Reccomend A Miter Saw To Me

B

Bruise Lee

Joined
Aug 4, 2002
Messages
363
What am I trying to build? Some custom cabinets for my weird sized kitchen number one. After that, I want to build an "around the ceiling model railroad" for my S-gauge train collection in my too small house. I want to build a lot of new crawl space covers that go all around my property. If that goes well, I want to try extending the loft in my garage so I can have more storage space and a proper space for my model railroad (I've got an architect friend to help on that).

I would say I'm much better at woodworking than your average person - I went to a trade school and I've been a landlord for 17 years, so I've repaired, fabricated, and installed a ton of things. Having said that, I'm definitely not a professional.

Anyways, I was looking at Home Depot. I've had good luck with DeWalt power tools, but man they can get expensive. I saw a nice DEWALT 15 Amp 12 in. Sliding Compound Miter Saw for $600, which I guess isn't too bad for a quality tool that will last you a lifetime.

But for $200 I saw a Ryobi 13 Amp 10 in. Sliding Compound Miter Saw with Laser . Is the DeWalt worth three times as much? They also carry Bosch, Rigid (is that a Home Depot brand?), and Makita.

What should I look for? What features do I need? Which features can I skip? Up until now I've made do with a hand saw and a miter box, and my dad's old GE sabre saw. Do I need a 12", or can I get away with a 10"?

Heck, is a miter saw even the best tool for the jobs I want to do?
 
Last edited:
If you value tools, and intend to use them continually, get the Dewalt. Other excellent sliders are the Bosch and Hitachi. In the U.S. I had my Dewalt on a HF folding base, and it worked fine. It's still in use in the largest wooden boat repair shipyard on the West Coast.

If it will make you feel any better the Dewalt is over $1200 here in Australia.

If you value your projects, $600 is not too much: Check if Lowe's is selling it cheaper. Print the local price of the www and save 10% over the Home Depot price - that's what I did.

You'll need a decent table saw. The old Crafgtsman saws from the 50's go cheap on Craigslist. Replacing bearings is a simple job. For your model train set up a decent bandsaw is a good investment. 14" Rockwell/Delta is the standard.
 
Check out the new Makita articulated arm miter saw. It is awesome. Milwaukee has great products too. If you are looking to save some money the Dewalts are excellent products for the money. The also have a shadow cut line add on instead of a laser. Cuts right where the shadow falls instead of on the side of the laser.
 
I would look for one that has the ability to adjust the blade height that way you can make dado and rabbit cuts. Rigid's offer that. Not sure if Dewalt has that feature.

On a side note, I picked up a Kreg jig system for a built in shelving project and highly recommend it.
 
Kreg jigs are awesome.

I don't care for the DeWalt miter saws, I use the Miluwake... Other ones I've used and liked are Makita and Bosch. I don't do cheap tools. Not worth it. I don't care for the Hitachi. It's not bad, I just don't like it. The Rigid is pretty decent, but I like the first three mentioned more.
 
Bernoulli said:
You'll need a decent table saw. The old Crafgtsman saws from the 50's go cheap on Craigslist. Replacing bearings is a simple job. For your model train set up a decent bandsaw is a good investment. 14" Rockwell/Delta is the standard.
Click to expand...
Never having owned a table saw, a chop saw, or a miter saw, what advantage does the table saw have over the miter saw? What can it do the miter saw can't?
 
Long straight cuts. Ripping boards to width, cutting anything over the capacity of your miter saw. With a good table saw and a good miter saw you can make about anything cabinet-wise. My dad uses a table saw from the 50s and it works amazingly. He has a 12" Dewalt miter saw. Definitely don't cheap out on a miter saw, and get a 12". It will be worth it.
 
I just spoke to the best wood working guy in my train club, and he agrees with you. He said 12" is the way to go. And not to cheap out. Although, he said Craftsman is worth serious consideration. He has a DeWalt.
 
I have a cheap craftsman 10" slider. I don't use it everyday but it has received its use between my father in law and myself. Glad I bought the saw...unlike the craftsman lawnmower.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top