Beginning...

[Jon The Buddha]

Well, I've finally decided to take the plunge and explore WW as a more serious hobby. I have tinkered around enough to know that I do enjoy it (I have the basics; circular saw, jig saw, router, etc), so now I am taking the next step... my own table saw. Obviously it is going to be the 3100, or I wouldn't be here. I have 24 month-old twins, so the wife is interested in me learning to make lots o' stuff for them. I think she envisions large jungle-gym type playground equipment, but I forsee things like bookshelves,toy chests, sandboxes, and maybe toddler beds in the short term

I figured I would also pick up a CMS while I was at it, and would like to get opinions. I have been lurking around here a couple of days looking for clues, but with the recent changes the search function is a bit limited. Since I am essentually a newbie to ww, and this will be a hobby, would a 10" sufice for most of what I will run into, or do most go ahead with the 12-inchers to eliminate the inevitable "dang, if I only had bought the 12" scenario??

I realize size and weight are issues, as well as working enviornment (I only have a 2 car garage and back porch as work areas). Just curious if the 10" would keep me happy for a few years. So far I am liking the looks of the Ridgid 10" MS1065 LZ, but also have looked a bit at Ryobi's (yes, I know they are now the same manufac), Delta's, and Hatachi's. My local BORG actually has a NIB (still has the shipping plastic on it) Ridgid 12" (MS1250LZ) left over from a Christmas special which not only includes the ususal free stand, but also includes a tool bag for $269. Pretty tempting...but worth it??

Sorry for such a long first post. As far as my bio goes; I'm 35, live in Oklahoma City, work for the Federal Aviation Administration, and as mentioned before, wife and 2-year-old twins (boy and girl). I can't wait to be able to contribute to this excellent forum!

[Sawatzky]

You will really enjoy having your own table saw, especially the BT. As for CM saws go, I think a 10 inch would do you fine. That is what I have and I do a good amount of woodworking. I just used it to build a huge patio cover, as it cut 2x6 boards in half. 12 inch saws don't really give you that much more of a cut. Also, remember that the BT can crosscut very well with the sliding miter table. If you can find a good deal on a 12 inch saw, get it. But if not a 10 inch should be fine.

[scottjbs]

I think you will be very happy with the Ridgid 10" or 12". I personally have the 12" CMS, and the only thing I would want different next time is for it to be double bevel ( mainly for molding work ). Then, I would pick up one of the MSUV stands they have for $99 right now. Nice set up for under $400 ( if you go with the 12" ). If you do buy the Ridgid, don't forget to register your tool and send in the receipt and UPC code. The lifetime warranty is real, and not difficult to process... I have done my CMS, DP, TS, and jointer. Good luck whichever you choose.

[Pappy]

Welcome to the Asylum, Jon. For most DIY/hobby work, a 10" miter saw is plenty. Ultimate would be to go for a Sliding Compound Miter Saw.

[greencat]

I was wondering if a debate between a CMS or SMS would come up. I have a 10" ridgid CMS and it works fine. For construction there are ways around the limits. For fine woodworking I think you would have to spend a lot of money to get a CMS or SMS as accurate as the BT3.

I would use the money you save with a 10" and buy other tools. The 12" blades are another extra expense.

Good luck and welcome to the board.

[scorrpio]

I dunno about the whole miter saw thing. It sure is convenient to have - in particular for cutting miters in long stock, but in my personal tool hierarchy, if one already has a tablesaw, tools like bandsaw, drill press and router table take precedence over the chopsaw.

[LarryG]

Welcome, Jon!

I'm going to go against the grain and recommend a 12" miter saw. There are times when I have needed the extra capacity the extra 12" of blade diameter provides; times when a 10" would not have done the job. A 12" costs more, but you will never have the opportunity to upgrade from a 10" to a 12" as cheaply as right now. Better too much than too little.

But ... what kind of projects are you planning to build? And how quickly will you be able to afford to "tool up" your shop? Depending on the nature of the projects you have in mind, either a table saw or a band saw should be your first purchase. Second should be a router, preferably one of the two-base kits offered by most manufacturers, and a starter set of bits. After that, the proper ordering begins to get more difficult.

[sacherjj]

I'll second the 12" recommendation. However, I know that I will be wanting to chop off 2x8's when I put up the deck, and thus need the capacity. I looked quite a while at various CMS's and decided on the 36-255L Delta. I picked it up for $229 at Amazon, with original price of $279 and discount codes. It has dual laser, which is very accurate. I read through most of the CMS reviews at Amazon and you need to know how to seperate the "I just got the saw and haven't used it yet but it is great 5 stars" or "Two million dollars for shipping, I don't care how good this saw is 1 star" reviews from the real things.

For me, it was between 12" CMS and a 10" SMS. Realistically, table saw and miter saw blades SHOULD be different for safety. One had negative and the other positive rake. So reusing blades between the saws wasn't a factor. I was hoping to get a good enough saw to do furniture grade angles. From what I hear, only the most expensive SMS designs can hold those tolerances. The only thing I gave up on my saw is dual bevel. I figure for the price difference, I'll get a Forrest Chopmaster blade and be really happy.

If you are seriously considering a Miter saw in the near future, you should also pickup a MSUV at HD for $99. There is a Bargain thread about this stand and I really love it.

I will also echo the ideas of other as to if this is the best next purchase. The only reason I picked up a CMS is that I am building a shed and deck in the near future. For fewer crosscuts, I would be happy with a board support and the BT3100. If you are going to get into woodworking, the bandsaw might be a better next purchase. I would have rather spent $500 on this purchase, rather than the $139 I did. I wasn't into ww'ing as much at the time and had a Craftsman gift cert. My 10" bandsaw is fine for now, but a Grizzly 14" would be much better and saved me $60-80 in the long run for the upgrade.

[scorrpio]

Or you could forget the chopsaw and get a radial-arm. []

[RmeDad]

I figured I would also pick up a CMS while I was at it, and would like to get opinions.

OK, so here is mine: I also am a newbie to WW so I wanted to control the spending until I found out if I really liked it and could do it! I have this
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...0UL&lpage=none
just mounted on a Ridgid MSUV. I LOVE IT! My first project was 500 sq. ft. of laminate flooring and it went quite well. I of course purchased a different blade to cut the laminate, but the saw was very accurate and held up quite well.

Well, that's my $.02 worth!

BTW, my new hobby is growing, I now have BT3100 (on Herc-U-Lift), GMC SMS, Hitachi Band Saw (on Herc-U-Lift), Ryobi Renovator kit, Dovetail jig, router mounted on BT3100, Drill press, 30 or so clamps, misc. gauges, levels and other measuring devices, and two Craftsman roll-a-rounds filled with tools and bunches of other "stuff".

Welcome to the BT World, but watch the guys here, they have a hidden tendancy to "convince" you to buy more! LOL! Now if I could only get them to explain it to the LOML!

[Jon The Buddha]

Great info, guys...keep it comming!

I can already tell that HD is going to be getting quite a bit of my money this weekend! Probably at least $500-$600. I'm going to tell the wife that is ALL YOU GUYS FAULT!!

That's OK, though. I work for the Federal Government and get paid by your tax money. So really it is like you guys are buying it for me!

Your tax burden = my bloated salary

[Russianwolf]

I have a cheap Chinese 10" Sliding Compound Miter Saw. For what I use it for it fine. Rough cutting long boards to size, working on the decks, etc. All the fine work gets done on the BT.

[JimD]

I have a cheap 10 inch CMS that I have used for about 10 years. It has served me pretty well. I have it set up on a long fence which also has my radial arm saw. The RAS is not as accurate but will handle the larger crosscuts that the CMS will not. If your only choices for crosscutting will be the BT3100 or the CMS, I am torn. I would probably recommend you do what I did and get a relatively inexpensive 10 inch model and use it awhile. Besides about another inch or so of crosscut capacity, the other thing you get with a 12 inch is the ability to cut larger crown moulding against the fence rather than flat on the table at a compound angle. Most of the crown in my house is 3 5/8 which does not work on a 10 inch CMS on the side where the motor is. To resolve this and gain the extra inch of crosscut capacity I may upgrade but that is after 10+years.

Jim

[Cody.h]

Jon I'll also tell ya to buy the 12" saw...I have a 12"Delta CMS I've had for years and love it! With its 8" crosscut capacity I hardly ever use my BT3's
SMT and never use it for anything over 18" or so.

I also bought the MSUV this weekend and got my saw installed this weekend on it. It's the best deal out there for a CMS stand I could find. I'm also very limited on shop space so I just roll it outside next to my shop and fold and roll it back up when I'm done. I had been using the EL Chepo Harbor Freight stand but it was too small to bolt my CMS to it and a real pain to fold up so I was carrying the stand outside and then carrying the CMS outside then back in when done because the CMS blows sawdust everywhere so I never use it in my shop...just make the cuts outside and let it go..lol.

I have the Dewalt 60 tooth blade for it and its OK but seems to be getting dull quickly...the Chopmaster is at the top of my list for next tool purchase!! Sears had some 12" Craftsman blades on clearence that I bought...24 tooth for like $13.00 IIRC...works fine for 2x4's and such but so would the stock blade that comes with whatever saw ya buy.

Oh yeah ...dont cut Hardi-Planks with a regular saw blade...you need a special blade for cutting it...seems it will ruin a regular blade...don't ask me how I know..LOL