10" or 12" Compound Sliding Miter Saw More Accurate?

Is a 10" compound sliding miter saw more accurate than a 12"? I am looking at several, but leaning toward the Makita.

Reply to
Bill
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I can't see where there would be much difference really, especially when brand new and everything is tight. But buying a name brand with quality components, and maintaining the saw as it should be would also add to the accuracy. My biggest consideration is cut capacity as I do lots of porch and deck repairs. What to me would contribute to accuracy is initial setup, stabilty of the tool to the platform, and table extensions. My 2 cents

Dave

Reply to
David Babcock

I would have to guess that the 10" is more accurate. Seems to me that the larger blade on the 12" would result in more runout. Though if you are at the point that this level of accuracy is important you should use a sled (or good mitre) on the table saw.

I have a 12" that is pretty well tuned and has a good blade, but it still can't cut as accurately (consistently) as the TS.

Reply to
Eric

I second that emotion. I gave up arguing the point that a TS/sled combo is far more accurate for crosscutting where perfection (or the mere striving for it) is desired; my Dewalt 12 CMS does not give me the same accuracy as cutting on a sled. Others have argued with me adamantly that I don't know what the heck I'm talking about. sigh! :)

dave

Eric wrote:

Reply to
Bay Area Dave

Bill,

I won't make any absolute statements about accuracy, but I will give my subjective opinion. I recently bought a Makita LS1013 10-in SCMS. I also considered several other models, including the DeWalt

12-in SCMS having used one of these quite a bit in the past. Several things sold me on the Makita. The electronic soft-start pretty much eliminates the jump that occurs when starting up most other saws. It came with a nice 80T blade, which has been fantastic for the finish work I've been doing. The fit and finish on the Makita seemed a bit more refined than any of the others. Finally, the cost was almost $100 less than it's competitors. This week I saw my local Harbor Freight store selling these for $460, which IMO is a screaming deal. Capability to handle stock between the 10 and 12-in models is almost the same. Crosscut width is determined by the slides and both saws can accomodate 12-in wide boards. Depth is of course about an inch greater on the 12-in saws, if that's an issue. I have only two minor complaints about this otherwise perfect tool. First is the smallish fence. Right now I'm using the saw for finish carpentry on a house we're building, so it's mounted to a mobile stand. This means I have to rely on the saw fence and it could stand to be a bit larger. Later, I plan to mount this saw in a crosscut table for furniture making and this should take care of the issue once and for all. My second complaint is the depth of cut stop. It's small and flimsy and not suitable for any type of fine work. The tilt mechanism on this saw is so precise, that it would be easy to add a very solid and accurate depth stop. I've already designed a replacement depth stop, but I haven't had time yet to build and install it. Straight out of the box with it's stock blade, this saw makes glass-like cuts through the end grain of VG fir. If it were me, I wouldn't think twice about getting the Makita LS1013. Tools don't get much better than this.

Richard Johnson PE Camano Island, WA

Bill wrote:

Reply to
Rich-in-WA

I opted for the 10" slide for the following reasons. A 10" will cut up to 12" wide, I already owned good quality 10" blades and a 12" just makes it a little awkward to work with. I got the Bosch.

D.Martin

Reply to
Daniel Martin

Quality and how robust the structure is is going to make a lot more difference than the size.

Reply to
Rico

Used a makita LS1013 for about 2 yrs now. Has been a very dependable tool. Would suggest using a WW Chopmaster blade. Have it mounted on a rousseau miter saw stand (lucked out was on a closeout when I got it) which nice since I can roll it out of the garage to use the saw. If you get the rousseau save $15 and do get the cross brace kit. Just bolt a 2x2 to allow for the extra room needed

RT

Reply to
RTH

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