# Lightweight saw cuts with power and precision



## teenagewoodworker

looks nice. i was considering one of those but i didn't have enough money. thanks for the review.


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## sbryan55

Thanks for the review, Loren. I appreciated hearing about your opinion of the saw.


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## USCJeff

I guess bigger isn't always better. The blade deflection comment is very true. Especially if you use a thin kerf table saw blade. I have the 12" nonslide Dewalt and it's not the easiest thing to move around.


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## saddlesore

I've been considering a sliding miter saw. For me, since I am not a pro, this would be , a stationary tool, so weight would not be a consideration, but blade deflection would be, so this review is of great value to me.

Thanks for the review.


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## Loren

There is no doubt in my mind that for building most furniture
the most accurate solution is a decent table saw and crosscut
box or sliding table attachment.

An old Dewalt or Delta radial arm saw can also be set up
to hold close tolerances for joinery. For a Craftsman saw
or other non-industrial brands it's pretty much hopeless.

A Radial arm saw can often be set up as an overarm router
as well - and can cut dados.

A compound miter saw is just plain useful to have close
to your workbench or assembly area. The fast set-up
time of these saws is an advantage when you need to 
do miters and bevels in different configurations - and
also nibbling away at stock to get it "just right".

I had a 12" Dewalt CMS (not a slider). It was pretty 
accurate but the cutting motion was just straight down…
when you introduce the sliding motion there is more
room for deflection - that's why I chose the DW712.

The problem with portable miter saws in general, as opposed to
heavier stationary tools, is that there isn't enough mass
in the arbor to reduce the effect of vibration on the cut.
Chopping down seems to mitigate this somewhat, but
sliding the saw head puts a lot of pressure on that lightweight
arbor.

Getting truly square crosscuts in hardwoods is always going
to be something that is best done with a heavy machine -
a sliding table saw or an old DeWalt RAS is really the ideal
choice for doing this is the shop, IMO.

I even have the Festool saw-guide system and while it performs
alright cutting sheet goods it's light weight becomes an issue
when crosscutting 5/4 or thicker hardwood stock - even
with the great German engineering there is still enough vibration
and flutter that cuts often need to be cleaned or corrected
with a hand plane.

When making crosscuts for joinery it's best to have wood on
both sides of the blade. When slicing off 1/16" with just the
edge of the saw blade you always introduce inaccuracy to
the cut… only a very heavy stationary tool can make this
type of cut "perfectly", in my experience.


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## boboswin

I wonder if what is being described as deviation, flutter etc is really just the board sliipping away from the cut with a thin kerf blade?

That should be easy enough to test in a shop.

I have an HItachi 12" sliider and so far so good as long as I clamp it.

Somebody mentioned chopping down which is one of the reasons that slider came into bieng.

If you have to drop the blade on your wood there are several severe forces set up before the blade entirely engages the cut.
For the record, I don't use thin kerf blades very much any more.

Bob


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## mantwi

I had one of the 8" Hitachi slide mitres many years ago when they first came out and your right about the quality of cut with a smaller blade being noticeably better. I hadn't even thought of that saw until I saw this review and thank you for bringing this info back to mind for me. An 8" slider doesn't have the capacity of a 12 but it's still more than enough saw for the vast majority of cuts the average woodworker makes. I remember how much I loved that saw, it was state of the art at the time. Felt the same way about the Bosch 10" slider that replaced it but now that I'm older that 8" is calling to me.


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