Do you own a slider, and still use your SCMS?

[mark mcfarlane]

If you have a slider, do you do most of your miters and compound miters on it, or do you use a separate SCMS, RAS,... I was just wondering if I can drop the SCMS (and the 16' of wall space it requires) from my new shop design,...

Or maybe just build a smaller (6') rolling SCMS station and roll it around when I need to cut a few long boards.

I'm thinking that a properly set up SCMS would come in very handy for a variety of different projects, and be easier to setup and use compared to the slider.

Just thinking out loud.

[Kevin Nathanson]

I have a K700 10.5' Felder slider and a Bosch glide SCMS. I use the Bosch regularly to crosscut long pieces of lumber and to do miters for picture frames etc.

Crosscutting a 12'+ piece of lumber on the Felder is a PITA, as you have to extend the carriage fence and possibly remove the rip fence depending on how long the pieces need to be when cut. If you need two 6' pieces for example, then all of what I said is needed.

While the miter fence on the Felder is in my experience dead-on accurate, it's still kind of a pain to move. The Bosch is much easier to use, and so long as you are conscious of your technique (don't twist or pull to the side as you cut) you get very precise cuts from it as well. Full disclosure, I do shoot all my miters after cutting, but more for perfect joint surface reasons than to correct any angle problems.

K

[Joe Jensen]

I don't have an SCMS but I do have a 14" Dewalt RAS set up as a dedicated cut-off station. It has a Biesemeyer fence system and I've had it set up this way for 25 years, well before I had my slider. Most of my crosscuts are 90 degree so I've kept it and it's also the top of my storage bench and I use the surface to work too. Having said that my setup cuts a perfect 90 every time and it allows for very precise and consistent length easily. When I do a 5 cut test it's within .001" of perfect. My understanding is that SCMS are more construction tolerance but I've never owned one so I don't know.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w99/AZEngineer/Shop%20photos/_NIK6943.jpg (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/AZEngineer/media/Shop%20photos/_NIK6943.jpg.html)

[Chris Fournier]

SCMS at job sites, slider in my shop.

[Michael Koons]

I used to have both but took the CMS to our cabin and never brought it back. I keep the outrigger table on the slider almost all the time, so using it for crosscuts isn't a big deal for me. I agree with Kevin about moving the fence. It was easier to move the CMS than it is to move the crosscut fence on my slider, but not enough for me to want the CMS back. Takes me a few seconds to move the fence. And it is dead-on accurate as well, so no issues there. I have not made a compound cut yet, but don't see it as a big deal if I had to.

[Susumu Mori]

I have both.
I find myself still reaching to the SCMS for most of crosscuts after the purchase of Hammer.
I think it is easier to put the stock on the platform, grab the head, and cut away.
My Hammer often has a rip blade. Sometimes a combination blade is on it but the cut quality of the dedicated crosscut blade (Tenryu) on SCMS is better. If my fine crosscut blade is happened to be on the Hammer, it's 50/50. I like the smoother and quieter Hammer, but for just one cut, I may feel SCMS is easier than adjusting the blade height and moving the outrigger table.

For rough dimensioning of heavily twisted stocks and wider boards, I would use the Hammer.
When I have many repetitive cuts, the wide working surface and the large flip stop of the Hammer are handy. The dust collection is better with Hammer, which is important if you need to cut many.

For highly precise miter cuts, I opt for the Hammer. SCMS is also precise but the calibration of miter for both right and left is not very easy and I don't have much faith for the stability. For SCMS, the calibration happens within points separated only within 10 inch but for a sliding saw, points are far, far away, easily controlling very fine angles (I'm talking about outriggers).

If I got the Hammer first, I might have not bought the SCMS.
So, no, you don't need a SCMS if you have a slider, but you'll like the workflow with both saws.

[Rich Riddle]

I own both but utilize the Sliding Compound Miter Saw more than the Sliding Table Saw. I utilize the SCMS at job sites where it wouldn't be practical to take the sliding table saw.

[David Zaret]

i have a martin slider and i never, ever use a SCMS in the shop. the martin is used for all precision cuts. you have to learn how to use the rip fence as a stop for repeatable cuts, but once you figure out the techniques, nothing compares (imho).

[Jim Becker]

I still have my "miter saw"...most of the time it's used for breaking down board lengths, rather than precision work. I leave the latter to the slider.

[jack duren]

You can use a lot of tools to do a lot of things and yet a single tool may be easier and faster at some things vs an all in one.

[Chris Parks]

I have both a Hammer K3 and a Bosch Glide Saw and often ask myself the same question. Using the F&F method and the rip fence as a stop as mentioned above the Bosch does not get a lot of use until like the other day I had to cut some 6 metre long material or maybe PVC pipe so it stays for those times.

[Larry Copas]

My Bosch SCMS gathered dust after I got a slider. What is worse it took up highly valuable floor space with no ROI...I sold it and put that floor space to use.

[Jim Andrew]

I have both, and still use the sliding miter saw for cutoffs. The slider on the table saw is big enough to crosscut panels, whereas the miter saw is only good to crosscut boards.

[mark mcfarlane]

Thanks everyone.

These are my takeaways so far :
- Slider is perfectly fine and accurate for cross cuts on short boards up to your crosscut fence length or a tad beyond,
- Slider likely has better dust collection (hadn't considered this aspect),
- SCMS is more convenient for travel
- SCMS is easier/faster to just hack off a long skinny board
- SCMS might be easier/more accurate for compound miters on long boards (e.g. molding, trim) using things like crown stops,....

[Joe Jensen]

Thanks everyone.

These are my takeaways so far :
- Slider is perfectly fine and accurate for cross cuts on short boards up to your crosscut fence length or a tad beyond,
- Slider likely has better dust collection (hadn't considered this aspect),
- SCMS is more convenient for travel
- SCMS is easier/faster to just hack off a long skinny board
- SCMS might be easier/more accurate for compound miters on long boards (e.g. molding, trim) using things like crown stops,....

I believe the slider is much more accurate than an SCMS for crosscutting. Dead on for 90 and much better for angles, and a great built in stop system.