I'm in the market for a Mitre Saw. I've come across a 210mm saw at toolstation.com , their number is 50193, but it seems very cheap and i've never heard of toolstation.com before. Would I be better off spending a bit more and getting it from b&q.
For decent work with a mitre saw it needs to be quite solid so that cuts are straight and repeatable - e.g. there is no play in the bearings and mechanism. This involves the base and supporting pieces being reasonably beefy and any adjustable parts accurately made and of good quality. Needless to say this costs.
Also, some work requires two angles to be cut simultaneously. This implies a compound mitre saw which adjusts in two planes. This one does not look like it has that facility.
If you just want very occasional use and accuracy is not too important within a mm or two - e.g. if you were cutting materials for a deck or something, then this level of saw may be good enough.
If you want something thatr will last, be more versatile and accurate
- e.g. if you want to do regular and decent work then something better would be needed.
You can get reasonable "own brand" PRC or Taiwan produced products in the £100-150 range. The good branded products such as Makita, DeWalt, Elektra Beckum etc. start just below £200.
If you are looking for quality, it is better to go for a sturdy product rather than something with gimmicks like laser guides.
-------------- I got one of these a little while ago:
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(just in case the link is mangled it's a Ferm KZ250 from Screwfix, quote num
19638)
It chomps through pine, 4x2, 3x2 and even 4x4 (if I turn it over) with no difficulty at all and the cut is repeatable and remarkably clean if you don't rush it. However, It is not good enough to simply take an angle off a protractor and set the machine up to that. I tried that on my current project and was out by 3 degrees. Only test pieces so no drama. I don't know yet whether it's the saw gauge that is out or this giant protractor cum saw guide thing that I have, so for now I just transfer actual angles to an adjustable bevel and true the saw to that. Probably what I should have done anyway.
But, once set-up it is repeatable, definitely has the oomph for the job and does feel like it can take it all in it's stride.
But what I really want (as well as the big CMS) is one of these:
I also have a Ferm KZ250 (from Screwfix)... and am very pleased with it.
Upto now I've only been cutting pine for fairly rough jobs... before embarking on any projects using hardwoods and where the finish is really important, I think I would invest in a decent quality blade and with a few more teeth.
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