Please Recommend a Good Miter Saw

[kngelv]

Just a quick update. Found a place that had the DeWalt 780, Bosch 5312, and Makita 12in sliders. They also had the Bosch with the new-fangled arm. The traditional sliders were roughly the same though the dust collection of the Bosch was an absolute joke even with a vacuum hooked up. The Bosch with the arm had dust collection similar to the DeWalt and was as smooth as butter when cutting. Much nicer than any of the traditional sliders. Out of those I thought Makita slid better than the others. On a side note . . . the Makita is assembled in the USA. I liked the new Bosch best of all but I can't justify paying that much money for a saw I will only use periodically. Thinking I might be better off having a carpenter friend build something to my specs.

James

 

[the1nonlyjl]

That's what I have- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JJJ116/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[tarbellb]

I have had the Makita LS1016L (newest model 10" slider). It has been amazing. Ive used a lot of the top brands, and really all do a good job but the Makita stood out as the best for $.

The capacity on a 10" slider is very good. The only real set back is if you are doing large lumber cuts, ie 4x4, 6x6 stuff. And if you doing things like that then maybe a 12" would be a good option or just double cut a piece on a 10".

 

[darkk]

Hi James :

I would lean on a Dewalt DW780..

X2 buy the stand and an extra set of mounts to make a portable side table. It's a beautiful piece of equipment...

 

[kngelv]

After considering this heavily for the past few days I guess I'm close to doing a 180 here. I have never built too much with wood. These saws are nice pieces but take up a lot of space. Plus the one I liked best is that $700.00 Bosch. Once I finish the benches, some stuff for the wife, and a slot-car table for the little one I'm not sure I'd use this much. Trying to guestimate the cost-benefit ratio of a purchase. I don't think I would all of a sudden want to build a bunch of stuff because I have a great saw. I'm considering buying one of the benches at American Worbench. www.americanworkbench.com I figure with the cost of a saw plus material and time this might be a better way to go. Thanks for all the input.

James

 

[Voi]

They also had the Bosch with the new-fangled arm.

If I decide to part with my old radial arm saw the Bosch with the articulating arm will be my next saw. Holds its accuracy longer than a slider and can be set flush with a wall. But it is expensive.

 

[shoot summ]

I just got the Bosch last week after having a Dewalt non-slider for almost 17 years.

I really struggled with the purchase but in the end liked the Bosch the best, it was $695 on Amazon with Prime.

 

[pipsters]

FWIW I needed to pick up a miter saw for some metal work benches. I wanted a "do everything" saw if I could get it.

This is available at Lowes for $249, there are generic 10% coupon codes out there (search google) and if you go thru ebates.com you get 6% back. Makes it roughly $210 before taxes.

Evolution Rage 3


Search the web, watch some youtube videos, but for me it was a slam dunk.

 

[Texican]

The Bosch GCM12SD is a wonderful saw. I bought the Forrest Chopmaster and I haven't had any complaints. I cut many hard exotic woods and all cut like balsa. Miters are tight, no sanding required and the glide action is smooth as silk. Mine also holds the angle better than any other miter saw I've owned. It is an expensive saw but well worth it in my opinion because of the quality of cuts made.

 

[shoturtle]

After considering this heavily for the past few days I guess I'm close to doing a 180 here. I have never built too much with wood. These saws are nice pieces but take up a lot of space. Plus the one I liked best is that $700.00 Bosch. Once I finish the benches, some stuff for the wife, and a slot-car table for the little one I'm not sure I'd use this much. Trying to guestimate the cost-benefit ratio of a purchase. I don't think I would all of a sudden want to build a bunch of stuff because I have a great saw. I'm considering buying one of the benches at American Worbench. www.americanworkbench.com I figure with the cost of a saw plus material and time this might be a better way to go. Thanks for all the input.

James

Actually I thought the same that I would not use a miter saw as much. But after getting one, I find myself doing more little projects with it, and getting more into making wood projects.

 

[cheechi]

If I decide to part with my old radial arm saw the Bosch with the articulating arm will be my next saw. Holds its accuracy longer than a slider and can be set flush with a wall. But it is expensive.

The Hitachi slider can also be put flush against the wall.

After considering this heavily for the past few days I guess I'm close to doing a 180 here.

If cost/value is the biggest issue, you can accomplish everything a miter saw can do with a pair of saw horses, circ saw, pencil, & square. You can save some money and still get a top end saw going this route.

 

[WhyMe]

a slider is big and clumbsy to lug around. i have found a slider is only needed if you do crown and siding. I have a 12" dewalt and it has done everything needed for me. It set up for a folding stand and i can lug it around almost anywhere.

 

[rancherbill]

Anything from Makita!!!

I love my LS1013, which has been mentioned in this thread. I got mine for $20 at a garage sale. It was missing a 2 parts, bought them and brushes etc for $25. Gave it a little TLC and it is like new. They have lots of new models in your budget range.

 

[EmptyWallet]

I was interested in the new Bosch with the swing arm as well, but a lot of the Amazon reviews are scaring me.

 

[RKA]

I hate to say it, but you'll find negative reviews with almost every high end saw. What might be useful is to see if you have a local service center in close proximity. With big items like this at least you have the option of dropping it off during the warranty period of something is wrong. Now if the company really doesn't have an interest in dealing with sub-par products they produced, that's a different issue altogether. There are reviews on amazon that indicate such, and there are reviews that indicate exactly the opposite, so it might depend on who you talk to at Bosch.

 

[fury9]

I have a dw716, can get them for cheap now and I am happy with it, a double bevel saw does have a stop at 90 in fact mine you have to pull a spring loaded pin to get it to go the other way, don't know what the other guy was talking about. I also have a diablo triple chip 80 tooth that's great for trimwork a 60 tooth blade will be good forwhatever you want to do though. You can save ALOT of money by getting your sawblades sharpened at a shop.

 

[Texican]

I was interested in the new Bosch with the swing arm as well, but a lot of the Amazon reviews are scaring me.

I bought my saw from Amazon. I was concerned with some of the reviews especially those dealing with the saw being out of square, fence and table being bent or damaged and how the saw arrived in a damaged box. One reviewer mentioned that Bosch has addressed the packaging issues and the saws should now be more secure when shipped. My box looked as if UPS had used it as a piñata. But with the almost comical amount of styrofoam packed around the saw, it didn't have a scratch on it. The table and fence were dead flat and even the miter gauge read correctly. As a land surveyor, I am very meticulous when it comes to angles almost to the point of being obsessive. Some saws may need some adjustments and there will be a few lemons but I think that the Bosch glide is the best miter saw on the market.

 

[57JoeFoMoPar]

I was between the Hitachi 12" slider and the DeWalt DWS780, and I wound up buying the Dewalt. My father-in-law has the Hitachi, and I've liked using his saw so I strongly considered it. I'm very happy with the Dewalt. It came out of the box square and accurate. The motor is very powerful and the saw is sturdily constructed without being overly cumbersome. The dust collection is even pretty good. The only complaint I have with the saw is that the blade that came with it was kinda cheap and didn't cut quite as smoothly as I would have liked, though it's a perfect general purpose type. The Hitachi is cool with the zero clearance slider, but the saw is an absolute pig on weight. The final straw for me was that my father-in-law's saw got knocked over on the stand it was on, and was clearly bent from the fall. I wound up straightening it to an acceptable degree with a bottle jack, but I wasn't impressed with the durability.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Know this is an old thread but it helped so far.

Going to replace my CHEAP (free) RYOBI compact miter saw, I think it's a 7 1/2 blade, definitely not a 10". I was reading the reviews and a 12" DW780 is too big for my needs.

I have read that sliding miter saws need special attention when using compared to a non sliding version, so my first question is going from a sub 100 non sliding miter saw to a $500 Dewalt DW717 10" slider, is there anything that I have to do differently when using it?

Does one start the cut at the front of the piece of wood, then slide it back towards the fence? The only accessory I want to get is a diablo blade because I like those, and the XPS led light but want to make sure it works with the dw717 10".

My old RYOBI has been fine for the shed, shelves, and hardwood flooring but the case base is cracked and no is no longer accurate, so rather than spending $80 for a new base on ebay that's used, I might as well get a better saw.

Thanks,
-Nigel

 

[tarbellb]

A 10" slider will cut 95% of what most people need cut. My Makita LS1016 (10") can cut a 4x4" in one pass, and also cut up to 12" in length. Thats a ton of capacity.

As for technique, you will find that there are different methods depending on the piece your working on.

If cutting a piece of hardwood that is smaller then 4"x4" you want to come straight down like a classic non slider.
When cutting something thats beyond the leading edge of the blade in a fixed position you will want to pull the arm out over the piece and then plunge in back towards the back of the saw (like a Radial Arm Saw).

But really they are buttery smooth in just about any action, this is just for less tear out.

 

[kngelv]

I'm the OP of this thread so I thought I would give an update. I ended up getting the DeWalt 780 because they had the free stand offer going on. I chose the 724 over the 723 for ease of storage. I have to say that I love this saw. The XPS LED helps me get dead accurate cuts. I recently did a bathroom remodel and it worked great for both framing and trim.

James

 

[NewShockerGuy]

So my wife ended up getting me a Dewalt dw717 for my birthday two weeks ago.... All I can say is wow, this saw is f'ing awesome. It's so smooth and quiet compared to my cheapo one. I bought the light kit so you can see the shadow of the blade as you lower it on the piece to be cut... I like this a lot better than a laser.

I am happy I went with the 10" compared to the 12" honestly. The only downfall to this thing is it's big and heavy. This thing is a beast and I'm pretty f'ing strong with ****, but trying to maneuver this thing through a door is funny, gotta turn it sideways. I could pick up the little Ryobi with one hand and be gone, this thing though I can pick up with one hand it's not even... Almost like Dewalt wasn't thinking of balance when putting the lift handle where they did.... regardless now I want to get a small table saw...

-Nigel