Non Sliding 12" Miter Saw

[tim walker]

Setting up a new workshop and building a miter saw station. In designing, I realized that my Bosch 10" SCMS is going to take up too much room. After reading many articles and cussing/discussing the merits of sliders vs non sliders or the new saws with sliders in front, I have decided that, even though I am keeping the Bosch as a backup saw, that I will buy a 12" non slider. I think it will serve my requirements just fine. Now which one to buy? I have narrowed down to the Dewalt 12" DWS716XPS but I could be persuaded otherwise.

My next question, for the Dewalt Home Depot has the very best pricing. Would you buy from them vs some company more dedicated to tools, like ToolCrib? Thanks and look forward to the feedback. Most other discussions on here have geared toward sliders.

TIA.

[Matt Day]

Why would it matter if you buy the same tool from HD vs an online tool only seller? Can’t help you with the saw choice, but it sounds like you have chosen.

[tim walker]

I know the big box stores have certain vendors manufacture to their specs. For example, a Delt faucet bought at a plumbing supply house may have all metal parts vs plastic parts. The big box stores tell Delta (or whoever) that they must manufacture a product for a certain sales price point, so wondering if that holds true for all items these stores sell.

[Andrew Seemann]

If is is specific to the big box there may be a difference, but if it is the same model, it should be the same no matter where you get it. It looks like Lowes, Graingers, Acme and others all carry it. I prefer buy things local if I can so I can talk to someone in person if there is an issue. If HD has it nearby for you, I'd say get it there.

[Ole Anderson]

I bought the 12" Dewalt DWS713 at HD for $199. I have a Milwaukee 10" saw which didn't have enough depth to cut 5.5" base. It is a direct drive motor, so it limits your cut depth on the right side of the blade, particular when on a right side miter cut. Other than that it is a solid saw. Your chosen saw does not have seem to have that limitation.

[Dave Sabo]

I know the big box stores have certain vendors manufacture to their specs. For example, a Delt faucet bought at a plumbing supply house may have all metal parts vs plastic parts. The big box stores tell Delta (or whoever) that they must manufacture a product for a certain sales price point, so wondering if that holds true for all items these stores sell.

While what you say has a kernel of truth to it, it's mostly a red herring. Usually perpetuated by the source with the higher prices.

If the model number is the same , the product is the same. Period, end of story! Sometimes the product is the same even when the model is different. The Kohler Caxton sink you buy at the plumbing supply is exactly the same as the one you get from Homer. Yes , big boxes do ask manuf. to make exclusive products just for them and typically they are price point specific. But so do speciality plumbing suppliers like Fergusson and Costco.

Delta is pretty transparent about it on their website these days. Look at a kitchen faucet, you'll often see one listed as a "lowes exclusive" or similar. You will also see an identical faucet that will be sold through other channels. More often than not, there is no physical difference.

You also need to keep in mind that big manuf. also have brand equity and reputation to maintain. They won't be able to sustain those by selling crap through one channel and good stuff through another. The world is too small today to maintain that kind of separation. And a place like Costco can't afford to have an unreliable product reach users because their margins are thinner to begin with and they have the most liberal return policy in the biz. Plus , the big boxes usually send back defective returns to vendors for credit. No manuf. is going to make you a crappy product to meet your sales objsective only to see it returned back because it craps out. That'd be a oneway ticket to bankruptcy court.

Finally; as far as I'm aware , no name brand powertool manuf. makes gear with their namebrand and exclusive product numbers only for a particular big box store.

[Curt Harms]

Setting up a new workshop and building a miter saw station. In designing, I realized that my Bosch 10" SCMS is going to take up too much room. After reading many articles and cussing/discussing the merits of sliders vs non sliders or the new saws with sliders in front, I have decided that, even though I am keeping the Bosch as a backup saw, that I will buy a 12" non slider. I think it will serve my requirements just fine. Now which one to buy? I have narrowed down to the Dewalt 12" DWS716XPS but I could be persuaded otherwise.

My next question, for the Dewalt Home Depot has the very best pricing. Would you buy from them vs some company more dedicated to tools, like ToolCrib? Thanks and look forward to the feedback. Most other discussions on here have geared toward sliders.

TIA.

Do you know about Big Sky Tool? They sell refurbs mostly Hitachi some DeWalt and other. You can save a fair bit of coin if you're not put off by refurbs. I just bought a Hitachi slider from them. I wasn't pleased with the fence and called them. 4 days later I received 2 sets of fence parts from them.

[Randall J Cox]

First off, I'm a hobbyist, not commercial. I am on my 2nd DeWalt 12" single bevel chopsaw in 16 years. Think its a 705 if my memory serves me well. I gave my first one to my son after about 13 years of use for one of his projects. Bought the exact same one from Lowes for $180 on sale. Its identical to the first one. Obviously liked the first one or wouldn't have bought another. Once adjusted (tweaked) it is dead on for cuts (and yes I have an expensive blade on it). I've built a couple of 52" octagon oak tables and the outer edge miter cuts are perfect. I like buying locally so I can take it back if needed, as opposed to shipping, especially with something this big. My experience. Randy PS I have never wanted nor needed a slider as I have a Unisaw, two bandsaws and two radial arm saws.

[Frederick Skelly]

The Dewalt has a lot of fans and I dont think you can go wrong.
Another excellent choice is the 12" non-sliding Makita. It is a rock solid tool that does everything I as of it.

Enjoy whichever you buy!
Fred

[Roger Feeley]

If it were me buying the Dewalt, I would check my local Woodcraft and buy from there if possible. I like to support local stores that offer expertise and customer service. I will pay more for local. My next stop would be HD. When I get the thing home, I’m going to know pretty fast if it works as expected. I would much rather pack it up and exchange it at a store than mess with shipping.

[Randall J Cox]

Earlier in this thread I said I thought I had a 705 12" single bevel DeWalt. Actually its a 715, not sure what the diff is. Really like the saw though. Randy

[Monte Milanuk]

Couple of questions, if I can tag along here...

Do the 12" CMS produce notably better cuts than a 10" SCMS, either in terms of holding square or in terms of deflection (not sure how exactly one would tell the difference)?

How good/bad are the DeWalt saws as far as dust collection? Are CMS any better/worse than SCMS in this regard?

[Andrew Seemann]

Couple of questions, if I can tag along here...

Do the 12" CMS produce notably better cuts than a 10" SCMS, either in terms of holding square or in terms of deflection (not sure how exactly one would tell the difference)?

How good/bad are the DeWalt saws as far as dust collection? Are CMS any better/worse than SCMS in this regard?

I would say a high quality SCMS will make a better cut than a low quality non-sliding saw, and I would also say the reverse is true. It will also depend a lot on the blade. My 10" Makita will cut hard woods like maple and oak so cleanly the end will reflect light, but it also has a good blade in it. I also have a 10" Dewalt non-slider, that only tilts one way. It doesn't cut as well, but I also have an inexpensive blade in it, because I use it for framing and treated lumber. It is also much lighter, so I tend to grab it when I need to haul a saw around.

For 12" non sliding vs 10" sliding, I haven't noticed that the 12" Dewalt I use occasionally at a relatives being noticeably more accurate (or less accurate for that matter) than my 10" Makita SCMS. But again, that 12" non-slider has a framing blade in it, so it probably isn't a fair comparison.

Dust collection on my two miter saws is reasonably OK with a vacuum on them. Normally the Makita is mounted in a miter station with a shroud hooked up to a 6" line going to the cyclone. The Dewalt usually gets used outside, where I normally don't worry about dust collection.