Which Miter saw to buy? Need help.

[Barry Allweiss]

Hey everyone, I’m new to the forum and a semi-novice wood worker. I am putting some laminate flooring down in my house and need some advice from you wood working gurus.

I own a good circular saw but a lot of people recommend getting a miter saw for the cross cuts. Here is where the confusion sets in. If I buy a Miter Saw, I want to buy QUALITY. I learned awhile ago that if you “buy cheap, buy twice”. I would like to do other projects in the future (crown molding, bookshelves, etc) so I don’t want to buy a saw that I will yearn to upgrade in a few years

Questions:
1) Do you recommend a good blade for my Circular or get a Compound Miter Saw for the cross cuts?

2) If a Miter saw is recommended, which one does the average woodworker prefer, and why?:
10” Sliding or a 12” non sliding?
Single or Dual Bevel?

3) These are the choices I've seen at local stores in my price range which seem to get good rviews. Any opinions out there on these or anything else?

Non Sliding CMS for ~$300:
- Dewalt DW716: 12” Dual Bevel
- Ridgid MS1250LZ: 12” Single Bevel (Lifetime Warranty)
- Bosch 4212L: 12” Dual Bevel

If push came to shove and I was convinced to buy a Slider, this Bosch got great a great review but I’m not sure if it’s worth the extra $130 for $430.
- Bosch 4410L: 10”

So what do you wooders recommend and why? Any suggestions or know of any good deals?

Thank for your consideration.
Barry

[frank shic]

Barry, if you just need a just saw for cutting laminate flooring, I would strongly recommend a jigsaw. They're much cheaper, pretty easy to use and slightly safer than a compound miter saw. On the other hand, if you want to use laminate flooring as an excuse to purchase a miter saw which is MUCH FASTER on those end cuts and just SCREAMS to the rest of the neighborhood, "I know how to use a miter saw!!!" the bosch, dewalt and ridigid miter saws that you mentioned have all gotten pretty decent reviews. As far as sliders go, they're much heavier and take up more space. If you want a saw for cuting shelving on wall cabinets or TALL trim molding (crown or base) on the flat, a slider wouldn't be a bad investment. I am quite content with my dewalt 706 and I don't think that I'll ever have a need to upgrade to a slider. BTW, laminate flooring will CHEW up your miter saw blade so don't use your Forrest Chopmaster on it, ok?

Your next question will probably be: which mobile stand to purchase? ;)

[Jim O'Dell]

I think the question I would want answered is which miter saw comes with the best blade for laminate flooring. My guess is that you will need a dedicated plastics/laminate blade, or at least something that has a negative hook angle. To you guys and gals in the know, is that right? I'm thinking a slider might come with the best stock blade for laminate, but that may not be true. I doubt that it would be a dedicated laminate blade, but maybe a fair compromise.
Check the manufacturer's websites and use the contact page to ask them that question and see what they say, that is if no one here has a good answer for you. Jim.

[Bob Feeser]

Makita LS1013 is the most accurate. Their are a lot of good ones out there, but Makita LS1013 keeps picking up the top ratings in the reviews. Although it may have gotten dethroned in the last 2 years, I haven't shopped the DCSMS in the last 2 years. It is a little more than some of the others, or maybe a bunch more than some of the examples you gave. What I learned the hard way is that quaity tools, may be a bit of a sacrifice in the beginning, but they return great results and satisfaction to you again, and again. I sold some of my early purchases, because I couldn't stand to use them. In so doing I lost 50 cents on the dollar of the full purchase price. Then I bought the quaity tool. So in the long run it cost me more money to buy cheap, then if I had bit the bullet, and bought the tool I really wanted, right away.
At the time the Bosch came close, with perfect miters, but ever so slightly off on the bevels. Only the Makita gave you perfect cuts, on both miters, bevels, and compound cuts, accurate to a tenth of a degree, measured with a Bosch Digital protractor.
You can read my review on it at Amazon called "Simply Put: It is the Best Compound Slider Out There Period." It is a featured review on Amazon here (http://www.amazon.com/Makita-LS1013-Slide-Compound-10-Inch/dp/B0000223I3/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-4854229-0090346?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1187050413&sr=8-1). I had the LS1212, and loved it so much, when Amazon was discounting the LS1013, then Makita was giving away their cheapy plastic gear 14.4 drill along with it, I bought the LS1013 as well. The LS1013 has the detents for crown moldings, and a larger platform than the 12. THe 12 has a larger blade which gives you more depth capacity, something that you might possibly run into when making angle cuts with wide stock. The blade it comes with creates glass smooth cuts, so no need to upgrade with an expensive blade. It comes with one. The blade on the LS1212 is 100 bucks by itself.
I better quit before I get too wordy. Check out the review.
I can't help it, I love the saw so much, it is like a pin up in your bedroom, when you are growing up. Here is a pic of it.
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51s%2BOxn1DQL._AA280_.jpg

[Ben Grunow]

As a full time carpenter, I have found the Dewalt sliding and non sliding saws to be very durable. My vote would be the 10 or 12" non slider as a starter for several reasons. Less $, no sliding function to make it easier for the saw to kick and cut your fingers off, lighter as it sounds like you will be moving it around daily and great accuracy and capacity as the 12 will cut 8" boards and 6x6's. More than you prolly need. Buck up for the dual compound if you can as it means no flipping crowns around to cut opposite ends and no limits to which way you work.

[Brian Willan]

Hey everyone, I’m new to the forum and a semi-novice wood worker. I am putting some laminate flooring down in my house and need some advice from you wood working gurus.

Barry

Your first determining factor is how wide is the laminate flooring your are installing. This will determine if you need a sliding saw or not.

The standard 10" non sliding miter saws will crosscut about 5.5 inches (a nominal 6" board). The standard 12" non sliders will crosscut about 8 inches. You will have to check the specs on those models to get their capacities.

Once that is determined then the decision for slider vs non slider will be made for you. If you are going with a slider version and won't ever likely need to cut 4x4 posts or the like you could also get yourself an 8.5" slider as well. I believe Hitachi makes a good one.

Also keep in mind that installing any flooring product will require ripping some boards to width. This is normally done with a table saw.

There are many ways to skin a cat as you know. If you are looking for an excuse to buy a miter saw then this project is as good as any. If you want to make use of the tools that you do have, you can use your circular saw and any number of the edge guides that are on the market for your crosscuts and rips. You could build what is referred to a saw board (do a search here or via google for details). In the manufacturers section of this site there is a guide rail system that is quite popular and has a bunch of accessories that could be used for your flooring project.

Cheers

Brian

[Jim Nardi]

You don't need to make a super accurate cut for flooring. Laminate eat's up blades.
My preference is for Makita saw's they take a pounding and don't go out of square or break. A 12" saw will cut 99 percent of all trim you come across.

[David DeCristoforo]

My favorite is still the "original" Hitachi 8" compound slider. I bought one when they first came out and used on jobsites and in the shop for many years until it finally wore out. I got a new one and gave the old one to my neighbor and he is still using it even tho the stops for the turntable are shot (he just "locks" it with a "C" clamp. I have used many other saws over the years and have found that the bigger the saw, the harder it is to maintain accuracy. The 8" with the slider has been able to handle just about anything I have had need to do and I've had to do some pretty serious woodwork. One nice this about the smaller blade is that it will not run out as much when you try to "nibble" a cut in hard wood, not to mention that 8" blades are less expensive. Plus, it's a lot easier saw to pack around. I know a lot of guys like the bigger saws and everyone has their own pref. so keep in mind that this is just my own personal preference FWIW....

[Allen Bookout]

Count me in with Bob Feeser. If you decide to get a miter saw be sure and look at the Makita models. I have the Makita LS1013 and I can not imagine any better saw. Tough and very accurate. For me a compound slider is well worth the extra money.

[Mike Henderson]

I have the Bosch 12" and have been very happy with it. I don't use it for flooring but for furniture. I went with the 12" to get a bit more cutting capacity - I don't have room for a slider.

Mike

[Raf Verbruggen]

I have the Festool slider and it works well for me. The dual laser beam is very handy.

Compared to the Bosch, Makita and DeWalt, the festool had one very big advantage for me ... the rails for the slider are at the front. You can place te saw almost with the back against the wall. Very handy when limited space.

I'm also happy with the dust collection ... not perfect but a lot better compared to my old miter.

I think Hitachi also uses this sliding system.

[Henk Marais]

I agree with all about the Makita. I have purchased 4 in the last 6 months. Everytime we exspand our bussiness and put more teams out in the field we supply them with the Makita.

I have purchased a Festool Capex for myself 2 months ago, but the jury is still out on that one. It is a magnifisant tool but I do not know if it was worth the extra cost (aprox 20% mote exsponsive than the Makita)

[Bill Arnold]

Barry,

I've been very pleased with my Dewalt dual compound 12" miter saw. As mentioned, you'll need to buy a blade for the specific material you're using.

[Lou Ferrarini]

I got one of these when I put down about 1000 SF of engineered hardwood flooring and have been very happy with it:

http://www.hitachipowertools.com/store_item.php?iID=213&arrPath=1,11,53,p213,

It came with a cheap blade. That is all you need for doing flooring. I picked up a good 80 tooth blade for doing trim and moulding.

[Dan Clark]

There are a lot of viewpoints here. Some are quite good and some are a little over the top.

But let's step back a second and look at your needs. Why get a saw that can cut 4" thick boards when your primary need is to cut thin, wide boards? Given that a smaller 10" blade will provided more accurate cuts than a 12" blade, you would probably be better served with a 10" slider.

Regarding the reviews... Do NOT depend on the Amazon reviews. While some are fair and reasonable reviews, some are just marketing posted by vendors or manufacturers. Amazon reviews provide some data points, but you need to do other research.

Regarding Makita saws winning SCMS reviews as one poster mentioned, that's not quite true. If you read the reviews posted over the last 3-4 years, you'll see that the Bosch 4410L has been tops or tied with the Makita for top spot.

I have the Bosch 4410L. I picked it over the Makita because of it's quality, accuracy, and features. The Bosch design is about 3 years old while the Makita is about 8 years old.

While both are good saws, the Makita's design is getting long in the tooth and shows it. Some of the controls are at the back where it's more difficult to reach. And the Makita's rails are the bottom where they can get gunked up more easily. Also, the Makita has a vertical handle. I found this uncomfortable. While the Makita is a very good saw in many respects, it is not perfect as some posters have implied.

While the Bosch 4410L is a good saw, some (including mine) have a flaw with the little extension arms. On mine, it is about 1/16 above the bed. This means that you can't get square cuts if you use it. (I removed mine.) Another problem with the Bosch is the weight. With Delta stand adapter, it weighs 75lbs. That's killing my back!

Regarding Dewalt saws... Originally, I was going to buy the Dewalt DW718 12" SCMS. Many reviews of Dewalt SCMS's indicated that their 12" SCMS was great! After rereading the reviews carefully, I found that the GOOD reviews were about the DW708 and the bad reviews were about the new DW718 (the 708's replacement). The DW718 has been decontented (made more cheaply). The head is floppy and the castings are rough While it looks good, the quality has gone down greatly.

If you can find a used Dewalt saw, it might be a good alternative. Don't buy the new ones.

Regarding Ridgid... I actually bought a Ridgid SCMS and then took it back. The fence was out of square. It had a design or manufacturing flaw such that it didn't have enough play in the adjusting mechanism to make it square. If you buy a Ridgid saw, make SURE that it is or can be aligned properly.

So, what would I recommend? My first choice would be the Festool Kapex. Of course it isn't in the US yet and the cost will be about $1,000.

My second choice would be the Makita LS1013. It's lighter than the Bosch and has slightly better accuracy. Just be aware of it's limitations.

Regards,

Dan.

[Jack Morrow]

I've had a Bosch 10" slider for years and am very pleased with it. I like the detents and the clamp that I find very handy. The original blade works very well.

I would also say that I disagree that a jig saw is safer than a mitre saw. Both can be used in a safe or unsafe manner. I don't fell that there is anything inherint in the Bosch slider design thats puts me in an unsafe position. But, YMMV.

The bottom line for me is I don't have "tool envy" when I see another slider and for me, that's about as high a compliment as a tool can receive.

Good luck and cut safely,

Jack

[Gary Sostrin]

I have never done cutting of laminate flooring, but I loaned out my Makita LS1013 and it performed well to my friend who used it. When I got it back, I found the fence had to be squared because of material being slammed against it. I guess the hold down screws were not tight enough.

Also stay away from the 12 inch blade models because the saw blades get expensive. I can use some (not all) blades interchangeably between my PM66 such as a laminate blade. I know about the 5 degree hook on miter saw blades.

file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Gary/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpgfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Gary/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpggary

[Bob Swenson]

Don't you love it when those overseas guys talk about the Festool we can't buy. :mad:

[Henk Marais]

Bob

We must get our own back somehow:p

We also subscribe to mags like FWW and have to drool over your tools with the raving reviews that is not available to us.

Believe me my shop would have looked a lot difrent if I had the choises you guys have. When I go to my local tool shop I only have a choice between realy exspensive imported goods from Europe or cheep knockoffs from plases unknown.

[James K Peterson]

I know Mr. Allweiss asked about a CMS or SCMS original, and didn't want to use his CS, but could he get the EZ and the use just the single CS for both the cross and rips? (personally, I'm laying laminate and I already have a SCMS: Makita L1013. But I plan on buy the EZ to use for the rips instead of using my crappy benchtop table saw)

[Josh LaFrance]

You should think about how much flooring you are really going to lay and if you've got a good need for a CMS after this project. Most of the cross cuts for a flooring job are to fit the board to the edge of a room where the end of the board is going to be covered with molding anyway. While most of us look for any excuse to buy a new tool, you don't always need it. If you want to save some money, get the appropriate blade for your circular saw, grab a plastic triangle square thingy and make your crosscuts.

[Allen Bookout]

If you want to save some money, get the appropriate blade for your circular saw, grab a plastic triangle square thingy and make your crosscuts.

Now I ask you, how much fun is that when you can buy a new tool? However, I do agree.

[Matt Meiser]

A SCMS would be a nice tool to have, but I find that a 12" CMS does everything i need other than an occasional really wide board. Mine is a Porter Cable which was a refurbished unit purchased about 5 years ago. Before that I had a Delta 10" CMS which was a little too small for my needs.

In my shop, the CMS gets used for rough crosscutting, almost any crosscutting for shop or home repair/remodeling "stuff", and final crosscutting of larger stuff. For smaller, precision stuff I general tend to use my Incra miter gauge on the TS which I find to be ultra accurate. Where I need high precision, I find it easier to line up the cut on the TS than the CMS.

[Lean Angle]

I bought a craftsman 12" slider that I kind of regret....and that regret is actually not stemming from it being a craftsman :p

The slider just takes up too much room in my shop, and it is too heavy when I want to use it outside the shop. If I had it to do over again, I'd have bought a standard 12".

Sure there are times that the extra cutting capacity comes in handy, but I don't think that is as often as it has been a PIA.

[Bob Feeser]

I have never done cutting of laminate flooring, but I loaned out my Makita LS1013 and it performed well to my friend who used it. When I got it back, I found the fence had to be squared because of material being slammed against it. I guess the hold down screws were not tight enough.

Also stay away from the 12 inch blade models because the saw blades get expensive. I can use some (not all) blades interchangeably between my PM66 such as a laminate blade. I know about the 5 degree hook on miter saw blades.

file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Gary/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpgfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Gary/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpggary

Gary, I too have the Rousseau 2875XL miter saw stand, and I use it with my LS1212. I love the stop with measure system. The Rousseau is super beefy, folds out to a huge span, and folds down every easily to a 36" wide area.
Pertaining to the friend returning the saw with the fence out of whack, you are right, he probably slammed the wood against it. Not so much that he hit the fence with the wood, but rather started his plunge, before starting the saw, then, not unlike a router, when you place it on the workpiece before starting, it grabs the wood, and takes off. Well in the case of the miter saw, it grabs the wood, and tries to send it flying through the back of the fence. In my review at Amazon, I scolded the many who were letting 6 different people use the saw, and when the fence got beat up, they were accusing Makita of making an inferior saw. You were not doing that, but it is because of the plunge before starting the saw sufficiently that leads to that problem. If you look at the picture of the saw, or for you looking at your saw, you realize that their is a design limitation as to how much material they can put in the middle of the fence, while still keeping the fence out of the way of the blade. The problem is that the aluminum fence gets bent in the middle, where the material has to be light. They could build it with a cast iron fence, then all of the trim guys wouldn't want to lug it around.
Another problem some of them were having, with others using their saw, that they did not understand the the locking knob was made with fine threads for a reason, and only partially unwinding the locking knob, let's say a half a turn, then would then change the miter setting, thereby scoring, or stripping the rod, and or holders. Then they complain when they break it. I know you are not saying this, I am mentioning it as a general use statement. It is a tough, totally accurate, brute workhorse, while also being a very fine delicate saw.
I also have a PM66, and have a super accurate Delta Deluxe Miter Gauge with hold down system, but I am getting such accurate cuts with the Makita slider on the Rousseau stand, that I don't hesitate to make all of my cuts on it. I must admit that some of these high end miter guages, especially the ones with the stops, look mighty inviting, and a lot of the guys here are getting perfect results when using a standard or hot rodded miter gauge, like by putting fine sandpaper on the surface to prevent the workpiece from sliding. To me it's all about accuracy. If you have a saw, or a mitre gauge, and it is giving you accuracy, that is all you need.

[Bob Feeser]

Another consideration when picking out DCMS, or even a non slider, is how is the handle constructed. Does it allow for cuts with either hand. Is the switch positioned on the handle to allow that? The Makita with the handle, being in the upright position, with the switch at the top, allows you to cut with either your left hand or right. You may say, but I am right handed, and I cut that way. That is not neccessarily so. Sometimes, you want to hold your workpiece of to either side, and that neccessitates you using whichever hand is off to the other side. So in other words, a handle design, that is engineered to be ambidexterous is beneficial. If it has a side to side handle, with the switch on either end, do you turn it on with your pinky sometimes? :confused:
Another point to consider is how accurate is the slider? Does it feel tight? One model, and i won't mention any names, when I went into Home Depot to get a grip on the different sliders, and they had several of the top makes back then, one manufacturer must have used square ball bearings, because I felt like the saw was bumping down the road, on it way to making a cut. :) Seriously. (Of course they didn't use square ball bearings, but whatever they did, it wasn't smooth)
The overall feel of the saw, when you are coming down on the cut will tell you a lot.
How quiet or loud is the saw?
As far as designing where to place the motor, do you place it behind the saw, and run fan belts to it, thereby creating vibration? Or do you place the motor straight out on side, and limit yourself to how much right tilt you can get with the motor in the way? Or do you use a direct drive, maximizing the motor efficiency and power, while tilting it at a 45 angle to get it out of the way, while maximizing the right tilt angle? The net result is the Bosch gives you up to a 47 degree capacity, and the Makita gives you a comparable 48. The belt drive vibration problem is not worth mentioning on a heavy table saw, with a cast iron trunion, but on a slider with a motor, and a saw way out on the end of a bracket, vibration comes into play.
The other thing is that you are mentioning that you want to use it to cut laminate flooring. I understand, but I do not judge my saw purchases on just one task alone. If I did that, I would be buying a different saw for each job I was doing. Rather I buy the saw that will give me the most universal applications, and do them all well.
Forget about dust collection, quite frankly they all do a poor job of that. Pertaining to the light, and laser, if you need portabiity, they are nice features to have. If you have it mounted on a Miter stand, with a large light overhead, and a stop system, with a measuring tape, you don't need them.
All of the top names make an arguably wonderful saw. To me accuracy is the game. When you take the Makita out of the box, and make a compound cut, both miter, and bevel, at the same time, and break out the Bosch digital protractor, which measures angles in tenths of a degree, and it isn't even off by one tenth of a degree on the miter or bevel, you know you have an accurate saw. A tenth of a degree is like placing 3600 dots in a circle, and no matter how small the circle. It isn't off by even one of them. Therefore, you would need to use a measuring device that measures in a hundredth of a degree to see how accurate it is. That is equivalent to to 36,000 dots in a circle, not matter how small the circle. You get the idea, it doesn't get any more accurate than that.
As a matter of fact, a magazine that I quote in my review, was placing the LS1013 in their own shop after reviewing it. I am sure their are some other magazines that place the Bosch up there as well, and rightly so. Like I said I have been out of the tool buying mania, and review process for the last couple of years, but one thing I know for sure, accuracy is accuracy, whether it happened yesterday, or several years ago.

Here is a copy and paste from my review at Amazon, quoting the magazine reviews word for word.

Consider what Popular Woodworking had to say about it. "We can't recommend this tool enough. It's won every award this magazine gives out, and has earned a permanent place in our shop because it's tough and accurate."

Workbench Magazine gave its brother the LS1212 their editors choice award. Here is some of what they said about it. "Makita LS1212 proved to be the superior saw in this test on almost every count. It is compact, powerful, and dead on accurate. The saw made perfect bevels, miters, and compound cuts using only the factory detents for setup."

In ToolsOfTheTrade.com Tool test for sliding compound miter saws, without going into all of the elaborate criteria they used for each and every aspect of DSCMiters, they said in their Winners section; "Without a doubt, my overall favorite saw is the 10-inch Makita LS1013. The company's engineers really thought the design of this model through.

After all of the research I would conduct on each and every tool before I purchased it, I felt confident saying, as a title to my review, "Simply put, it is the best compound slider out there period." I was so impressed with the LS1212, when Aamzon ran a special tool discount, reducing the LS1013 to only $399, while Makita was giving away a free 14.4 cordless drill that normally sold for a hundred bucks, as a special bonus on every purchase, I bought the LS1013 as well. I planned on selling the Makita cordless drill on eBay, but soon fell in love with the drill as well. Since it is so super light, I use it all of the time. The Milwaukee 14.4 hammer drill with carbide serrated, "never drop a bit" teeth, and heavy duty torque ratings, is something I keep for when I need it. I use that more often for hammer drilling, than the corded Milwuakee hammer drill that I have, that almost snapped my wrist off when drilling through a wall. It sheared the depth gauge off at the time. Now I am a little afraid of it. Am I getting off on a tangent here? I love the tools too much. Tool buying fever sure beats gambling, and it is a lot more fun. :D

[Bryan Rocker]

I was in the hunt for a CMS about a year and a half ago. I determined that for my needs I was better to get a 12" non-slider, space issues. I looked and compared saws and finally bought the 12" Delta CMS. It comes with dual lasers and works like a champ. Once I adjusted the lasers to my personal settings I love them. I used a Dewalt 10" out on the job site occasionally, I sure do miss the lasers. One last note, while a jig saw will cut a relatively straight line, it is nothing compared to a CMS regardless of the size. The original Delta blade is OK.

ON a side note a buddy of mine has a 12" Bosch slider. He had horrible problems with accuracy. After doing some research he found the very small end bearing slightly worn. He replaced it and it has regained some of its accuracy. As with all tools you buy the best tool in the world but if its a tool produced on a bad day you could have a lemon.

[Graham Skinner]

I just put down some laminate flooring in my basement, I used my 10" mitre saw (had to turn the laminate over to finish the cut because 10" was not enough to cut all the way through the strips).
I found that this laminate flooring stuff realy buggered up my 80T crosscut blade so had to pay to get it resharpend.
Another thing that I noticed was that there was the odd spark or two when cutting this stuff (dont know way, must be metal or some thing in it !!!) so a proper laminate cutting blade would have been a good idea, but they seem to be a bit pricey $80 plus at my home depot.
I think that if I had to do the basement again, I would just scribe a line and cut it with my jig saw.

Regards....Graham...

[Barry Allweiss]

I'm close to making my SCMS purchase, either the Bosch 4410L or Makita LS1013FL. Still having a tough time deciding since so many people say great things about each...(thanks for the feedback!)

I went to look at buying a Ridgid MSUV from someone a few blocks away in anticpation of the saw. This retired gentleman has a barely used Ridgid MS1290LZ SCMS with the Ridgid MSUV for $330 total. It's 2 years old but only used for some ~20 small bird houses and seems to run great.

Is this a good buy for a 12" SCMS and MSUV?
or is this Miter saw no good?

[Charles McKinley]

I think the Ridgid MSUV is the best stand available unless you spend twice the money. I know nothing about the Ridgid 12" SCMS. I am very happy with the Makita 1013.

Ask the man if he will let you try it out. There are some tune up tips posted here. Make a few cut and see if it meets your needs. If it does I think it is a good deal as the new MSUV is $169 here in PA.

If you move the saw around at all you will LOVE this stand. Per Swenson posted a very positive review of the stand if you want to read ore about it. They have redisigned the stand but a lot of the key feature are still there: easy to set up, can be stood verticle for storage, easy to set stops. It looks like the new design will be easier to adapt to different equipment.

[Allen Bookout]

I also do not know about the Ridgid saw but I have the Ridgid MSUV and really like it.

[Barry Allweiss]

Amazon has it on sale for $400 if anyone is interested....great price!! Thinking about getting one.

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-LS1013FL-10-Inch-Compound-Fluorescent/dp/B000GJTDJO/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4575926-7600024?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1187212798&sr=1-1

[Edward Henderson]

Hi folks,
First post here.
I have the Makita LS1013 and been using it for about two yrs. My favorite is my little ELU 81/4 sliding compound because the rails are fixed so it can sit close to the wall. I keep this in my shop because I don't like others using it. The ELU is also really quiet as it is belt driven and does not have a universal motor.
The Makita is heavy and solid. I have it mounted on a folding stand that has wheels. It's stood up very well, only thing that has happened is that the safety switch fell out. It came with a nice blade that cuts splinter free if I don't rush the cut. Very nice, I'd buy it again.
I bought one of those Irwin laser attachments for the Makita and recommend it. The line is a shade off the actual cut, but after a few practice cuts I can cut the line or portion of it.

[Jeff Raymond]

I bought a 10" Hitachi sliding compound miter saw in about 1987. I have used it regularly with supreme accuracy and no problems, mostly hardwoods.

This year I broke down and put a new thin kerf blade on it.

Good 'nough.

[Lou Pole]

"If I buy a Miter Saw, I want to buy QUALITY. I learned awhile ago that if you “buy cheap, buy twice”...."

An alternative to what you can get at the "BORG"...
http://www.omgainc.com/productfamily.php?cid=2

[Yuchol Kim]

Makita LS1013 is the most accurate.

Can you explain or share with us?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,

Do you recommend a good blade for my Circular or get a Compound Miter Saw for the cross cuts?
My non guru $.02.
I have several high quality china bristle paint brushes.
I'd never dream of using any of them to spread roofing tar.

Having just done 2 rooms of floating laminate - I'd never use a quality blade - ever - ever -ever again to cut the stuff.
That stuff is death on a blade - within a half dozen cuts or so.

Were I ever to lay that stuff again, I'd use a crosscut sled and the table saw - and a handfull of cheap 10" blades.

[Don Bullock]

Barry, if you're not more confused by all the posts than you were before you made them I'be be very surprised. The bottom line here is that there are many choices for miter saws, some good and some bad. At my local Lowe's alone they have at least twenty different miter saws on display. Your best bet is to check them out in person to see which is best for you. All people here can tell you is what they have and why.

In my case Amazon was having a super deal on an Hitachi C10FSH 10-Inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw with Laser one day for less than $200 and I jumped on it. That saw has more than paid for itself in saving me time and effort. It's a very good saw. I don't know how it could be more accurate. As has been stated a SCMS is big and heavy so I bought a Ryobi stand for $99 that works out just fine. So, for less than the cost of what some of the cheap SCMS sell for I got a good one and a stand.

[Jim Newman]

I bought a Hitachi C8FB 8" slide compound miter saw in 1990 and have used it to do everything from cutting the vinyl siding for my house during the winter when everything else shattered the vinyl, to doing the oak and cherry trim in my home to a host of other cuts. As stated before the accuracy and durability of this saw has been awesome. Wish I could say the same about other things in my life! You my friend have a tough choice, which is actually quite simple.....probably hard to go wrong no matter what you get!

[Andy Pratt]

Bought the 12" sliding Makita six months ago and couldn't be happier. The laser is actually useable and accurate (it's lined up so it's left edge is exactly where the blade starts cutting, not just a wide laser band obliterating the cut area), the supplied blade is of pretty high quality compared to some others and the whole thing seems pretty well designed and solid. I haven't used a large number of other SCMSs, but from what I've seen, it's a bit better put together than most of the others.