Thoughts on flip saws?

[LFS19]

I've only just discovered these through looking on eBay for miter saws.
There seem to be quite a few Elu ones for a decent price.

Thoughts?

Thanks allot.

 

[porker]

I guess it all depends on your circumstances and requirements. I have the Elektra Beckum / Metabo KGT501 which is aluminium table and looks similar to the Makita one. A friend (who is a builder) has the Elu which is steel and he uses it a lot for rough work and rates it for that. Don't know how good it would be for accurate work. He destroys tools so it must be pretty robust. For mine I have the sliding carriage and an extension for the mitre saw. I bought it second hand a number of years ago because I was doing a house refurb with no proper workshop. It has been great for that and quite accurate once setup. I would say the mitre saw has seen most use and is very accurate and nice to use with a good blade. It is induction motor driven which I like - not sure about the Elu. Table saw is OK but the table is quite small and the fence has no micro adjuster so needs care to set accurately. I bought it from a chippie who got it for site work but he said it was too heavy to cart from the van and back every day and I can see why as it is quite heavy to move. For me it is great but a proper cast iron table saw would handle larger sheets (I use a tracksaw now for sheets) if you have the space. If you need to have portability and can have it setup for a few days without constantly having to move it then it could suit you. If you need to move it constantly I would go for a smaller mitre saw and a tracksaw.

 

[LFS19]

I guess it all depends on your circumstances and requirements. I have the Elektra Beckum / Metabo KGT501 which is aluminium table and looks similar to the Makita one. A friend (who is a builder) has the Elu which is steel and he uses it a lot for rough work and rates it for that. Don't know how good it would be for accurate work. He destroys tools so it must be pretty robust. For mine I have the sliding carriage and an extension for the mitre saw. I bought it second hand a number of years ago because I was doing a house refurb with no proper workshop. It has been great for that and quite accurate once setup. I would say the mitre saw has seen most use and is very accurate and nice to use with a good blade. It is induction motor driven which I like - not sure about the Elu. Table saw is OK but the table is quite small and the fence has no micro adjuster so needs care to set accurately. I bought it from a chippie who got it for site work but he said it was too heavy to cart from the van and back every day and I can see why as it is quite heavy to move. For me it is great but a proper cast iron table saw would handle larger sheets (I use a tracksaw now for sheets) if you have the space. If you need to have portability and can have it setup for a few days without constantly having to move it then it could suit you. If you need to move it constantly I would go for a smaller mitre saw and a tracksaw.

Thanks for your message.

The reason I've taken interest in them is because I can't really afford a good table saw.
Everything around the £200 mark doesn't seem to have gotten very good reviews.
A miter saw would also be very useful, so when I noticed there was a machine that did both I wanted to look into it further, but I thought given the price there must be some compromise somewhere.
I won't need to be constantly moving it so portability doesn't really matter, and to be honest I won't really have a need to cut big sheets.

I haven't looked into track saws, nor have I noticed the matabo branded flip saws, so I shall have a look.

Thanks again.

 

[MBcarpentry]

I had a Dewalt flip over saw about 15 years ago before I could afford separates (table saw and scms) it was fairly accurate and covered both bases in one tool but but was never as good as having a specific table saw and separate mitre saw but will do the job and if it fits your budget could be a good starting point you could always sell in on if you decide to upgrade. They are a perfect tool for general builders.

 

[AJB Temple]

I have a Makita flip and an Elu chop saw (mitre saw). Personally am not fond of the flip aspect. It works. I also have a reasonably heavy duty table saw though. I think on balance I would rather use my portable circular saw in mist circumstances, than the flip. However, your preferences may differ. A good mitre saw is a useful tool. Since I also have a 16' bandsaw now I don't use the mitre saws as much as I used to but the Elu still gets used regularly. I have a lot of Elu gear. Most of it is 20 years old and still works faultlessly. It was damn good kit.

 

[MBcarpentry]

I must agree AJB the Elu is all good stuff I have had a there stuff in the past and it's all been solid and reliable .

 

[NazNomad]

The choices are ...

One machine that does two things reasonably well.

Two machines that do one thing each, very well.

I suppose it's more a question of cost + space vs. intention.

 

[custard]

If the budget's limited then you should question if you need this type of saw at all. It certainly isn't a substitute for a table saw.

If you want to work solid timber as a hobby on not a lot of money, then small projects, made entirely by hand with a very basic tool kit, will teach you more and deliver far more satisfaction and pleasure, than struggling with poor quality, inherently inaccurate, power tools.

 

[Dusty Chippy]

I have owned an elu flip saw for over 20 years and have found it brilliant. I have an extension table that allows me to rip 8 x 4 sheets of ply. This is a great quality tool and you can use dewalt accessories with it.

 

[Markvk]

I have the dewalt flip over, it works just fine within its limitations its as accurate, as you set it up to be but that takes time. I use it mainly as a table saw and found it to be better than most budget table saws. the table is a bit small but you can extend it and the fence takes careful adjustment and needs clamping at the non fixed end.

Ive outgrown mine and am buying a cast iron table saw as i no longer need it for site use. ive not really used it much as a mitre saw as i have a makita radial arm jobby thats much better for that sort of thing.

Mark