What does sliding Miter Saw do over a non sliding saw

In a nutshell, crosscuts a greater width than a non sliding miter saw .. usually up to about 12", depending upon blade size.

Reply to
Swingman
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I have a chance to buy a 12" sliding DeWalt Miter Saw with a rollaway table with wheels etc for 350.- I'm just wondering if I need the sliding feature or not.......>Any help will be appreciated

Reply to
PeterM

You start the cut with the head pushed to the back of the saw and pull the head through the cut.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

Reply to
Nova

Thanks Swingman........It has a 12" saw blade. It will not move as I'm cutting right? I just pull it out before I cut, and that then it will let me cut like the 12". Is that correct? Don't laugh, I'm not experienced with this. How does the price sound?.....Peter

rollaway

Reply to
PeterM

it's not as accurate for precision cuts as a non slider. the blade and motor will will have some lateral slop, in relation to the wood and table. I quit using my non-slider for super precise cross-cuts. I made a sled and use the TS for accurate cross-cuts. Like to within .005 or better.

Note: The published maximum width you can cut a flat board on a non slider can be exceeded. Just put a board under your wide work piece; that will place the workplace at a wider section of the blade. Look at a miter saw to visualize this.

dave

PeterM wrote:

Reply to
Bay Area Dave

The current price for a new DeWalt DW708 12" sliding miter saw is $600 (without the stand). Provided there is nothing wrong with the saw, $350 with a stand is a VERY good price. The DW708 is an excellent miter saw.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

Reply to
Nova

I have the DW 12" non-slider so don't know much about the slider. But doesn't the slider also have a blade height stop so it acts kinda like a RAS if you want to cut rough dados? Other than that, I can imagine it also has the drawbacks of the RAS in terms of a little more flex and a few more adjustments to make to keep it perfectly tuned. As for the price, either lying, got a great deal or is something wrong with it!!! I believe it retails for over $600 new (maybe closer to $700 but I can't remember).

Reply to
Tom Kohlman

You got to keep in mind Dave's the type of guy that forgets little details, like remembering to put bottoms in the drawers he makes.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

Reply to
Nova

One thing to think about is clearance behind the saw. It will need to be farther away from the wall then a non-sliding saw. Otherwise, cutting capacity is the main difference.

Reply to
Jay

Reply to
PeterM

Now I'm confused, are you saying the sliding one is not as accurate? Then I won't buy it.......Peter

rollaway

Reply to
PeterM

I thought it was the other way around. Pull all the way out, put into the wood, push forward. It's based not on personal experience but something I read somewhere about a sliding miter being safer than a radial arm saw.

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

Where did you get your information concerning the accuracy of the slider vs. non-slider? Did you measure it, or simply parrot some information that you read somewhere? I have a 12" Dewalt SCMS and a Dewalt 12" CMS and have done a bunch of tests. When the saws are adjusted properly there is zero difference in the accuracy of the cut.

In my opinion the biggest differences in the two saws is that the SCMS can cut wider pieces, but it also takes a lot more room away from the wall.

Bob McBreen

Reply to
RWM

as long as YOU are happy with the accuracy that's all that matters. I don't even use my Dewalt CMS for precise cross-cuts. I use a sled. By using a moving blade and the Bies fence I can quickly cut a number of boards to exact length and the cut is cleaner than what comes off my Dewalt, even using an 80 tooth blade. A moving WWII gives a better cut than the 80 Dewalt. Plus the DeWalt is thin kerf and it WILL flex when cutting wider boards, even those that aren't very thick, and YES, even if I go pretty slowly. Take a straight edge to a 6" board (baltic birch comes to mind) cut on a non-slider, using a thin kerf blade, and look at the bow in the cut. I suppose if I slow WAAAY down so that it takes forever to get the blade through, the cut would be straight. I'm not that patient. I'm also not forcing it; after cutting too fast, I slowed down, figuring the cuts would be acceptable; they weren't and that day I built a sled.

I stand by the statement that the slider is less accurate. Read up on them. I don't really care how YOU 'feel' about yours, I've observed them and wouldn't buy one for precision work. Would I buy one if I was a contractor framing a house. Yeah!

dave

RWM wrote:

Reply to
Bay Area Dave

You made me pull out the manual for my saw. I've been pulling the blade through the cut since I had the saw. The manual tells me I've been doing it wrong. You are correct the proper way is to push the saw through the cut.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

Reply to
Nova

Gee, I put together a number of 12 segment rings that went together without the need to sand to fit. The segments were cut on a Makita LS1013 slider. I guess 24 cuts at 15 degrees each, with practically 0 degree combined error, isn't precision work.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

Reply to
Nova

actually you're supposed to pull the head out before beginning the cut, and push the blade as you make the cut. on a radial arm saw you pull it through as you make the cut. If you pull the blade through the cut on a sliding miter saw, you're asking for the workpiece to be thrown at you. On a SCMS the blade is spinning upwards closest to the operator, whereas on a RAS it is spinning downwards at this point. It's a big difference and shouldn't be mixed up.

Reply to
Mike in Mystic

You seem to have an interesting way of non answering. The topic was sliding miter saws vs. non-sliding miter saws, not miter saws vs. cross cut sleds on a table saw. My question was if you had measured the accuracy difference, or if you were parroting something that you had read. From your answer it is pretty clear that you have read about the accuracy of sliding miter saws, and you have measured the accuracy of the cut that you get with your non-slider, but it sounds like you have never investigated the difference between sliders and non-sliders. I wonder why you felt you had information to add to the slider vs. non-slider comparison.

I also don't understand the following:

"I use a sled. By using a moving blade and the Bies fence I can quickly cut a number of boards to exact length."

Are you using a sled, the fence, or both to cross cut?

Bob McBreen

Reply to
RWM

The results sound great to me. 12 segments at 15 degrees is a complicated assembly.

Bob McBreen

Reply to
RWM

With all respect (not looking to pick a fight ) the OP was concerned about accuracy as the thread progressed. BAD's reply (though I need more info before I accept his responses at full value) dealt with accuracy. (Dave -- I use a 10" thin kerf almost exclusively in my TS. ISTM there may be something else with your setup causing the discernable inaccuracy when crosscutting. Also, not trying to pic a fight... ) Therefore I find Dave's comments completely in the thread, though they differ from the specifics of the original post.

IMHO...

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

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