Miter Saw. 10" or 12"

[LYU370]

So I've got to install some new base moulding. Sounds to me like I need to get a new miter saw!! Now the question is do I get a 10" or 12"? I've noticed that on average the 12" saws run about $100 more than the 10"ers. Is it worth the extra $ to get the 12"? Thinking of putting in an engineered floor later on if that makes a difference. Also, I've heard that most saws come with prettly lousy blades. What would you recommend as a good blade that won't break the bank?

[sacherjj]

I went with the 12", Delta twin laser. I wanted to be able to cut 2x8s without flipping. Some say that the 12" have inaccuracies with the larger blade, but I don't think that is true with a good blade and saw. Between Sliding 10" miter and non-sliding 12", I think the 12" will be more accurate, unless you pay a whole lot more. I'm really happy with my Delta and this is probably one of the few saws where the lasers are actually useful and extremely accurate.

[steve-u]

If you ever think you may be installing crown molding I would suggest that you get a 12 inch saw. I bought a 10 inch and then needed something bigger a few months later to cut crown molding standing against the fence. Luckily at the time Amazon had a Hitachi 12 inch miter saw on sale for $179 that has an LCD for bevel and miter angles. Of course a 12 inch is also bigger and heavier which may be a consideration if you move it around a lot.

As far as blades I don't think you can beat Freud for value and quality. The TK406 60 tooth thin kerf would be great for a 10 inch miter saw and Lowes carries it for around $40. I don't know offhand what they offer for 12 inch. I bought a 60 tooth Hitachi blade at Lowes for my new miter saw and it is a decent blade for $40 but does not seem as good as my ten inch Freud blade.

I live in Bartlett and if you would be interested I could make you a nice deal on my Pro Tech 10 inch miter saw with laser and extension wings that is in great shape and lightly used which was bought and is still a current model at Menards for around $129. Send me a private email if interested. --- Steve

[drumpriest]

I have the makita 10" slider. I suppose that in theory a non slider is more accurate, but I can't imagine this thing being any more accurate than it already is. Also, you don't actually HAVE to slide them, so that's something to consider.

The one feature that I really like about mine (other than the accuracy) is that it's soft start, which helps a ton.

For my slider I'm using a freud 60T slide compound miter blade. I got it for 20$ on Amazon, which was a heck of a deal. They are usually around 50+$, very nice cuts though.

[Knottscott]

More capacity is almost always an advantage over too little capacity....some cost increase though.

I'd use a blade with a low to negative hook angle. Something in the 60-80T range should do well for molding. An "ATB" grind will give the cleanest results but they tend to dull a little faster than a "TCG" grind....you pick the compromise. The Freud "L" series blades are near the top of their food chain and are a great performers at a good price, as are the DeWalt "Woodworking" series 40 or 60 blades. Check Ebay for good deals.

From Freud's site:
Hook Angle - (H) The angle the face of the tooth makes with a line projecting radially from the center of the bore and comes into contact with the tooth. Ranges from 20° to -7°.

TCG - Triple Chip Grind. Tooth grind where one flat top tooth is followed by a trapezoidal tooth which is slightly higher. The higher tooth precuts material narrower than final kerf, helping to eliminate chipping in brittle materials such as chip board, and laminates.

ATB - (T) Alternate Top Bevel. Tooth configuration where the top bevel alternates from right to left. Top bevel can range from 10° to 20°. Used for crosscutting hardwood and soft wood, and general purpose cutting.

[LCHIEN]

for some reason the manufactureres feel obligated to provide a blade but always provide the cheapest, something with 24-30 teeth, suited or ripping, not crosscutting. The miter saw cries out for a good 60-80 tooth, low hook angle blade that will make smooth crosscuts and not lift the wood as it cuts. Look for just about any blade that advertises for miter saws. probably can't go wrong with Freud.
More bucks past about $50 probably pays for thicker carbide teeth, good for more resharpenings, not necessarily a needed thing for weekend warriors.

[vaking]

I struggled with all the same questions up until recently when I found a good article which made it all fall in place.
The core of the article:
There are 10" and 12", sliding and non-sliding saws. The real competion is between 12" non-sliding CMS and 10" sliding CMS. Sliding saw can cut bigger width with board flat, non-sliding can cut taller boards against the fence or thicker boards alltogther. Typical cutting sizes:
12" non-slider can cut 6" against the fence. 10" non-slider can cut 4" against the fence, 10" slider can cut 3-1/4 against the fence.
12" non-slider can cut 8" flat, 10" slider can cut 12" flat. The most precise way to crosscut a board is flat, the most precise way to make miter is up against the fence. This is because miter scale is much more precise than bevel scale, when cutting the board against the fence you use miter cut, when cutting it flat you switch to bevel or compound cut. If your main goal is to crosscut boards - go for SCMS, if you need moldings (miter cuts) - 12" CMS is better as long as your molding are no more than 6". 10" non-sliding is not enough for most people.
As for blades:
high quality crosscut blade is 80 teeth for 10" saw or 100 teeth for 12". Stock blade is always junk. Factor the blade in the cost. I just got myself a 12" CMS (Craftsman) and a 100 teeth blade from Costco. The blade was $60, titanium coated, Nicholson brand. So far I am happy. I have good opinion of tools from Costco.

[sacherjj]

I purchased the Freud 80 teeth, 12" CMS diablo blade for $50 at HD. That works pretty well. Although the stock blade on my Delta CMS was good enough for everything but fine work.