Slide Compound Mitre Saws?

[Mike]

But don't choose the PPPro one for 'hard' hardwoods. I've f***ed the motor bearings on several by cutting too much oak.

And have a far stabler hand than most of us :-)

[Christian McArdle]

Well, if you've done it right, you shouldn't even see any cut edges, so a bit of wobbling shouldn't matter.

I did all my laminate with a handsaw. I didn't have a circular or sliding mitre saw in those days.

Christian.

[manatbandq]

No one's asked the obvious, why do you want to cut mitres in laminate flooring?

MBQ

[Christian McArdle]

They are also convenient for cutting boards/planks/battens etc to length. Easier to use than a circular saw, which requires you to set up some sort of cutting table so you don't saw through the surface you are laying the planks on.

Christian.

[Rob Morley]

... otherwise known as a bit of scrap board on the floor :-)

[Tony Eva]

I did all my engineered wood flooring (approx 100 sq m) with a jigsaw. No problems, easy and quick, and much simpler IMHO than trying to clamp a 2m long board securely to use a circular saw. As has been mentioned, the expansion gap needs to be covered anyway and that hides a multitude of sins.

Just make sure you have a spare pack of blades, it's much easier with sharp ones.

[manatbandq]

laminate

Yes I know that but I was puzzled why he specifically asked for a mitre saw. Wouldn't a chop saw be more appropriate?

MBQ

[Alex W]

(...My news server has not been handling external posts for a while...)

Thanks for the advice everyone ... I plumped for the DeWALT DW707 in the end which was above my price original range but is a great tool.

For me the advantages of this were its compact size (as the slide bars are contained within the motor housing when unextended) and reasonable weight whilst still being able to cut 270mm (300 if you jack up your timber a bit).

I am very impressed with the build quality and precision which is streets ahead of the other models I have tried.

Down sides are no laser (no biggy) and no depth stop (which is due to the design of the tool rather than an omission as the slide bars are only horizontal when the head is fully down).

Alex.

[Christian McArdle]

A chop saw doesn't usually slide, so won't cut wide planks, like a sliding mitre. They also are usually fitted with metal cutting discs, rather than a circular saw for wood.

Christian.