Sliding mitre saw decision

[Joe Ciarci]

In the market for a new cms. Torn between a good 12" dual bevel compound or a slider . I'm a homeowner doing a lot of remodeling involving crown molding , chair rails, wainscoting and the like. I also get involved in finer wood working as in fire palace surrounds , occasional detailed shelving and built ins . I will be eventually delving into cabinetry . I own a decent cast iron top table saw with a 24" rip capacity, a less expensive one with a slide and numerous power tools both stationary and portable . My skills are slow but accurate. My old Delta 10"compound is on its way out . Time to replace . Could I realy benefit from a slider or is it a waste of money ? I don't own a radial arm saw.

[Black wallnut]

Hi Joe,
Sorry this thread sat in moderation for so long. I've no specific advice since I have neither type of miter saw.

[onedash]

I have a 10" porter cable that works just fine for smaller boards. I very much want to upgrade to the sliding 12" dewalt. Quite often I have boards that are too wide and flipping them just never makes a perfect cut. Once in a while I can lift the board to get that last sliver but I don't like doing that. The $600 price tag though has prevented me from pulling the trigger. I haven't used it before but have read enough reviews to know that unless something better comes along that will probably be the one to replace what I have now. The big bosch would probably be my second choice or if it was on clearance somehow might get bumped into first place. Haven't used that one either.

[JimD]

I use a RAS and a 12 inch Hitachi dual bevel I paid about $150 for. I do cuts within the CMS's capacity on it. I do wider cross cuts on the RAS. Both are on a common bench with aligned fences. I have considered a slider but the added depth of the bench has stopped me. I like the price and design of the Hitachi 12 inch slider. I also like the Bosch glide saws but they cost significantly more - but half what a Kapek costs.

I also keep a 10 inch around for when I don't want to go back and forth to the shop.

[cwsmith]

I have a Craftsman 10" RAS and I love it, also a Ridgid CMS which is okay, but not a slider. While my CMS does a great job with miters, it isn't nearly as accurate with bevel cuts and in fact, is quite sloppy. It is also pretty limited to 6" maximum width (it's a 10-inch). If I were to buy another CMS, it would definitely be a slider.

A sliding compound miter saw just seems a like a much more capable machine to do wider crosscuts, and both miter and bevel cuts. But I'm not sure what brand that would be. I see guys walking out of my local HF store all the time with their particular SCMS. They're a fraction of the cost of many of the models that I see at the big box stores, but I cannot attest to their accuracy.

Unless you're set up permanently, another considerable cost is a portable stand. One of the lowest cost stands is the Ryobi, which runs right around a $100. I bought mine when they first came out. No wheels and it's fairly heavy. But I like the fold-up legs and it's easy to carry to where you want it and it set up quickly. Quite sturdy too.

CWS

[Joe Ciarci]

Will the dewalt or hitachi 10" cut crown molding on the vertical if I choose to save alittle money ? Having a lot of trouble justifying 550 to 600 for a 12" slider .

[LCHIEN]

I upgraded from a 10" CMS to a 12" dual bevel CMS by Hitachi. C12FDH
I considered a slider at the time but the depth the tool required in the shop discouraged me from that.

Pretty much the 12" CMS cut 99.9% of the boards I wanted to do, up from the 90% that the 10" did -
the 10" would not cut 4x4s and 1x6's all the way through on 90 degree cuts.

[capncarl]

I have a 10" double bevel sliding miter saw. I'm not really delighted with its accuracy. Whatever sliding miter saw we purchase we always expect accuracy that the saw may not be able to provide. My complaint is that the mfg of the saw does not engineer the accuracy into the saw, and you may never be happy with its cuts. Do not expect accuracy out of a cheap saw. I've been fighting with accuracy problems on my 10" compound sliding Hitachi for years. There is no good way to check the blade against the back fence. The angle indicators can not be trusted. It they say 45 and you make a picture frame with it you can spend the rest of the night dabbling with solutions to make all angles fit an may never get it right. I've completely replaced my fences with large adjustable back fences and with nice Kreg vice grip type hold downs. Better fence and hold downs than any I have seen on the market. When I want to get a perfect angle I have to get out the Wixley digital angle gauge and fiddle with the saw for a while, and heaven forbid I have to shift the cut to the other side of the blade.
My advice, from years of experience, buy the best saw you can find. Do your research and test drive it if you can. If you can't afford it, wait until you can afford it because if you settle for second choice you will always wish you had waited. I wish that I had followed the quote that was posted here earlier. If you need a machine and don’t buy it, then you will ultimately find that you have paid for it and don’t have it. I figure that I have paid for a premium machine with time wasted setting my machine up, building new fences and wood that I have wasted by bad cuts! I am not sure that there is an really accurate sliding miter saw that meets my expectations.
capncarl

[Condoman44]

I have had a chop saw for years. Mostly used for cabinet making and hardwood floor installation. I started with a Delta and it got to heavy to lug around. Switched to Hitachi and it was fine until I got the bug and went looking for a slider.

First try was a Craftsman that almost made me give up because it was so poorly made. That got returned and I bought a refurbished Bosch CM10GD. That is the slider without the rails but a complex knuckle that does the job. At this stage of life I no longer will lug this around so it is considered a permanent tool. It is very accurate and well made. Good features and dust collection.

Now the Hitachi is sidelined for lugging around for a few flooring jobs.

[poolhound]

I have a 10" Bosch EZ Glide. will x-cut up to 12" They do also make a 12" version. I treated myself when I finished my new shop. The articulating arm is awesome. It really can go right up against a wall with just a little clearance to allow for turning when you cut miters. It is VERY solidly built, great in the shop but not the easiest if you want a jobsite saw as it weighs in a 65lbs. Unless of course you have The Rock handy to move it around for you!

[vaking]

For crown moldings 12" non-slider is the best. It gives you ability to cut moldings up to 6" size against the fence without getting complex compound angles you would need to cut the molding flat on the table. Slider will not give you that ability, even 12" slider. 10" slider might not even cut 4" molding against the fence. Sliding mechanism requires sacrifices in depth of cut the saw can make. Mechanics in a slider is more complex which means slider must be either less accurate or much more expensive. Slider is also a lot deeper and needs more space in the shop. The only advantage of a slider is bigger size of crosscut it can make. 12" non-slider can crosscut up to 8", slider can crosscut 14" roughly. if you don't need a lot of crosscuts above 8" or you can handle it on a table saw - get CMS.

[tfischer]

I upgraded my venerable Ryobi 10" to a Hitachi C12RSH dual bevel slider a couple months ago and I couldn't be more pleased.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgLWv7naHks

[capncarl]

This thread has jogged me feble mind and made me wonder what the green people use? I've seen the Festool Kapex sliding miter in Highland Woodworking and backed away quickly when I saw the cost. $1475. But thinking back I know for a fact that I have spent more than that on radial arm, chop saws, single tilt miter and double tilt miter saws, and a still don't have one that will cut worth a flip! I've used the 12" dewalt and consider it to be one of the best sliding miters and would want have probably upgraded to it had this thread not come along and made me re-think it.
Has anyone a on this site actually used a Kapex?
Capncarl

[twistsol]

My first Festool was the Kapex and I have to say, other than the $1200 price tag back in 2008, I can find no fault with it. It is extremely accurate, can cut up to 12" wide, and since it slides forwards on fixed rails, can be place up against a wall. Paired with a CT33 dust collector it is nearly sawdust free. My previous miter saw was a 10" Delta non slider which was really really bad. I also have a 1960's 8 1/4" DeWalt radial arm saw that gets very little use, but I keep it for nostalgic reasons ... It was my dad's and he decided to give up his power tools when he lost is sight a few years ago. I think it can do about 13" crosscut. I had a BT3100 table saw which I gave up in favor of a Shopsmith and a Festool TS75 track saw. I think I may come to regret the Shopsmith purchase but the TS75 is indispensable.

In fact, the Kapex is so good and such a pleasure to use, it led me down the slippery slope to many more Festools, (guzzle the green kool-aid here) 13 in all plus an MFT/3 and two CT33 dust collectors and I still have two more on my to buy list. The Kapex is one of the few stand alone Festool items you can buy. Most of the others are part of the Festool system and each one builds on the others.

Expensive doesn't necessarily equate to quality. My $299 BT3100 was very accurate and served me well for many years despite being one of the least expensive saws on the market. I think Bosch and Hitachi and perhaps others now have models that can rival the Kapex in every way but at a much lower price.