Cross Cutting Options

[John Myer]

For the last several years I have been using a Milwaukee Sliding Miter saw to do most of my 90 degree cross cutting for boards under 12 inches. Keeping the saw in good adjustment has been very fustrating. As with all good furniture makers, I expect my cross cuts to be "right on the money." It is relatively easy to adjust a miter saw fence to be 90 degrees to the travel of the blade, but ensuring that the blade is exactly parallel to the tracks is another matter. Out of fustration I am considering going back to a radial arm saw. An old DeWalt RAS is easy to adjust and makes reliable 90 degree cuts. Problem is all the good ones are nearly 50 years old or more. Although the old cast iron arms could easily last over 100 years with minimal maintence, the old electric motors is another matter. Rebuilding them is not cheap and in many cases you still will not have a safety feature like an electric brake. I know I have the option of using my table saw, but its real strenth is in ripping. I wish someone like Grizzly Tools would make a simple cross cut tool for the 100s of 90 degree cuts that is typically necessary when making furniture, cabinets, etc. Thoughts?

[glenn bradley]

I use a jig or circ saw to get rough lengths and then a sled on the tablesaw. Always reliable and repeatable without the additional footprint of the RAS (RAS lovers, please don't hunt me down and beat me) :o

P.s. Ripping is about 5% of what I use my tablesaw for so YMMV ;)

[Dave Gaul]

LOML bought me a CMS a couple years ago. At the time, I only had a table top table saw. I used the CMS for ALL my crosscuts then. Now, I have a "big boy" table saw, my CMS sits in a corner. I almost feel bad since LOML bought me the CMS for Christmas, but she bought me the Table saw for my birthday!!

Anyway, I vote for a good sled on the table saw. I have managed with just my Incra 1000SE Miter gauge, but I plan on building a sled for wide stock one of these days!

[Stephen Cherry]

I vote for either a euro slider, or something like a Northfield no. 4 with the sliding table.

http://www.northfieldwoodworking.com/Brochures-PDF/TiltingArborVarietySaws.pdf


The big sliding saws make it easy for something like a table top, or to cut multiple legs at the same time.

Plus with the exodus of furniture manufacturing, there are good deals to be had.