Sean Hollands
01-06-2012, 9:48 AM
Hate to have a this or that post be my first, but I found the site shopping for a miter saw. I've searched here and the web like crazy and feel that at this point I am being misled by opinions that are brand loyalty instead of reality so I wanted to ask myself.
I am mostly concerned with accuracy and realize that this is extremely operator influenced and that all three should be more than stellar, but being a woodworking noob and only a hobbyist I'd like to start with the best platform possible so that when I screw up it is all on me and not my capability to get around any potential shortcomings with the gear.
My second concern is longevity. I'd like this to last a lifetime. Obviously if I start using it a ton I'd be okay with the lifetime being shorter, but don't expect that to be the case.
The projects that are making me pursue this:
1) Bought a house from 1974 that needs all new trim
2) It also needs a new deck
3) I have built 7 or 8 pieces of furniture as my starting point and plan to continue
4) Eventually I will build new kitchen cabinets as well.
5) Lots of random house projects: knife block, cutting board, frames, speakers, etc
I have a Unisaw in the garage and this saw will sit in the garage on a table 90% of the time (I'll move it in the house for the trim work). The Bosch's space saving design has some rather strong merit for where it will be sitting.
I went to 7 corners in St Paul yesterday and played with all three. They pushed the Makita based on saving a couple hundred bucks, but considering my lifetime goal I don't want to regret saving that money in a few years and wish I had bought something else. Not being a woodworker with experience with other miter saws (other than my BIL's current POS) the Bosch really "felt" the best to me. Classically longevity of anything German has always scared me from a financial perspective though.
What do you think I should do?
I am mostly concerned with accuracy and realize that this is extremely operator influenced and that all three should be more than stellar, but being a woodworking noob and only a hobbyist I'd like to start with the best platform possible so that when I screw up it is all on me and not my capability to get around any potential shortcomings with the gear.
My second concern is longevity. I'd like this to last a lifetime. Obviously if I start using it a ton I'd be okay with the lifetime being shorter, but don't expect that to be the case.
The projects that are making me pursue this:
1) Bought a house from 1974 that needs all new trim
2) It also needs a new deck
3) I have built 7 or 8 pieces of furniture as my starting point and plan to continue
4) Eventually I will build new kitchen cabinets as well.
5) Lots of random house projects: knife block, cutting board, frames, speakers, etc
I have a Unisaw in the garage and this saw will sit in the garage on a table 90% of the time (I'll move it in the house for the trim work). The Bosch's space saving design has some rather strong merit for where it will be sitting.
I went to 7 corners in St Paul yesterday and played with all three. They pushed the Makita based on saving a couple hundred bucks, but considering my lifetime goal I don't want to regret saving that money in a few years and wish I had bought something else. Not being a woodworker with experience with other miter saws (other than my BIL's current POS) the Bosch really "felt" the best to me. Classically longevity of anything German has always scared me from a financial perspective though.
What do you think I should do?