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First I want to express that the saw will be used for home repairs/remodels.
I am not a woodworker by trade, so those in the professional business of woodworking may have a completely different opinion of this saw. The saw takes up a large area from front to rear. With the saw in the return position, the total distance from front to rear is 45 inches. There is nothing in the manual regarding the use of the laser guide. It appears that two items on the laser have been improved from the previous 12” sliding compound miter saw. First, the light is very bright and I had no problem seeing it on the wood. The second is it appears the laser operates on the 120 volts, as I am unable to find any battery compartment. The downside is that I am unable to turn the laser on unless the saw is running. I removed the stock blade and installed a top grade blade prior to use. I set the saw up according to the instructions and it went very smooth. I did not find the noise level of the saw to be uncomfortable. The fence is adjustable, but is too low (2-5/8”). I plan on building a base with fences at 4-1/2” high. The saw cuts a 4x4 without the need to rotate it. I made some sample cuts at 90 deg, 45 deg miter and bevels. I cut flat wood, and some crown molding. The cuts were clean and precise. There was no lateral movement in the base, and I did not experience the saw moving out of alignment. I found the saw to work very well for my needs, and at a sale price of $119.99 made it a great deal.
Harbor Freight 12" sliding compound miter saw
Model: 69684
Specs:
D-Handle
Dust collector
Dual linear slide rails
45 deg tilting blade
Double bevel
Rotating, lockable table
Detents @ 0, 15, 22.5, 30, 45
Adjustable sliding fence
Blade guard
Trigger activated laser guide
Aluminum base
Clamp assembly w/extension wings
Volts: 120 ~ 60 Hz
Amps: 15
Blade speed: 3,800 RPM (belt driven)
Arbor: 1 inch
Straight cut @ 90 deg: 3-1/2" x 13-3/8"
Miter cut @ 45 deg: 3-1/2" x 9-1/2"
Straight bevel cut @ 45 deg: 2-1/8" x 13-3/8"
Compound cut @ 45 deg: L/R 2-1/8" x 9-1/2"
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Latest Articles
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by twistsol
Summary
I built my miter station last summer and used the Kreg Precision Trak & Stop Kit. The kit was just the starting point. 8 feet of track and a single flip stop didn’t meet my needs since I was building a miter station the width of my shop, nearly 24 feet. I added four 48” pieces of top track and three additional swing stops so I could have two left and two right. Finally, I added metric rules to the top. Total cost breakdown is as follows
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Channel: Tool Reviews
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by LCHIENI have always had trouble mounting small hardware on small wood boxes, with the hasps and hinges always looking slightly off perfectly square - particularly a problem with flat head screws and countersunk hardware which aligns the hardware to the hole location and centers on the hole.
I'm talking small wood screws. I place and mark the hardware carefully and mark the center of the hole with a sharp awl.
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Channel: Tool Reviews
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by twistsolSince my new shop is in the basement, dust collection is a bit more important than when I had my own building and could do as I pleased in the shop. With that in mind, I upgraded the dust collection on my table saw. I purchased the Grizzly Overarm Blade Guard to use with the saw.
First impressions were that this is an extremely solid and well built unit. It's made mostly of steel and connects to a 4" DC hose. There were a number of issues getting it set up and installed, and a...-
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by twistsol
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by LCHIENHere's a tool I found useful for marking. Accutrax pencil blade marking knife.
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dbhost commented
Via Tapatalk on Android
A little bit of a challenge to get all the angles square.
Mine has a slight design flaw that results in the guard needing to be moved upward in order to allow the head to be dropped to make a cut. I put a spacer at the end of the travel of the guide arm for the guard and this fixes it (but needs to be readjusted often).
Can't be beat for the price for a weekend user. Replaced the 10" from HF I had for a few years but wanted deeper cut capacity.