Mitre Saws

[bananas]

Hello all, I was hoping to get some advice regarding purchasing a mitre saw, but I am a bit conflicted about which one to get and whether I actually need one in the first place.

I have been tasked with making a helper stand for my child to use in the kitchen so i am going to need to cut up a few 2x2s, 1x1s etc and in the near future I we are also planning to refit the kitchen so will no doubt need to cut a few mitres for the cornice and pelmet. After doing some research I think that the Metabo KS 216 would be the best budget saw that I can buy, ideally I want to spend as little as possible. With that comes my first confliction is it worth spending the extra to get the sliding version? The only benefits to the sliding version I can see are if I were to want to cut trenches or long bevels, since I am going to need to get a router for the kitchen fit and already have a track saw I will have both these covered, are there any other benefits? Storage space is also somewhat of an issue so I am leaning towards the non sliding version however if the benefits are there I am sure I can make the space for it. That brings me to the second confliction, can I get away with saving an extra £40-50 by getting the cheapest offerings by screwfix/b&q/toolstation?

Is there anything else that I need to consider before making my decision?

 

[Stevebod]

Hi, in answer to your question I would say you tend to get what you pay for. Nothing wrong with cheaper saws especially for very occasional use, but do not expect the accuracy / robustness of the higher price models. For me I would want the largest diameter possible to give the maximum cutting depth / length. You will be very limited on size if you do not have a sliding saw, but a fixed saw may well give better accuracy. I would always opt for a trench cut option assuming you get a sliding saw, its only the addition of a depth stop. (NB Sliders do take up more room)
I eventually found my old 8 inch dia saw a bit limited due to cutting depth so after much analysis I purchased the Metabo 254 sliding saw and I have been really pleased with it. It seemed to offer the best price / quality / features combination of all the others I looked at.....(only real downside is it only tilts on side). You may find once you start using one you will find other projects to do, so you may be better taking the plunge now rather than having to buy again?

...you pays your money...etc

 

[HappyHacker]

If money is a consideration consider a manual miter box or a manual mitre saw. I still use a mitre box for coving and when on site for the odd mitre. It is only in recent years I have bought a sliding mitre saw. I bought a cheap one which I now use for firewood and more recently a 12" Bosch for good stuff. Then when you have a better idea of your actual needs you will be in a better position to make a decision.

For the coving I glued a bit of wood to a box so the coving fitted square in the box, much easier than the alternatives. It does not stop me getting the cuts the wrong way around though

 

[Maker Bob]

Just a heads up that Yandles have a GMC 1800W sliding mitre saw for £89 as 'deal of the day' in an email I just received.
I can't post links but search for "1800W Double Bar Sliding Mitre Saw 210mm GM210S" on their site.

I don't own this saw so I can't vouch for it but the feature list looks nice, sliding with depth stop etc so worth a look if you're in the £100 bracket.

 

[bananas]

Hi, in answer to your question I would say you tend to get what you pay for. Nothing wrong with cheaper saws especially for very occasional use, but do not expect the accuracy / robustness of the higher price models. For me I would want the largest diameter possible to give the maximum cutting depth / length. You will be very limited on size if you do not have a sliding saw, but a fixed saw may well give better accuracy. I would always opt for a trench cut option assuming you get a sliding saw, its only the addition of a depth stop. (NB Sliders do take up more room)
I eventually found my old 8 inch dia saw a bit limited due to cutting depth so after much analysis I purchased the Metabo 254 sliding saw and I have been really pleased with it. It seemed to offer the best price / quality / features combination of all the others I looked at.....(only real downside is it only tilts on side). You may find once you start using one you will find other projects to do, so you may be better taking the plunge now rather than having to buy again?

...you pays your money...etc

Another dilemma, will a 216mm be too small! I think that the 254 is starting to push it out of my budget range, I had decided on the Metabo after reading a lot of positive reviews about it and the sliding option was <£30 more so it seemed like a no brainer for the extra capacity.

What did you find yourself needing to cut that your 8 inch saw wasn't capable of? Do you think it might be a better idea to just get the £60 evolution one from screwfix since it will make all the cuts that I need to, and in the future if I find I need a 10 inch saw I can get one and at least its nice and portable unlike a slider.

 

[bananas]

If money is a consideration consider a manual miter box or a manual mitre saw. I still use a mitre box for coving and when on site for the odd mitre. It is only in recent years I have bought a sliding mitre saw. I bought a cheap one which I now use for firewood and more recently a 12" Bosch for good stuff. Then when you have a better idea of your actual needs you will be in a better position to make a decision.

For the coving I glued a bit of wood to a box so the coving fitted square in the box, much easier than the alternatives. It does not stop me getting the cuts the wrong way around though

Would a mitre box be good enough for kitchen trimming? Cutting the pine will be easy enough with my plunge saw and or a handsaw but probably much easier with a chop saw. I initially started looking at mitre saws after my inital design of the helper stand included some mitre joints and then when deciding whether it was worth it realised that I would probably need one for the kitchen so may as well just get one now to make both jobs easier.

 

[bananas]

Just a heads up that Yandles have a GMC 1800W sliding mitre saw for £89 as 'deal of the day' in an email I just received.
I can't post links but search for "1800W Double Bar Sliding Mitre Saw 210mm GM210S" on their site.

I don't own this saw so I can't vouch for it but the feature list looks nice, sliding with depth stop etc so worth a look if you're in the £100 bracket.

I've had a look into that one, never heard of GMC and it was impossible to find any kind of review on it. The sliding metabo one is only about £30 more when you take into account postage from Yandles. It does look interesting at that price point but I dont want to buy something that will leave me disappointed.