Should I get a new miter saw from the current Amazon sale?

[Mark Rios]

Due to the trouble I had with my Makita SCMS and it's fence I've been thinking about getting a smaller, but hopefully extremly accurate, miter saw to just cut rails and stiles and other jointed ends and stuff like that.

Does anyone use a smaller non-sliding saw for really accurate stuff like that? I find that if I use a thin kerf, 12" blade then I can get blade deflection if I cut a stack of 3 or 4 piece at once. I'd like to turn a 10" full kerf blade and not have to think about any of the saw components after a really accurate set-up.

Has anyone come across a recent review of 10" CMS's?


Amazon has this cute little Dewalt on sale right now for $179.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005AUXJ/qid=1153180755/sr=1-22/ref=sr_1_22/103-9429181-2090267?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=hi&v=glance&n=228013

Seems pretty tempting......

Any thoughts?

[Ben Grunow]

I have the 12" double bevel DeWalt and I love it. Accurate and dependable on the job site for several years of use and abuse. I like the larger saws because they have taller fences on both sides of the blade (which is great for larger crowns and you can even cut 5" base standing up) so I'm not sure if I would be happy with the smaller fences on the saw you are looking at. But if large crowns are not normally on your saw then I bet the 10" would be good for you and probably even even more accurate than the 12. The only thing I wish these saws had was soft start because they kick a little when the blade starts turning.

[Mark Rios]

Thanks Ben. I had owned the 708 DB SMCS and felt exactly the same way you do. I've got the big DB SCMS Makita now but I have to watch the alignment set-up constantly. I like the idea of just using the smaller saw for just the smaller work, say....4"-5" flat and (mostly) under.

[glenn bradley]

I believe this one was in Workbench Mag but, now it looks like you have to buy it seperate.

http://plansnow.com/dn5013.html

[Don Baer]

Mark,
I have that saw and have done a ton of work with it. It's great for what you have planned for it. I don't use thin kerf blades. I am afraid of any deflection. The fence on mine is dead accurate as are the fixed stops.

[glenn bradley]

:( That's my only miter saw (so far, that is ;)). With an 80 tooth thin kerf Freud it has done a great job for me. No sci-fi digital readouts mind you but, everything seems to be where it should be when you reach for it. Detents are dead on. dust collection is good with a shop vac, so-so with a DC. Very no-nonsense, and stable.

P.s. ZCI and shop-made stop-block extension help too.

[Tom Jones III]

There was a thread on this subject a while back. My interpretation of the thread matches my experience, with good tools, blades and careful setup you can get your CMS very accurate for the job site but not accurate enough for making fine furniture. I only use my CMS for crown molding and making a quick crosscut in rough lumber prior to milling.

[Andy Fox]

I have this saw as my only miter saw, and I agree with what everyone has said about it so far.