OT: 12" sliding miter saws

Sure seems like this is a "can't live without" for a major construction project, and yet I'm sadly lacking in this department!

I'm building a house this summer and am tired of the limitations of my 10" fixed miter saw. Do the assembled concur that a 12" slider is borderline a necessity for this job, and if so, which one do you like? I've had good luck with Makita power tools, and older Milwaukie. Dunno Dewalt or new Milwaukie... the "coolest" one appears to be the Bosch with the dual-hinge mechanism.

I am planning on using it for framing work, perhaps to cut Hardiplank siding, then trim work later. There will lots of beams and angled cuts on 2x6's and 2x8's where the work envelope of the tool will be massively appreciated. I'm not a furniture maker and don't need uber-precision here but I want a great tool.

Advice on which to buy? The Bosch is $750 so that's my absolute max.

As a former carpenter, I despise DeWalt hand tools. That being said, in many years, I never had a hiccup from either of my DeWalt miter saws, one sliding, one non. I recommend them highly. Don't get me wrong, I love Bosch tools, and I bet theirs is sweet, but I have no experience with it. I can tell you that the DeWalt (unless things have changed since I bought my last one) will run forever, won't overheat, won't eat bearings, and will just generally be a workhorse. My $.02.

At that price consider an old Dewalt or Delta 16" radial arm saw. Yes they weigh a lot, like 500 pounds, but you can resell it for what you get it for on craigs list. I got my dewalt for $125, on a trailer. 5hp, 3phase, with converter box, on mine the height adjusting gearbox was cracked so I replaced the whole lift with a electric actuator. I mostly use it for cutting firewood to length.
The delta is a little smaller with the turret arm.
If you know how to rig and move heavy machines these are easy enough to move around. But the work has to come to it instead of the saw going to the work. makes a difference on a multistory building.
Bill D.

Delta Radial Arm Saw 16'' Blade | eBay

Dewalt 16 inch Radial Arm Saw Model GK Local Pickup | eBay

or some near you?

http://roseburg.craigslist.org/tls/4535882654.html

http://klamath.craigslist.org/tls/4573879765.html

http://eugene.craigslist.org/tls/4584577710.html

http://klamath.craigslist.org/tls/4581016948.html

Yeah- skip the 12" blade.

A 8" slider will do everything you need in 2x lumber and all the trim jobs.
These guys are a nice smaller package and more rigid so produce better cuts.

The 12" saws seemed designed for the 'bigger is better' crowd.

I framed dozens of houses and commercial buildings with the Hitachi 8" and like the look of the newish 7.5" Makita.

Both of these are in the $500 range.

Whatever you get, don't cut Hardiplank siding on any saw you wish to keep. Any saw, no matter how good, will have a much more limited life on Hardiplank. Most contractors use cheap Skilsaw type saws for this work and pitch them when they die.

Bruce Griffing said:

Whatever you get, don't cut Hardiplank siding on any saw you wish to keep. Any saw, no matter how good, will have a much more limited life on Hardiplank. Most contractors use cheap Skilsaw type saws for this work and pitch them when they die.

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Good to know, thanks!

The 12" sliding miter saw is a terrific tool for construction. Get a stand for it and the whole thing will move somewhat easily to where you're cutting -- and still be stable enough for tight fitting trim.

While an 8" slider is OK and a bit lighter to move around, it becomes a lot less useful with things like decks. IMO being able to cut a 4x4 in a single cut is a must. Some way of handling even larger 4x beams (4x6,4x8,4x10 . . .) is useful. I ditched my old otherwise perfectly fine 8" slider for just this reason.

I bought a Makita after a bit of research several years ago and have used with no complaints. Mine crosscuts maybe 13". Some of the newer sliders will cut 15-16". At least on my Makita the fence and saw are accurate enough to cross cut 24" plywood by flipping the piece over after cutting half. In other words, the cut actually meets in the middle and is square. One of the newer saws might go to 30" crosscuts. The dust collection is also pretty decent on my older Makita -- and the slide and locks have held up well (with slides a problem on some DeWalts).

When not being used for building additions, decks, etc. mine lives in the shop. It's accurate enough for picture framing (sort of) and with a triple chip blade it never complains about the odd bit of aluminum. The thicker cut capacity is also useful when paired with the typical 10" table saw, Unisaw, SawStops, etc. in most home to light commercial shops (which won't do 4x4 stock in a single cut).

Fine Homebuilding and others have likely reviewed these. With so much production moving to China recently, accuracy and reliability may be an issue. But I wouldn't doubt there are three or four brands worth considering.

I had a 12 and they are too big. My partner has a hitachi 7.5" that has held up for 25 years of constant usage and was easy to carry. What ever you do don't buy Ridgid. They suck. I Had one.

I'm hearing that 12" is too big. Too big for what? I'm not going to be moving it around a lot. Is a 12" less accurate than a smaller unit? I won't go below 10"...

Long Tom said:

Sure seems like this is a "can't live without" for a major construction project, and yet I'm sadly lacking in this department!

Do the assembled concur that a 12" slider is borderline a necessity for this job, ..?

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Folks ask for different things from their tools and work in different ways with the tools they have.

I came from decades of heavy framing work with new builds, additions and remodels of every type and still get talked into framing up a commercial building about once a year.
I never had or would want to have one of those 12" sliders & find them clunky, sort of a PITA to work with and not required for framing work.

You are doing one small addition on your house- you will have this thing for decades and I would not in the remotest way say it is "a borderline necessity" for your addition.
The better question is how do you intend to use the saw in the years that come.

Read this thread:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...hy-radial-arm-saws-bought-rarely-used-270018/

The answer to that thread is that RAS's are a poor choice for the typical needs of a homeowner.
Pick a slider which really suits your needs most of the time.
Your 10" saw will chop post should you have the need- does the slider have to be sized for the same duty?
I would not discount how nice it is to have a portable saw which can be easily brought to an upstairs room for a bit of trim instead of having a bench mounted monster in the garage which needs each stick of trim carried to its maw..

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-LS0714-2-Inch-Sliding-Compound/dp/B000AU1VJE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

7-1/2 will square cut 2X in one pass
10 will square cut a 4X in one pass
12" will do miter cuts on a 4X....

In all honestly cutting a big 4X with a miter saw is a pain.... getting the lumber to the saw. Supporting everything. The off fall.... a pain on several levels.

I too spent the money on a Ridged and it died an early death. Sadly to be replaced by the antique Craftsman 10" it replaced. I paid 4 or 5 times more for the Ridged and the Craftsman out lasted the Ridged maybe 15 years to 1.

Dewalt sliding miter saws sorta define the class of tools. These days they are mid way priced. For my money I will be replacing that ol Craftsman with a craigslist Dewalt some day....


As for cutting the hard board.... Save your lungs. Look into a Hardiplank guillotine. It easily makes 90% of your cuts clean and dustless.

In my opinion.... a good quality 10" will do most everything you need. Unless you want an unsightly RAS to scare the wife and kids with....


Ohhh one other thing.... If you buy a new circular saw.... look at the plastic Dewalt or Makita. The both weight in under 10 pounds. My wrist thanks me every time I use em.

lowCountryCamo said:

I had a 12 and they are too big. My partner has a hitachi 7.5" that has held up for 25 years of constant usage and was easy to carry. What ever you do don't buy Ridgid. They suck. I Had one.

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British readers may recognise a Finbarr Saunders moment...

Bruce Griffing said:

Whatever you get, don't cut Hardiplank siding on any saw you wish to keep. Any saw, no matter how good, will have a much more limited life on Hardiplank. Most contractors use cheap Skilsaw type saws for this work and pitch them when they die.

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And the contractors who got tired of destroying circular saws, or standing in a giant cloud of cement dust, or wanted to be able to see the line to be cut past the first inch; got a fiber cement shear and were happy. Available in pneumatic and electric versions!

Steve

I'll make the case for a 12" slider for the OP.

The typical homeowner isn't going to be dragging a saw out of a truck 200 days a year and carrying it who knows where. It will get set out someplace handy for a home build, addition, deck, or remodeling and then live in a shop until the next major project. This assumes that you have/want a shop.

Personally, I've had no problems cutting 4x material for decks and I'm average sized. I can't imagine a better tool to cut dozens of 4x4 deck posts and then cleanly bevel the ends. It's terrific for 4x6 lumber in arbors.

The extra depth capacity is handy for all sorts of reasons once it gets moved into a shop. Beyond the obvious ones, cutting big aluminum angles, cutting a 4" shipping tube down to length, cutting up PVC pipe to make materials storage racks, large trestle tables . . .

Accuracy of a good saw is pretty much the same in my experience whether it's 8, 10, 12, or 14". The only downsides of the larger saw are for moving it, the tiny bit of extra space it wants, and the higher initial cost of the blade (but, then, more teeth to distribute the wear).

I bought my first miter saw about 30 years ago, a Craftsman professional series 10" version. I was in heaven. No longer did I need to drag trim boards up and down stairs to the table saw to miter them.

About ten years later my wife bought me a DeWalt 12" compound miter saw for my birthday. I didn't open the box for about 6 months. I liked the Craftsman saw just fine. When I finally opened the DeWalt saw and tried it out, I gave the Craftsman saw to a friend. I built several decks and did a fair amount of finish carpentry with the DeWalt and it is a first class machine. Still have it.

A couple of years ago I scored a good deal on a DeWalt 12" dual bevel sliding miter saw. Although I haven't used it a whole lot, I find it to be excellent quality like the other DeWalt tools that I own. The only 2 downsides to the sliding saw is that they are a little heavier to carry around and they need to be about a foot further away from a wall in the rear to work. I left the non sliding one on a DeWalt stand in my basement and use the sliding saw for construction projects. I'd recommend either one.

Big B

I bought a used Makita cast iron 10 inch miter saw, then got a deal on a used cast iron Makita 14 inch, then got a deal on a used Makita aluminum 10 inch compound slider. I gave the cast iron 10 inch to my son in law. A couple of years later I find a cast iron 10 inch Makita by a dumpster, plug was bad.

I love them all. The 14 inch stays at home, I can barely lift it. It is wonderful for 4 X stuff. The aluminum is light and easy to move and cuts gable rafters nicely. Screwed down to a table (two saw horses & two 2 X4s) it holds still. One of the collapsible wheeled stands for it would be wonderful.

I also like the old Porter Cable 71/4 inch magnesium hand saws with the blade on the left side, easier on my 74 year old wrist.

Paul

I agree don't go any bigger than you need!
I have a Makita 10" SCMS - No problems and it is well made.
If you plan on doing Crown Moulding or compound cuts get a Compound saw.

I've got a 12" DeWalt and I love it. It has seen an absolute ton of work and hasn't missed a beat. I bought it because I knew I was going to be cutting old dried Australian hardwoods up to 100mm thick, and it's done this effortlessly.

If you don't need the 4" capacity, I recommend the 8" Hitachi. A truly lovely saw, I had one until it got stolen and I replaced it with a 10" Hitachi. I have houses in different states which is why I have 2 saws.

I *had* a DeWalt RAS. I hated it and sold it dirt cheap just so it would go away fast. Nothing wrong mechanically with the saw, I just decided that a RAS and I were not a good working combination. I don't miss it at all. Get a sliding compound saw.

PDW

I have a 12" Dewalt, if it had been available at the time I would have gotten the Bosch Axial Glide. The only time I think my 12" is too big is everytime I store it, the linear rails take up a lot of space at the rear of the saw, the Bosch takes up much less workbench space.

I'm trying to figure out what a sliding miter saw might be good for on framing construction?
Trim, yes. Anywhere else it is going to slow you down and probably won't do half what you imagine with any convenience. 7-1/4 or 8" Skill saw will do just about anything needed in constructing an addition, even the big exposed beams if your design features that detail. 'Cause the saw big enough to cut them is to heavy to lug to each beam, and the beams are to heavy or awkward to get to the saw. And with all the stop cuts, beam work is still going to strongly favor dexterous use of a good handsaw, slick, and block plane to clean up.

'Course when I started in the DC-Northern VA-Baltimore region, there were still some old boys from Virginny that had trouble letting go of their handsaws, even subcontract framing.....

That said, I tend to agree that if you don't have to take it to a job, or 3 different jobs every day, larger is better. Gives you more ways to cut a miter or other angle (stood up, laid down, or compound; and for wider work, to chop it or slide it) and the capacity for larger/thicker work.

But if all you do is framing, siding, flooring and light trim, the small saw will do what is needed most days of the week.

smt