electric compound miter saw

[JHZR2]

Hi,

A guy at work suggested to me to buy a compound miter saw if Im interested in putting up chair rails, mouldings around the ceiling, etc... in that it simplifies life extremely over using a miter box and hand saw.

In your experiences, would you agree, or can the basic home improvement wannabe get by with a good hand saw and miter box for mouldings around the ceiling, chair rails, etc.?

If I wanted to get a good electric compound miter saw, what would you reccomend? It seems that there are lots of options in the sub $200 range, and lots in the $479 and up range... Obviously Id like to get the better product, unless there isnt much of a difference. I saw a hitachi dual bevel compopund miter saw, which was $499, which looked really nice...

But Id guess that there is a nice milwaukee that is similar???

I dont really know what I want/need or which is the best. Though Im buying a home soon, spending a bit more $$$ for something really good that will do what I might need it to do in the future (whatever that is) doesnt scare me.

Any advice would be great..

Thanks!

 

[Papa Bear]

Sorry, you have to join "Bob the Builder" forum for that information.
P.B.

 

[JHZR2]

awwww, come on... this forum is a wealth of info in every department!

 

[johnsmith]

I found you a forum... happy home owner...ing (?)
http://forum.doityourself.com/

 

[michaelc80]

If you are planning to do any wood work at all one of the best investments you'll make is a quality miter saw. I bought a good quality DeWalt many years ago and I wouldn't be without it. I have used it more than any other wood working tool I own.

In my opinion the laser feature is nice but not needed unless you're using it a lot. Make sure it's comfortable to use and easy to adjust.

 

[Stewart Fan]

When I installed new windows a couple years ago I bought a Hitachi copound miter saw. Before that I was using a hand saw and miter box for the small projects around the house. Since getting the CM saw I've installed windows,doors,new moulding throughout the house and have more projects on the way. The CM saw makes it so much faster to finish projects IMO its WELL worth the $$$

 

[TooManyWheels]

I can't imagine doing in a miter box what a CMS does.

You have two basic decisions - 10" or 12", and sliding or non. A 10" fixed is the most accurate (less flex in the blade and frame), a 12" sliding would handle the largest range of molding sizes. The latter feature is particularly important when you get to the larger sizes of crown molding, which you have to accomodate physically on the saw while it is doing both miter and bevel cuts.

I would recommend doing some serious research on the alt.homerepair newsgroup. From my own experience I would pay particular attention to the range of adjustment (I now consider a dual bevel feature mandatory) and fine granularity of adjustment and locking.

I bought a 10" non-sliding Milwaukee, which I am relatively pleased with. It may not be the ultimate saw, but I am increasingly in the habit of doing internet research, and, rather than buying the "ultimate product", buying a decent middle of the road model in order to get a personal feel for what is really important. I will later upgrade to a better product relative to my own likes/dislikes if needed.

[ April 18, 2006, 12:13 AM: Message edited by: TooManyWheels ]

 

[Bret Chase]

You really need to define what is "best" for you. I've got both a hand compound miter box and a top of last years line Dewalt double compound slide miter saw. now at work, when time is an issue, the dewalt kicks ***.. if I want it *perfect* I use the hand box. Dewalt changed the design of the sliders this year to a horizontal parallel rail...mine's got vertical parallel rails. I've already had mine in for a warranty adjustment once and it's not even a year old.

IMHO.. laser sights are very gimicky.. if you know what you're doing, you really don't need it. I've yet to see one on a jobsite.

 

[1sttruck]

My wife gave me a Dewalt 10in CMS awhile back, and after sawing things by hand for years I wonder why I bothered :^) A sliding CMS would be nice, but at about 3x the price silly money unless you have a specific use for one. Thin kerf carbide blades work well for my general purpose needs, especially when sawing thru seasoned fir.

 

[GoldenRod]

So you're back to talking about power tools again huh?

Delta makes a nice little mitre saw that is just over a $100 at Lowes. Check it out.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

I got a Delta 10" basic version in 1998 and never regretted it. It is handy for an amazing number of cutting requirements that I used to have to haul out the circular saw out to accomplish. Most use is for floor trim and crown moulding.

 

[Matt_S]

I have a crappy old Black and Decker compound miter saw I bought for $20 at a garage sale. Even that's 20 times better than the old manual miter box I was using. IMHO, a cheaper one will be fine if you're just using it for the occasional weekend project. If it's something you'll be earning a living with, go for the better saw. All you need is something that will be reasonably accurate to cut a nice miter.

 

[joatmon]

I've had a Bosch 3915 for quite a few years. It's a 10" slider and will cut a 12" board at 90 deg. I like the stability of the Bosch and think its toggle clamp is very useful. It's also has very good detents for cutting moulding.

I normally throw a Freud blade on any saw, but the stock blade has been very good. I'd rate this saw as "Best Buy" and I actually use my table saw seldom because the "slider" is better for most cutting needs.

For a new homeowner, it's a tough saw to beat. Oh, and you don't need a gas guzzling pickup or SUV to carry the thing!

Good luck,

Jack