What to look for in a compound miter saw?

[N80]

I'm in the market for a miter saw. I have a variety of projects coming up that will make one very very handy but I don't really know what I need. I'll be facing some exterior deck stairs (risers), building a trellis and a small picket fence, probably building some interior, simple book shelves and building bed rails for the pocket stakes on my trailer, etc. etc. etc.

Yes, I could be doing a lot of this with a circular saw, and I always have, but I think I'd get better results, faster, with a sliding chop saw.

I will not be cutting much, if any, molding.

I'm pretty sure I want a 12" and fair power (15 amp?) as I will be cutting some treated lumber and possible some 4x4s. I want the sliding type as well.

Other than that I don't know what to look for. I don't even know what single bevel vs double bevel means. Any advice much appreciated.

 

[smstonypoint]

First, dual bevel allows you to tilt the saw blade both left and right of vertical.


I have a Makita 10" dual-bevel compound slider. It's a handful to move so I keep it in my shop and bring the work to it. I also have an inexpensive Hitachi 10" single bevel non-slider that is easy to move and provides enough accuracy on the occasions when I don't want to bother taking work to my shop.

I would advise that you heft both 10" and 12" sliders before deciding which size to buy.

IMO, you can accomplish your tasks with a 10" slider. In doing so, you would save on the cost of the saw and its blades, as well as avoiding trips to the chiropractor.

Regardless of which saw you choose, build or buy a quality saw stand.

Steve

 

[N80]

I had not thought about portability. It will stay in one place most of the time but there will be times I need to move it. The 12" I'm looking at is quite heavy.

 

[LittleBill21]

get the double bevel, it will screw you if you do any type of advance cut and don't have it, also get the quick attach table with slide out rollers, wood is extremely heavy

 

[bigtiller]

I bought my sliding compound miter saw 20some years ago and the main thing i look at was how much it wiggled. :confused3: I would slide the saw out to it's maximum reach at 90 degrees and check how much effort it took to get the blade to move 1/16" or so. Left, right, clockwise and counter clockwise. Some brands were pretty sloppy. The last brand i checked was an Hitachi. I bought it on the spot and still use it.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I bought my sliding compound miter saw 20some years ago and the main thing i look at was how much it wiggled. :confused3: I would slide the saw out to it's maximum reach at 90 degrees and check how much effort it took to get the blade to move 1/16" or so. Left, right, clockwise and counter clockwise. Some brands were pretty sloppy. The last brand i checked was an Hitachi. I bought it on the spot and still use it.

I have an Hitachi sliding compound miter saw also. It's at least 20 years old, and I wouldn't trade it for all the chop saws in China. It' a 10", and it only bevels one direction...but I don't use it for anything heavy, just my woodworking hobby. I have no complaints.

 

[tractorshopper]

Since I'm spending your money, I'd buy a Dewalt 12" double bevel slider. Seriously, that's what I have for myself and I'd buy it again with no hesitation. This size will allow you to do all sizes of common lumber even on some strange fairly long angles (think stair stringers). As Steve said, buy quality. If you buy a quality brand, you'll potentially never need another one. I have yet to buy a subpar tool made by Dewalt.

+1 on what Little Bill said also. If you can afford to buy a table setup designed for it, it will help you immensely. You can also build your own chopsaw table/bench, but they make some nice ones now that aren't terribly expensive.

 

[Billrog]

Maybe heavier but I think 12" comes in handy I've had a Mikita 10" for over 20 years compound sliding and still dead acurate but keeping my eyes open for a good used 12" maybe a
Bosch GCM12SD 120-Volt 12-Inch DB Glide
as it takes up less space.

 

[joefromga]

The best thing about dual bevel is that sometimes you can't move your wood because maybe you're in a corner or near a wall so you can just flip it and cut backwards. It saves a lot of time.

Otherwise, it sounds like you know what you want. All the name brands are good. Spend the money and you won't be disappointed. Blades are key and the best blades do cut like butter. Either sharpen them or keep them replaced often and any saw will give you years of use.

 

[Egon]

12 inch, dual bevel, Bosh uniglide.

There are lots of stands with wheels.