Keep the compound miter?

[phillamb168]

Hi again everybody,

Economic conditions (aka my wife) are dictating that I try to not spend like a drunken sailor in getting my shop set up, and if possible, sell what I can. I currently have a 12" dewalt sliding compound miter saw with a stand. It works perfectly, nice and powerful, no problems at all. However it does take up a lot of room, and I am wondering, if I get a 12" cabinet saw and buy as an accessory a miter gauge, will it do a good enough job that it could do the work of the sliding compound miter? Or is it better to have both saws, and if so, what are some times when I would be wishing I had a dedicated miter box?

Thanks!

 

[wizard]

Get rid of the wife

 

[MMUK]

Get rid of the wife

I've done that but I still had to sell tools

 

[fred55]

Could you say whether the wife is still available or not and could I have details - 240v or 3 phase, does it cook or do anything useful, does it scrub up good without sandpaper, and mainly can it be turned off or isolated. No ! best not ask for pictures.

 

[Mar_mite]

Could you say whether the wife is still available or not and could I have details - 240v or 3 phase, does it cook or do anything useful, does it scrub up good without sandpaper, and mainly can it be turned off or isolated. No ! best not ask for pictures.

That made me laugh.

I have an 8" table saw and a 300mm makita miter saw, 99% of the time I use the table saw. I only really keep the chop saw for when I'm fitting on site.

 

[Peter Sefton]

I think you will find the table saw more accurate but it depend on the quality of the kit.
Peter

 

[shed9]

I'd invest in some balls first... then all the other aspects will fall into place.

 

[phillamb168]

I'd invest in some balls first... then all the other aspects will fall into place.

I've heard they work really well as spacers for floating panels, was unaware as to their other uses, thanks!

--------

The space issue is the biggest concern frankly, because my shop has a decent amount of room but it's very narrow, about 4m wide (~16m long). I also have to keep room for my kegerator and homebrew equipment, and all of that beer (wife never seems to say anything about the beer, I wonder if there's a coincidence somewhere...), and as my equipment list is currently at: router table, 12" P/T, bandsaw, drill press, 12" table saw, and big-ass dust collector, well, 2 square meters extra could be worthwhile. And at some point I'm going to have too much to drink and order a lathe, and then where will I be, stuck in the shop and unable to get out, that's where. Although with all that beer and tools, not sure I'd want to leave...

Perhaps the real solution would be to ditch the stand (which is useful, but is built for site use) and instead build a miter box on a level plane abutting the router table and extensions...

 

[shed9]

If you value the space more than the convenience of two similar tools I guess that would answer it for you.

However...

You could compromise; keep the miter saw for a few months after purchasing the table saw, if it never gets used, sell it on. To be fair the DeWalt saws are excellent saws in my opinion - I have a smaller DeWalt 8.5" sat in my shop and whilst it has had less use since the cabinet saw turned up, it still gets used occasionally. I find it easier for cutting long lengths of wood than on the table saw - but could I live without if I didn't have the space - yes but I would be sorry to see it go.

I think your idea of making better use of the space and accommodating the saw accordingly is worth further investigation - there are a lot of clever ideas out there with people making fantastic use of space. If you had a cheap miter saw, it would be an easier decision, but with a decent DeWalt that you know and trust, I'd look at options to keep it around a bit longer.

 

[Grahamshed]

You could compromise; keep the miter saw for a few months after purchasing the table saw, if it never gets used, sell it on.

That makes sense. I am doing exactly the same thing with a Dewalt Radial Arm Saw which I doubt I will ever use again.

 

[phillamb168]

That sounds like a reasonable approach. And I would most likely lose money on the sale anyway. Thanks all.