It's supposedly for doing cross and mitre cuts on one saw. I use an MLT as my site saw and TBH the sliding table is probably less use to me than a chocolate fireguard. It's just too small. A mitre saw is far safer because the material stays static and can be supported during the cut unlike trying to cut materils by pushing them across the saw - and when you are bevel cross cutting the ends of 5 metre lengths of skirting you really don't want to move the naterial to make the cutzeroseven":15k2doly said:
So that the saw can handle crosscuts in a similar mannerto the mitre saw. i.e. the material stays static whilst the blade moves. It was either a copy of the Mafell Erika saw or a badged version. The Germans seem to have been quite keen on dual purpose saws which can act as a chop saw as well as a site rip saw. It means you only need to carry one saw, not two, but blade changing is a bind on any saw, so they tend to be used for rough framing in the main. The original was the Elu TGS (which became the deWalt flip-over), followed by the Elektra-Beckum, then the Erika (a different take on the same problem). Even Makita make them (flip-overs) these dayszeroseven":15k2doly said:
Just pointing out the differences between saws designed for use on an installation job and in the workshop. No joiner or carpenter I can think of would ever dream of doing such a thing because it is stupidly dangerous due to the potential lack of control you have over the material. However, the number of posts I see where someone is proposing breaking down 8 x 4ft sheets of plywood on pocket handkerchief-sized table saws or make other cuts which show a total lack of regard for safety gives one pause for thoughtzeroseven":32w5s35l said:
