Mitre saws for upto £200ish (and some table saw musings...)

[cambournepete]

I've done lots of reading about these on the forum and elsewhere and I'm going to be looking carefully at Yandles show and Axminster next week so most of these are currently untouched...

Apologies in advance for the rambling nature of this post and the apparent confusion, but that's because I am confused .

Current mitre saw is the bottom of the range Ferm which is OK for rough garden projects, but limited in capacity and hopeless for anything accurate.

Current table saw is the Triton workcentre, which is OK, but can be a pain to set up and I hate the sliding table assembly.

Workshop is a tandem garage so long but only ~8 feet wide.

So I'm looking for a very accurate mitre saw and table saw. I know accuracy is a lot to do with how you use the tool, but it also helps to have an accrate tool that inspires confidence.

Obvious Mitre saw candidates for around £200 include the Bosch GCM10, Makita LS1040, Hitachi C10FCB.

There's also a couple of sliders that look OK at that price, but they generally need more room front-to-back. There's the Rexon SM2151AL (inc a laser) for £190 or the Dewalt DW707 which I've seen for around £250ish which needs no room at the back so would fir in the garage OK.

Any others of either type at that price I should be considering?
Is there any point in having a laser?
Is a slider likely to be as accurate as a non-slider at the same money?
Is something like this Perform as reviewed by Charley as accurate as I need?

I've (perhaps incorrectly) dismissed the B&Q types as they feel awful and don't look accurate.

As for table saws ...

I want accuracy again. Current favourite is the Scheppach TS2010 - it's a nice size for my garage, easy to move, looks really accurate, looks big enough for most of what I'd want to use it for and all for a reasonable price. Then again the SIP cast iron looks OK, and the Record even has the pull-saw facility so I wouldn't need the sliding part of the compound mitre saw - would I? Trouble is both of these are much bigger than the Scheppach and I worry the money has gone into the size rather than the accuracy. I know I could fit the Scheppach TS2500ci in the garage without sliding table, but that's another level of expenditure I'm not sure I want to go to and some people swear by the sliding table. I also know Philly will want to mention the X-word, but again there's the price and the room...

I've also noticed that Axminster are doing the Makita LS1013 for £450 inc stand, just in case anyone's interested.

I'm so confused... :roll: :-k

If anyone's read this far I be really grateful for any advice...

TIA,

Pete

 

[gidon]

My personal view is spend as much as you can on a good quality table saw and then see if you still need the chop saw. I've always toyed with the idea of a chop saw but never really justified the need. The sliding ones look good - mainly for trenching cuts. But by all accounts they don't seem to be too accurate for this which for me makes their use limited.

I have the Scheppach 2000 - their European made predecessor to the T2010. With the sliding table I can make accurate mitre cuts pretty easily. Perhaps more setup than using a dedicated tool - but 700mm crosscut capacity as opposed to max 300 for a sliding mitre saw. And you could do trenching too if you wanted but I don't generally.

I've owned and returned the B&Q performance pro sliding mitre - the smaller one. It was useless for my needs - had generous play in both vertical and horizontal planes. This was a while ago and before I got the TS2000. The Rexon saw Screwfix do looks good for £199 and is the one I'd most likely choose. I have a Rexon morticer - it's very decent quality and their bigger mitre saw was reviewed in GWW - it had the best trenching capability (no play) if I remember correctly. And certainly appears well made when I've looked at in B&Q.

The Cast Iron Possy will be along to recommend their setup. Joking aside I would go for something like Philly's saw in an iinstance if it wasn't too heavy and big to get into my workshed!

Cheers

Gidon

 

[Jake]

I have the Festool pull-saw, and it does everything a compound mitre saw can do, trenching included. I'm not sure if the Record one comes with the right kind of fences and accessories to really do that, though. You need an accurate way of angling the fences at set angles to the blade, so I suppose you would need an after-market mitre guide.

 

[johnelliott]

If you were going to be doing mostly panel work with sheet materials, then you would do well to consider the Festool system with the Festool Multi Function Table, which is at least as accurate as any mitre saw on the market, and gives a better cut edge. That would cover your table saw, crosscutting and mitre cutting rquirements.

John

 

[cambournepete]

If you were going to be doing mostly panel work with sheet materials, then you would do well to consider the Festool system with the Festool Multi Function Table, which is at least as accurate as any mitre saw on the market, and gives a better cut edge. That would cover your table saw, crosscutting and mitre cutting rquirements.

John

There will be quite a lot of plywood usage, but definitely some real wood as well, although I guess I could rip it on the bandsaw and smooth it up on the P/T. I've been pondering the Festool system, but I thought you'd said you found slight inaccuracies in the MFT setup John?

Pete (wishing he'd plucked up courage to have a play with the Festool stuff at Tools 2004)

 

[johnelliott]

There will be quite a lot of plywood usage, but definitely some real wood as well, although I guess I could rip it on the bandsaw and smooth it up on the P/T. I've been pondering the Festool system, but I thought you'd said you found slight inaccuracies in the MFT setup John?

The MFT is fine bit does need to be checked regularly as the fence and rail can both move, especially if you walk into them as I do from time to time, though only when carrying big panels across the workshop

If you are converting timber then best way with the festool is to plane and thickness first, then rip with the festool second. That way you will get a very accurate rip which would need very little work (if any) before jointing

John

 

[Jake]

I'd heartily recommend the CS70 if you are willing to eschew the advantages and disadvantages of cast iron. It is expensive, but dead accurate and is both of the tools you are looking at it in one (so not actually that expensive if you were to going to buy both anyway).

 

[SquareCircle]

Mused over a saw bench at the beginning of the year and made a surprising decision which looks more sensible as time goes on.
Existing SB is a Scheppach TS2000 with extensions and slider (which IMHO is much better than the TS 2010). However dealing with sheet goods, especially in a small workshop was a big problem. Safety and reliability were top of the concerns list. I went to Ally Pally show in Feb with the thought of spending this years budget upgrading the TS2000 for a TS2500 (which I think is the best saw bench for a medium sized shop) or buying a Festool. Having spent a little while playing with both, I bought the Festool c/w a couple of guide rails, and possibly saved a pile. This surprised me but two months on, I am absolutely convinced that I had made the right decision. And if I had to set my workshop all over again, I’d do it differently, prejudiced by the capability of a good circular saw. Please note that this is just my opinion below and many would probably disagree.
My thinking goes like this:
1 I don’t do production work. Important because I suspect that having to measure out and do lots of repeated cuts with a circular saw would probably drive you nuts.
2 I have limited have a lot of floor space and thus flexibility is very important.
3 To date, I get 100% accurate cuts with the Festool, (or at least as accurate as I can measure. I wouldn’t like to recall how many times I have had TS 2000 flexed out of alignment whilst trying to cut 8x4x3/4 ply or worse still MDF sheets. Big relief know when it comes to glue up time to nknow that panels that are always perfectly square etc. Accuracy of small saw bench and sheet goods don’t occur in the same sentence in my opinion.
4 I believe that the Festool cuts sheet goods cleaner than any medium sized TS than I have ever come across. Since there is no opportunity for flex, the edges are also always square.
5 I am fortunate enough to have a reasonably good bandsaw with the obligatory blades from Dure edge . I note a more recent tendency to cut solid wood on this (much safer, quieter and cleaner) and then finish it on the PT. I suspect that if I had a decent hand plane, I’d probably not even bother switching on the P/T.
6 Never been able to do any kind of trenching on the saw bench. Gotten used to doing it with a router. But again, I don’t do production runs and also confess to having one of those Incra LS thingys which takes accuracy and repeatability to a new level. In this light I don’t think that I can justify upgrading my old mitre saw for a slider.
7 Used to be believe that TS was the most important tool in the workshop. Barely gets switched on nowadays. If I had to set up shop again, especially in limited space, it would be the last thing I’d buy. And at that I’d probably buy the Festool system, since the CS at the heart of it would be near the top of my shopping list.
Having said all of that, wish I wasn’t constrained by budget and space and didn’t have to make choices. I’d still love a TS2500.

Just another view

SC