I have a 10" Ridgid Compound Miter Saw That's like 16 years old by now that cuts ok but I'm thinking of an upgrade. Bosch 12" $649 is $577 with 11% off at Menards Thru Thursday. I'm just a d.i.y.er so I don't really need it and in reality it's more of an impulse thing. I'm sure a better blade would improve my current saw but it seems I always want bigger and better. I'm open to any brand and I think I want corded unless convinced otherwise. I do Have the Milwaukee M18 platform but lack the larger batteries. Any thoughts? Edit: 11% is only good through today
Should I get a Sliding Compound Miter Saw?
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Max78
Well-known member
I have a 10" compound miter saw. I borrowed my moms sliding compound miter saw and have yet to give it back after using it for a year. . . Haha. I would spend the extra next time to get the sliding, only has more benefits.
iagsxr
Well-known member
I bought a Milwaukee sliding compound miter saw almost ten years ago. It's been one of my best tool purchases ever.
Miss the Pontiacs
Well-known member
I also bought the Milwaukee 12” slider. Don’t know what I do without it now. I bought it to do 3 bedrooms with commercial cork. I still have a Delta Compound Miter but it has been relegated to the lake. But don’t miss having to give it that little flick to saw through 6” material. The only problem with the Milwaukee and stand is that it isn’t a simple throw in the truck and go Tool.
nadogail
Well-known member
I love my Harbor Freight 12" sliding compound miter saw.
jabberwoki
Well-known member
Yes.
rlwhitetr3b
Well-known member
I have a Bosch 5412L that I have used to do the woodwork in two houses. I love it. I normally keep it setup with an less expensive blade and use it instead of my circular saw,
The answer is always yes when it comes to new tools…jeez OP.
rburke65
Well-known member
There is nothing like a good tool. I say buy it!
I bought the delta 7 1/4 sliding compound miter saw with stand for like $80 new on a clearance. I actually hated it. It was very snappy, possibly due to its lack of mass on a bigger saw. I ended up selling it and stuck with my old 10" compound miter saw. I have since moved to a home with a good size shop and my father-in-law has folded the bulk of his larger tools into my collection as he downsized on his move, so I now have a 12" at my disposal but honestly I still like the old 10" for most work. Guess its like a old pair of shoes, its just fits.
Badgerstate
Well-known member
I guess that I would ask why do you think that you need a slider? I used to have a Ryobi 10" non slider and I could cut anything up to 2x6s with it. Even if I had to cut 2x12s, I could just flip the board over or could just use a speed square with a circular saw.
Sliders are cool and all and I could see why a contractor would have one but I dont see why a DIYer really needs one.
jar944
Well-known member
I have the 12" bosch glide. Its ok. I also have hitachi and a dewalt non sliders that cut better. Non sliding saws will always cut better than sliders.
I wouldn't run out and buy one unless you need the extra capacity
I wouldn't run out and buy one unless you need the extra capacity
captaindiode
Well-known member
What about a 10 inch slider? 12 inch blades are more expensive, unless you need the capacity. I have both a 12" non-slider and a 7 1/4 slider. The smaller one does most things I need and a new blade doesn't break the bank.
Lynden
Well-known member
Keep your miter saw for crosscuts up to 6 inches and buy a track saw for wider cuts. You'll be surprised at how useful a track saw is.
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You're seriously asking the Garage Journal if you should buy another tool.....???
(I dumped my radial arm saw 15 yrs ago and went with a slider....never looked back. I also bought one of these when they cost less than half of what they are today. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY0O144/?tag=atomicindus08-20)
(I dumped my radial arm saw 15 yrs ago and went with a slider....never looked back. I also bought one of these when they cost less than half of what they are today. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY0O144/?tag=atomicindus08-20)
HoosierMark
Well-known member
Rural King and Lowes have Dewalt 12" double bevel sliding compound miter saw on sale now for $399. DWS 779 I also have a 10 in miter saw and have been thinking of upgrading also There is a Dewalt that appears to be identical to the 779 but it is still in the $500 plus range. I looked at the boxes but did not see much difference and the saws themselves looked the same.
jbfsr
Well-known member
I think the more expensive one has the light in the handle. I bought the cheaper one and replaced the handle with the lighted one. It's been a good saw.
Pen & Wrench
Well-known member
I have had a Makita 12 inch non-slider for many years. I wanted a slider and waited till I had a job where I needed the extra cross cut capacity the slider could provide. I ended up with a 12 inch DeWalt slider, with the fold up stand and the laser light showing where the blade is going to cut. I know the non-slider probably is a bit more accurate, but I rarely reach for the non-slider anymore, You will probably find it useful for lots of instances that you are using other ways to make those same cuts now. It is sure a time saver for lots of situations.
cstmg8
Well-known member
Yes
aggie113
Well-known member
I bought a Dewalt DWS779 for a great price online. The only difference between it and the much more expensive DWS780 is the LED cutting light. You can buy the actual parts for that feature yourself for much cheaper and install them easily to have what amounts to a very cheap DWS780.
Kit available here: https://www.mmtoolparts.com/store/miter-saw-upgrade-kit-dewalt
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smackey05
Well-known member
Of course. You must always have n+1 tools!
I have the Dewalt 12" compound mitre saw. It's a great tool, but is a hassle if you don't have a space set aside to use it. I'm a DIYer as well and I rarely use it... but if I didn't have it I would struggle to make some of the cuts I have recently made.
I have the Dewalt 12" compound mitre saw. It's a great tool, but is a hassle if you don't have a space set aside to use it. I'm a DIYer as well and I rarely use it... but if I didn't have it I would struggle to make some of the cuts I have recently made.
nadogail
Well-known member
My sliding 12" has become my "GO TO" Saw.
I came very close to buying the 12" DeWalt sliding saw until I realized how far it needs to be from the wall behind it, especially if you're adding dust collection. I realized I needed the floor space more than the greater capacity. I've been using my DWS 780 for a couple of years and have never needed the extra capacity. Like others have mentioned, a track saw or table saw can usually handle those cuts. I was surprised how useful the "laser" light is. I wasn't going to buy that model until I found a good deal on it, now I'm really glad I got the light. On the other hand, if floor space is not an issue then I would probably buy the slider.
What are you using it for ?
I bought the DeWalt 12' slider a few years back when I was fixing a deck. Needed to cut a bunch of wider Zuri decking and my thought was I could use it for my Cedar board and batten projects. I have a barn at one place and 400 feet of board/ batten fence/ wall at another. The wider boards are 10" and you really need a big slider at that size. The DeWalt is a fine saw and it's typically the winner in that 12" slider class. 9 out of 10 contractors you run into seem to agree -- they all have one. I happened to pick up mine at a show with a free stand and extra blade -- too good to pass up I thought.
My feelings. Guess if you are a contractor and only have space for one saw the 12" slider is the ticket. How many times do you need to cut a 2x 10? The saw was fine for cutting the Zuri decking and it was equally up to the job cutting the wide Cedar. Would I drag it out to cut a couple of 2x or a few cedar boards .... No. I happen to have the classic 8 1/2" Hitachi (now Metabo) as well .... It's an all around better saw and more accurate. It was better with the 6" Zuri. Mine is maybe 20 years old and will cut miters w/ greater accuracy than the Dewalt.
For general carpenter work I use the Hitachi. Just more accurate. Whatever you get -- the blades that come with them are general use and for trim you need a better blade. I'm going to be downsizing my life soon. Even with future projects in mind the Dewalt is going ... have a nice sidewinder saw and I can use it with same accuracy and speed. The only reason to ditch the 8.5 would be if I get the festool.
Dewalt stands and saw horses. Can't say enough good things about the Dewalt miter stand and the matching saw horses. I have 4 of the saw horses .. things are fantastic.
I bought the DeWalt 12' slider a few years back when I was fixing a deck. Needed to cut a bunch of wider Zuri decking and my thought was I could use it for my Cedar board and batten projects. I have a barn at one place and 400 feet of board/ batten fence/ wall at another. The wider boards are 10" and you really need a big slider at that size. The DeWalt is a fine saw and it's typically the winner in that 12" slider class. 9 out of 10 contractors you run into seem to agree -- they all have one. I happened to pick up mine at a show with a free stand and extra blade -- too good to pass up I thought.
My feelings. Guess if you are a contractor and only have space for one saw the 12" slider is the ticket. How many times do you need to cut a 2x 10? The saw was fine for cutting the Zuri decking and it was equally up to the job cutting the wide Cedar. Would I drag it out to cut a couple of 2x or a few cedar boards .... No. I happen to have the classic 8 1/2" Hitachi (now Metabo) as well .... It's an all around better saw and more accurate. It was better with the 6" Zuri. Mine is maybe 20 years old and will cut miters w/ greater accuracy than the Dewalt.
For general carpenter work I use the Hitachi. Just more accurate. Whatever you get -- the blades that come with them are general use and for trim you need a better blade. I'm going to be downsizing my life soon. Even with future projects in mind the Dewalt is going ... have a nice sidewinder saw and I can use it with same accuracy and speed. The only reason to ditch the 8.5 would be if I get the festool.
Dewalt stands and saw horses. Can't say enough good things about the Dewalt miter stand and the matching saw horses. I have 4 of the saw horses .. things are fantastic.
Renegade1LI
Well-known member
If you don't need the capacity of a 12" look at some of the 7 1/4" compound sliding saws, I picked up the dewalt cordless & I love it. It's great for trim & flooring Plus light weight & portable. I have an older Makita LS711D that used nimhi, just converted to li, it is a super nice saw & you can find them cheap, just need to get a battery adapter.
Thanks guys. I've decided to hold off on the saw for now. Sometimes when I get an impulsive wild hair to buy something I'll post it on here or other forums first to give myself a bit of a cooling off period to shake off the starry eyes and also gather opinions from the members pro or con. I've really been trying to avoid impulse buying here lately and sometimes it's better to be counter intuitive. Right now to me it looks like discretion and seeking out real value are my only viable hedge's against inflation.
bbxlr8
Well-known member
Check out the HF Admiral 12"Thanks guys. I've decided to hold off on the saw for now. Sometimes when I get an impulsive wild hair to buy something I'll post it on here or other forums first to give myself a bit of a cooling off period to shake off the starry eyes and also gather opinions from the members pro or con. I've really been trying to avoid impulse buying here lately and sometimes it's better to be counter intuitive. Right now to me it looks like discretion and seeking out real value are my only viable hedge's against inflation.
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in...und-miter-saw-with-led-laser-guide-64686.html
nadogail
Well-known member
I have the Harbor Freight 12”, it is 5 years old and I still am happy to own it. I sometimes take it to job sites.
Bigbandguy
Well-known member
I had the 12" Harbor Freight and for a low end saw it did really well and is definitely cheap!. That was until I changed the blade. I could NOT get the blade guard to work after that. I am pretty good at tinkering with all kinds of mech type stuff but the rewind spring on that blade guard completely defeated me and it is a safety item so I stored the saw as we all know that HF services nothing . A week or so later I found a DeWalt 12" at half price in new condition and was all over it. The guy I bought the DeWalt from told me about a service place close by that he thought could fix the HF so I took it to them. 25 bucks later it too worked perfectly. I sold it immediately and the DeWalt ended up costing very little. While I was happy enough as occasional user with the HF, the DeWalt is kinda the industry standard, especially at that price. I had given my son My Delta fixed Miter as an excuse for upgrading to a slider. You definitely should get a slider.
I sure wouldn't buy based on the last Menards 11% sale of the year. They will have the same sale next year and we are at the end of this year. Other stores will likely have better sales anyway. I find the 11% off normal [overpriced] merchandise is seldom as good a deal as what you can find elsewhere on actual sale. Also you won't have to jump through the menards rebate hoops.
I researched miter saws more than a person should. I almost pulled the trigger twice. Once for the Makita LS and second for the Milwaukee 7 1/4" cordless. Both sliders. At the end of the day, I couldn't shake the feeling I was buying back into the radial arm saw problems of arm deflection and massive dust spew. I decided to put my energy into a new table saw and making it the best cross cutting machine I could. An Osborne EB-3 miter gauge and overhead DC did that. YMMV
HOWEVER: If I did buy something nowadays, I lean toward the Bosch Glide and Delta Cruzer glide mechanisms over the slide mechanisms. I'd suffer a Festool slider if I had the money.
HOWEVER: If I did buy something nowadays, I lean toward the Bosch Glide and Delta Cruzer glide mechanisms over the slide mechanisms. I'd suffer a Festool slider if I had the money.
James-W
Well-known member
I have a VERY old Delta professional 10" miter saw, not a slider though. Very well made tool and has worked flawlessly for all these years. I also have two DeWalt 12" slider miter saws, one with the light that casts a shadow where the blade will cut and one without the light. I rarely use the Delta miter saw, but on occasion I do use it for cutting scrap pieces of wood into smaller pieces so I can more easily get rid of them.
I don't always need a 12" miter saw to cut the wood I need to cut, but having the 12" miter saw makes more sense to me than having a 10" miter saw. What I mean is, with the 12" miter saw I am pretty well set to cut most anything I need to cut whereas the 10" inch miter saw may not be big enough in some cases. I just figure if you are going to spend some money and buy a miter saw, buy the 12" saw and then you are all set for pretty much anything you need to cut. If you buy the 10" saw you may very well, at some point in time, wish you had purchased the 12" saw instead. In other words, you can use the 12" saw to cut small pieces of wood but it is difficult to use the 10" saw to cut real large pieces.
I don't always need a 12" miter saw to cut the wood I need to cut, but having the 12" miter saw makes more sense to me than having a 10" miter saw. What I mean is, with the 12" miter saw I am pretty well set to cut most anything I need to cut whereas the 10" inch miter saw may not be big enough in some cases. I just figure if you are going to spend some money and buy a miter saw, buy the 12" saw and then you are all set for pretty much anything you need to cut. If you buy the 10" saw you may very well, at some point in time, wish you had purchased the 12" saw instead. In other words, you can use the 12" saw to cut small pieces of wood but it is difficult to use the 10" saw to cut real large pieces.
James-W
Well-known member
My personal thoughts on Festool, and I am sure others will disagree, is that they are like Snap-on tools, really good tools but over priced.
I have the original 8.5” Hitachi SCMS mounted on the Dewalt horse. I don’t like using it in the shop as dust collection is poor, a hassle and they take up a lot of room. I like it for Mobil work and actually keep it outside the shop covered on the back covered deck. I break down material there and take it inside. Frequently for miters I will use and old Millers Falls Langdon Miter box. Fast, Clean, dead nuts accurate, cheap and a pleasure to use. I have also just gone down a new rabbit hole for much of this work. I have had the Festool 55 track saw and dust extractor for about 15 yrs and it has been excellent for breaking down sheet goods. I don’t like large sheets on the table saw as I work alone. I have recently purchased a Parf Guide Mark II (Lee Valley). This fellow Peter Parfman developed this system for making your own Multi-Function Tables (MFT). Check out his YT’s on this. The Festool thing can really add up. I love their tools but could not bring myself to buy their MFT. I just picked up a 4x8 sheet of mdf and my next project is to build the table. The 55 has excellent dust collection and with the parf dogs and system I think I will use it for my miter saw station for cutting, dadoes and such. I think it is going to require the addition of the Festool 1400 router (speaking of rabbit holes). I see this changing the way i work on a lot of different projects and I will make a small top for Mobil work. Stay tuned!
I've got a Milwaukee, and I like it fine. That said, when I bought it, there was a DeWalt sliding unit right next to it. Thought about getting the DeWalt for a quick minute, but didn't figure I'd ever need it. Should've remembered what Dad, (RIP), used to say, "Better to have it and not need it."
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
12" sliders are BIG and HEAVY ! Know where you are going to store it and get a work station for it.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
I think that's your answer...unless you have money to burn, put away your wallet and save that money for something more essential.
Have you not tried to attach the dust extractor to the saw? I find it works quite well. Have the boom that I bought for the sander -- works well with saw.
Have the same millers falls box. It was my dads --- w/ an ancient really fine Disston saw I got into hand tools back in the 90's after buying all the major power tools. Good hand tools just stopped being made after WWII. The few companies that started remaking and improving old designs have changed how I like to work. Working outside on something it's easier and quicker for me to cut a few boards with a hand saw.
I do fine work and make frames ... the only power miter saw that would work consistently is a Festool. The fine trim guys woking on my house all show up with the Festool miter. Same with the stair guys ..... I was surprised that the floor guys did as well ( two of them). The Festool track is nice as is the MTF ..... a rip off -- yes. Think the Festool miter will be like the MTF for me .... look the other way and place the order .... that's if I can ever get in my new house.