Cms ?

[Whaler]

I am ready to pull the trigger on a CMS and have a few questions.
Some facts first.
1. 10" is all I will ever need.
2. I will never need a slider.
3. Max price $300.00, around $200.00 would be best.

I am leaning toward the DW713 at HD for $219.00 as I think it will do everything that I want it for. I also have other DW tools DW746 TS, DW788 SC and some cordless and am very happy with DW quality.

I have checked out the Hitachi C10FCE2 $134.99 but I have never owned a Hitachi product and it just sounds to cheap to get any quality.
I have also checked the Makita LS1040 at $192.00 and it is a possability.

I need some input from you guys.

[cabinetman]

I had a Hitachi in the past that I really liked, but it was stolen at a jobsite. You might not be considering Craftsman, but I replaced my jobsite CMS with the Craftsman about 10 years ago, and it's been trouble free, and very accurate. It was about $180 then.

Any brand could have one out of 100 being a lemon, but if you get a "top of the line" model, in a name brand, on sale, that's the way to go. Look at the degree click stops, and also check if it's single or double bevel, and if the markings are easy to read.
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[bigstick509]

I've had my DW713 for about five years and have never had any trouble with it. Very well made just like everything else I've owned from DeWalt. I use mine with there DW723 portable stand and find it very convenient.

[sweensdv]

I doubt it you can go wrong with the DeWalt, they do have a reputation of making very good miter saws.

As far as the Craftsman is concerned, I have the one they introduced the laser light with. My experience with it has been the exact opposite of what cabinetmans' had with his. It can't make an accurate bevel cut to save its life and sawdust builds up very quickly under the table making it almost impossible to rotate. I literally have to clean the entire saw after each use in order for it to work properly the next time I want to use it. Save you money and stay away from the Craftsman's(Ryobi).

[cabinetman]

As far as the Craftsman is concerned, I have the one they introduced the laser light with.

I doubt I would ever buy a saw with a laser light. If I was using a saw with a laser light, I would not trust the beam. That light beam is not as thin as a knife mark, and whether it's accurate is questionable. I think in order to appeal to the homeowners, they add do-dads that are useless. JMO.
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[natausch]

The 10" Hitachi is a great saw, and another well priced one is the Ridgid.

As another let me break two of your condistions and suggest the Hitachi C8FB2. It is an 8" slider, dual bevel and one of the best value/reliable SCMS out there.

They can be bought recon (Grade A) from ReconditionedSales at $279, otherwise you can find them on occasion around $300.

[Bill in Buena Park]

I doubt I would ever buy a saw with a laser light. If I was using a saw with a laser light, I would not trust the beam. That light beam is not as thin as a knife mark, and whether it's accurate is questionable. I think in order to appeal to the homeowners, they add do-dads that are useless. JMO.
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+1. I have a Craftsman with laser, and don't use the laser except for fast cuts of rough lumber. In addition to not being thin as a knife mark, I find the laser too bright, and it obscures the cut line. For precision cuts, I put the teeth to the mark first.

However, in addition to getting the features you want/need on the saw, be sure to use a straightedge check the fence castings for flatness. I've seen some where the fence casting is slightly out of alignment from one side to other, causing a workpiece may gap away from the center of the fence.

[frumper64]

I have a Craftsman 10 inch slider with the laser and while the saw itself is "OK" the laser is totally worthless. It becomes covered with sawdust on the first cut and is then unusable unless you stop and clean it off between cuts. Nowhere near worth the effort. Also, dust collection is terrible, even for a miter saw. The outlet is straight up in the air so most of what might have gotten captured dumps right back out. When I get up the ambition, I'm going to sell it and buy a Hitachi miter saw. They get good reviews and are nice and light to drag around to jobsites.

[sweensdv]

I doubt I would ever buy a saw with a laser light. If I was using a saw with a laser light, I would not trust the beam. That light beam is not as thin as a knife mark, and whether it's accurate is questionable. I think in order to appeal to the homeowners, they add do-dads that are useless. JMO.
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While I did point out two problem areas with the Craftsman CMS I could have gone on and on about some of the other short comings with the Craftsman miter saws and the laser is one more of those shortcomings. I agree they are a gimmick and not worth the extra money one pays for them. That being said, the laser line on my saw is actually much thinner that the kerf of the blade I run on the saw, Freud LU85C010. But the laser line being thinner or fatter really doesn't make any difference anyways as the cut line is actually supposed to be lined up on the edge of the laser line and not in the middle of the laser line. The problem with the Craftsman's laser line is that the edge of the laser line actually ends up being about 1/16" away from where the cut line ends up being when the saw is lowered.

[jabe]

I have owned a Hitachi CMS & SCMS for years. When I was teaching woodshop @ a local high school it had a Ryobi MS it lasted about 5 yrs. I took my personal 10" Hitachi SCMS to the school shop so the students could use it. Kept it there for over 12yrs and I still have it and its as acurate as the 1st day I got it. Now any tool that can stand the use & abuse everyday from HS students is a tool I would recommend. Hitachi makes the motors for other tool companys like Makita. Needless to say, I like Hitachi tools, very durable and acurate.
My 10" Hitachi CMS has a laser, I hardly use it because I change blades on the saw a lot and not willing to recalibrate it for all the different thickness of the saw bldes.

[cabinetman]

While I did point out two problem areas with the Craftsman CMS I could have gone on and on about some of the other short comings with the Craftsman miter saws and the laser is one more of those shortcomings.

Maybe you just got a bum one. A blanket statement about shortcomings with the Craftsman miter saws just isn't realistic. I have had a few, and I like them. I'm sure others here might like theirs.

I agree they are a gimmick and not worth the extra money one pays for them. That being said, the laser line on my saw is actually much thinner that the kerf of the blade I run on the saw, Freud LU85C010. But the laser line being thinner or fatter really doesn't make any difference anyways as the cut line is actually supposed to be lined up on the edge of the laser line and not in the middle of the laser line. The problem with the Craftsman's laser line is that the edge of the laser line actually ends up being about 1/16" away from where the cut line ends up being when the saw is lowered.

I'll go with what Bill said:

I put the teeth to the mark first.

That is exactly what I do. It's not which side of a red beam, or even a pencil line...to decide which side to cut on. As for the sawdust, I haven't had a saw that didn't make a bunch even when hooked to a DC or shop vac. Part of precision cutting is to keep the work area clean. It may sound like a fire drill, but cleaning can make a difference in how the saw will rotate, lock, and allowing workpieces to seat on the table and against the fence.
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[Shep]

I've got a 12" Dewalt (can't remember the model number as I type this) but one of the features I love is the blade brake. Slows the blade down a bunch once you release the trigger. Speeds up the cutting time too.