??? Most Accurate Mitre Saw ???

[Matt Ocel]

I want to add a permanent compound mitre saw to my workshop.
Right now I have an old 10" Delta (non-compound) its a beast, very accurate, but not a compound.
I also have the Makita 10" slider, I like this saw a lot, but I need to through it in the pick-up to use on job sites and it gets knocked out of calibration.
So I want a compound mitre saw to set up in the shop and leave it in the shop.
I would like to go to a 12" (although 10" is fine) for greater depth/length of cut, but I am afraid I might get to much blade vibration.

The usages would be from cutting pictures frames, rails and styles, moldings, to an ocassional 2x4.


So Creekers - If money were no object - what saw will offer the greatest accuracy???

[Bill Wyko]

I have a Dewalt 12" CSMS I've had great success with it. I do plan on getting a Kapex in the future. My shop is very small so space has a high value. The Dewalt is accuratre enough to do segmented turning pieces. Throw away the blade it comes with though. It rings like the Liberty Bell.;)

[Calvin Crutchfield]

I did a little research and ended up buying the Bosch 4212L for the same purpose as you. I am building a permanent miter bench and wanted a non sliding saw to build it around. Like Norm I have a RAS at the end of the bench thus not really needing my Makita 10" slider.

Good luck

[Garth Hulley]

If money is not an object you might consider an Omga Model MEC 300 ST or T55 300.

[Robert Dunaway]

If money is not an object you might consider an Omga Model MEC 300 ST or T55 300.

Yeah. If money is no object. Otherwise your reaction is "OM(y)GA Expensive."

Sorry. Bad pun. Very bad.

[Jeff Duncan]

CTD makes some very nice saws also....if money is no object. I have the Omga T 50-350 and it's quite a nice saw, though not an compound. They're also not portable so it would have to stay in your shop.

good luck,
JeffD

[Roger Lance]

Matt...that old Delta 10" that you have...is it the one that weighs about 60 lbs and was built with feet to fit on 2x material?...that thing is a beast and is accurate....I have one also and use it in my shop with extension tables built on each side for cutting exact lengths for stiles and rails...for picture frames, etc I use a sled on the table saw and get perfect 90's that way...I guess it comes down to how much/many large moldings will you be cutting that need that compound angle that exceeds the capacity of the tablesaw jigs or handtool jigs to justify the cost of a Kapex (sp).

[Matt Ocel]

Hey Roger -

Does it look like this?

I currently use this for cutting aluminum rail.

[John Gornall]

I have a CTD double miter saw. 2 baldor 1.5 hp motors and 2 blades. Step on the pedal and it cuts. Only 45 degrees - it's fixed, one blade left and one blade right both moving together. I've done about 20,000 cuts a year for the past 20 years on that saw and I've never had to adjust it - just keep it clean. Cuts are perfect unless the wood isn't flat and square. If 45's are all you need this is the way to go.

[Roger Lance]

Matt...that's it alright!....looked it up, that's a Delta 34-080 10" miter box....if you can, see if your local tool people have a drive belt part # 34-083 that you can get because Delta is not making that anymore and it sometimes fails on these saws...just get one for insurance because that beast of a tool will keep on goin' as long as there are parts...I must have bought that saw about 20 years ago.

[Matt Ocel]

Roger -
I bought mine about 17 years ago.
The DIY store I got it at has since been put out of biz by borgs. Never had a problem with the belt (knock on wood) but thanks for the heads up!:).

P.S. All the young hot shots laugh when I bring her out.

[Roger Lance]

Matt....you ever listen to what the young hotshots think is music??...its pathetic...I feel sorry for them...they've actually been mis-socialized to the point that they think a real good tool has only 25% - 35% plastic parts...next time one of em gives out with a smirk, let em pick that bad boy up and carry it around for awhile...you just know they'll want to get back to their plastic and alluminum tools and listen to some Grand Master Flex or something.

[Jamie Buxton]

You might check out the new Festool Kapex.

[Lance Norris]

Ive got a Dewalt DW716 and have been very happy with it. It was perfect right out of the box. I dont use it daily, but Im sure it will last my lifetime. I wont need anything else.

[Cary Swoveland]

I would go with the 12". They tend to be a lot beefier than the 10" saws, so I wouldn't expect vibration to be more of a problem than with the 10"ers.

I'd recommend a dual-bevel model, even if you never cut a bevel with it. Here's why. All the non-dual bevel saws have the blade attached directly to the motor's arbor. To provide the dual-bevel capability, the motor has to be moved back, requiring the use of gears or belts to spin the blade. That improves visability and ergonomics quite a bit, IMHO. I think it might also make the operation of the saw a little quieter and smoother.

If you plan to use the saw against a wall, take into account the front-to-back dimension, as that varies somewhat from one model to the next.

Cary

[Joe Jensen]

I think this might be the one. Of course it may be out of your price range. It's certainly out of mine. It's a 16" compound sliding machine, 1000 lbs, and it's available in 5, 7.5, and 10HP models.

http://www.northfieldwoodworking.com/radialsaws/unipoint.htm

[Rob Luter]

http://www.pistorius.com/bench.html

We use the automatic versions from this company in the window industry. Production frame makers do as well.

[John Dorough]

Robert,

No, very good pun. Very good indeed.

John

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Matt,
After doing quite a bit of research, I settled on a DeWalt 703 10" non-slider w/out a laser, as my choice for a shop mounted/built in station mounted CMS.

IMHO, it offered the most, for the least & fit my needs the best.

[James Carmichael]

I dunno what's the most accurate, but I've had the Makita LS1221 (12" CMS) for almost 4 years now and love it. It's pretty light, which may suit your needs well. Mine gets moved around a lot, but I can set it to cut crown flat, and it's on.

[Richard Dragin]

I have used a lot of CMS's at work. I would take my old Dewalt Radial Armsaw (rebuilt 925dlx) over all of them for accuracy and repeatability. The design of the CMS requires you to sight the blade to your mark while holding the handle down while a RAS allows you to align the mark to a fresh cut in the sacraficial fence. Much easier to get a perfect cut on the RAS in my opinion although the learning curve of setting up the saw is higher.