12" non or 10" slider miter saw

[gettools]

I have been through all the archives, most are a year old on this subject, and new saws have come out
I want to buy a new miter saw I just dont know which one is the best for all round for home use. I sold an old cratsman 10" also A craftsman 10" slider which was very inacurate to get the money for a good saw. I have read consumer reports that say Bosch 10" slider is the best but I want opinions from people who use them, which would be yall. I am open to any & all opinions.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I hate Consumer Reports. However, they are right on this one. Bosch 10" SCMS, 4410L is it. Now, just pull the trigger. Don't listen to others, they just want to confuse you. Here . . . . Hitachi . . . . Makita . . . . OK, now both have been mentioned and no one else needs to confuse you on the matter. Now get the Bosch. Come on. You know you want to.

BTW, $489.99 at Amazon right now for the 4410L SUCKS! It will go on sale for less.

Edit: Just saw title again and realized you also want input on sliding versus non. Sliding definately. A lot to be said for the cross cutting capacity. If you were going cheap I would say non-sliding, but since you are buying the 4410L you don't have to worry about slop, etc.

[Red88chevy]

Mark,

Amazon was running a sale about 4 or 5 weeks ago. They had the Bosch for $330 and the Makita for $360 with free shipping. I got the Makita but both looked very good. It's been nice to be able to crosscut 8ft 1x12s! The Makita has a light and a laser, both features have turned out nicer than I expected. Now who would you trust? Someone from PA, or someone from Cowtown?

Doug

[Tom Slick]

I have the 4410L and it's a great saw. the first thing you have to do is throw away the blade that comes with it and put a good blade designed for a SCMS on it.

[steve-u]

I bought the Bosch 4212L 12" dual bevel non slider when it was on sale at Amazon for $240 after $50 rebate. It is very high quality. For me I wanted a non slider because of the space savings and I wanted a tall fence for cutting crown molding standing against the fence. If you have a need to crosscut widths up to 1x12 regulary the sliding miter would be a good choice for you. If cross cutting up to 1x8 is adequate for you a 12" fixed would be a good option. If you would consider a non slider 12" be sure to get a dual bevel model with the motor high up on the arm. I really like that compared to my old miter saw where the motor would get in the way of the view of what is being cut. On my Bosch the motor drives the blade with a belt which makes for a smoother running miter saw.

Steve

[LinuxRandal]

I agree with Steve-U on this one. It really depends on the types of work you do. Dual compound miter saws, are great for chop saws (1x8 or less), miters and trim work (casings, crown, chair rail, etc).
However, if your as apt to build walls in the basement and finish it, and put up a new deck, then a slider would be better. Sliders do have more to go out of adjustment, so it is more important to have them mounted on a decent platform, so you don't grab them wrong and help that along. And sliders have mostly replaced a radial arm saw. But if your apt to only do one deck, but a lot more fine woodworking, then I would get a miter saw, and use a sliding t bevel and my circular saw for the deck. If you go help everyone build decks, add ons, etc., get a slider.

I still have an older DeWalt RAS, from back when they were decent, so for me this is way down on my list (don't want to get roped into other peoples projects).
I do disagree on throwing away the original blade. I see no problems getting a good blade, but keep the other for junk wood projects.

[Cheeky]

Love the 12" Makita slider......I may be biased because I bought (possibly stole) one (actually 2 if you count the one i gave my bro ) from Amazon for FORTY SIX dollars.

For all intensive purposes, the 10" slider is all i really need.

one thing you will appreciate about the makita is it's really easy to move around, as the sliders retract under the table, and it's not heavy. the cuts are phenomenal, it's quiet, and the stock blade is pretty good.

be patient, you can save hundreds on the Bosch or Makita from Amazon.....keep your eyes on "Bargain Alerts"

[messmaker]

I think if you have a 6" jointer, it is hard to justify a slider. The extra few inches that you gain just don't seem to come in to play that often. You are going to make most of your long crosscuts on the tablesaw anyway. The added space and dust contol problems that a slider creates is not to be taken lightly.

[prlundberg]

The nice thing about the Makita is the slides are mounted under the table, so it takes up less space when not in use compared to most sliders.

I have the 12" sliding Makita with light and laser. No complaints so far. Stock blade cuts pretty decent, haven't needed a new one yet. I had actually decided on the 10" but I found a deal I couldn't pass up on the 12" (2 for 1).

The reason I decided on a slider is because I have plans for several projects where I think it will come in handy. The depth of cut on the 12" has already been useful. When it comes down to it, I probably don't really need a slider, but I do like it.

It's a tough call because sliders are so much more expensive. I think it's difficult for an average DIYer on a tight budget to justify the cost. But people who have them (including me) don't seem to regret it.

I wouldn't recommend the Craftsman Professional series, mostly because at list price you are buying Ryobi or similar quality at close to a DeWalt or similar cost. Not necessarily bad, just not worth the full asking price. I originally bought the 10" Professional slider but ended up returning it.

[Crash2510]

I agree with all of the guys so far who say it depends on what you plan to do with it.

I curently have two 8 1/2 ryobi sliders and they are great for construction and most trim, but for most projects I never need anything other than my trusty 10" miter saw.

I would say if you never plan on cutting anything bigger than 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 go with the non slider because they are not nearly as heavy.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I think if you have a 6" jointer, it is hard to justify a slider.

What is the correlation between ones jointer width and ones CMS?

[tkarlmann]

Sliders

not the burgers -- the miter saw!

I have the Hitachi slider that is old now by today's standards. Like others have said, it depends on what you want. I think my rails may be a tad longer than those on the Bosch, but I am not sure. The thing I REALLY like about my saw is the width that I can cut. I use HD's cheapo shelving and I can cut the 15" stuff with mine.

To the guy who said the width of cut should = your jointer width, Not Mine -- for me is must be close to the width of my Planer -- I can fixture my planer for jointing.

A word about the space required. Yes, a SCMS takes up more space IF you put it against a wall, maybe. This is because the slider arm sticks out in back. If not against a wall, and when not in use, I slide mine forward and tilt the miter to 45 deg -- this gives me the narrowest footprint.

Now a word about putting your saw up against a wall -- how adventurous are you? I have seen, I think the first was a snapshot of Lonnie Bird's shop (this guy writes books on WW and has classes, etc.) you put a small hole in the wall of your shop JUST to accomodate that rear-poking arm of your SCMS. Then your actual shop-floor-footprint of your SCMS against the wall isn't any worse than a non-slider. If you have a wife or whatever, you may want to check there before cutting a hole in your wall...just to be safe.

A word about lasers -- if you want one, get a saw that has one. Most of the aftermarket lasers are cumbersome and ill suited to precision work. I bought one from Rockler and took it back -- it was really bad. It was so bad that if I tightened the saw blade properly it would not turn on or off. Some also require you to kind of 'memorize' an actual offset between the laser line and your saw cut! Really. I am not making this up! The BEST laser, IMHO, are the dual-line types or fat line types that show your actual saw kerf. However, I found that I could not retrofit my model saw for one of these.

That said, do you really need a laser? If you cannot cut to a line, then maybe WW isn't for you.

I hope this helps.

[messmaker]

If all you can surface at one time is a 6" board, you will have less times that you need to cut wider board.I guess you could rough cut a 10" or 12" board and then rip it before you face joint it but what do you gain? I woud use a sled to cut larger panels to size so I don't see that you get the bang for the buck unless you get a super deal on a slider.

[cabinetman]

If you cannot cut to a line, then maybe WW isn't for you.

For me I wouldn't have a laser guided tool. Why bother to learn the traditional skills when woodworking can be made more convenient? I trust my eye and my skill, not some red line that could go haywire in an instant. I watched a TV show on the Discovery channel about a New England town that is a large boat building center of the U.S. The companies complained that they can't find enough craftsmen to work. It's one of their biggest problems.

There are a lot of newfangled jigs, fixtures, devices out there today that indeed can make life easier, or contribute to ones accuracy. There's much to be said about basic practices in woodworking, that don't require buying the latest this or that. If technology becomes intimidating or the budget won't afford having the razzmatazz, as an example, any joint can be done without buying a jig or fixture, and if needed can be shop made.