makita 1013<<".....it is very difficult to adjust a mitre by a half degree or so.">>I guess that just goes to show .............I just did a whole floor of complicated crown molding -- all of which had to be mitered, rather than coped -- and none of the corners were true. The thing I loved about the Makita was the fact I could tweak it a half degree and hold it there for a very accurate cut.
I guess that just goes to show what?
everyone loves their Hitachi. I have a 10" with laser. Im just a stain grade finish carpenter, not a furniture maker.
I did this dance in september, tons of reviews, but I based my decision on specifics important to me. Good review from a stairmaster this past year in JLC he pointed out the good points of the line of top contenders. Bosch, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Hitachi....more. Also you can decide among the reviews on Amazon.com for particular products.
<<" I guess that just goes to show what?">>That one man's meat is another man's poison........I am frequently struck by the fact in these threads that one person will roundly criticize a machine for one reason, and another loves the machine for that very same reason.
I upgraded from an old ELU. I use a Makita 1013 for very accurate light duty cross-cutting and mitreing. The heavier the blade the better, and it helps for high cuts if you make a high fence. I also use the horizontal clamp (an optional extra) to hold what I'm cutting hard against the fence. There's a bit of technique as well - be carefull not to lean into the handle, but hold it steady and pull straight down and towards you.
I can make sets of bang-on perfect mitres for small boxes using well-prepared stock and a stop (to ensure matching pieces are exactly the same length) in only a few minutes.
Like I say - I love it.
MalcolmNew Zealand | New Thinking
I have the Makita for over two years and am well satisfied.
I am yet another fan of the 81/4" hitachi. I also feel that what you set your saw up on has a big part to play in your saws performance. My bench cost as much as the saw did but with every thing set up true it is a pleasure to use. The other thing is how portable your saw needs to be I also have the 12 inch hitachi but it is just a pain to get in and out of the ute it tends to stay at home unless I know I have to cut something beyond the capacity of the little one. As another aside has anyone tried one the Makita Cordless sliding compounds?
Bosch, DeWalt, PorterCable, Makita, Hitachi are all good brands. My suggestion is to get the applicable model numbers and do a search on Amazon. They have some great first hand users posting reviews there the last time I looked.
Hitachi and DeWalt seem to have the upper hand.
Bosch (with some early quality control problems) and Makita in a close 2nd.
Porter Cable in a distant 3rd, but I don't know why.
I happen to like Hitachi.
Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Hitachi, the leader in this category.
Just out of curiosity, why do you think Hitachi is the leader amongst SCMS?
Edited 12/29/2004 10:06 pm ET by nikkiwood
They were among the first to develop this tool. It is accurately machined, can cut 12" stock, can act solely as a chop saw or a small radial arm saw and is lightweight enough to be portable on job sites.
Also the stops are screws, so it is highly adjustable. DeWalt and Bosch and probably others, the guard has a small wheel that rides up the wood, have heard that it gets caught on crown and delicate molding. Hitachi avoids that issue with guard lift arm. In addition its a pretty reasonable price, and when I bought mine Amazon threw in a 72 tooth finish blade in addition to the 40. Has a lot of add on options for people that need extra features. I carry mine in a van and I havent noticed it getting whacked out of line since I trued it.... including the laser.
...but as I said before everyone has particular needs.
Oh Milwaukee also rated very well for an all around tank of a job saw for multi crew use.
-zen
Hitachi or Makita, take your pick.
John
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