# 10" or 12" Sliding Compound Miter Saw?



## Hellaenergy (Mar 2, 2008)

Is there a significant advantage to having a 12" over a 10" sliding compound miter saw? I recently answered an ad on Craig's list advertising a:

Bosch 5412L 12-Inch Dual Bevel Slide Miter Saw with Laser Tracking

I ended up purchasing it from him brand new in the box for $450. Unfortunately it was too good to be true. I brought it home and noticed it was actually a:

Bosch 4410L 15-Amp 10-Inch Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw

Oops. Even though it still wasn't a horrible deal I called him and asked for my money back immediately. He called me back and he explained to me that his wife accidentally posted it wrong and that he was willing to give me my money back. I then mentioned to him that I would take this saw off his hands for $400. He was cool with that.

Having never owned a sliding compound miter saw I ask upon you folks. Should I not settle for the 10" and go to the store and buy a 12" for $650-$700? Is having a 12" worth the extra money in the long run? I know when I bought my 6" jointer it wasn't long until I wished I had an 8". And when I bought my 14" bandsaw it wasn't long until I wanted an 18". Oh the dilemmas in life


----------



## North40 (Oct 17, 2007)

No matter how big the saw, there will always be something it's not big enough for. I used to have a saw that would cross cut 16", which was great until I installed some 18" wide shelves. If I were in your position, I think I'd stick with the 10" slider unless you find that you frequently need the extra capacity.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Unless you are planning on cutting some really wide crown (6" for instance) the 10", in my opinion, should be fine. I have a 10" Hitachi slider and have cut 4 5/8 crown without any problem at all. With a slider you can crosscut boards up to 12" in width.

Your saw has a lot of nice features and you basically got it for 80% of list, which is a pretty good buy for a new-in-the-box saw.

You got a good deal on a pretty nice saw. I would say it is a keeper.


----------



## DaveHerron (Jan 21, 2008)

Depth of the cut is the big difference. Measure the max cutting height on both saws and see what you can live with. I'd go with the 12" myself because I occasionally need to make a cut that a 10" will not handle because of the depth of cut limitation. Put the 10" back up for sale on Craigslist.


----------



## ChuckM (May 12, 2008)

I'd go for a 10" mitre saw as it is good for 95% of projects I do. For those projects my saw couldn't handle? I use the tablesaw (with a jig or without depending on what the cut is). I'd use the $200 - $300 saved for something else. Remember, most projects got done before sliding mitre saws were invented. We don't always need to buy a tool that is only to be used 10% or less of its lifetime. This logic goes not just for mitre saws but also for all kinds of shop tools, unless you have the money and space for the extras.


----------



## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

I have the Bosch 4410L 15-Amp 10-Inch Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw and love it, stick with the 10".


----------

