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Thread: New Miter Saw

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Oskaloosa Iowa
    Posts
    270

    New Miter Saw

    i know some of you don't use a miter saws and some do...I have always had one and use it quite a bit. It probably isn't the most accurate way to cut but it has worked for me over the years.
    Well I had some lumber fall off the rack today and landed on my miter saw and broke the adjusting handle off and it's not fixable. Its an older Delta cast alum saw that weights a lot ... 50 lbs or more. Anyway its done for.

    I have some decision's to make now.

    Look for another miter saw ? There are several choices to make about them. Size, slider, non slider, most importantly is Accuracy.

    Start making cross cuts on my table saw with my sled ? I have never relied totally on my table saw for cross cutting , that would take a long time to get used to, and take time to set up different operations and work flow.

    Get a shooting board and a Good shooting plane and start fine tuning my cross cutting with that technique ? I should be doing this anyway.

    I still need to cross cut lumber if I'm building projects out of dimension lumber , but need accuracy for when I'm building my hard wood projects.

    Here is what I have in mind
    10' or 12" non slider miter saw
    I figure they would be the most accurate.

    What do you think I should do for cross cutting ?

    Budget is around $600
    so the $1500 kapex is not an option

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,504
    I gave away my old Delta 10" because I had to realign it every time I used it.

    To replace it, I bought a Dewalt 12" slider. It was aligned properly when I bought it and it remains so today about 2 1/2 years later.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 09-21-2021 at 5:41 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  3. #3
    Dewalt 12” non slider. Great saw if you can’t quite afford an OMGA or CTD. Ironically Harbor Freight just came out with a 12” Hercules non slider that appears to be a clone of the duel bevel 12” Dewalt non slider. Crazy to say this but it might actually be a bit superior to the Dewalt!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,685
    If I had to replace my non-sliding Delta 12" miter saw tomorrow, I'd most likely opt for a good quality 10" sliding miter saw. My primary use for the machine over a decade and a half has been for breaking down lumber to lengths, but here in my temporary shop, I'm back to using it for crosscutting components for accuracy due to space constraints. (don't have my sliding table saw currently) I don't feel the need for the larger 12" on a slider as I don't generally work with materials that are really thick, and the 10" slider can provide good width capacity. I haven't done any research lately relative to what's on the market right now, so I'll have to leave specific recommendations up to others.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Oskaloosa Iowa
    Posts
    270
    Thanks for the suggestions so far.
    I think I will be looking for a 10" slider as well Jim. I already have 10" blades and don't what to start buying 12"ers.
    Accuracy is the main concern of course....I also use it to break down rough lumber but also for my main cross cutting. I have lived with a 10 non slider miter box for years and have gotten buy but the extra width capacity would be nice.

    So guess I'm on the 10" slider side of the fence right now.

    I have already started researching so I will continue doing that. If any one here has a 10" slider in their shop I would welcome any suggestions, input from your experiences.
    Forgot to mention....this will be used " in shop" and will not be moved from site to site.

    Thanks
    Last edited by Mike Burke; 09-21-2021 at 9:37 AM.

  6. #6
    If any one here has a 10" slider in their shop I would welcome any suggestions
    10" Makita LS-1013. Oldest machine in the shop (16+years). It was manufactured shortly before the sudden demand for a wall-hugging DCS miter saw, so it runs on a single pair of slider rods. Every time I look at new ones on showroom floor, I extend blade as far from fence as it will go, and apply light pressure left to right. They all seem to easily deflect about a full kerf width, based on the multi-piece articulated arms invented for wall huggers, so I just keep repairing this original. It's a goody, but sadly, last time I shopped for a Makita, they've caved, gone to a quad- rod system to compact, and voila: excessive blade slop, like all the rest of the wall huggers. Only one I found a couple years ago was a Milwaukee that was constructed similar to the LS-1013 and sure enough, it runs that blade much tighter to kerf line. (sorry, don't recall model number, but it may also have been a 12" blade..)

    So- only contribution I can make is to check for that play by physically inspecting any saw before you buy. I've had others rave about Bosch, claiming you get used to it, and others hate it for all the above reasons.

    FWIW: Recently am back to using Makita 80 tooth Ultra fine crosscut blade # A-93681. Just under $40 each on the web, and blow every other blade out of the water for cleanliness of cut, despite spending double that amount on countless other varieties of Freud/CMT's over the years. Strongly recommend you try one, regardless of which saw you purchase.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Shorewood, WI
    Posts
    897
    Just as another option if you don't need all the angles provided by a miter saw: a track saw with a cutting table to provide precise angle and distance cuts may work well in some cases.

    Your budget may not be enough for a full MFT or Kreg system, but should easily get saw and track and some kind of squaring jig.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Wenatchee. Wa
    Posts
    769
    I have a Kapex which could be called a 10in saw. And I do not consider it to be highly superior to other good saws out there, just very good and very overpriced. Like all sliders if pushed hard sideways at full extension something moves. I just make it a point to not push sideways when making a cut. Drop the saw straight down at Full speed and push straight in. There cannot be side movement unless it is pushed sideways. But on angled cuts I always try to use the hold down to minimize the wood moving due to the angled forces on wood and saw. Yes there are some saws better than others and finding a “consensus” among woodworkers is difficult but searching the wood forums and reviews will soon establish which ones you might consider.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    So Cal
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    3,737
    I have the Bosch Glide I like it a lot. 12 inch Forrest chop master is the blade I use.
    Good Luck
    Aj

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    Posts
    108
    I've got the Bosch Glide as well and like it. Have you looked at an older DeWalt/AMF radial arm saw? They are excellent for cross cuts, you might find one on Craigslist in your price range.

  11. #11
    I had the Makita 10" mentioned. Loved it. Sold it & got the Bosch Glide 12". Very heavy. Can't move it. I'd buy it again, but I also bought a Milwaukee 7 1/4" dual bevel slide that weighs about 25#. I throw a battery on it and take it wherever I need to. Handles about 90% of the lumber, including 2x8s.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Western Nebraska
    Posts
    4,680
    Another vote for the 10" slider. I like the Makita LS1013 best too, I wish they still made them. There are several good ones out there. You'll no doubt here the naysayers soon, but in my experience a good slider can be a repetably accurate saw. At least as good as the driver.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Oskaloosa Iowa
    Posts
    270
    Thanks for the suggestions...I have been researching them.

    I have been looking at the Bosch 10" slider. Lots of good reviews.
    Heavy but I won't be moving it once on my miter saw bench.

  14. #14
    Also consider Metabo. I bought a 10" chopper for a trim job b/c of the weight.

    Very impressed with accuracy, but the dust collection is horrible.

    Should have gotten a 12".

    I bought a Bosch 12 Axial Glide to replace my 12"DW chopper and a radial arm saw.

    I was not as impressed with the Bosch as I expected. The plastic indexer lever was loose. But the dust collection is decent, once I got the lever shimmed and tightened, it works "OK". But I'm constantly having to check the blade for square and plum.

    Choppers are more accurate than sliders.
    Last edited by Robert Engel; 09-22-2021 at 10:35 AM.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
    Posts
    5,547
    Somebody's got to say it...........Radial arm saw.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

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