Mitre Saw Opinions please

[Bigprairie1]

Guys
I'm in the market for a good used Compound Mitre Saw...and there tons of them out there right now for some reason. So, here are a few of the choices in terms of brand:
Dewalt / Makita / Craftsman / Ryobi / Rigid / Delta
Do you have any experience with any of these and are or were you happy with it?
Any to stay away from?
(note: the ones I was looking at locally are all pretty new compound slider units apparently bought by well intended home owners who may finished their weekend project(s) or succummbed to 'buy it Saturday' at home depot)
Anyways, I'm keen to hear your experiences or issues with these.
thanks
BP

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

I have this Dewalt:
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW715-...d=1352826721&sr=1-2&keywords=dewalt+12"+mitre

Done lots of molding with it including crown. It works well. I have no experience with the other brands.

EDIT: Corrected link to 12" model. Not sure if this link is the exact model I have

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

I have a DeWalt too. I like it.......

It's a DW705 12". I see that specific model is discontinued.......

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

I currently have three saws, one Ryobi, which gets the most use, compound model, and two Dewalts, as far as saws go, I have found the Ryobi just as good as any of them and they are inexpensive, I picked mine up at the local pawn shop for $50 4 years ago.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

Interesting feedback.
I've always been a fan of the Dewalt stuff and I've always had good luck with the brand...which is probably 75% of my power tools.
One of the ones for sale is a Ryobi with a stand which looks pretty good...but I don't know much about Ryobi. Now, keep in mind I'm not using this for industrial/commercial work and it will only see service in my ongoing (endless?) basement renovation.
They are all currently in the $100 'asking' range and none of them seem to be moving off the shelf quickly (so to speak) so I figure I pretty much have my pick of the pack for a reasonable offer.
Hmmm.
BP

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

One you didn't mention is Bosch, I have found their tools to be a very good value for a heavier use tool. I've got a Bosch and a Dewalt, the Bosch can do anything the Dewalt can. Bosch has a safety interlock that is wierd to use if you are/use it lefthanded.

 

[BlkY2k]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

I keep 2 miter boxes around. A 12" Dewalt compound that I use for trim work. I went out and bought a Freud blade for it and it made a world of difference, cuts like butter nice and clean. I also keep a old 10" Delta with the cast iron base around for use as a cutoff saw for 2x materials. Ive been watching craigslist for a portable stand for the Dewalt.

 

[Grandad]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

I bought a 10" Haussmann double bevel compund mitre saw a couple of years ago from Rona. It was the most economically priced new saw for the features. It has a right angle drive that's a bit noisy I think, but it has performed well for me for trimming a few rooms and stairways. The laser guide is a nice feature, but I found that the protective cover on the laser gets dusty on the inside, making the feature useless unless you leave the cover off. You may be better off buying higher quality used. - Grandad
10-in Laser Sliding Compound Mitre Saw | RONA
Haussmann Tools - 10

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

One thing you have to remember, many of these tools are made by the same company now a days, there was a big buy out of different tool companies in the late 90's, they all have different names, but the majority of them are owned and made by the same factories.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

One thing you have to remember, many of these tools are made by the same company now a days, there was a big buy out of different tool companies in the late 90's, they all have different names, but the majority of them are owned and made by the same factories.

I totally agree. Brand names do not mean much these days, competitors even buy from each other in China and Mexico . I would check for abuse,rigidity, positive stops and adjustments for calibrating the saw. For home use I don't think you can go wrong with any of these.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

As a contractor for 30 years I won't buy most tools available at the big box stores. I've thrown away every brand out there at one time or another. Find yourself a good professional supply house to shop for tools at. They will have many superior models (even though they are common brands) not available at the big box stores that are over time a much better value. I have at times bought "disposable" tools like Ryobi and DeWalt for the field guys, but never expected top performance or life out of them and never got it either. For my personal power tools, I go with Makita, Porter Cable, Milwaukee, Hilti and Bosh. With any saw, the blade is the difference. I run Freuds in my mitre saw and table saws.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

With our times, I often think we all over think questions like this, get what works and run the heck out of it, then go and buy another one~

I agree with dockwrecker, buy the best blade you can get, that will make the difference..not the saw.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

I use Freud blades too but find in a miter saw installing MDF, it doesn't matter. Probably does doing hardwood though.

 

[nwcove]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

jmo, but almost any name brand mitre saw will be ok for a basement reno. id be a bit leary of high end saws that may have seen 1000's of hours of use tho, tradesmen tend to use them till they get a bit loose , then sell them off. ideally, find one that suits your needs and was used by someone that bought it new to do something similiar to what you are doing, then found no need to keep it after the project was complete.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

With any saw, the blade is the difference. I run Freuds in my mitre saw and table saws.

^^^^. +100 on the blades...and equally important is spending some time tuning the saw.

But I gave up on Freud when I discovered Dimar blades....and gave up on Dimar when I found Forrest blades.
A Forrest Chopmaster in a well tuned sliding miter saw will change how you do woodwork.

Nothing inherently wrong with Freud, but with the cost of high quality stock, you want the best blade you can get.

 

[colbyt]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

I own a Delta 10" and it has served me well. At 38 pounds it is about all my bad back and knee will allow me to carry around. Zero problems over the years.

If you can deal with the extra weight the 12" models are a better choice. For more weight still and options a sliding miter may be something to look at. The sliding models were not an option when I bought mine. One might be a nice option for siding cuts on gables.

I suspect the average DIY guy will be happy with any of the known brands.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

Real happy with my 10" Ryobe slider. Picked it up as "reconditioned" for $150, and it came with a stand that folds up and on wheels. Not commertial use heavy duty, but works great for my home projects. Tight and accurate.

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

I suspect the average DIY guy will be happy with any of the known brands.

Just to attest to the quality of a cheaper brand, my Ryobi 10" has had the carp used out of it. Honestly, I've used it to cut more firewood out of fallen branches in the back yard than anything else and it's still dead on accurate when I need it to be. Granted, I'm not doing custom finish carpentry but I do use it to cut acrylic to precise angles and lengths all the time and haven't had a single issue in our robotic, waterproof camera dome systems.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

I've had a Rigid 12" compound miter for about 13 years and the only thing I would change is that I'd have spent the extra $$$ and got the sliding version for the extra capacity.

This is the newer version of mine. Looks the same except no laser on mine.
Ridgid R4120 Saw, 12-Inch Compound Miter with Laser - Amazon.com

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Mitre Saw Opinions please

So, I am curious. How much does the laser actually help?