Jet JMS12-SCMS Sliding Miter Saw

[John Meade]

I am thinking about replacing mt Craftsman 10" RAS (circa 1976) with a new sliding compound miter saw. I am considering a new Jet 12 SCMS. A little background: I am an amateur furniture maker with a fully equipped shop. I have a very good 10" cabinet saw, but use my RAS for crosscuts and miters to avoid setup time changing blades, guards, and fences on the cabinet saw. Like many RAS users, I constantly have to adjust the stops and settings on my RAS so more often than not I resort to a hand saw and miter box for precision cuts, a good practice but one that sometimes takes time that I do not have. So the new miter saw would be bolted to a work table and hooked to my dust collector. Portability is not a key consideration. I also like the benefit of the SCMS's smaller foot print vs. the RAS.

Any thoughts on this? Is the Jet SCMS a good choice? Are there other SCMS's that I should be considering?

[Mike Heidrick]

Personally I would buy in this order:

Bosch Glide
Milwaukee
Dewalt
Bosch Regular slider
Hitachi
Kapex (its just soo expensive to me but it is one of the best)

I own a 12" Hitach C12LSH - Hitachi refurbs are awesome buys.
I also own the 10" 717 Dewalt with the LED light that cast a shadow line of the blade vs a laser that can get out of alignment - it is my favorite of the two.

I have no idea why that Jet is $700+??!! - it looks exactly like the Crapsman.

Since you are looking to drop big coin get a Bosch T4B stand! They are awesome. If building in a permanent station the Kreg dence setup is nice.

[Curt Harms]

If I were in the market, I'd consider the Bosch 'glider' and the Hitach C12RSH. I haven't used either but for shop use SCMSs that don't require much space between the saw and the wall seem like a plus. Here's a youtube video of the Hitachi with its sliding mechanism that sort of mimics the Kapex:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zNnkoR54uo

Video about the Bosch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=35j4JTUwYZI
The Lowes here has both the Bosch and the Hitachi C12 RSH on display. The Hitachi was on sale for $399 a few weeks ago but it's $449 again.

[Greg R Bradley]

The Jet looks like the Craftsman because the same Chinese company makes both. You can either pay "too much" or "way, way too much" for that poor quality saw.

Accurate cross cuts? NON-Slider, preferably 10" - Dewalt 713 is surprisingly good. If you need a slider for wider stock, then Makita 7 1/2" (LS0714) , Dewalt Italian-made 8 1/2" (DW712), or Kapex.

[joe milana]

Have you considered an older Dewalt RAS? Any Craftsman is not worth the $5-10 you'd get for it at the scrap yard.

[Charles Wiggins]

I have the Bosch 12" axial glide. I think it's great, but I have never owned a RAS or any other slider, so I have nothing to compare it with in terms of accuracy. There is some minute play in the glide, but if I just relax and only guide the arm and let the saw do the work it's not a problem. The other saw I would have considered is the Kapex, but it was out of my price range. From everything I have read I don't think you're going to find a SCMS that is as accurate as a good RAS.

The Bosch weighs a ton, but it can be a real space-saver because it can sit back against a wall. You don't have any slider rods to protrude out the front or back. All of the miter and bevel controls are up front so there are very few occasions that you have to reach over or around the saw to do anything. I really like the cutting capacity as well. I forget the stats, but it is very capacious compared to other models on the market. If you don't need the slider capacity, but simply need to do a simple miter cut there is a slider lockout tat should reduce any slop due to lateral movement.

On the down side, as I said, it's heavy, and there's no laser guide. The dust collection is minimal. Eventually, when I build a workstation for it I am definitely going to build duct collection in around it.

[Terry Sparks]

Just wondering if you have a crosscut sled for your table saw? I found that I didn't need a sliding mitrer saw after building one and also saved myself a few hundred bucks in the process.

[Charles Wiggins]

Just wondering if you have a crosscut sled for your table saw? I found that I didn't need a sliding mitrer saw after building one and also saved myself a few hundred bucks in the process.

I guess it all depends on how you work. I went without a miter saw for a long time and it was a PITA. I most often use the miter saw to cut long stock down. Sometimes I have stuff that's up to 12 ft. long, so if I did it on the TS, even with a sled, I'd have to take the time to set up support stands for the long ends. Also, my current shop is long and narrow so I don't have tons of room to the side of my TS because I have to use it for ripping. In fact, I only have about 3 feet to the right of the blade.

[Joseph Tarantino]

The Jet looks like the Craftsman because the same Chinese company makes both. You can either pay "too much" or "way, way too much" for that poor quality saw.

Accurate cross cuts? NON-Slider, preferably 10" - Dewalt 713 is surprisingly good. If you need a slider for wider stock, then Makita 7 1/2" (LS0714) , Dewalt Italian-made 8 1/2" (DW712), or Kapex.

thanks for saving me the trouble of commenting on the jet MS. i wonder if your negative jet comment will get editted out of your posting the way mine did 2 weeks ago?

[Peter Kelly]

It does look exactly like the Craftsman one except Sears sells it for about $250 less.

Would steer clear of the Jet. Seems way overpriced.

[phil harold]

I think if you buy an old dewalt radial arm saw you will be farther ahead
here is a pic of my $100 special before and after a weekend rehab237448237449

Hitachi is nice too
My 8" is a work horse has but there is more play in them than in the old iron

[C Scott McDonald]

I have the Makita I have a LS1016L and it has proven to be an excellent saw.

[Gregory King]

Makita for me too. LS1016L with the portable stand 194943-7 are quite the combination. Real sturdy and easy for me to load on my half ton. Impressive.

[Tom Willoughby]

I settled on a refurbished Hitachi SCMS. I had simillar requirements to the OP: Portability was not a real concern, minimum space requirements behind saw (Bosch glide would have been 1st choice but was out of my budget), and the saw would be mainly used to crosscut long stock since putting a sled on the table saw for cross cutting long stock was cumbersome.

The Hitachi saw is accurate enough to use for picture frames. I had originally thought that I would have to build a table saw jig for picture frame miters but the SCMS has been great. I did upgrade the saw blade, however.

Good luck with the search.

Tom

[Jeff Bartley]

If I was buying one tomorrow I'd take a square, straight edge, and feeler gauges to the store and see for yourself which saw was square, etc. I've heard the Kapex is dead-on. I have the Dewalt 12" slider and it's ok, but not perfect. Like many saws it has a lower fixed fence and upper movable fences. On mine the upper fences are way off. Originally I bought the saw so I could cut larger crown upright instead of flat----after a few cuts I realized why my outside corners weren't perfect....the spring angle was off just enough to make a difference. Now I know the saws limitations and I shim accordingly or cut crown flat.
If dust collection is a qualification the Kapex gets another vote. Whatever saw you choose take the time to set it up cause I'm not sure any (except the Kapex) come from the factory set up well.....and do plan on replacing the blade!