Opinions on 10” miter saws

I have the Makita. Great Saw….

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Me too nice saw!

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

Hi Zuki,

Yep, Makita all the way for me and the LS1013 is sweet.

All the best
Gord

-- A woodworker’s character is what he really is. His reputation is merely what others perceive him as…www.canadianwoodshopnewsandreview.com

Heck with the miter saws… : ^ )

Love the bandsaw.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Never had a 10”. I’ve got DeWalt’s DW718. I added DeWalt’s laser and wish I had tried Irwin’s bolt on deal first. Having the laser is sweet but it took me forever to set it up and ya better double check on a piece of scrap every once in a while, especially if you move the saw. Other than that I love the saw, the double bevel is sweet, got truck loads of power, all the positive stops are very accurate, and it’s got 16” horizontal capcity. For me it was well worth the extra $150 I’ve used every bit of ths saw.

-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!

You didn’t say what you budget was but If youre going to leave one in the shop all the time and want an all round “functional ” CMS take a look at this “12 inch”
Take note how they reversed the engineering on the slider so it will fit against the wall and still function.
Kool!

It’s right around the $560.00 mark if you search it out a bit.
If you will be hauling the saw around to job sites look for something lighter . I see a lot of Hitachi (10”) on sites here.
Dewalts are popular too.

Make sure it has a laser whatever you get.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

That hitachi slider is pretty cool. I know it blows the budget, but I have to mention it anyway, the Festool Kapex.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Just finished watching all the Kapex videos. These guys at Festool don’t do anything half way do they?

-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!

Hey Mot, how you gonna smuggle that sweetie down the basement? <g>

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

The Kapex…It’s $1758.00!!! My wife had to come over and pick me up off the floor after seeing that price! By the way…She’s not too fond of the fact that I like hanging around this site!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Gord – you seem to like your makita’s . . . I count 4 ??

Shaun – I was\am a Dewalt man and have loved the DW718. But at $798 its a little steep. I would also have to buy a good new 12” blade that will probably put me back another $100. Dewalt have a smaller slider, but its only a single bevel.

Bob #2 – Drool. With digital read out and the unique sliding system . . . I fell in love with it the first time I saw it in person. Here in NL that piece of equipment is running $950+.

MOT – let me shake the money tree once again :-).

HD have a “sale” right now on tools. Well not actually a sale . . . If I buy either the Bosch or Makita I will get a $150 gift card. I already have a mess of HD gift certificates and the gift card I got at christmas from buying my table saw. I have looked at some reviews and the Bosch rates really high . . . but at $699 it is still a little high for my my liking.

I like american prices. Even though our $$ is on par with the greenback . . . shipping still makes things cost prohibitive.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Zuki:
I understand your hesitance cause 550+ big ones is a mighty big investment but this sale looks too good to pass up and it ends tomorrow.
They have free shipping on that one too.
Were I on your side of the border I would pull the trigger on it now.
Really, you are only talking the difference between what you budgeted and—- heaven!

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Wow… they’re getting $798 for the DeWalt! I just bought mine a few years ago and I swear I didnt’ pay more than $650.

-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!

Bob #2 – I know that Newfoundland is surounded by water, but I still think we are still on the same side of the Canadian border :-)

Shaun . . . you may have paid $650 american . . . Im quoting in Canadian $$$.

I may put the purchase on hold a while and monitor prices. A friend of mine is really into computer “stuff” and he told me that since the american $ and canadian $ are at par the prices of computer parts has dropped considerably.

It will eventually (I hope) hit the power tool market.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

ZukI:
Apologies for not knowing your origins.
The conversation seemed to be in U.S. dollars so I just assumed.
I hope you find what you are looking for.
Good luck

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I might be opening up a nasty can of worms here, but Chicago Tools makes a 12 compound miter saw with laser guide that I think compares very closely with the Makita LS1214. Harbor Freight sells their Chicago saw for $260 regular price (but it often comes on sale for $160-$170 USD!) JUST THOUGHT I WOULD LET YOU IN ON AN AFFORDABLE 12” MITER SAW WITH LASER.

For example, take note of this router by Chicago Tools. It is EXACTLY the same router as the Makita 3612, but costs less than half the price. GO FIGURE!! It pays to shop around for ALL YOUR OPTIONS, because you never know when you can get the same quality tool for a fraction of the cost—all because it’s sold under a different name.

-------

IMMEDIATELY AFTER I POSTED THIS, I LOOKED AT THE CHICAGO TOOLS SAW AND THE MAKITA SAW, AND WHILE THERE ARE A FEW DESIGN/PART SIMILARITIES, THEY ARE NOT THE SAME TOOL, AS THE ROUTERS ARE. I THOROUGHLY APOLOGIZE FOR THE UNFAIR COMPARISON. IF YOU WANT A TRULY GREAT WOODWORKING EXPERIENCE—GO WITH BOSCH!!!!!!!!!

-- Lane Custom Guitars and Basses

Tom, is the Kapex one of those tools that will be available in other places first, and not in the states for a few years like the domino?

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Fine Woodworking Magazine tested 7 different miter saws the link is below.

http ://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011186046.pdf

I have the Bosch 4410L and love it.
I do have the PDF file of the article if you want it send me your email address.
And more reviews at: http://www.toolcritic.com/10-and-smaller-sliding-miter-saws.html
John Gray

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

Well I actually went and took a look at the saws today. the Bosch is a pretty neat saw with the bevel up front (you dont have to reach around saw to get it to tilt).

Unfortunately to permanetly mount it I would need a 32” space – front of the base to the rear of the bars at full extension. That does not include the 4” bar in front to slide the saw back and forth. So we are talking 36” and my shop is only 16’ wide.

The COOL looking Hitachi 12” needs a miniscual (sp) 28” and the Dewalt 719 12” slider needs about the same.

Anyway . . . I learned one thing . . . when buying a stationary mitre saw to ensure that you have enough room BEHIND the saw and not just in front.

I guess Im holding on to my 10” Delta for a while longer. :-/

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Perhaps you could put it on a rolling cart….

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

If I were to go the mobile route I sort of like the Delta mitre saw base and the new one by Rigid. Both collapse (sp) and can roll away into a corner. They are about 200 bones.

But . . . I suppose I could build a wooden one on casters that could roll anywhere . . . it just would not fold. It would be cheaper also.

Hmmmm.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

I’ve got a Rigid rolling cart. It works fairly well. I will try to get some photos a bit later…

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Who needs a miter saw? I prefer the radial arm saw, same functions as the miter saw and a lot more uses..

-- bryano

I gave away my radial arm saw and replaced it with a miter saw. No comparison in the quality of cut as far as I am concerned. Of course the former was a Sears and the later a DeWalt.

Steve

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Here are the promised photos of my Rigid miter saw cart. I belive I paid $99 on sale at Home Depot. The following is the position it is in for normal storage.

To set up, lay it flat…

Raise the end where the wheels are

Then raise the other end and release the legs

Extend the roller supports and their legs

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Neat cart. I believe RIGID may have a slightly upgraded design now. I think the Delta one has a pnumatic “strut” to aid in lowering and raising.

Now that I actually thinking about it . . . a portable saw cart is probably better than a fixed saw.

Tks WayneC for the pics.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Your most welcome Sir.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I use a Dewalt 8” sliding miter saw for trim work they run about $399 and they cut nearly the same size material as the 12” and I have been more than happy with it as a trim saw.

-- Joey~~Sabina, Ohio http://sleepydogwoodworking.blogspot.com/

very cool portable cart .. sure would make it easier to get our saw from the basement to the backyard

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

And Debbie might even use the saw then (the miter saw that is).

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Well, I guess you ALL will think I’m crazy, but I have the $99 Harbour Freight and I love it.

After I bought it I made one cut and threw the blade away and replaced it with a good one. The saw does everything I want it to and my radial arm saw is used to store stuff on.

If you check out the link in John Gray,s blog above you will see the saw is rated very good.

Bill

-- Make Dust

I’ll volunteer to be the go between if anyone would like to have that Festool beast delivered to my house and use that virtual tool exchange thingy to pick it up… ;-)

Shucks, it doesn’t have to be an expensive Festool, I guess.

-- Jim