Mitre saw - Rutland V Makita

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Jackie H

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Hi all,
I have recently been looking at a new mitre saw and fancied the Makita L1019L @ circa £650. A few days ago Rutland announced a new mitre saw with a pre-order price of £150.
The Makita is a 260 mm blade and the Rutland is 210 mm. However when I compared the specs the cutting capacities appear surprisingly similar given the difference in blade sizes. The motor rating for the Rutland is 1800W v Makita @ 1510W.
Obviously Makita has a great quality reputation, Rutland perhaps less so. The price difference is massive though and for myself as a hobbyist I cant help but think about the Rutland as a viable option.

I am equally thinking that maybe and I am comparing apples and oranges and have missed something. I am therefore keen to hear comments/thoughts from other members.

https://www.rutlands.com/products/sliding-mitre-saw-210mm

https://www.makitauk.com/product/ls1019l.html

Thanks, Jackie
 
What are you looking to make because that will determine what saw you will need, you are looking at saws with a wide price range, £150 to £650 but do not expect the same results and when looking at the power rating look at output power and not input to get a fair comparison. There are other saws with prices between the ones you are looking at so why not get something in the middle ? Personally I would look at Bosch, Makita, Dewalt & maybe Metabo as better options than the cheap end of the market.

https://www.toolstop.co.uk/dewalt-dws777-mitre-saw-with-xps-216mm-240v-p73503/

https://www.manomano.co.uk/p/makita-ls0815fl-slide-compound-mitre-saw-240v-172861?product_id=1301410

The other thing to bear in mind is space, when the rails stick out the back you need clearance to the wall behind but with some saws they are out the front like

https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/makita-ls1219l-305mm-compound-mitre-saw-with-laser-guide

but this does add some cost and depends on your needs and budget.
 
Jackie, a great deal depends on the work you do. If all you are doing is cutting say CLS softwood (which I do a lot to make studwork), then a cheap saw like the £89 one linked above will be good enough. It would probably be improved a lot by good set up and a new blade eventually. Generally it is better to spend money on good wood rather than cheap power tools. A sliding mitre saw is a pretty simple tool really and will not do anything that you can't do by hand.

My first was an Elu (which I still have) but my main saw is a Bosch GCM 12" compound sliding mitre saw. It's an expensive tool and I bought it because I wanted high levels of repeatable accuracy cutting hardwoods (roof work on timber framing at the time I acquired it) and I needed the depth of cut and the ability to tilt. Unless you are going to do a lot of work with the saw, it is perfectly OK to go for a cheaper tool and accept that it has compromises. You can get over many of the compromises with a shooting board and trim plane.
 
People have gravitated from the table saw to the miter saw for all crosscutting nowadays so I would try and buy one with maximum capacity. That means a minimum of a 10 " blade and preferably a 12 ". The quality of the cut is also important. A cheap saw is fine for 2 x4 carpentry but if you are into cutting say miters then a premium saw is better.
However the big saws are not exactly portable and having to keep them away from a back wall is a real inconvenience. They throw dust all over the place as well and my next project is to build a box around my Milwaukee 12 " for extraction.
A last consideration is noise - the brush motors are very noisy on starting and the induction powered saws are worth considering if this bothers you.
 
We used to have a Festool mitre saw, but the owner selfishly took it with him when he moved. I replaced it with a makita, and while the cuts are the same as the Festool, the dust collection is truly awful, so much so I wouldn’t buy another one. Idk what the dust collection is like on the Rutlands, or other mid range saws, but I would definitely research that aspect if I were buying a new one.
 
Hi all,
I have recently been looking at a new mitre saw and fancied the Makita L1019L @ circa £650. A few days ago Rutland announced a new mitre saw with a pre-order price of £150.
The Makita is a 260 mm blade and the Rutland is 210 mm. However when I compared the specs the cutting capacities appear surprisingly similar given the difference in blade sizes. The motor rating for the Rutland is 1800W v Makita @ 1510W.
Obviously Makita has a great quality reputation, Rutland perhaps less so. The price difference is massive though and for myself as a hobbyist I cant help but think about the Rutland as a viable option.

I am equally thinking that maybe and I am comparing apples and oranges and have missed something. I am therefore keen to hear comments/thoughts from other members.

https://www.rutlands.com/products/sliding-mitre-saw-210mm

https://www.makitauk.com/product/ls1019l.html

Thanks, Jackie
I recently treated myself to the ls1019 and it is lovely. Never tried a festool, so cannot say how it compares to something really top end but it is brilliant compared with the cheap evolution I used to have. Oddly similar on paper, but just so much more refined and precise. Dust extraction also way better.

Unsure if it is "worth" it though. 3 x the price for something that essentially does the same job. No brainer for a professional, a big luxury for an amateur like me.

Not a lot of forward sliders out there. A few at the cheaper end. The Rutland, a Hyundai, a Hikoki, none of which seems to have many reviews. Then a big jump and the Makita, and a Metabo. Finally off in the distance, the Festools.

I found the bars not projecting out the back made a huge difference. I have a small workshop and I would never consider one that stuck out behind having seen how much more convenient it is.
 
I have the dw 708 and while it’s heavey , as said a little noisy on start up and dust extraction not brilliant but it will cope with everything small and large , left and right bevel cuts including compound mitres , once set up it’s as accurate as as most diy and hobbyist and professionals will need , had mine over 2o years and it’s been looked after. The one in the link from @Distinterior looks absolutely mint ..
 
Hi all,
Thanks for all your comments and advice. I think I will take my time on this. I have an old Evolution and get by on that. I would usually err on quality and my go to would normally be a Makita. However the Rutland piqued my interest. I will be happy to wait and see what 'Jfw' thinks of it when received. I noted the cheaper version too.
I am wanting something that is compact and hence looking at the design where you can operate flush against the wall. I looked at a Lumberjack at the MWS, 305mm blade and it was huge. Way too big for my shop. I have been trying to get some dimensions for the Makita L1019L but so far nothing detailed has come to hand.
The thing that struck me about the Rutland when I compared it with the Makita was that it appeared to give nearly the same cutting capacities even though it sported a 210 blade as opposed to the Makita's 260mm blade. I am thinking this may be more about working out which blade size I am comfortable with and then taking it from there. This does assume that the cutting capacities are similar across different makes for a given saw size??

Jackie
 
this may be more about working out which blade size I am comfortable with and then taking it from there.
The larger 305mm saws also have the ability to cut a wider board as well as larger sized timber at 45 degree's but at the same time need more space behind the saw unless it has forward rails like the Makita or the Bosch glide system with it's unusual hinge arrangement. I also find Rutlands to be a bit hit and miss when it comes to quality and on larger machines only buy the bigger brands as you don't get any surprises.
 
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