Re: CHOP/MITER SAWS

[Joe]

I have the new Craftsman you refer to and I love it. It's a very accurate saw and it comes with 2 carbide blades. It's made in Taiwan and is not an Emerson. It seems that most router bits, no matter where you buy them from are also made in Taiwan.

am thinking about getting a compound miter/chop saw....... have looked at a > number of them..... i think about 160-200 is what i want to spend..... is > there really that much difference between them..... craftsman has there laser > trac for 189...includes extensions, 2 blades, hold downs, stop block.... > has any of the WW magazines done a comparison in the near recent past ?

[peter]

There is a big difference.

For example, all the craftsman miter saws I have used were missing pieces. They tend to fall apart.

Several magazines have done comparisons. The ones I have seen rate DeWalt and Hitachi very high. I have a Hitachi which I'm quite happy with, but beware of buying a new one. They are making them in China now and the quality does not look good.

Bosch reportedly also makes a very good one, but I have no personal experience with it.

You would be wise to avoid house brands such as Craftsman, Ridgid and the rest. You would also be wise to avoid cheap brands such as B&D, Ryobi, Delta, etc.

Good luck.

Peter

[Ramsey]

I love my Wilwaukee Miter saw! I never see anything written about it but the handle placement is great and it is very well made. It seems to be to be much better quality than DeWalt and I dislike the handles on the rest-except Bosh. Never seen one of them.

[Joe]

The Craftsman saw is a new chop saw model that was recently introduced and no reviews have been done on it yet.

[Bay Area Dave]

If it's a Crapsman, here's my review, with product sight-unseen: IT SUCKS!

DAVE

Joe wrote:

[Mapdude]

I'm a weekender in the shop. It is a hobby. I don't need industrial strength tools. I have a Craftsman and love. I don't use it in a production environment. Every buck I save in one place I can spend in another.

Bottom line, unless you are a carpenter for hire, the Craftsman will do fine. Make you own mind up by going and looking at the tools yourself.

Mapdude

Bay Area Dave wrote:

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Maybe. It is not so much a question of durability as it is accuracy. I don't know enough about the brand to give an opinion, but a bad cut is a bad cut regardless of the brand and when I put two pieces of wood together, I want the best fit possible.

Most any brand will do if you are framing a garage. If you are making fine furniture, you have different needs. Ed

[Bay Area Dave]

You've succeeded in writing the most ignorant statement I've run across on the Wreck in a long time. You don't have to be a "carpenter for hire" to aspire to something a lot better than Crapsman. Some folks get great satisfaction from using fine tools. They don't have to make a dime from their hobby to appreciate the "good stuff". Also, some folks will be happy with the Sears tools. More power to them. I've had 'em and they uniformly SUCK! Got rid of them.

dave

Mapdude wrote:

snip

[Joe]

I have 2 Craftsman tools that I am well pleased with. One is a radial arm saw from the 1960's (that weighs a ton and I would not trade it for any RAS that is on the market today), and the other is the Craftsman's new laser chop saw that is a real jewel. I hear it is made by Hitachi. If you are referring to the tools made by Emerson or Rigid I would agree with you they are crap. All or most of my other stuff is Dewalt and Makita, except for my Tormek and Hitachi sharpeners. Don't you figure that maybe Sears has taken so much heat and heard a lot of bitching about some of the crap they sold in the past, that they are trying to make a real effort to change their image? They have some pretty good sales now and then and with their coupons one can get some good deals on any thing they sell.

[Bay Area Dave]

Glad you are happy with your tools, Joe. I've had a number of Sears items that either went back for full refunds, or I sold them, or I stashed them in the attic. They just don't perform like well made tools from the "majors".

Changing their image? No, not really; they always are having sales, just like Macy's. Cheap prices don't a good tool make, however. I'll stick to the front runner brands in each tool category. I don't like to waste money on anything that will underperform and need to be replaced when my aggravation level rises to the "screw this POS, I'm going out and getting an "xyz" that WORKS!" It's cheaper to spend the money up front for the good stuff. I don't agree that buying Sears tools (except hand tools) is a wise policy. As everything else in life, that's just one man's opinion...mine

dave

Joe wrote:

[Ramsey]

[Steve]

What's your address? I've got a couple of sets of chisels and some plane irons that should just make your day!

[mcilwain]

Check out

for a review of eight saws, some of which are in your price range. I think the laser trac is kind of a gimmick. I seriously considered the Craftsman when I purchased a new miter saw last year, but I ended up with a DeWalt. I use it frequently, and I have never felt that my ability to make accurate cuts has been compromised by that fact that it doesn't have a laser guide. You probably can't get a DeWalt for under $230 or so, but I do think you can do better than the Craftsman and stay within your price range. The Craftsman comes with a lot of extra stuff, but all the accessories in the world will not help if the saw itself won't make an accurate cut.

[Joe]

[Mapdude]

[Mapdude]

Ive seen plenty of crap come out of garages full of shiney new expensive tools. Good tools does not guarantee good work. the only thing that matters is what you turn out.

if your ego demands it, buy the "f> You've succeeded in writing the most ignorant statement I've run across

[Bay Area Dave]

tee hee! You take the cake for logic! actually, the lack thereof.

Of course someone who owns nice tools can produce crap. So???? If I'm HAPPY to have gotten rid of my Crapsman stuff and gotten tools that I enjoy USING, what's your beef with that? It isn't about ego, dude. It's about choice. I LIKE having tools that operate smoothly, are accurate, etc, etc. If I had more time I'd list all the specifics about why I chose the tools that I have. but it's a waste of time to even debate with you as you have a chip on your shoulder regarding folks who can afford to buy nice things. Grow up little green monster.

Now go make so earth shatteringly wonderful, perfect project with your Crapsman equipment. Have a ball. what ever floats your boat. and leave the rest of us to enjoy our chosen equipment. and I still say CRAPSMAN EQUIPMENT BLOWS. I was thrilled the day my neighbor paid $225 for my 13 year old TS.

dave

Mapdude wrote:

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Can't dispute that. Same with cameras and golf clubs.

Not a matter of ego. If Mr. Chippendale could have bought a Unisaw, don't you think he'd have bought one? I have the choice of buying "ok" tools or the "fine tools" you mention. I prefer to work with fine tools. They save time and enhance the woodworking experience. In the case of a pro shop, they make for more profit. Funny, I've never seen a post here by someone that thought he bought a tool that was too good and wanted to take it back for a crappy one. Ed