Dual Compound sliding mitre saw..

[steve_b]

Good Day..

First - I not a tool junkie - I just buy when and what I need ..

I will be doing trim (first) - shelving and some shed construction later and would like to buy a sliding mitre saw ( I don't currently have a mitre saw) .. the price jump to a dual compound saw can be quite a bit - sears.ca has a sliding 10" currently on sale - doesn't look bad but sides a bit rough.

1) is it a huge advantage to have dual compound or can I get by as I'm not a contractor - since I would like to save the $$$

2) any suggestions for a saw $300 and under (if a quality saw is available around this price point) or is it best to jump to a dual compound (seem to be 500$ and up)

thanks

Stephen

[LCHIEN]

you don't say what all the tradeoffs are: are you looking at 12" Compound vs. 10" Slider?

The way I see it:
10 compound gives you basic flexibility for most cuts 90° up to 6" wide stock, 45° for up to 4" stock, and 3.5" thick wood for either. The compound allows cutting crown molding and or some angled side mitered corner boxes. I wanted to do the above but in all the years I've been woodworking I've made just one of those angled side boxes just to see how it was done.

A 10" slider lets you do wider but not thicker cuts. The 4" 45 degree cut is sometimes a limit on the 10" non-slider. Not often, but it does come up.

The 12" allows you to cut both 4x4s and angled cuts up to 6" wide material.

A 12" slider should handle most anything you would ever need to do.

Besides the cost you noted, the more advanced the saw the larger an area it needs to be setup... the big ones you won't want to move and they take over 2 feet depth, I think for the sliding mechanism and the bag.

So in the end you have to judge how much saw you need or can afford.

[sweensdv]

There are quite a few sliding miter saws out there that can be had for under $300. However, IMO, none of those can be considered a "quality" sliding miter saw. You will have some type of issue with all of them but if you don't mind constantly readjusting the saw, crummy slide mechanisms, inaccurate cuts or any of a number of other issues these saws have then one of those saws wil do.

[cabinetman]

I will be doing trim (first) - shelving and some shed construction later and would like to buy a sliding mitre saw ( I don't currently have a mitre saw) .. the price jump to a dual compound saw can be quite a bit - sears.ca has a sliding 10" currently on sale - doesn't look bad but sides a bit rough.

1) is it a huge advantage to have dual compound or can I get by as I'm not a contractor - since I would like to save the $$$

2) any suggestions for a saw $300 and under (if a quality saw is available around this price point) or is it best to jump to a dual compound (seem to be 500$ and up)

thanks

Stephen

When you say "dual compound" are you referring to "dual bevel", versus a "single bevel"?

.

[capnjack2]

Wood Magazine did a review recently of 10 inch sliders. They tested the Bosch 4405 and 4410, Craftsman 21237 and 21201, DeWalt DW717, Hitachi C1-FSH, Jet JMS-10SCMS, Kobalt SM2505LW, Makita LS1016L, and Ryobi TSS100L in the December 2010/January 2011 issue. Go here to check out the summary or you can download the review.

Jack

[conwaygolfer]

Keep an eye on Craigslist. Do a search for sliding miter saw and see what comes up. I picked up a dual bevel / compound Ridgid 12 inch last year for $300.00 They usually run about $500 plus.

The Ridgid has been great. I have had no issues with it.

Thanks,
Glenn
PS: the thing weighs about 85 lbs. So I bought the mobile stand for it. You may consider the 10 inch for lighter weight

[gsmittle]

I"m gonna cast a vote for a single bevel. I can't recall a time I've ever absolutely needed the opposite bevel. Other than that, a slider is probably the way to go, assuming you have the budget. (I don't have a slider.)

If you hit the lottery, check out Bosch's new saw, or the Festool.

g.

[3thumbs]

Since you are building a shed, and doing trim work, I am with several others here that say that you probably don't need a dual bevel, or even a slider for that matter. You can find some really high quality stuff from time to time on Craigslist, for an affordable price. If you buy it right, then down the road if you need that top of the line saw, you can unload your single bevel for probably close to what you paid for it.

[os1kne]

Since you are building a shed, and doing trim work, I am with several others here that say that you probably don't need a dual bevel, or even a slider for that matter. You can find some really high quality stuff from time to time on Craigslist, for an affordable price. If you buy it right, then down the road if you need that top of the line saw, you can unload your single bevel for probably close to what you paid for it.

I agree. I've had a 12" single bevel compound miter saw for probably about 10 years and used it for a ton of home improvement projects. There have been a handful of times that a slider would have been useful for the extra cut width, but not enough to justify the additional cost (for me). I would go with a 12" over the 10" mostly for the ability to crosscut a 4x4 - if you're doing home improvement projects, there's a pretty good chance that sooner or later you'll need to cut some 4x4 (or 4x6) posts. I know that you can get a good 12" CMS for under $300, but I doubt that you can get a good 10" or 12" SCMS for that amount. Good luck with your decision and your projects.

[Sawatzky]

Don't most 10 inch compound miter saws crosscut a 4x4? Mine does.

[dbhost]

Don't most 10 inch compound miter saws crosscut a 4x4? Mine does.

Not quite. At least not without flipping the lumber to complete the cut. I have found the same depth issue on my B&D Firestorm, as well as a friends Delta, and another ones DeWalt... I think just barely shy of 4x4 is standard for 10" non slider...

[Russianwolf]

If you want to use it for fine work, Go Hitachi or go home (I recommended them to a friend opening a picture framing business, and they still rave about it when I see them).

Looking at the Sears.ca site, I don't see alot of great options.

You may also want to see if you can find a Makita 10 inch slider, they can be had for less than $500 I know.

[BigguyZ]

What's the benefit of a slider? I have a Delta 12" Dual Bevel CMS and it's all I'd ever need. It has built in stops for crown, and it's one heck of a saw. Cost about $300, I think.

[dbhost]

The benefits of a slider is cross cutting capacity. I don't use the table saw to crosscut anything wider than about 48". It just gives me the heebie jeebies... So I tend to use the CMS for say cross cutting rough stock. My rack can only hold 8' material, and I tend to end up with a lot of 10 and 12' lengths. 10" wide is wider than at least the 10" non sliders I have had could handle. The slider has cross cut a LOT of 12" wide stock for me!

[frumper64]

My 10" Hitachi non-slider easily cross cuts 4x4 stock without flipping it over to complete the cut.

On second thought, maybe you meant real 4"x4" wide stock. I was referring to the PT 4x4 posts you get at the big box stores. I guess they are only really 3.5x3.5, but my saw does indeed cross cut them in one pass (at least at 90 degrees or close to it). I don't think it would make a one pass miter at 45 degrees.