New miter gauge vs. new chop saw

[Eric Schniewind]

I've always intended to upgrade my 10" non-sliding miter saw once I had space for a shop and didn't have to drag everything out to the deck. Now I finally have the space but money is a little tighter and I'm looking for ways to "get by for now" on less.

So instead of plunking $600 bucks on a good sliding compound miter saw, I started looking into one of these improved miter gauges for my newly acquired Unisaw (i.e. INCRA 1000SE). Mind you, I'm also scouring Craigslist but I do have the little miter saw now and I can get the INCRA for about $100.

Any opinions?

[Steve Griffin]

Oh, I'm not sure you will find any opinions around here;)

I guess I would prefer a miter saw just about any day of the week.

Even a 12" saw that doesn't slide can build a house full of furniture.
I'd rate a good table for the the miter saw and a stop gauge as more important than slide capacity.

You can always build build your own sled for the table saw if funds are tight.

-Steve

[Jay Yoder]

i have both, but the biggest improvement to accuracy was the miter gauge. I cut things close on the Delta then final cut is on the Jet cabinet saw with Freud fusion blade and 1000Se. What a dream! Mirror smooth and dead on. Just my .02...

[Peter Quinn]

I am confused as to what you hope to accomplish which each of the options you discuss, ie sliding compound saw vrs miter gauge. I have both and they simply don't do the same job. For cross cuts on long trim stock and compound cuts for crown a miter gauge will be difficult. For precise clean cross cuts and simple miters on shorter work a TS with a miter gauge works well, a shop made sled may work even better for 90 degree or 45 degree cuts.

Do you have a clear idea of what you wish to accomplish with each tool? Might help hone your decision.

[Eric Schniewind]

I'm hoping that perhaps I could meet my furniture/home improvement needs with a small miter saw and miter gauge attachment. If not, then I won't invest in a miter gauge and then just wait to upgrade to better miter saw.

I realize without getting more specific about what I'm going to build it's difficult to answer but I think I'm getting what I need out of this post.

[Randy Rose]

JMO, If your goal is tight miters with tangent corners, I`d suggest the Incra on your T/S. Superior results ( and less tearout) are far easier to obtain than when using a miter saw (Dewalt /80 teeth) Using an Osborne makes repeatable results far more difficult as well as being hard to initially calibrate. I`m a noob so YMMV.

[glenn bradley]

I am glad I got the MSUV for my CMS because when I am breaking down component parts to rough size, I roll it out and go to town. A couple TS sleds have replaced the miter saw for any high-accuracy work for me.

[David Christopher]

I have a osborne and a dubby and now my miter saw (chop saw) is just used to naw off stuff that i dont care about