What's your go-to miter saw?

[smurfs_of_war]

After years of hobby wood working with a hand miter box and cheap ass B&D miter saw, I have decided to stop being a cheapskate and take the plunge and get a middle of the road dual bevel miter saw. I am thinking a 12".

Here's the catch- ACCURACY. Right now I use my table saw with a home made miter sled and it's accurate as hell for the 45° miter cuts, but occassionally I need to make odd ball angles and I really appreciate the ability of the miter saw for quick changes, but I need accuracy. The sled works awesome, but as I age my patience wears thin and cumbersome tools can aggravate me sometimes.

Toyboxes, cabinets, etc don't look very appealing with poor joints and some of the material I use is pricey and I can't afford too much trial and error.

So let's have it- what do you use, and why do you love it? I have some in mind, but need some other opinions. Full disclosure- my wood shop is almost entirely Yellow and Black, but I have the odd Makita or Bosch in there too.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[never-enough]

I bought this recently but haven’t gotten into any real projects with it yet:
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/2734-20
I choose it based on feature set, I like that it’s fairly portable, and I have tons of other Milwaukee tools that have all treated me well.

 

[wespentecost]

After years of hobby wood working with a hand miter box and cheap ass B&D miter saw, I have decided to stop being a cheapskate and take the plunge and get a middle of the road dual bevel miter saw. I am thinking a 12".

Here's the catch- ACCURACY. Right now I use my table saw with a home made miter sled and it's accurate as hell for the 45° miter cuts, but occassionally I need to make odd ball angles and I really appreciate the ability of the miter saw for quick changes, but I need accuracy. The sled works awesome, but as I age my patience wears thin and cumbersome tools can aggravate me sometimes.

Toyboxes, cabinets, etc don't look very appealing with poor joints and some of the material I use is pricey and I can't afford too much trial and error.

So let's have it- what do you use, and why do you love it? I have some in mind, but need some other opinions. Full disclosure- my wood shop is almost entirely Yellow and Black, but I have the odd Makita or Bosch in there too.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

I've used the Dewalt compound miter saw for years now, have zero complaints. Just recently built a bottom to an aquarium stand. Bought the new Kreg kit that has made life fun again.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[13ram1500crew]

Im looking at the Makita LS1019L. Its a 10" slider. It has great reviews and its not terribly expensive.

 

[17Delmonico]

I have a 10" Craftsman, which works well enough, but after using a friend's 12" Makita, I realized that I really want to upgrade to a 12" saw.

 

[Buck-One]

I have a 12" Dewalt Compound that I bought like new for $250 from a guy that got it in trade for some work and didn't need it. I use it for larger projects like decking.
But my favorite little Grab-n-Go is a Lowe's Kobalt 7.25" compound miter I bought on a whim for $78.00. It does a great job on everything up to a 2x6 and weighs a fraction of my big 12".

 

[TMyers]

I am a contractor so I make a living with my tools. I have a 8 1/2" Dewalt sliding miter saw and stand that is my "Go to" saw. It is contractor grade. I do a lot of large crown molding so, I'm forced to lay it flat to cut it. The larger blades deflect when doing compound cuts even with the best blades so, the 8 1/2" works best for me. With the slide, I can crosscut 13".

Regardless of the saw, buy the best blade you can afford. Plan on about $1.00 per tooth to get a good one. Also, look around for a shop that resharpens blades. I can get 60 tooth blades resharpened for $12. They cut better than new after resharpening.

 

[McBroom]

After years of hobby wood working with a hand miter box and cheap ass B&D miter saw, I have decided to stop being a cheapskate and take the plunge and get a middle of the road dual bevel miter saw. I am thinking a 12".

Here's the catch- ACCURACY. Right now I use my table saw with a home made miter sled and it's accurate as hell for the 45° miter cuts, but occassionally I need to make odd ball angles and I really appreciate the ability of the miter saw for quick changes, but I need accuracy. The sled works awesome, but as I age my patience wears thin and cumbersome tools can aggravate me sometimes.

Toyboxes, cabinets, etc don't look very appealing with poor joints and some of the material I use is pricey and I can't afford too much trial and error.

So let's have it- what do you use, and why do you love it? I have some in mind, but need some other opinions. Full disclosure- my wood shop is almost entirely Yellow and Black, but I have the odd Makita or Bosch in there too.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

About $350 absolutely the best miter saw on the market.
The ability of triple(XYZ) complex angles is a plus
I also have other brands in the shop too.
Porter cable planer, porter cable 20V cordless saws drills 1/4 & 1/2” impacts, dewalt impact driver task force and craftsman table saws.
I’m not brand name loyal. I use what works.
I also have a lot of the harbor freight brands that are awesome.
HFT has some really awesome tools and are contractor quality too.
I’m a fabricator of everything wood steel automotive home builder. Like I always say “below the dirt to above the clouds “ ” I can build it”


I love my truck!
Blue Mule 18 Ram 2500 4x4 C/C Off Road.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

Thanks for the input! I was REALLY looking hard at the Makita- right until I saw the Canadian price tag. Going to check the Dewalt out tomorrow. Still really hung up on the Makita though, so I may wait for one to go on sale. We'll see.

Side note- anybody try these Diablo blades? I think Freud makes them. Our local shop that always did my sharpening has closed down and the other place wants $40 per for sharpening.


Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[smurfs_of_war]

I am a contractor so I make a living with my tools. I have a 8 1/2" Dewalt sliding miter saw and stand that is my "Go to" saw. It is contractor grade. I do a lot of large crown molding so, I'm forced to lay it flat to cut it. The larger blades deflect when doing compound cuts even with the best blades so, the 8 1/2" works best for me. With the slide, I can crosscut 13".

Regardless of the saw, buy the best blade you can afford. Plan on about $1.00 per tooth to get a good one. Also, look around for a shop that resharpens blades. I can get 60 tooth blades resharpened for $12. They cut better than new after resharpening.

Do you find any inaccuracy or deflection with the slider? I have a cheapo mastercraft 10" I use for really rough work and for cutting blocks- honestly the block work was the only reason I actually bought it, but I find I get some innacuracy as I slide. Fully aware it may likely be the saw, and I just can't fine tune it any further. If I could get a slider that is accurate repeatedly, I would plunk money on that sooner. If I went slider I would max at 10"- deflection with big blades is more likely with the slider I assume.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[McBroom]

Thanks for the input! I was REALLY looking hard at the Makita- right until I saw the Canadian price tag. Going to check the Dewalt out tomorrow. Still really hung up on the Makita though, so I may wait for one to go on sale. We'll see.

Side note- anybody try these Diablo blades? I think Freud makes them. Our local shop that always did my sharpening has closed down and the other place wants $40 per for sharpening.


Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

Diablo blades are excellent


I love my truck!
Blue Mule 18 Ram 2500 4x4 C/C Off Road.

 

[TMyers]

Do you find any inaccuracy or deflection with the slider? I have a cheapo mastercraft 10" I use for really rough work and for cutting blocks- honestly the block work was the only reason I actually bought it, but I find I get some innacuracy as I slide. Fully aware it may likely be the saw, and I just can't fine tune it any further. If I could get a slider that is accurate repeatedly, I would plunk money on that sooner. If I went slider I would max at 10"- deflection with big blades is more likely with the slider I assume.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

The saw I have now is the DW712HD. It's the 8 1/2" slider. Back in 2005 they were $729. My local Lowes got them by mistake and had 3 of them. I bought them all at a substantial discount. After 13 years, I'm down to my last one. These saws were American made and very accurate. Very little blade deflection and accurate throughout the entire slide action.

I've not had good luck doing cabinet grade work with the larger saws. The saws that the big box stores sell don't work for me. Cheaply made in my opinion.

FYI, I own a lot of Dewalt tools and have learned to watch what I'm buying. The 20V impact drivers for example. Some are made in America and some are made in Mexico. They are not the same.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

The saw I have now is the DW712HD. It's the 8 1/2" slider. Back in 2005 they were $729. My local Lowes got them by mistake and had 3 of them. I bought them all at a substantial discount. After 13 years, I'm down to my last one. These saws were American made and very accurate. Very little blade deflection and accurate throughout the entire slide action.

I've not had good luck doing cabinet grade work with the larger saws. The saws that the big box stores sell don't work for me. Cheaply made in my opinion.

FYI, I own a lot of Dewalt tools and have learned to watch what I'm buying. The 20V impact drivers for example. Some are made in America and some are made in Mexico. They are not the same.

I've found that with the 20v line. I always end up having to order tools rather than buy in the box stores. So far I haven't found anything in the XR range that isn't made in the USA. Happy about that since changing my cordless tools to a new brand would likely cause me a bankruptcy and divorce!!

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[smurfs_of_war]

The saw I have now is the DW712HD. It's the 8 1/2" slider. Back in 2005 they were $729. My local Lowes got them by mistake and had 3 of them. I bought them all at a substantial discount. After 13 years, I'm down to my last one. These saws were American made and very accurate. Very little blade deflection and accurate throughout the entire slide action.

I've not had good luck doing cabinet grade work with the larger saws. The saws that the big box stores sell don't work for me. Cheaply made in my opinion.

FYI, I own a lot of Dewalt tools and have learned to watch what I'm buying. The 20V impact drivers for example. Some are made in America and some are made in Mexico. They are not the same.

I guess I should ask since I don't have any experience doing finer work with a power miter saw- would I be better looking into something smaller than a 10"? I could keep the 10" I have for rough work, and use the smaller for finer work? The original plan was to buy a good one that will handle anything I need, but I am not opposed to having multiple purpose driven tools either. I have a full built in desk coming up that I am going to be starting shortly. Not terribly excited to do all those joints with my table saw :/

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[Nathan Goehring]

I'm a trimmer by trade. Not sure of your budget but I highly suggest the Hitachi C10FSHPS 10" dual bevel slider. Don't go 12", too much blade wobble/deflection. If your serious, get a Forrest blade. They're about $160 but worth it

 

[Johnnymac2k6]

I am a ryobi junkie, and I recently replaced a craftsman 10 inch non slider, with a ryobi 12 inch slider. I would never buy this ryobi a 2nd time. I love everything I have purchased from them, but the miter saw falls short.

Was at HF yesterday, and the Hercules line someone just posted looked impressive.

Good luck

 

[smurfs_of_war]

I think I have settled on the Makita LS1019L. I am going to wait to see if it goes on sale for a bit though, but it sure was a nice tool. I looked at the Dewalt, Bosch and Makita and honestly even though I am a Dewalt fan, that zero clearance for the slide bars, front bevel adjustment and overall thicker slide bars won me over. So I ordered an Incra miter tool for my tablesaw and will grab the Makita when it goes on sale! If it doesn't I'll buy it anyways haha!

They had a few offerings from Festool there. Holy- wish I had the budget. Were they ever nice!

I looked into the HF offering mentioned, and for some reason getting it here seemed near impossible so I had to move along.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[DodgeDude99]

I have a Ridgid 12” compound sliding.
Majority of my cordless are Ridgid, though I have the 12v Milwaukee ratchets, small impact, & bandsaw.

You can’t beat Ridgids warranty.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

I have a Ridgid 12” compound sliding.
Majority of my cordless are Ridgid, though I have the 12v Milwaukee ratchets, small impact, & bandsaw.

You can’t beat Ridgids warranty.

Now you've got me looking at the Ridgid too. I read some reviews on the 10"- may have to check it out as well.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[chrisbh17]

I am a tool junkie. Had a 12" Bosch slider that I used a lot. Got a ridgid cordless 7.25" slider on clearance and to be honest I use that more now. I found the Bosch glider saw for $289 (!!!) so I changed my old one out for that, but the ridgid still gets the most use

99% of my miter work ends up being trim, so the 12" glider is overkill. It was NOT overkill when I was "capping" my basement stairs with hardwood treads, though. A good Forrest blade and that saw made for a great finished job.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk