Recommend me a mitre saw please.

[ive]

Hi all. I've been tasked with doing some hardwood flooring and crown moulding in the house by the wife. What type of mitr saw do I need! And any other tools and tips would be appreciated.

I've done some laminate before, anything I need to know tool wise or work wise regarding hardwood.

Thank you,
Buco.

 

[The Cobbler]

Dewalt is my choice, but we do miles of trim per year... just be sure whatever you get is large enough to cut the cove
as far as hardwood, an air power nailer as opposed to fully manual will save you a lot of grief too

 

[wildbill23c]

I just did a laminate flooring install in my living room and hallway a little over a month ago. I purchased the Harbor Freight 12" Dual Bevel Compound Miter Saw for $130 (I had a coupon for it), and given the track record of the smaller 10" model I figured what the heck, I'd give the 12" a try. It worked great very clean straight cuts right out of the box. I figured I'd need a different blade, but the 40 tooth that came with the saw did just fine. I would recommend a Diablo blade for the hardwood though, its a lighter weight blade, thinner kerf and will give even better results in the hardwood flooring. The Harbor Freight miter saws aren't bad really, probably made in the same building as the ridiculously priced other color saws. So you really don't need to drain your bank account to get a descent miter saw.

 

[ive]

Thanks for the input gentlemen.

What is the "cove"?

What should I look for in a air power nailer?

 

[The Cobbler]

What is the "cove"?

crown mold

 

[wildbill23c]

Thanks for the input gentlemen.

What is the "cove"?

What should I look for in a air power nailer?

Once again run to HF grab the miter saw I mentioned and the 16 gauge finish nailer. Both work great, and are what I used when I installed my floor and base trim.

The Miter Saw is item #61776, or 69684 depending on which saw your store has in stock. Mine is the 61776. The only thing with it is, the laser guide on these things is totally useless, after a few cuts the sawdust covers the laser LOL. Also, like other miter saws the dust collection is...well nonexistent.

The 16 Gauge Finish Nailer is item #69575, or 68023 again depending on which model your store has in stock. Out of all the base trim I installed I only had the gun jam on me twice, and I think it was just the nails themselves weren't seated in the gun properly and tried to load into the mechanism at an angle causing the gun to jam.

 

[ive]

Thanks, cove is crown mold

No HF in Canada Wildbill. But I'm sure I can find something similar.

 

[wildbill23c]

Thanks, cove is crown mold

No HF in Canada Wildbill. But I'm sure I can find something similar.

Hmm, I think there's something similar up there, but can't remember what its called. The shipping cost to have those items shipped to Canada would be ridiculous.

 

[retfr8flyr]

Since you are in Canada, I would recommend getting this saw. http://www.homedepot.ca/product/12-in-sliding-compound-mitre-saw-with-adjustable-laser/906099 It has great reviews and some nice features. You really want to get a 12 inch dual compound saw, no matter which brand you decide on. The 12 inch DCSMS will make doing the crown molding very much easier and you will have it for any future projects.

 

[Jax Christian]

Chances are you are not going to use it much after your done. You will be fine with a 10 inch. Save yourself some money check the local pawn shops. Or get a $100 mitre from lowes or home depot. Your 12" will sit by the exercise machine.

 

[Jax Christian]

I seen a cheap one from harbor freight at a yard sale for $35 barely used.

 

[coldh2o]

I seen a cheap one from harbor freight at a yard sale for $35 barely used.

And that helps the OP how?

 

[johndeereman]

A 10'' sliding compound Makitia work's great for me have had it about 3 years now.

 

[ive]

Thanks guys. I just can't rent anything I figure as this will be a longer project involving weekends and evenings.

I'm fine with buying a decent saw, the rigid looks nice. Any saws made in the US or everything China?

 

[Chevy-SS]

I recently went through same dilemma. I eventually settled on a 10" Hitachi sliding compound miter saw. I have used some 12" miter saws in the past, but they are heavy and a lot of them have a pretty substantial kick when starting (which annoys me). My 10" Hitachi starts smooth as butter and I can cut through anything with it.

Yeah, if I was a framer and gonna be cutting 2x12's all day, I MIGHT use a 12" saw. But I truly believe a 10" is best for most folks.

Before purchasing mine, I did a Google search on "sliding compound miter saw reviews" and studied up a fair bit. After deciding on a saw, I looked in local Craigslist and found a gently used one WITH a super-duper Dewalt stand - total cost $400. I am simply thrilled with my purchase. It is a pleasure to use a smooth, accurate saw.

Good luck in your purchase. Do some homework first. Don't buy a piece of junk. As the old adage says, 'the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten'.

 

[Zeke]

I seen a cheap one from harbor freight at a yard sale for $35 barely used.

And that helps the OP how?

It tells that used is sometimes very affordable and if it's for home use only, cheap is good as long as the thing hasn't been abused.

 

[Casey69]

i just installed laminate, & my 10" saw wasn't large enough to cut the 6" wide planks - had to make two cuts. turned out fine, but a 12" would have been able to do the job.

plus, miter saws have really come down in price. my 10" cman was on sale for $190 ~10 years ago. now you can get 10" compound miter saws for <$100.

12" saws can also cut 4x4 posts, if that's in your future.

 

[retfr8flyr]

The Hitachi was a great saw when it was made in Japan. Now it is made in China and the new reviews say it is not worth much. OP everything is now made in China or Taiwan, I don't know of anything still made in the US. I mentioned the Ridgid because it has good reviews and you can get it at Home Depot Canada. They also make a 10 inch that in the US has a reduced price of $399. I didn't see it listed on the HDC web site though.

A 10 inch sliding saw will probably do about 90% of what you are looking for, it all depends on what width crown molding you are installing. With the wider moldings the 12 inch is really nice to have when you start doing compound cuts. The Ridgid mobile stand is also a great piece for both moving the saw around and storing it, no matter what saw you end up with.

 

[Alchymist]

Pretty happy with the Hitachi C12FCH - did put a 100 tooth planer blade on it for hardwood. The factory blade is good for construction lumber, and not a bad job in hardwood, just that the planer blade leaves such smooth cuts.

 

[wildbill23c]

Thanks guys. I just can't rent anything I figure as this will be a longer project involving weekends and evenings.

I'm fine with buying a decent saw, the rigid looks nice. Any saws made in the US or everything China?

They're all made overseas, haven't seen any US made tools in many years. Even the very few I have seen that are stamped USA on them really make me wonder. As far as I know there aren't any US made Miter Saws .

 

[PBCampbell]

Hitachi, Dewalt, Makita, and Bosch are the usual brands for commercial use. I wouldn't sweat what country they have them produced in as they have reputations they don't want to lose and I suspect they go to some effort to protect.

 

[tarbellb]

Exactly, any of the above brand saws will be very good out the box. I have my concerns when people recommend HF and Craftsman, as ive used both and they leave a lot to be desired if accuracy, time, and ease are things you enjoy.

Either search your local used ads (Kijiji?) or find a decent 12" NON slider or a 10" slider which will allow a lot more range. Also look at CPO.com and Bigskytool.com, good deals on refurb'd units (not sure they ship to CA?).

 

[Zeke]

They're all made overseas, haven't seen any US made tools in many years. Even the very few I have seen that are stamped USA on them really make me wonder. As far as I know there aren't any US made Miter Saws .

Surely there must be. Makita makes a LOT of tools in the US. Not sure about the miter saw, but many tools are made here. Other companies have jumped on that bandwagon.

 

[Alchymist]

For your viewing pleasure:

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I've got a Dewalt 780 and I love that thing. Used it to build a media stand, a garden fence, new oak shelves in two closets and the pantry, cover for my kid's sandbox. Probably my favorite tool buy of all time. It just works.

 

[wildbill23c]

Surely there must be. Makita makes a LOT of tools in the US. Not sure about the miter saw, but many tools are made here. Other companies have jumped on that bandwagon.

Everything I find by Makita says Made in China . I like Makita's 18V Li-Ion drill/impact kit though, very light weight compared to my Dewalt 18VXRP set.

I don't think it really matters, just finding the right price and the color you want anymore is about all there is to it.

I won my Dewalt 4pc 18VXRP set, so that's what I stuck with rather than having several different types of batteries and chargers to deal with.

I know the Dewalt Miter Saws are great, they can be expensive though.

But hey why not buy the Festool Miter Saw? http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/20...pex-KS-120-EB-Sliding-Compound-Miter-Saw.aspx

Correction: Makita Miter Saws are made in Japan, a bit of a step up from China I guess LOL.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

I've got a Dewalt 780 and I love that thing. Used it to build a media stand, a garden fence, new oak shelves in two closets and the pantry, cover for my kid's sandbox. Probably my favorite tool buy of all time. It just works.

I've got the 780 as well. My father in law who owns a contracting company just loves using my saw every time he is here helping with something. He said he'd like to buy one to replace his old dewalt 12" slider, but he just can't kill the old ones lol.

 

[jake00]

Omga...... J/k. It's not exactly portable.... Dead nut accuracy though.

 

[RivennHewn]

Unless you are doing large crown, a 10" should work out just fine. I'm kinda partial to the Hitachi, but DeWalt and Makita are fine saws too. The blade is more important than the saw.

Most new saws are compound, but you don't need a compound for what you're doing.

If you do buy a compound, you can lay your crown flat on the saw table. If you buy a regular mitre saw, you have to set the crown upside-down on the saw and angled against the fence. Test pieces are a good idea.

 

[Chevy-SS]

The Hitachi was a great saw when it was made in Japan. Now it is made in China and the new reviews say it is not worth much. OP everything is now made in China or Taiwan, I don't know of anything still made in the US. ........

Yes, this is why I looked for a used one, and why I recommended that the OP do his "homework" first...... After doing my due diligence prior to purchasing my saw, I discovered this same info. So I looked for the Hitachi model # that indicated 'made in Japan' and I found one on Craigslist.