Re: Table Saw or Miter Saw?
If you're looking at portable table saws, and by the sounds of it you are, then have a look at the Makita and the Delta while your shopping. If the new Makitas are anything like the old ones, they're indestructible but wonderfully accurate machines. One minute being abused running an abrasive masonry blade cutting up steel, the next doing fine carpentry. I've always liked the Deltas too, although I don't have nearly the experience with them as the Makitas.<br />I can't say I'm a big fan of the Craftsman ones though. Maybe I'm just unlucky, or maybe the ones in the 'States are better, but I've found them to suffer from strong vibrations. Settings would drift but maybe this was an effect of the broken control handles. <br /><br />Anyway, those are just opinions. Try to test the saws before buying them. See out how easily the rip fence sets up. Check for any play in the mitre slider since if it's not precise, you will not be able to make good cross cuts. If you can, run the saw and check out how much it vibrates. Set a pencil on it and watch it walk around. Run all the actions to their limits. Is it easy enough to wind the blade up and down? What effort does it take to set, say, 36°? Do they operate smoothly, and do they look like they will when covered in sawdust? Features are inconsequential.<br /><br />As for mitres - I've got a 10" DeWalt compound mitre. It's a tough, able and accurate saw. My favourite was either the 10" sliding compound Hitachi (expensive) which was a beautiful machine. Or the 10" (old style) Ryobi plain mitre which got dropped off a couple roofs, left out in the rain, cut steel, and still made nice accurate cuts in wood. 12" saws are nice - you can usually make a mitre in 2x6 in one cut - but good blades for them are pricey.
