# Best miter saw for cabinet maker?



## SweetTea (Aug 5, 2016)

I am a professional cabinet maker and am looking for a new miter saw for cutting face frame and cabinet door stiles and rails. So I was looking at reviews online for various miter saws that I am considering, the Bosch glider, Dewalt, ect.. and there are so many bad reviews from people who say that they can't keep their saws fence and blade at 90 degrees. Which is the problem that I am having with my Dewalt dw716. I am tired of having to mess with this.

My question to you guys would be…are there any older gems, diamonds in the rough ect with regards to the older Delta, Makita, ect units? I keep hearing how these older saws always kept the blade and fence perfect 90 degrees. I don't need bevel adjustments for this unit. It will be a shop only saw and pretty much never make a miter cut, just straight cuts only. I will build a new stand for whatever I get and make wings to the left and right with stick on tape measures and a stop block system. Any advice?


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

What about an RAS?


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Get a non-slider 12" unless you want the slider to
make dado-type cuts.

These saws can even sag in time from the cantilevered
design. A non-slider will generally make more
reliably accurate cross-cuts and not go out of whack
over time. Omga is the best, very expensive. Then
there are the pop-up saws.

I have a Comet Cub you can have if you want to 
come get it. Los Angeles. It's sort of a proto-slider
small, portable RAS.


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

This is a great saw for what your after. (Expensive though, but last)
http://lumberjocks.com/topics/135690


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

The Dewalt 705 was a real gem. It is the older style with a round twist knob to lock the miter settings, whereas the newer models have a flip lever. The 705 is a 12" fixed type, single bevel compound miter saw. Or choose the 703 for a 10" fixed saw.

It all depends if you need a slider. For me, I chose the accuracy of a fixed saw and made up for capacity by getting the 12" version. Anything too wide for the miter saw can be cut at the TS with a crosscut sled.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

> The Dewalt 705 was a real gem. It is the older style with a round twist knob to lock the miter settings, whereas the newer models have a flip lever. The 705 is a 12" fixed type, single bevel compound miter saw. Or choose the 703 for a 10" fixed saw.
> 
> It all depends if you need a slider. For me, I chose the accuracy of a fixed saw and made up for capacity by getting the 12" version. Anything too wide for the miter saw can be cut at the TS with a crosscut sled.
> 
> - pintodeluxe


I have the 705 as well as a regular dewalt chop saw. The chop saw head doeosn't tilt rotate or move. straight up and down only, haven't explored if I am able to put a wood blade on it though, I use my 705 for woodworking.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I had a 705 for years. Great saw for crosscuts.


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## RogerM (Oct 31, 2011)

If you are a serious cabinet maker and can afford it, a Festool Kapex would be very had to beat.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

I cut all those part on my slider. If you can build an accurate sled for your table saw that might be an option.
I don't even have a miter saw in my shop. That's not to say I don't have one, it's just that I don't use it often 
enough to take up space in the shop. I keep it in a storage shed next to the shop. It's an Hitachi 8'' slider.

If you have the money Omega makes some non-slider miter saw that are accurate and stay that way.

http://hoffmann-usa.com/machinery/omga-production-miter-saws


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I bought one of the first 12 Makita SCMS. Have never been able to depend on the miter stops. I have to use a Wixey protractor to set it accurately. It does cut awesome though.


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

Most of the saws depend upon a rough casting for the angle detents. This cannot be that accurate. Dewalt uses a metal stamping for the detents and they have adjustability built in. It is the reason I have a Dewalt.

For faceframes you don't need a 12" saw; and you definitely don't need a slider. The 10" saws are cheaper and the blades are too. Sliders are just one extra movement that can become an accuracy issue.

For miters a jig that allows you to cut on either side of the blade (on the left side for the left hand piece and on the right side for the right hand piece) is best. It will be like a sliding table miter saw. Much more accurate.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

To quote the OP

It will be a shop only saw and pretty much never make a miter cut, just straight cuts only.


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

> To quote the OP
> 
> It will be a shop only saw and pretty much never make a miter cut, just straight cuts only.
> 
> - AlaskaGuy


For straight cuts only any inexpensive saw with a good bushing will work. For just cabinet work even a 8" mini will do the job and blades are cheaper too. He will only have to check for squareness. I still think Dewalt is the best choice because their stamped detents can be adjusted for square.

In this photo you can see the stamped detents and the slotted holes that allow for adjustability. Mine was perfect from the factory and has never needed an adjustment but it is nice to know that it is available.

http://www.homedepot.com/hdus/en_US/DTCCOMNEW/fetch/FetchRules/Rich_Content/205983654-pod2.jpg


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

April 2014 issue 240- Marc Adams had his school shop assistants go through a bunch of 12 inch mitersaws and put them through their paces.
http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/tool-test-12-in-chop-saws.aspx


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## blodgettwoodworking (Aug 15, 2016)

I've used a Hitachi sliding miter saw for years, thought about replacing it with a new model but found another old one on craigslist. Also have a new Hitachi non slider that I use on job sites. I personally like the 8 1/2" blade for cabinet making, you don't need 12 inches of carbide to cut face frames, just my opinion.


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

> I ve used a Hitachi sliding miter saw for years, thought about replacing it with a new model but found another old one on craigslist. Also have a new Hitachi non slider that I use on job sites. I personally like the 8 1/2" blade for cabinet making, you don t need 12 inches of carbide to cut face frames, just my opinion.
> 
> - Neil


I agree. It is smaller, cheaper, the blades are cheaper, and the lower weight puts less stress on the bushings.


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

705 here and i can tell you that it has been used so hard many times that i felt sorry for it. It is my permanent shop saw. I have had it for approx 12 yrs. I have a 715 that lives on a portable stand that i use on the job.

I prefer the 705 : seems to have a quicker windup and i like the round knob better.


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

Any 10" miter saw with index locks are going to be fine. I use the older Makita saw. I use it in my cabinet shop….


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I have a Hitachi C15 FB (15 incher) that cuts only miters, no compound and it's proven to be very accurate while having few parts to be knocked out of alignment and still offers great capacity. The big downfall is the price of blades, buying and sharpening. For a smaller saw, the older cast iron base 10" Makitas are tough to beat but for their size, they're quite heavy.


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## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

10" won't cut large crown mouldings and as a cabinet maker, that's gonna come yer way eventually.

I've got an 8" RAS that with a diamond blade, and a spritzer does double duty formitering tiles and cross cutting shelving.

. A 10" in the truck and and another at home for the interminable flooring project.

A 12" in the shop and 4.5.6" manual mitre saws for those situations where yu cannot make clouds of MDF dust!

So to my pea brain, there ain;t no panacea. but I'd start with a 12" unless yer in a locale that thinks 356 base is "upscale"

And somehow, except for the 8", the chopsaws are all dewalt.

Eric in Calgary


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## DDWW (Sep 7, 2016)

I"ve got the 12" compound sliding miter from Hitachi. C12RSH It bought it refurb when there was free shipping. I think I paid mid $200's. It is a monster. It cuts great, but its too big for cabinet use.

If you tilt the blade to 45 its a bit of a pain to get ti back to 90 because of the weight of the motor and size of the blade. ITs easy to overshoot or undershoot by a degree or so and takes several tries to get it dialed in.

I'd probably get the non slider in 10 or 12".

I"ve had good luck with the refurbed Hitachi tools.


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