Compound Miter Saw vs. Circular Saw

Get both if you can, if not, it would be tough to do without a decent circular saw.

For the home handyman/carpentry type projects, the circular saw will be more versatile. For the woodworker projects in the workshop, miter saw. For me, but YMMV, miter saw = greater accuracy and precision, circular saw = higher utility and portability.

For the specific task mentioned. trim work in a fixed location, I'd go with the miter saw. But neither one really replaces the other. Budget permitting, get both.

Tom Veatch Wichita, KS USA

If you have the money get both. Otherwise a quality 12" compound miter saw will prove to be very useful.

Agreed here, any plywood to cut, or rips, or any of a dozen other operations and you're out of luck with the miter saw. If it were a choice, I'd spend my money on a good worm drive saw.

Ed

bobted wrote in news:8416d37b-f26b-4104-98b1- snipped-for-privacy@f33g2000vbm.googlegroups.com:

For what you're doing, a CMS would probably work out better. It would take you much less time to adjust to a CMS than it would to a circular saw for doing things like trim and angles.

A circular saw is actually a fairly inexpensive purchase, so I'd consider both. I don't feel the circular saw is as accurate as the CMS, but it's one of those tools where accuracy comes from the operator.

Puckdropper

Miter box, back saw, and coping saw.

Circular saw.

Compound miter saw.

(Start at the top. Stop when you run out of money.)

A circular saw can do everything a miter saw can do, but a miter saw can only do a fraction of what a circular saw can do. That being said, a miter saw is faster and more accurate for what it does, and is worth the money if you do frequent cross cuts, or just happen to have the money kicking around.

I would suggest getting a circular saw with a good blade (the blade will make more difference than the saw itself), and spending some time to make some good quality jigs for the saw. Fortunately, even the best of circular saw jigs are pretty fast and cheap to make. I personally like the cross-cut jigs that use aluminum L-bars to guide the saw -- just make sure you take the time to ensure everything is perfectly square, and there is no slop. Also take the time to round all the corners -- especially of the aluminum-L-bars.

John

...yup! Many times I've been caught without a CMS (or figgered I didn't need it due to the size of the job) and ended-up using my handy-dandy 6" Makita kit saw and the speed square in my pouch for straight and miter cuts on base and casing...a little slow, but the quality is comparable, 'specially if it's paint grade. Were I the OP I'd opt for the miter first, then the worm-drive...less of a learning curve with the CMS, those worm drives are powerful and a bit daunting for an inexperienced homeowner, IMO.

cg