Whats good in Sliding Mitre Saws these days?

[planetWayne]

I'm in the market for a Sliding Compound Mitre Saw (theres a mouthful) and was wondering what the current train of thought is.

I've notices that Axminster have a nice deal on the Makita LS1013 at the mo - (£100.00 off until the 2nd of June). don't think I would want anything bigger than that so it kinda ticks a few boxes.

Other brands I've considered are DeWalt and I've been told that Bosch are ok too (the one thing that puts me off a Bosch seems to be the real big thick set scales on things - I guess they have never heard of a fine point pen )

DeWalts have a horizontal grip (so I believe do some of the Bosch') - that would be a 'nice' to have.

Depth stops - that I can see being realy usefull - cutting tennons etc. Again I think the Makita does this.

Is lasers really that key? The Makita thats on sale at the mo doesn't have one but I've seen retro fitted lasers that could be added at a later stage.

anyways - I'll stop waffling - the floor is open.

Wayne.

 

[cutting42]

Hi Wayne

Well you have correctly identified the key players. All are excellent and will serve you well. I looked at all these three for their 10 inch version and chose the Bosch GCM10SD based on a great deal from Axminster and a number of positive reviews on here from owners of the same.

I have found it quiet (for a brush motor) and powerful with great accuracy and the ability to hold this accuracy over many resetting of positions and moving it about as I use it on a mobile stand. The trenching setting is a little fiddly (a screw thread with locking nuts) but once set is pretty good. The adjustable handle is very nice and I have it set to about 45 degrees for my comfort. Dust extraction is useless so I just blow the dust off with an air line and suck it up off the floor with the vac. To my knowledge only the Festool Kapex seems to have good extraction on an SCMS

General construction is excellent and is of what I would call pro quality equal to the DeWalt and very similar to the Makita. The Makita was about £150 more when I was buying so I ruled it out but I think the slider is a little better from what I remember, slightly less movement. They all three move a bit at the extreme reach but the LS seemed marginally better. By the way they are all HUGE with space needed behind and in front to operate at full range.

The Bosch has the widest angle - upto 60 degrees for the mitre which could influence you.

Edit for more stuff

Lasers are a waste of time I think now. I retro fitted a laser to the bosch and spent an evening setting it up but since the batteries ran out a year ago I have not bothered to change them as the use is marginal. YMMV but don't worry about it.

 

[Aled Dafis]

Wayne

I have the Makita LS1214, and can honestly say that it's one of the best and most accurate machines I've used (hand planes are obviously more accurate, and can get you within a Thou of being cock on).

I find the laser really usefull and once it's set up it's really quite accurate, but only on one side of the blade unfortunately.

Axminster have the LS1013 and the LS1214 on offer at the moment, so the choice is up to you, personally I'd go for the 1214 for the increased capacity, as you never know when you might need it.

Regards

Aled

 

[skipdiver]

I have the LS1013 and use it just about everyday at work.It's heavy,solid and accurate.Had it two years now and drag it from job to job.It has only just started to go out of true but an hour of twiddling has got it back spot on.I sometimes subby to another joiner and he has the dewalt equivalent.It is also very good but i am a makita man.All my power tools and cordless stuff is makita and i cant fault them.Got mine off the internet with a free 18 v combi drill for £470.00.

 

[Richard S]

Hi Wayne

I've got a Makita 0714 which is light, compact and very accurate. The sliding rails are a novel approach and take less space at the rear. It does everything I want it to in the workshop and will even cross cut a 12x2.

I've had it for a couple of years now and I think I paid about £280 new, it has a built in laser which is accurate and a built in flexible work light, both very useful.

I've been really pleased with mine and would not hesitate to recommend it.

Richard

 

[chippy1970]

I got an email about that deal on the Makita LS1013 from Axminster looks pretty good I would get one but I am skint at the moment.

I did go and look at the Festool Kapex and it is the business but I just cant justify that much money on a chopsaw even if they did offer me a great deal on it.

The cheapest I had seen the Makita for was £430 at pstools so Axminster are only slightly cheaper now.

Oh also if you have to carry it around a lot like I do then the Makita LS1013 is a real big pipper thats what I liked with the Kapex it doesnt feel so big to carry.

 

[johnnyb]

my advice seems odd really but here goes if your using it for furniture parts (good accuracy) dont buy a slider. if your using it for joinery cross cuts etc architrave etc then they are ideal. my feeling is they all have some accuracy issues connected with support and motor weight and general excess of moving parts whereas non sliders even with a 12 inch blade hold their accuracy alot better over their service life.(quality for quality of course) larger blades tend to run out more of course but this still doesnt adversly affect their angular accuracy.

 

[OPJ]

I agree with Jonny's point on the accuracy of sliding mitre saws. I've owned a Bosch GCM 12 SD since November and I find that it doesn't always cut perfectly square when I working close to the maximum length of travel in the saw head (300mm).

If I lock off the travel thought and use it like a non-slider then the accuracy seems to improve.

In most situations, I find it doesn't matter, as long as all parts are cut to length at the same time. I prefer these saws to radial arm saws though, without a doubt.

 

[planetWayne]

Well guys (and gals?)- after pondering (many times on this before!) and the fact that Axminster had a whole 100 notes off! I've gone for the LS1013 :shock:

Thanks people for all the input, very much appreciated!.
I think the makita camp seemed to have the edge - which also tipped the balance.

I only hope my skills improve to match the quality of the kit here!

I'll try and feedback a little when I've had chance to play

Heres hoping I keep all 10 digits
Wayne.

 

[chippy1970]

Wayne if you are starting out make sure you do learn exactly how to use a chopsaw. It might so silly but the amount of times I see people on sites using them wrong then you hear a big bang where the work piece has just been smashed up.

What I find using the Makita is that the gap in the fence where the blade comes thru is quite big compared to most saws so if cutting small beads for example you really should fit a wooden sub fence this will help.

 

[planetWayne]

Hiya Chippy,
Thanks for the advice and I will take all on board. Its arrived today (good service eh!) and taken up half the kitchen (!) whilst I've been looking over it seeing what knobs do what etc. I have used a none sliding mitre saw before (used to hire from our local store) and to say this is a little 'bigger' :shock: !! - glad I didn't go for the bigger version now, don't think I would have been able to store it anywhere!.

It does come with this plasticy kerf block that you can screw down behind the fence, its angled to come up through the fence and be level with it. The only thing is, according to the manual, you can only use it cutting one angle - I guess it gets too weak (it is only thin). So yes, good idea for the fence.

One other thing I did notice, the kerf guard on the bed of the table (where the blade goes through to make the cut) again is adjustable (and removable) - is it wise to take the plastic factory one out and use a shaped piece of mdf to do the same job? Zero clearance fence I think its called.

Thanks again
Wayne.

 

[skipdiver]

I left mine on.

Dont do what i saw one guy do,set the saw to a 45 bevel and promptly started to saw through the metal fence.It has removable fences for bevel cutting.Also remember to pull out the slide and push blade through the timber,not just drag it across.

 

[planetWayne]

I saw a 'wood whisperer' pod cast the other day featuring his past 'mistakes'. He talked about that one - kinda makes sense when you think about it - don't push (or pull) tools in the direction that the blade is spinning as it could accelerate it (in the case of a mitre saw) at you!

Made me smile when he talked about router tables and pushing into the blade rather than with it - he's had catapulted wood across the workshop - I've still got my 'spear' as a reminder! :roll:

Wayne.

 

[johnnyb]

another thing do not lift the blade up from the end of the cut until the blade has stopped spinning usually fairly quickly with motor brakes. not to do this is to invite the blade to catch on the small offcut and send it flying around the room possibly thrusting the motor back as well.

 

[OPJ]

Hiya Chippy,
One other thing I did notice, the kerf guard on the bed of the table (where the blade goes through to make the cut) again is adjustable (and removable) - is it wise to take the plastic factory one out and use a shaped piece of mdf to do the same job? Zero clearance fence I think its called.

Yep, you should be able to do that no problem whatsoever. It will indeed give you a zero-cleareace fit that tells you exactly where the blade is going to cut - who needs a laser! And when it becomes worn from all the bevel and compound cutting you might do, just throw it away and make another from scrap. Certainly a lot cheaper than buying spares from the manufacturer! :shock: :wink: