Fox Sliding Mitre Saw

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sxlalan

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Skipton, Yorkshire
Does anyone know anything about the following Fox Sliding Mitre Saws?

200mm
290mm

I'm in the eternal (impossible) search for a quality tool at a discount price and was wondering what the accuracy / general performance of these is like.

Would I be better off getting a fixed rather than sliding saw (from an accuracy standpoint) or better still saving my pocket money for an Xcalibur 802/4/5 type table saw?

Cheers

Alan
 
Hi Alan
Only my 2p worth but I have tried a selection of budget SCMS and none of them cut anything like the way I would like (accuracy wise).
In my humble opinion, a decent tablesaw with a crosscut sledge/tidy mitre gauge is far superior. Mine certainly works the way I demand.
Maybe the more expensive Makitas and DeWalts are o.k. but for that much money you could buy a table saw.
Only my thoughts
Philly :D
 
Hi Alan,

My father has the 290mm fox, and he thinks its a great bit of kit. He had a real cheapie before (some own brand make) it lasted less than 18 months.....he only used it for making bird tables and few garden furniture projects! Haven't used it myself, but have seen the cutting results and they are very clean and accurate

I've ordered a Makita LS1013X compound mitre saw for my day use, but will want a table saw for the home workshop....once it's built.

Cheers

Howard
 
Alan

My twopennorth.

I first bought a DW crosscut mitre saw as I was laying some oak flooring and wanted to be able to cut quickly and accurately crosscuts at 90 degrees. This it did reasonably OK. BUT that is all that these saws can do.

I also bought a Ryobi table saw as I needed to be able to rip down lengths of floorboards ...and, of course, you can't do that with the crosscut saw.

So...bottom line....you need both OR a damn good table saw.

I have never managed to cut decent crosscuts at 90 degrees with my Ryobi table saw...and because of the design of the guard and riving knife, a crosscut sled is not an option. I'd give my eye teeth to have a table saw that let me use a crosscut sled and a sliding carriage would be bliss. I have my eyes set on a Kity 416 but having just shelled out on a Festool TS55 that's put the Kity purchase on hold.

So necessity being the mother of invention and needing to be able to cut quickly and accurately some 90 degree ends on rails for my bench this weekend (and all of the same length) I knocked up a very (2m) long jig that lets me mount the DW in a stable and fixed location. I then carefully adjusted it to be exactly 90 degrees. Then cutting my rails etc was a doddle....but even then, if I was being pedantic, not all the cuts are bang on 90 degrees..I can see a tiny amount of daylight under the square...but close enough for my purpose this time.

So rambling on a bit...it really depends on what you want to cut. When I made up the long jig for the DW I started off with a sheet of 8x4 plywood. Before the TS55, cutting this accurately would have been a proverbial pain. But, resting the plywood on a sacrificial sheet of Celotex, using the guide rail and the TS55...I was hooked :D :D If I'm cutting up sheets I'll always use the Festool from now on.

Crosscuts also are pretty good (it's all down to how accurately you can align the guide rail...

so there's a third option to consider :wink: Get a TS55 :lol: :lol: It's brilliant.

Roger
 
sxlalan
Read what I posted in the tool review forum.
I just bought a cheap mitre saw from one of the TV shopping channels and when it arrived it is identical to the Fox 290x75 mitre saw in the Rutlands catalogue.
Its cutting capacity is bigger than stated at 305x90, I just tried it on some 12" contiboard and a bit of 90mm thick timber which confirms its capacity.
It also has a depth stop so it can be used for trenching.
For £86 it is a lot cheaper than the Fox sold by Rutlands for £149.95 even though it is identical with just a different name badge.
I bought mine from the YES shopping channel http://www.yes661.com/prodList.asp?cat=76 but the prices shown on their website are not the prices they sell for.
Those prices are only to make their 'Crash' prices look even better.
They show it at £235 although £86 is the selling price.
Even with the £8.50 p&p it still costs over £61 less than Rutlands and the delivery is 5-7 working days.
Mine arrived less than 7 days after placing my order.
 
Alan,

I have the Axminster one, and I must say I'm not really impressed with it.

The "free" blade is good, but the saw i find awkward to use, and not well designed - one thing straight of the bat i discovered that the hold down clamp can be positioned either side of the saw, except it can't - it get's in the way of the motor if you place it on thr right!, the second problem which has come up if that the lock down to stop the rotation of the table has stopped working when set to zero - I can make it work by ensuring the track ic completly free from dust and really lamping it down, but it is certainly not good - and this at the most important setting! also there are "clicks" for standard angles, but these have about 5 degrees of play in them - not a major problem as I normally set the angle against a guage.

The laser is very hard to align acuratly so I don't bother with it.

The final thing I would like to have seen is a depth stop for trenching, In fact I am thinking of making a mod to allow this - i'm sure I saw a thread somewhere from tony about doing this on another saw, must dig it out.

in conclusion - I would save your money for a "proper" one

Les
 
Dewy":3dqla3yg said:
I just bought a cheap mitre saw from one of the TV shopping channels and when it arrived it is identical to the Fox 290x75 mitre saw in the Rutlands catalogue.

With many imports, they are bult to a price, and are not the same even through the metal casting is identical. Often cheaper (or none at all) bearings are used, the motors are not so well made etc.

I'm not saying they might not be identical internally in this case, but its a big missmatch in price to explain away.

Adam
 
sxlalan":24qcc6ns said:
Hi Dewy

Thanks for the heads-up. How accurate are you finding the cuts with this saw?

Cheers

Alan
I had only made a couple of test cuts to be certain the saw was able to cut the depth and width shown in the atrocious Chinese to English translation instruction booklet.
I just checked the cut across the 12" contiboard for squareness and found it well out.
I could find no instructions on setting it up square but the English is such a poor incomprehensible translation that I set it aside and looked at the saw to find a cure.
There are 4 cap screws holding the fence in place so these just needed loosening and resetting at 90° to the blade.
A few test cuts and slight adjusments should solve the problem.
There are a great many tools imported from the same source with just different badges and coloured plastic parts.
The prices depend on the overheads of the sellers.
My bench jointer was bought from a national DIY chain with their own badge on it even though supplied by a company that sells under their own brand name.
The jointer was cheaper than than sold by the manufacturers (importers)

These TV shopping channels buy in bulk and sell cheaper using the premiss 'low profit quick return'
They dont aim for a specific target like woodworkers but to a wider DIY market to those who are unlikely to buy such tools unless they have seen them in use (infommercials) and see the price atractive.
I only bought this saw because I have a number of 3" posts and 6"x2" joists to cut to length which were beyond the scope of my existing sliding mitre saw.
I was unlikely to spend £150 to do this work but at £86 it became worthwhile.
The increased capacity and the trenching ability is a bonus.
 
forgive my ignorance, but by trenching i take it you mean as in half lap joints?
 
To my above post I include the exact wording and spacing for setting the fence square to the blade.

Position of lancing plate
There is a lancing plate on the rotative base which is adjusted before delivery.
Before use, adjust the lancing plate as follows:
Disconnect the plug from the power receptacle and
loosen all screws on lancing
plate(6pieces),then tighten these
screws to some extent to ensure the lancing
plate can be moved easily by hand.
Lower handle to end and press down
the blot to fix it. Then loosen screws
on rotative base and pull drag plate towards
yourself.Adjust the lancing plate to
just touch two sides of saw tooth. Tighten
fornt screw(not firmly).Push drag
plate to guide plate and adjust lancing
plate so that it touches two side of tooth
slightly. Tighten back screw.After adjusting

the lancing plate,loosen bolt and lift up handle, then tighten all screws
firmly.


P.S. there are not 6 screws holding the fence in place but 4 cap screws.
Most of the instruction booklet is just as 'helpful' ;)
 
WiZeR":2md06rvw said:
forgive my ignorance, but by trenching i take it you mean as in half lap joints?
trenching, housing or the American dado are all the same.
Half laps or tenon shoulders can be produced this way.
 
Dewy,

I really don't understand what your problem is.... That's as clear as mud, and what's a couple of "pieces" between friends! :?

I have a remarkably similar problem currently - only with a $100,000 piece of software - they obviously used the same "technical writer" though

Good luck with it!

Les
 
I found the holes in the fence casting made it impossible to get a 90° cut.
Both the casting and the jig used for the 4 holes appears to have been wrong.
I elongated all the holes using a fine rotary file in a power drill and soon had it adjusted correctly.
I am now getting an accurate 90° cut over the 12" contiboard used for the test.
I'm now looking for a short length of thick gauge angle iron to make a better adjustable depth stop for trenching.
 

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