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Entry level miter saw opinions

I've been looking at the Dewalt DW703. Any opinions?

Reply to
nivek
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Good saw.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I cannot speak to the specific saw.

I will speak to "Entry level" in you title. I have recently realized that I am spending the last half of my life replacing entry level stuff with the good stuff I really wanted. It would have been cheaper and more satisfying to buy the good stuff in the first place.

With that said take no offense against the Dewalt tool. The make pretty good stuff.

So there. Said that!

Reply to
RonB

But, didn't it take your using some of the entry level stuff to really know what kind of good stuff you actually wanted?

Reply to
Upscale

If this is the 12" compound miter saw your referring to, buy it , it's an excellent saw. I have used these saws since they first came out, I am not a big Dewalt fan, but this saw is one of their better tools they make. mike

Reply to
mike

snipped-for-privacy@netzero.com (mike) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

I think the 12" is the 705, which I own, and about which I agree with Mike.

The 703 is a 10", and runs about $100 less at Amazon.

If you can go for the extra money, the 12" is a "keeper" saw, with capacity to do everything a homeowner or hobbyist can throw at it. Not being a contractor, I can't vouch for that use.

Patriarch

Reply to
patriarch

I think that is a very good point... the beauty of places like ebay and HF are that you can get tools NOW at budget prices... to use while learning not only how to work with and use the tool, but whether or not it will be an important part of your shop..

My first biscuit jointer was on sale at HF for $40... I made my learners mistakes while abusing it and realizing WHY the dewalt was so expensive... and that it WAS worth $140... YMMV

(I'm still using my $99 HF 9' disk / 4x48" belt sander and it does every thing that I need, at least at my present skill/knowledge level)

Reply to
mac davis

Hi all,

SWMBO is warming up to the idea of putting crown molding in the house, so a CMS (or maybe SCMS) purchase is in the not-too-distant future. I've always assumed that a 10" saw would meet most homeowner's needs but Patriarch's post suggests that I'd better rethink that position. The 12" models typically bump the price up considerably but, if a 10" model leaves me undersized, the savings is a moot point. What tasks have you performed on a 12" MS that could not be completed on a 10" MS? TIA.

Cheers, Mike - hoping to make a well-informed purchase

Reply to
Mike

half snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Mike) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

5 1/2" crown moulding. By the way, either get a really good book on crown installation from the library, or find someone to SHOW you how to do it right. You will suffer far less that way. The process is far more than just having the right tools.

Patriarch

Reply to
patriarch

Cutting wider boards. You are correct for the homeowner putting up window and door trim, but for general wood working, their is always going to be a board 1/2" wider than the capacity of your saw. The job I bought my saw for was to install flooring. The 10" would have done the job but I decided to bite the bullet and get the 12". I'm not sorry and I have used the extra capacity. FWIW, I have the DeWalt 705. Came with a free ROS at the time too!

A 10" slider will have additional capacity but the price jumps on those also.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Mine is a 10" and when I'm building RV wheel chocks, I have to cut

4x4's at a 30 degree angle... just enough of an angle to have to lift the front of the stock a bit to cut the last 1/8"... a 12" would do a 4x4 at a 45 degree angle..
Reply to
mac davis

I'll second the book as a wise purchase, also extra material. In my home, I used my wife as my assistant. The Crown is "interesting" in a few places. I would also invest in a laser level which can get close to the ceiling. After working in my kitchen recently, the last piece I was putting up turned out to be 1/2" down from the roof to match a mating piece at a little softit jig. My wallpaper/level/ruler combination reported the roof to be severely out of plumb. SO NOW I have to caulk that little bugger.

I also recommend you learn how to cope, it's not that hard, secret is a fine tooth blade and a bit of practice. If you are not painting your crown, you have your work cut out for you and I would increase the budget 50% for replacement pieces.

I would also recommend one of those expanding posts/jack doo dads that can hold a piece of crown on the roof and wall while you work the other end. My wife's smidgeon and mine are about .01 to .125+ apart.

Alan

Reply to
Alan W

Yes, I will definitely do a lot of research before comitting to the project. I had planned on getting the Makita SCMS, which will probably satisfy any width requirements but I'm not sure about heighth requirements. A 5 1/2" cut is obviously too much for a 10" saw but what is the practical maximum?

Yes, I plan to cope joints as necessary (after some practice on sacrificial boards) and the molding will be painted.

Good idea.

I understand completely.

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

Cheers, Mike

Reply to
Mike

I'm a 40-shot handicapper an this and also looking at the 705. But I just ran across the 712 and wonder if that one wouldn't make the most sense as a general cutter for someone who doesn't do anything fancy. I realize that it's limited in the thickness it can handle but I very rarely do anything with wood over 2" thick, and then it's for fence posts anyway.

Reply to
GregP

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