Compound Miter Saw Review

[mogandave]

Bought a new saw a couple months ago and I have been very pleased with it, so I thought I would provide a review.

 

First, be advised that ฿5,999 for a 10” new in box double miter saw means this is a CHEAP saw, and as such, it is not intended for production work, but is is IMO a great saw for the money.

 

The bad:

Mat’l hold-downs: While usable, theses are not great.

Mat’l supports: Similar to the hold-downs in that they are helpful, but not robust enough for anything heavy.

Dust collector: This feature might work well with a vacuum attached, but the bag is all but useless.

 

The good:

Price: ฿6K is pretty though to beat

Motor: Runs and sounds good, cut a 3” X 3” without slowing down

Accuracy: Nice square cuts out of the box

Track: glides smooth and tight. Stuck a little at first when all the way forward, but wore in nicely

Blade: Surprisingly decent carbide tipped 10” X 80 tooth blade

Miter-gages: easy to read, and accurate out of the box

Capacity: the will cut a 12” board (know) or (I assume) 24” if flipped. It looks like it will cut a thickness up to ~90mm, but I only tried it to 3”

Laser pointer: this is handy, but not a substitute for eyeballing.

Portability: not too heavy, and the way the handle is configured on the top, it surprisingly easy to tote up and down stairs with one hand by a fat old man.

 

All in all I am very pleased with it. At some point I would build a stand for it with better supports and gaging, but it’s been great for what I’ve been doing.

 

I’ve used both miters, but I have not cut a double-miter.

 

 

 

[canuckamuck]

 Thanks, a miter saw is on my list, nice to have some info.

[RideJocky]

 Thanks, a miter saw is on my list, nice to have some info.

Pretty tough to go wrong with this fo the money.

I also like the way it slides. It locks down and works like a little radial arm saw, although without a height adjustment.

[canopy]

3 hours ago, mogandave said:

Laser pointer: this is handy, but not a substitute for eyeballing.

I don't know how eyeballing could improve upon a laser. Or maybe it works different than other miter saws. I have the Hitachi 12" compound miter saw. Lining up to the laser is great for accurate cuts. It cuts dead perfect down the laser line. The laser can be adjusted to line up on the left or right side of the kerf. The Hitachi is a good saw in my experience btw, but also very expensive (>20K).

 

[RideJocky]

I don't know how eyeballing could improve upon a laser. Or maybe it works different than other miter saws. I have the Hitachi 12" compound miter saw. Lining up to the laser is great for accurate cuts. It cuts dead perfect down the laser line. The laser can be adjusted to line up on the left or right side of the kerf. The Hitachi is a good saw in my experience btw, but also very expensive (>20K).
 

Switching sides of the line with my eye does not require an adjustment.

It seems accurate enough, I just don’t trust it....

[canopy]

I can see if one sometimes cuts left and sometimes right it would need eyeballed. What I do is always position the work piece so the cutoff is on the same side. Then the laser line is true every time. And with such consistency there's less room for accidentally positioning the blade over the wrong side of the line. There's also the Festool 10" compound miter which puts a laser on *both* sides. That's even better because it shows the kerf perfectly before cutting and so it is easy to line up on either side.

 

[mogandave]

I can see if one sometimes cuts left and sometimes right it would need eyeballed. What I do is always position the work piece so the cutoff is on the same side. Then the laser line is true every time. And with such consistency there's less room for accidentally positioning the blade over the wrong side of the line. There's also the Festool 10" compound miter which puts a laser on *both* sides. That's even better because it shows the kerf perfectly before cutting and so it is easy to line up on either side.
 

In any event, using a laser, your cut is never any more accurate than your mark.

We’re I going to spend that much I would go a little more and get a radial arm saw, which is much more versatile