10 vs 12 inch miter


Valleyslim

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I currently have a dewalt 779 and I want to sell it and get a smaller miter saw to make a miter station. My question is do I even need a 12. I am more focused on fine wood working and accuracy. I know Marc likes the 12 but I see a lot of other youtubers prefer the 10. I'm either going to get a dewalt 10 chop saw or even debating a 10 inch Bosch with glide. What do you guys think? My thought was to do bigger stock on a table sled thanks

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In my opinion glide is more important than blade size unless you cut a lot of thick stock. I own a Dewalt fixed 10”. I use a Bosch glide when I work for summer. I run out of cut width much more often than cut depth. YMMV I like the Bosch glide. 

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If fine furniture making is your focus, then you might be better served by a good miter guide on the table saw. It you do want a miter saw, the non-sliders will be more accurate than a slider. Every single slider I've looked at  will flex side to side some with not a lot of pressure. I have an old Makita LS1212 & it is mostly used for rough cutting or trim work when renovating. I have on occasion used close it's full capacity, but that's rare. If I had to buy another saw tomorrow, I'd probably get a 12" non-slider.

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I have a DeWalt double bevel slider I got about 20 years ago. Cut a lot of crown moulding with it, made some boxes with really good miters. It has a 12" blade and is really smooth through just about anything I cut with it. A smaller one would serve well if that's the work you do the most of. I tend to get a little more than I think I"ll need -- in case I do.

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I am in the bigger is better camp.  Even if your focus is fine furniture making there's going to be a day when you need to cut something big, and it will be nice to have the tool to do that task.

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Fine furniture making is not my focus (presently), so cutting pieces of wood like this is more common for me than it would be for someone else.  But even a fine furniture maker needs to cut a few 4x4's from time to time.  So unless there was some compelling reason to go smaller I'd suggest 12".  

 

By the way, my personal experience with this particular Makita LS1212 is that it has been very accurate, at least for what I'm doing.  But enough people here have found enough SCM's to be inaccurate that I consider mine to be the exception rather than the rule.   Even so, when I get the point of making furniture I will be relying on my table saw and Incra sled when accurate cuts are needed.  But it's hard to beat an SCM for making a long thick piece of wood shorter.

 

 

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I don't think that sliders are worth it. I have a bosch glide and there is a lot more play in the mechanism then they give it credit for. All of my critical cross cuts are done on the table saw with a $150 miter gauge and the accuracy and capacity is FAR FAR greater than any miter saw could achieve let alone a $150 miter saw. if all you need is 90 degree cuts a homemade sled can be extremely accurate and is incredibly cheap. I made one from free material i got from old cabinets or other various places.

If you must get a miter saw, i like having one that uses the same sized blades as my table saw. It allows me to use blades between the two of them. I'll have a junk blade that i put on each of them if i need to cut questionable material that may or may not contain dirt, metal, or other material that may damage a saw blade.

Another cross cutting mechanism that has more value is a track saw with a good blade in it. Using an accurate square with the track i can get good accurate cuts for as long as i have track. With large heavy items taking the tool to the work is a lot safer and also can be more accurate.

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1 hour ago, Mark J said:

By the way, my personal experience with this particular Makita LS1212 is that it has been very accurate, at least for what I'm doing.  But enough people here have found enough SCM's to be inaccurate that I consider mine to be the exception rather than the rule.  

That's the saw that I have & it is tuned up & very accurate. BUT, good technique while cutting is required to avoid introducing any sideways forces and inconsistencies in the wood can cause deviations. I find the flattest, smoothest, most accurate cut is obtained by making an initial cut just about .5 mm over sized & then a very light cut to trim it to size. It's just easier for me to get the best results on the table saw.

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I've had it several ways over the years. My shop has a 10" with a Makitaand I have a Dewalt12" 708 I like to keep separate for other things I might need. The one at work is a 12" Dewalt and there are other saws I ca  use if I need to separate. 

Personally I like the 10" but if you need just one get the 12"...

 

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