Jeremy German Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 How useful is a mitre saw for furniture building when you already have a table saw? I've got a Craftsman 12" sliding that I hate, I've used it to cut stuff to length pretty often (though usually 2x6s for garden beds). I'm thinking of grabbing a Kapex, but it seems like the table saw can handle most of that work. If I'm only going to use it for cutting molding I'd just keep the crafstman hidden away, but if I'll be using it regularly for furniture I'd rather have the Kapex set up and ready to go whenever. Usually I'd wait until I thought I needed it, but I have a small area and I'm planning out tool purchases way ahead of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 If I were building beds I would not have the space or setup to do all my crosscutting on a table saw. I like to rough cut on a chop/miter anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 I use my table saw for nearly all of my cross cuts. I only have a 10" CMS so its not of much use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robjeffking Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 Yeah what Shaffer said very useful cutting down the ends of long stock cutting out twisted material and with an older blade it saves your expensive ts blade. There will be situations when the workpiece needs to be stationary for a cut versus moving through the blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spencer_J Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 i recommend planning for flexibility and work flow. I have a 12" makita SCMS that gets me about 15" of cross cut and a sliding table on my unisaw that gets me 36" of crosscut. a lot of times, I have several projects going at once so maybe i'll have my ripping blade on the table saw and need to make a short run of aprons. it's faster for me to just walk over to the miter saw which usually has a 100T finish blade on it and chop out the aprons, than to set up the slider. i enjoy combining both tools to get my work done easily. I find the miter saw more comfortable to use when sneaking up on angled pieces or fine tuning templates. the laser makes quick work for cross cut trimming and taking off a "hair" before dialing it in with hand tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 I see a miter saw more of a construction tool. BUT on the other hand its great for breaking down boards that may otherwise cause a kickback on the table saw. I see the Kapex as accurate enough except for things like mitered cabinet doors. If you have the space it would be a nice addition. You really get what you pay for when it comes to miter saws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 ==> You really get what you pay for when it comes to miter saws. +1 For over a decade I had your typical BORG/DIY SCMS (DeWalt) that's still very popular with trim contractors --- it was great for trim and general DIY, but not accurate enough for furniture. Thus I relied on a cross-cut sled/TS... My workflow almost always included a cross-cut sled (I had two at the time -- a 9" and 20" depth).... Over time, I saw more and more friends using a kapex during furniture builds... I was quite skeptical at first (after all, MY workflow MUST be better than theirs -- right?). But over time, I broke-down and decided to give FT's 30-day trial a go. I was immediately hooked... Over time, the kapex has become more ingrained in my workflow. I've actually discarded my small cross-cut sled... I almost never use a CC sled anymore... As to the OP -- it really depends on your workflow and type of projects you do... The kapex has been a very welcome to my shop, but it may not do much for you. If in doubt, I'd give FT's 30-day trial a go... Also, Bosch makes a 10" SCMS that quite worth taking a look at -- and it's several hundred less than the kapex... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 19, 2013 Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 I wouldn't want to be without some sort of crosscutter other than a sled. In the shop, I keep a well tuned radial arm saw just for crosscutting, anything other than wide stuff that needs to go on the tablesaw. The silding miter serves the purpose on a jobsite, and to cut angles when it's in the shop. I do all my production runs of shoulder cuts on the radial arm saw, as well as precision cuts to length. The sled actually very rarely gets pulled out. The radial arm is nothing fancy either. It's a 12" Craftsman (actually the last Craftsman anything that's still running here), that I bought new in 1974. It is precision aligned though with a good Forrest blade. It doesn't get used for anything heavy-mostly doors, cabinet, and furniture. It has long benches on both sides of 3/4 Birch plywood. Stop blocks just get clamped to the wooden fence. The thing I like best about it, is that the switch is right under my right thumb next to the handle. The arm is heavy cast iron, and I don't think they make them like this any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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