MFT or SCMS for tall basebord?

[Don Sundberg]

I've got another room tore down and it will have tall baseboards in it (10.5") like the last two rooms I have done. My miter saw is a Dewalt 12" non slider that stays pretty well dialed in but won't miter (bevel) a 10.5" wide board.

The last two rooms I did I made a sled to cut the miters but I was unhappy with the accuracy. It seemed there was too much twist put into the sled with a 16' 1 x 12 hanging off one side to keep the cut straight. I had is set up with an outrigger support that rode on a support roller to hold up the board while cutting.

So for the question, how well does an MFT / track saw work for beveling wide baseboards? Can I get good accurate work out of it? My hope is that since the board is stationary I might have better luck keeping things aligned.

The other option would be a SCMS. I would probably get a Bosch Glider.

I have some other jobs that a track saw I think would come in very handy for so the big question is whether it would work for my base board work and save me an SCMS investment.

Thanks for any insights and opinions.

Don

[Bryan Lisowski]

I think the track saw would be a great option for this, and if you have other projects seems like a good time to purchase.

[Chris Padilla]

Hand saw and shop-made miter box?

However, a track saw works great.

[Charles Wiggins]

I have both a Festool TS55 and a 12" Bosch Axial Glide, but I don't have any experience with the MFT. The TS55 would probably give a better quality cut, but I think the Bosch would be easier to tweak for those outside corners that are never 90º. Of the two I'd personally lean more toward the Bosch. You'll have to cut the stock flat instead of standing with both, so there's no advantage for either there. Once you get the Bosch set up you just lay the workpiece down, align, and cut. If you need to adjust the bevel there's only one knob to loosen and tighten and it's right up front, although the tilt can be a bit cumbersome to align precisely. If I remember the TS55 right, there is both a front and rear knobs to lock down the bevel. It just seems like there would be more steps for each cut using the TS55.

But honestly, unless I was doing production molding installation, I think it would really come down to which one I think I would use more in the long run. I use the TS55 more often with sheet goods and the Glider more for dimensional lumber. The TS55 is more versatile, but there are a lot of startup costs involved to make that versatility a reality.

I hope this helps you work it out.

Charles

[Peter Quinn]

I have both a Festool TS55 and a 12" Bosch Axial Glide, but I don't have any experience with the MFT. The TS55 would probably give a better quality cut, but I think the Bosch would be easier to tweak for those outside corners that are never 90º. Of the two I'd personally lean more toward the Bosch. You'll have to cut the stock flat instead of standing with both, so there's no advantage for either there. Once you get the Bosch set up you just lay the workpiece down, align, and cut. If you need to adjust the bevel there's only one knob to loosen and tighten and it's right up front, although the tilt can be a bit cumbersome to align precisely. If I remember the TS55 right, there is both a front and rear knobs to lock down the bevel. It just seems like there would be more steps for each cut using the TS55.

But honestly, unless I was doing production molding installation, I think it would really come down to which one I think I would use more in the long run. I use the TS55 more often with sheet goods and the Glider more for dimensional lumber. The TS55 is more versatile, but there are a lot of startup costs involved to make that versatility a reality.

I hope this helps you work it out.

Charles


This exactly. The track saw is excellent for cutting long bevels, I've used it a lot for that, but on trim where angles tend to be other than perfect....maybe not your best weapon, really hard to tweak for fractions off an angle. Not impossible, but not as quick. So if you really had no other use for the SCMS and really had more use for the tack saw, and didn't have a huge number of corners to contend with on the 10" base, you could probably make it work.

[Don Sundberg]

Oh I'm sure I would use the Bosch if I got it. My miter saw lately is one of my most used saws. It's an old 12" Dewalt that I bought several years ago for a $100 from an contractor that upgraded to a big Bosch slider. Looks like I need to bite the bullet. I already have a selection of blades for it.

The thought is to get a TS 75 / MFT-3 and use it for panel work instead of wrestling sheets across the cab saw. I don't' want to invest the room for a sliding panel saw so I think the track saw is the best solution. I have a multitude of casework projects to work on coming up. I can probably put the investment off a month or so though if I get the Bosch first based on what I am realistically going to get to short term.

[Charlie Velasquez]

A $50 dewalt RAS off CList?

[Don Sundberg]

A $50 dewalt RAS off CList?

Believe me I have been tempted. :) Although I seem to gravitate to the $3-600 industrial ones that makes them no longer portable in any sense of the word. I need to get the rest of my shop insulated before I pack too much more stationary equipment in it.

[Tom M King]

For outside corners, I'd mark with a preacher, and use a normally filed crosscut handsaw-have done it many times, and is actually quicker than making some type of special setup.