Which saw for shed build.

[CWatters]

I have a 190mm Bosch 1200W circular saw and have been thinking of buying some more tools. Next job will be to build a "shed" which will involve cutting 6 x 2 rafters and quite a bit of framing. Upto now most of what I've done is smaller scale.

With a budget of around £200. What would you recommend? Screwfix have several sliding mitre saws in budget, for example the Ryobi EMS2026 SCL 240V 254mm is calling out "buy me" in my sleep but you folks probably know better

My Bosch CS needs a new blade if that matters.

 

[wizer]

I hear good things about the ryobi. But it's not in the same league as the likes of Bosch, Makita, F*s*ool.

 

[Shultzy]

I bought a cheap SCMS from B&Q 2 years ago to build my shop. Great for cutting all the framing timbers. Now the shops built I have a TS and unless I want to cut a large number of 10ft+ timbers to size I can't see me using it. Only buy quality if you are gong to use it often.

 

[hpl]

I bought a sub £150 scms and was disappointed. I've ended up with a second hand Festool. The other saw I really liked was a 10" Hitachi which I used for several hours and was very impressed with the accuracy and cleanness of cut. I've also heard several people recommend the Hitachi. I tried a large Ryobi which I also found was not great for accuracy, it had too much movement in it for my liking, but it depends on what you want it for. I use mine for furniture so want it spot on. If it is just to build a shed with then most saws are accurate enough for that.
For me I would go for a smaller very accurate saw, probably starting to look at the Hitachi range, but you have to think about what you want to cut with it and how critical the cut is.

Hope that helps a little.

Johnny B

 

[George_N]

I don't think you'll need a slider to cut the timbers for a shed, so I'd go for a non-sliding CMS which will be much more accurate in your price range. A £200 slider will have too much slop in the bearings for accuracy or repeatability. I got a Dewalt 703 for £169 at B&Q and it was accurate right out of the box, adjustable too.

 

[ByronBlack]

Anything that can cut straight will be fine. I built my shed with a crappy axminster job that cost less than £130. In fact, I still have it, and it still works. As long as it can cut straight, what else do you need to worry about?

 

[CWatters]

Decided to go for a cheap one in the end. After looking at several in B&Q I headed to Screwfix and got one of these..

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/49979/Pow ... -Mitre-Saw

It has enough reach to cut 150mm wide timber at 45 degrees which is what I was after.

Obviously at <£100 it's not a full professional grade tool but I'm happy with it. Ccompared to the cheaper nodels at B&Q there is very little play in the slide bearings or the preset angles.

Two minor quality issues noticed. All the screw clamps and stops are tapped/threaded into aluminium castings so there is potential to strip threads over time. (Do the professional machines use brass inserts?). In addition the laser can be slightly hard to see in full sun but perhaps this is also a problem with better makes.

I also went for a basic Ryobi mitre saw stand. Which I quite like. It seems easy to fold up yet stable when in use. Nicely finished etc.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/89652/Pow ... -Saw-Stand

..and a basic roller stand from SIP for £18 inc VAT...

http://www.sipuk.co.uk/acatalog/sip_stands.html

So far, apart from a few trial cuts, I've just used it to cut the formwork and a dozen stakes for the concrete base.

 

[Shultzy]

Colin, one of the issues you will find when constructing your shed is fixing a "stop" when the saw is on a stand so that you can repeat cut long lengths. I set the saw up on blocks and used a wall as the "stop" (see page 2 of my shop build).

 

[CWatters]

Thanks for the tip.

 

[sigibbons]

If your Framing a shed you will not need a mitre saw, your hand held circular saw will be just fine as long as it operates properly and has enough power.

Trying to cut lengths of timber for studs, rafters, joists etc would be a right pain in the ass on a mitre saw, trust me!

As long as you have a pair of stools, circular saw, some sort of roofing device like a proper rafter square, ready rec, stanley quick square you'll be good!

 

[CWatters]

I've allready used it and found it easier than a CS. For example I'm doing the form work for the concrete base. Needed 15 2" square stakes and it seemed easier to use the MS than it would have done a hand saw or CS. I hope to post some photos but I'm not exactly a speedy builder.