Advice/help on sliding compound mitre saws

[hawkeye48]

I am upgrading my Electra Bekam KS250 saw,i bought this many years ago at Axminsters show. It has and still is a good saw, it cuts square and the angles are perfect.
How ever, i have a need to cut wider and thicker boards now. I am thinking of a sliding compound mitre saw as this will let me cut tenons.
I have a limit of £300.00 max.
I have been looking at the Evolution RAGE 3DB 255mm Double Bevel Sliding Mitre Saw and the Einhell RTSM430U Sliding Crosscut Mitre Saw.
Has anyone got one of these saws,what are they like, are they acurate. Any other makes of saw that are better.
I was loaned an SIP sliding mitre saw and it was useless, it didn't even cut square !!!,it also had no way of setting the 90 degree cut except the slot cast into the base.
Any help gratefull appiriciated.

 

[mailee]

I am afraid I can't comment on the saws you have suggested as I have never used them, however I would recommend either a Makita or a Bosch for accuracy. There are others of course but they are much more expensive. I use a De Walt 718 which is a great saw but it needs to be at the price of around £500. I used to have a power pro one which was not very accurate but did the job with a little fettling. It is a case of buy the best you can afford really.

 

[OPJ]

I'd recommend the Makita LS1013, which I've had for over a year now and, honestly, it's the best saw that I've used. They're now ridiculously over-priced (considering that newer models are also available, now) but, you should be able to pick one up second hand for less than £300 (...I did! ;-)). Mine had spent nine-months storage after several years of heavy use on-site (according to the seller). All it needed was a new pair of brushes and it's been cutting perfectly ever since!

Generally, you'll find that 10in saws will cut more accurately than a 12in model, if you can live with the 75mm-90mm maximum depth of cut. Whatever figure is stated as the maximum width of cut though, you may want to subtract a thickness of MDF for a false fence, which would ensure a clean cut on the back edge and also prevent small offcuts from collecting behind the blade.

Similarly, you'll find that, when trench-cutting (grooves, housings, tenons), you'll also need to 'pack' the fence forward so that the lowest part of the spinning blade makes contact along the full width of the board. Otherwise, you'll end up with a kind of 'scollop' near the back edge, which would then need either planing or chiselling away.

 

[chrs_666]

Dewalt DW718XPS is the Daddy of saws in my opinion but with a price tag of almost £600 not cheap. you may stumbule upon a used one on ebay .


chris

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

+1 for a 2nd hand Makita. I got a LS1214X off the 'Bay for £360. Gave it a grease up and a clean and it's awesome. I'd used one before so knew what to expect. One of the best purchases I've made.

Cheers _Dan.

 

[hawkeye48]

Thanks for the reply's and information, off now to have a look

 

[Ateallthepies]

I have the Dewalt 712 and it is a cracking bit of kit that has been chucked in and out of the van for four years and remains accurate to date. Coupled with the Dewalt stand is very easy to use.

This saw does most of the tasks I ask being only a 216mm blade. There are times the larger 300mm blade would be nice but doing only second fix and other such work the smaller blade is fine. I would of liked the saw to tilt both ways for the bevel cuts as this would save flipping the work piece over for certain cuts but is no big deal.

Another thing I think is very important is the saws start-up. Some lower end saws I have used buck like a mule when started and the work piece can shift if not clamped. I very rarely clamp what I am cutting so having a smooth starting saw is essential. There is a tiny bit of movement with my Dewalt but nothing that throws my cuts out if the piece is held firmish.

When I bought my saw I tested the deflection of the blade with the slider fully out with it locked in the zero degree position. At the time the Dewalt had the least deflection of the saws I tried. Things have no doubt moved on but it is one thing easy to test and should mean a more accurate cut. Some of the lower end saws has lots of deflection at full reach!

Steve