Compound Miter Saw

[jack reynolds]

So I got a pretty nice gift from a buddy when he gave me his 12" compound miter saw by craftsman, but it hit the wall the other day so I am in the market. I just recently bought the Bosch 4100-G table saw, so I am not looking to spend a ton, probably under $200. Any advice or recommendations from you guys? I'm also not sure if I want to go 10" or 12" and sliding or not.
Let me know your feelings on that too!!
Thanks!

[Van Huskey]

At $200 I wouldn't buy a slider and would stay with 10". Dewalt, HItachi, Rigid and Mikita all have single bevel 10" saws in your price range (or very close in the case of the Dewalt).

[Marty Paulus]

I was recently in the market for a new saw. As far as I know there is only one 12" that can be had under $200. Harbor Freight. There is a person or two on here that have them and they claim they are good saws once you put a good blade on them. I almost tried one. I ended up with a different one for a lot more than $200. Watching CL is a possibility. If you insist on new you are most likely in the 10" size and only a single bevel.

[Peter J Lee]

I think Home Depot has the Makita 10 inch for 200. If that was my budget, that's what I would buy.

[John TenEyck]

If I had a $200 budget, I would buy a reconditioned saw. I've gotten great stuff from these guys: http://bigskytool.com/default.aspx

[shane lyall]

I have one of the HF 12 sliders. It's not bad if you toss the OEM blade. I still have mine in the shop and use it if I think I might find a nail or something in the wood. I built a stand and use mine to rough cut to size before milling. If I had it to do over I would buy it just as a chop saw but I don't know if I would use it as a fine mitersaw. I can get better results with my radial arm on miters. It's not bad for the money with a good blade.

[Rich Engelhardt]

My shop CMS saw is a DeWalt DW713. A 10" single bevel non-slider. They sell for ~ $219.00. I got mine some time ago for $179.00 from Amazon.
It's an excellent saw,,,however,,,I believe it's over priced.
I'm no fan of Hitachi, but, the 10" Hitachi C10FCE2 appears to be everything the DeWalt is for a lot less money - $139.00 @ Amazon.

FWIW - my job site saws are all cheapies - a 10" Ryobi non-slider, an 8.5" Delta non-slider and a Workforce (or Taskforce - I can't remember which) 8.5" slider.
The cheapies all require retuning once on-site in order to true them up. They also require somewhat frequent checks to make sure they are holding true.

On the Ryobi, I run the DeWalt blade that came with the DeWalt 713. I replaced the blade on the DeWalt with a 40 tooth Freud.

Out of all 4 of them, the one I find the least use for is the 8.5" slider.
The handiest is the 8.5" Delta.
Extremely easy blade changes makes the 10" Ryobi a real workhorse.
10" blades are cheap and available anywhere.
8.5" blades are a lot harder to find in stock and crazy expensive when I do run across them.

FWIW & IMHO/E, I'd go with a lower priced saw, like the Hitachi, and apply the rest of the money towards a good solid stand. Either a portable or a shop built one.
W/good in and out feed support and good technique and a good blade, the CMS doesn't give up any ground to a table saw.

[Homer Faucett]

If you don't need it to be super portable, I'd cruise Craigslist for a DeWalt MBF or GWI radial arm saw. Those are the cast iron round-top saws, and they are true precision machines. I believe the MBF gives you 15" of crosscut capability and the GWI about 18-20", plus a 10" blade and more horsepower.

I've bought an MBF for $40 and a GWI for $150 (the GWI had new motor bearings and was literally in pieces from the previous owner getting halfway into rehabbing it). With a Forrest WoodWorker I on them, they cut great!

[Pat Barry]

How exactly did the Craftsman hit the wall? Motor burn-out or mechanical issue?

[Bruce Wrenn]

Watch CL for an older DeWalt 12". This is probably the toughest miter saw ever made. Vinyl siding crews have them mounted on the side of their trailer, out in the weather 365 days per year.

[Steven Green]

I just got a Makita 1220 from a local outfit called Hydra-flow. It was more than 200 but not that much more. Excellent company to deal with.

[Bill White]

My DeWalt 703 10" compound with a Freud TK 80 tooth blade is a keeper. Out of the box accuracy, and has all the power I've needed for trim work that I've done. It sure won't cut giant crown. That's where a slider comes into play, but anothere guy does the big crown with a 12".
Bill

[Jim Finn]

Watch CL for an older DeWalt 12". This is probably the toughest miter saw ever made. Vinyl siding crews have them mounted on the side of their trailer, out in the weather 365 days per year.....................I bought this saw in 2001 and it still works great. I use it daily. I am on my second blade. If I were to replace it I would get a 10" slider. I bought the 12" DeWalt for building decks and it served me well but I no longer build decks.