Miter saw reviews

I'm in the market for a miter saw, so went to consumer reports and read their review for miter saws, then moved on to several woodworking magazines and guess what? None of these publications picked the same saw nor even the same brand. Makes one wonder if advertising - with the exception of Consumer Reports - have anything to do with how these test are run and evaluated. Still shopping.

Reply to
Herbs News
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You can get miter saws ranging in price from under $100 to over $3,000. Do you have a budget? Do you plan on moving it around at all? What will you be using it for? Do you want (need?) a slider? How big of a blade? And will you be buying additional blades for it? I've got a 15 year old Pro-tech 12" CMS that cuts glass smooth 90s with a sharp Forrest Chopmaster. But the bells and whistles aren't great, and with a dull blade, forget about it. Lots of variables, no question.

That said, I've used quite a few different saws, and unless you're going to go with an industrial model like Omga, CTD or Pistorius you really can't go too wrong with Bosch, Makita, Dewalt or Milwaukee. Hitachi has made some good saws too. For these types of saw the quality of your blade is really the biggest factor in getting a good clean cut. Make sure it's a good one and well sharpened.

Good luck.

JP

Reply to
Jay Pique

There are many. I'd look for features. Decide 10" or 12", non-slider or slider, high back fence, laser, weight (if you will be moving it around), etc. I have a 12" non-slider DeWalt--blade changing is a bitch, but at least it stores a handy wrench in the base.

Reply to
Phisherman

Get a Bosch sliding compound miter saw. You will never regret it.

Reply to
Olebiker

The crew at my local hardwood specialty shop agrees with you. They are a pretty large outfit that also does different types of custom work, one-off or production. If I was rich enough to retire, I'd go "work" there for free!

Anyway, they have a Bosch 4410L, which is the 10" dual bevel slider, and they swear by it, saying it's the best miter saw they've used.

Tom

Reply to
tom_murphy

If money is no object then there are a lot of choices - hire someone to cut it for you -- ;-)

Some thoughts...

use of tool - does it need to be moved around? do you have a shop and other tools to complement, e.g. tablesaw? A tablesaw and crosscut sled is more accurate.

slider vs non slider - if you need the wider cut, then slider; if not, the non slide has fewer moving parts. The slider takes another

6" of bench depth. So you go from a 24" deep bench to 30" or so. I had a 8-1/4" slider, but sold it off in favor of a 12" Dewalt non slider. I have a table saw for wide cuts. 10" vs 12" - a 12" non slider gives you about 8-10"of crosscut, but IMO, the smaller the blade the cleaner and more true the cut.

Awhile back I read an article on non sliders. I think they liked the Bosch, PC, and DeWalt.

I went to a WW show and they had a refurb dual-bevel 12" DeWalt for $200. Decision made. The DeWalt comes with a pretty decent stock blade. Something to think about -- a good blade runs about $100+

Reply to
coloradotrout

I got a Delta 36-322L at Lowes for under $200, when they were closing them out. Plus they gave a $50 gift card with the purchase for some reason.

It's a 12" with the dual laser guides that are very accurate and very handy. All the presets are dead on. The miter and bevel angles are true across the entire cutting range. Everything is tight and smooth with the mechanics of it, including the blade mount.

One feature that is very, very cool, is that the bevel lock in at the front, next to the miter lock. You don't have to reach to the back of the saw to lock/unlock the bevel. I didn't realize how handy that is, until I installed a few hundred feet of crown molding.

I believe it discontinued, but if you find it used or the newer version, new, I can vouch.

Reply to
-MIKE-

FWIW We have (4) 12" Dewalts sliders in use at the shop. Before that we had a couple 10" Makitas as well. They went out in the field. Many of the Maikitas (if not all by now) have suffered from a problem locking positively at the detents (play). That being said though we liked the Makitas. A few months ago the Milwaukee rep brought by their new slider. Let us use it for awhile (not long enough) We want to replace our Dewalts with them at some point (read: when we win the lottery, pigs fly or the economy picks up) There are lots of good saws. If you can try them out before you buy. What one person likes might not matter to you. The one big improvement they all could make is in the fence systems. I'd like to see some kind of telescoping fence with t-track and scale.

Lenny

Reply to
lenhow

It could be that the Milwaulkee had a sharper blade. Take any miter saw, sharpen the blade, and it's like having a new saw. Milwaulkee is a quality brand, my corded Milwaulkee drill keeps going through all the tough jobs and the Milwaulkee Sawzall is a good one too. If you don't need the slider, don't get it--it adds complexity to the alignment, a larger unit, and more $. I can always use my table saw or circular saw for wide boards.

Reply to
Phisherman

My Makita LS1013 has occasionally given me problems locking in the detents, most often when I'm using it for cutting wet framing lumber. The damp saw dust sticks in the detents that are under the table in the base. Blowing the base out with an air compressor solves the problem.

Reply to
Nova

I've been reading reviews and talking to folks for a while. I was Bosch at first but I have heard it has the same wear out problem as the Makita with the dentts not being crisp after a while. I have moved on to the Milwaukee. I was sold on the 10" slider after a Finh Homebuilding Review but it seems they only make the 12" now. I guess I'll have to move up to that. I find the Amazon.com reviews pretty insightful if you can detect and get past the bias in some cases and beware the novice who just loves it because it's shiney and new.

Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

One thing I really liked was the ability to fine tune (to a tenth of a degree) the angle of the cut. Well that and the fact it was shiney and new !

=oP

Lenny

Reply to
lenhow

I too have the Bosch 4410 and I love it. I did buy a higher quality blade for it and I bought an add on laser marker.

Reply to
Dick Snyder

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