Makita LS1019L mitre saw - first impressions

[Lons]

From my first thread I know a couple of members have been looking at this saw so not a review but just my initial impressions.

Axminster apparently won't price match these days but I did get an axcalibre saw blade with a list price of £40 thrown in foc so happy enough and collected the saw on Wednesday but only today had the chance to look at it properly and cut some wood for a small table I'm making.

Straight out of the box it's impressive with very little to fit apart from the blade however I immediately noticed that one of the tall work guides was out of alignment in fact it was actually bent! Not fancying a return trip of 40 miles to the store I phoned and they immediately ordered a replacement from Makita which hopefully won't be long though I won't miss it for the time being.

To my surprise, apart from that the machine was set up almost perfectly. Preset angles are spot on, indents are tight even without locking the front handle and I like that it's simple to disengage the preset catch and lock it to any position so even if right on the edge of a notch it doesn't try to slip in. Virtually no play even with the saw extended and the glide action is silky smooth. Festool style locking knob on the front is good but feels loose and you still have to tilt the saw by hand, I always hated the locking knob on the back! Other adjustment knobs seem easy to use although I haven't tried any trenching yet and those look a little fiddly.

The saw cut very cleanly through the sapele I was cutting though only used max 50 x 50mm and through the test MDF and ply I tried, cuts were spot on square. Dust extraction was pretty good connected to my Aldi vac so would be even better with a good system. Soft start is nice and the saw seems quiet compared to my old one.

So, overall early days but I'm more than happy with my purchase although I should point out that I'm no expert, this is my first sliding mitre saw and not a fair comparison to the DeWalt 705 I've used for many years. It could be that I'm also lucky to get one so accurate straight out of the box but I love the thing already! Maybe that will change as time goes on but so far so good.

Bob

 

[MattRoberts]

Congrats dude, glad you're so pleased with it! May you have many years chopping!

 

[Lons]

As long as it isn't cutting things filled with red runny stuff.

 

[Mark A]

Phew, I'm relieved you rate it highly!

I was going to wait for your review before making a decision, but today's 20% off discount from eBay was too good to pass up so I took a gamble. I paid £452 delivered from FFX for the 240v saw with laser.

 

[Lons]

That's a hell of a price Mark, =D> had I known about the ebay discount I would have done the same as you. I looked at FFX but they were about £527 from memory. Cheapest at £513 was a place near Darlington but they only had 110 volt left. Quite a few places were out of stock of the 240 volt model.
I hope yours is a good out of the box as mine is.
The box is huge btw!

 

[sundaytrucker]

How are you both getting on with the saw now?

I picked one up from FFX the other day and initially I was impressed but it seems the cut is creeping ever so slightly out of square. This is my first CMS so technique could be a factor. At the moment it is mounted on an old B&D Workmate so not the ideal resting place but I need to build myself a mobile cabinet for the saw in the coming weeks.

 

[Lons]

I'm still happy enough with mine, does all I need it to do though tbh not done any fine tolerance woodwork for a while.
I think Mark wasn't so impressed with his though

 

[meathead]

anyone tried it's bigger brother the Makita LS1219L . I'm a little torn between the two I fancy a smaller footprint I do like the larger cut , baring in mind I am mainly using for small and finer work , but on occasion do the garden decking and sleepers, any idea or help
many thanks in advance

 

[sundaytrucker]

No but I also considered it before plumping for the 10” model. At the moment I am pretty disappointed with the accuracy of cut I am getting, if I can’t sort it today then it will be going back. Over a 250mm cut I am just over a mm out of square and no amount of adjustment seems to cure it, also the removable higher fence pieces won’t align with the lower part.

 

[meathead]

ohh dear shame

 

[John McM]

Don't give up on it just yet. Amazing value for money compared to the competition. I havn't tried it myself yet as I'm just setting up my workshop in my double garage. Some reviews say to loosen the 2 grub screws on the carriage rods to align the the blade parallel to the rods and then tighten them again. Should fix the problem and then it will be a great saw

 

[craigs]

I've had one of these for almost a year and its been exceptional. I bought it from axminster with the stand and out the box its super accurate. I regularly check that the blade is square and the 45's are good with a draughting triangle, but haven't needed to adjust it at all. I would say if you have room, make a mitre station, the stand is stable but the extensions don't line up well with the fence. I really wish that had similar options as the Festool stand.

I'd also recommend a sacrificial fence and zero clearance insert.

Craig