Spackler Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 I desperately need a new miter saw. The hand-me-down Makita 10" has tortured me for the last time! I have talked myself out of a Festool. I'm sure they're great, but initial cost as well as the pricey accessories make it a deal breaker. What is the second place option for you guys? I almost pulled the trigger on the Bosch Axial Glide, but am nervous about poor reviews. Crown moulding is not a big part of my life. 5/4 White Oak is a huge part, however. What would you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodhack Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I've had the new Makita 10" slider since December and I really like it a lot. I don't know what the model number is but it's the one with 4 posts which the saw slides on. It was dead-on accurate right out of the box and making adjustments is very easy. Dust collection is very good if you hook it up to a vacuum but not so good if you just use the bag. The blade it comes with is even decent if you need to start cutting right away. I will admit though that I have ordered a replacement Freud blade, but that's got more to do with my distrust of OEM blades than anything else. I paid $550 at HD and got a free circular saw with purchase that I sold on ebay for $60 so my net cost was $490 which I feel is a bargain for this quality of saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I like my DeWalt 715. If I was doing it over I'd spend a few more bucks and get the double bevel version, the 716. There's a neat little accessory that you can get for it - it's a bright white LED light that goes above the blade so that the blade casts a shadow on your work-piece. It shows you exactly where each side of the kerf will cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 i've had a dewalt 12" slideing miter saw for probily 15yrs with a good freud blade i get glass smooth cuts every time.i've used it on job sites it travels well and i have a portable base i use on job sites and a dedicated station in my shop. if it broke tommorow i would have another tommorow night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I have a Hitachi 12" slider. It has a rails forward design which makes it perfect for being mounted permanately in my shop. It can sit a whole lot closer to the wall than anything out there. Right now you can get them fairly resonably at Costco. Dual bevel plus a laser and digital read out for angle and bevel. It is really really sweet. I think its the best out there, with the possible exception of the Festool. (at about 1/3 the price.) The only thing about the Hitachi 12" is that if you plan to haul it around, it is rediculously heavy. For me, not a problem. I keep it mounted in the shop. But I know some like to bring their miter saw with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I have had the Porter Cable 12" for around 7yrs and love it, very smooth operations and still cuts like a dream. I do like the dual lasers and wouldn't want to part with them (mainly for helping find miter and bevel angles) they are very accurate but do still creep up on the cuts for perfection but don't have to always go to the shooting board like I did before I bought this saw. The thing that I see on the newer saws that I really like is the up front bevel controls, I have never played around with them but sure seem handy. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Dewalt 12" sliding compound miter saw or the ridgid 12" sliding compound miter saw. it's hard to overlook ridgid's lifetime warranty. truly a saw for life if you want it to be. i don't think u can go wrong with either saw. just be sure you get one with a slide. it's invaluable. gives you so much more cut capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spackler Posted January 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 OK. I've vacillated long enough. I decided on the Hitachi sliding double-compound. It's huge, but I don't plan on hauling it anywhere. I also like the micro-adjusters for the bevel and miter movements as opposed to the open-palm love tap. It also has a spring loaded screw that limits the travel of the "chop" action for quick and dirty dados. The 12" was on-sale at Lowe's for $399 which was cheaper than the 10" options. The sliding action can be adjusted in order to opperate closer to a back wall and the slide itself was a lot smoother than any of the other floor models. This particular model does not have the digital readout for bevel and miter locations, but after reading reviews it seems that the readout only shows .5 increments anyway and I'm pretty sure my eyeball can do that. It does have a laser, which is space-age compared to my old saw. The laser can be adjusted to the right or left of the blade, which is cool, but maybe they all do... A Forrest Chopmaster is in the mail from Amazon and I am optomistic about the combination. Thanks to all who offered their advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekG Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hitachi has wonderful customer support as well. I bought a 12" miter saw off ebay that had a broken tilt adjust on it. I called hitachi, explained I didn't buy the saw new and wanted to order the parts for it. The rep I talked to sent me a pdf with a list of parts which he asked me to pick model numbers for the parts I needed from. When I gave him the list he said the parts are in the mail enjoy your saw. 3 days later a box of parts showed up on my door step at no cost to me. Hitachi definitely won me over that day. I know what they did was probably luck/rare but if a company can and will go to that extent to help a tool owner I'll gladly buy new tools from the to support it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I decided on the Hitachi sliding double-compound. Good choice. You will not be sorry. Since your saw is so similar to mine, I'm going to assume you took my advice. Gongratulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterscott Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 I've been happy with my Bosch 3912, not the most expensive but it's been good for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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