Mitre Saws - Dewalt or Makita?

[john-turner]

I have recently purchased a property that requires a full make-over. To save money i intend to carry out the vast majority of the work myself and i am currently getting my tools together.

I'm have narrowed down my choices to the following models purely based on brands i have heard spoken of in terms of reliable quality.

Dewalt DW708 or DW712, or Makita LS1214 or LS1013.

The Mitre Saw will be used for door framing, skirting boards, flooring etc and some larger work outside like decking.

I am by no stretch of the imagination a Carpenter so i would really appreciate any advice you maybe be able to offer.

Many Thanks John

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I don't know anything about the Makita, but the DW is going to do the job for you.

[john-turner]

Thank you for your reply, any views on which Dewalt model, DW708 or the DW712.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

The 708 give greater depth for crown moldings and vertical baseboards. In the long run, it will probably be better.

[john-turner]

That's a great help, thanks again for taking the time to reply

[Doug Miller]

So which one of them are you ticked at, your daughter or her husband? :-)

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

[Richard Cranium]

John,

I had a 12" Dewalt miter saw (don't remember the model no.) and hated it. Accuracy, repeatability and the need to clamp some cuts were the reasons. Bought a Makita LS1013 and love it.

The yellow saw is now in my son-in-laws garage.

R.C.

[Buck Turgidson]

I bought a 12" Delta (36-412) about a year ago, and I was not disappointed. It was a little pricier than DW, but it had a huge cutting capacity. It seems very accurate and well-made.

[Richard Clements]

[George Bame]

Every saw/brand will have detractors and proponents. All I can say is I've had a DW708 for a little over a year and I'm very satisfied. I like the cutting capacity of the sliding miter and the depth of the 12" blade. It has held adjustment flawlessly and has plenty of power. I put mine on a Trojan portable table so it's easy to move for outdoor projects like decks.

George Bame Norfolk, VA

[john-turner]

Thanks George, that's a real help

[captmikey]

Well, my Hitachi C8FB2 8½" SCMS is _still_ a charmer after about four years. Hitachi (I believe) was the first to make a SCMS and the obviously make bigger models. It will cut 12" shelving and no other small saw will do that. Also worked great builing my son's deck. I've used the DW 12" and while it's nice, its very bulky. Hitachi may have also reaped some awards for their SCMSs so don't rule them out.

[Charlie Self]

George Bame states:

had a DW708 for a little over a year and I'm very satisfied. I like the cutting capacity of the sliding miter and the depth of the 12" blade. It has held adjustment flawlessly and has plenty of power. I put mine on a Trojan portable table so it's easy to move for outdoor projects like decks.

I've got a Bosch SCMS, 12", in the Bosch folding stand. A hard to beat combination. But it pays to look at more than two brands. DeWalt, Delta, Porter-Cable, Hitachi, Makita, Ridgid are all excellent miter saws. Ridgid has just announced a new stand for their (and other) saws that seems at first sight to beat just about all the other stands I've seen or used. Though the 12" dual compound SCMS are about half the price they used to be, they're still pricey, though.