Chop saw recommendation?
- Thread starter AJB Temple
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screwpainting
Established Member
Trouble is after using a well loved old elu (I have the TGS 172) everything else seems like getting a mistress...
Fantastic old beasts that were the best in their day, I paid over £1,300.00 for mine from 'Skillmans' opposite Woolwich ferry back in about 1980. Best bit of kit (along with the original Makita 9063 driver) I have ever owned and I still love and use it today.
But I'm also throbbing for a new Mitre saw and am watching this thread with interest.
Fantastic old beasts that were the best in their day, I paid over £1,300.00 for mine from 'Skillmans' opposite Woolwich ferry back in about 1980. Best bit of kit (along with the original Makita 9063 driver) I have ever owned and I still love and use it today.
But I'm also throbbing for a new Mitre saw and am watching this thread with interest.
No skills
Established Member
The ls1013 has a good motor - and that's it, heavy nasty clunky pos - yes I'm an owner of one.
For a big 12" non portable bench mounted thing its going to be the bosch glide, for something a touch more portable maybe the dewalt - the xps light is excellent on the smaller 717 I cant see why it would be any different on the bigger one.
Don't forget Hitachi 12" (not sure on the weight?) and Metabo 12"
A lot of Millwaukee stuff is good quality but I don't know much about the dealer/repair network (is there one over here??).
When I finally get rid of the ls I want something smaller and much lighter so I'm looking at the other end of the spectrum.
For a big 12" non portable bench mounted thing its going to be the bosch glide, for something a touch more portable maybe the dewalt - the xps light is excellent on the smaller 717 I cant see why it would be any different on the bigger one.
Don't forget Hitachi 12" (not sure on the weight?) and Metabo 12"
A lot of Millwaukee stuff is good quality but I don't know much about the dealer/repair network (is there one over here??).
When I finally get rid of the ls I want something smaller and much lighter so I'm looking at the other end of the spectrum.
AJB Temple
Finely figured
Interesting comments. Thank you.
The reason I want large capacity is I have a huge amount of 4" by 4" oak and I am going to make 3 roofs, and a a lot of glazed framing. If I am going to buy a new saw anyway, I might as well get decent capacity. It will not be lugged on and off sites as I am not a professional, but the buildings I am doing are quite some way apart and whilst ultra portability is not essential, it needs to be manageable for me on my own.
Oddly enough I have had my Elu chopsaw for at least 20 years and it is a powerful saw that is still dead on accurate (no laser). I have no idea what I paid for it new, but whatever it was it was worth it. If I could buy a 12" one today I would in a heartbeat.
I am sure the Festool is good and thanks for the recommendations, but as it can't cut a 4" rafter it is no better than the Elu for me. Milwaukee ( I have their Fuel drill / drivers) are made in China and no doubt have brand similarities with other gear. This needs to be the last chop saw I buy and so I am not price sensitive. I don't care about saving £100 or so if I can be sure of a superior tool. There is no point buying a tool that is not accurate - I am surprised Makita tolerate all the negative reviews without doing something.
The reason I want large capacity is I have a huge amount of 4" by 4" oak and I am going to make 3 roofs, and a a lot of glazed framing. If I am going to buy a new saw anyway, I might as well get decent capacity. It will not be lugged on and off sites as I am not a professional, but the buildings I am doing are quite some way apart and whilst ultra portability is not essential, it needs to be manageable for me on my own.
Oddly enough I have had my Elu chopsaw for at least 20 years and it is a powerful saw that is still dead on accurate (no laser). I have no idea what I paid for it new, but whatever it was it was worth it. If I could buy a 12" one today I would in a heartbeat.
I am sure the Festool is good and thanks for the recommendations, but as it can't cut a 4" rafter it is no better than the Elu for me. Milwaukee ( I have their Fuel drill / drivers) are made in China and no doubt have brand similarities with other gear. This needs to be the last chop saw I buy and so I am not price sensitive. I don't care about saving £100 or so if I can be sure of a superior tool. There is no point buying a tool that is not accurate - I am surprised Makita tolerate all the negative reviews without doing something.
RobinBHM
Established Member
The Dewalt blade lightjng that creates a shadow is an excellent idea, it is clear enough and never needs resetting. It also remains true whatever the angle set. Sadly the saw is a bit lacking in other areas, although it was a matket leader in its day.
HappyHacker
Established Member
Have you looked at the Bosch GCM12 SDE ? I have one and am happy with it. It has reasonable dust collection although it is heavy it is manageable by one person. I was very confused by the published specification, not helped by me not being metricated, but I have been cutting 120mm skirting against the fence with no problems and there is nearly 120mm (115?) to the arbour if you don't use the tool free one. If you are interested I will try to find a piece of 4X4 and try a cut.
Kevin
Kevin
custard
Established Member
Surely it's a pretty simple decision when you take the price tag out of the equation? There are two stand out mitre saws that consistently get the thumbs up from serious professional users, the Festool Kapex and the Bosch GCM 12 GDL. I've been thinking about a mitre saw for a revised workshop layout I'm planning in the new year and all roads point to one of these two, the Kapex seems to have the edge in terms of dust collection, setting a side bevel angle, and laser accuracy. The Bosch has the edge in that it's bigger, heavier built, and still delivers extreme accuracy.
For your purposes the Kapex is ruled out on capacity grounds, so doesn't that just leaves one contender standing.
For your purposes the Kapex is ruled out on capacity grounds, so doesn't that just leaves one contender standing.
Steve Maskery
Established Member
Yebbut. 
I'm playing Devil's Advocate here, in that I have already given the Bosch the thumbs up. But I have a local joinery shop which has the Bosch and a 12" DW and the guy there tells me that all the men in the 'shop prefer the DW.
I'm playing Devil's Advocate here, in that I have already given the Bosch the thumbs up. But I have a local joinery shop which has the Bosch and a 12" DW and the guy there tells me that all the men in the 'shop prefer the DW.
AJB Temple
Finely figured
Yes Custard. I agree in theory. However, having handled the Bosch, Festool, Dewalt and Makita I preferred the handling of the Makita - it was much less fiddly to adjust the mitre and trolley bench was far superior with easier assembly, better folding and better supports, including a proper roller set up. It also has 10mm more depth capacity. If I could be sure it was accurate I would buy that as it is much easier to lug about than the Bosch.
I found the Bosch had a super smooth action - really impressive, but was a bit plasticky in places and fiddly to adjust (opening out the fences, even adjusting the mitre angle) and on-line reviews suggest laser failure is not uncommon (there are very few reviews though).
Interestingly (to me anyway) there was a tradesman in the shop also looking at chop saws and he was dead set on the DeWalt which he reckoned was bomb proof. It was only about £60 cheaper than the much more modern Bosch. He already has a smaller DeWalt and loves it. Some DeWalt stuff has or had serious reliability problems, but the shop said the chop saws never give problems.
The Festool is much smaller and lighter and if I didn't want the larger capacity I would buy that as accuracy appears to be assured and dust extraction is pretty good. It is not really a price decision if I look at it as a long term purchase.
I would like to see the Milwaukee becuase it gets excellent reviews for accuracy and settings. However, I know no dealers in Kent and will not drive miles or take a punt on a machine that will get heavy usage from me. I use a chop saw much, much more than a table saw for the stuff I do. In fact I use my Hilti circular saw more than I use a table saw.
Happy - thanks for the offer. But it does not have enough capacity - Some of my 4" by 4" beams are quite a bit oversized and I don't want to be tempted to manually move the guard out of the way.....
I found the Bosch had a super smooth action - really impressive, but was a bit plasticky in places and fiddly to adjust (opening out the fences, even adjusting the mitre angle) and on-line reviews suggest laser failure is not uncommon (there are very few reviews though).
Interestingly (to me anyway) there was a tradesman in the shop also looking at chop saws and he was dead set on the DeWalt which he reckoned was bomb proof. It was only about £60 cheaper than the much more modern Bosch. He already has a smaller DeWalt and loves it. Some DeWalt stuff has or had serious reliability problems, but the shop said the chop saws never give problems.
The Festool is much smaller and lighter and if I didn't want the larger capacity I would buy that as accuracy appears to be assured and dust extraction is pretty good. It is not really a price decision if I look at it as a long term purchase.
I would like to see the Milwaukee becuase it gets excellent reviews for accuracy and settings. However, I know no dealers in Kent and will not drive miles or take a punt on a machine that will get heavy usage from me. I use a chop saw much, much more than a table saw for the stuff I do. In fact I use my Hilti circular saw more than I use a table saw.
Happy - thanks for the offer. But it does not have enough capacity - Some of my 4" by 4" beams are quite a bit oversized and I don't want to be tempted to manually move the guard out of the way.....
No skills
Established Member
So that's the dewalt bolted to the makita stand, sorted.
No skills
Established Member
Just noticed that the Bosch with rails rather than the glide has a cross cut of 120x400, wow
MattRoberts
Established Member
In my book, accuracy trumps all. The Bosch with its glide arm is rock solid accuracy that no bar slider would be able to match. Other people might have different priorities though, which is fine
Stanleymonkey
Established Member
I bought the Metabo KGS 216M this Summer - really impressed with it - big cutting depth.
The Festool Kapex will do up to 120mm, but only on narrow stock. I don't think you've mentioned budget but the best mitre saw I had (before the Kapex) was surprisingly cheap, from Charnwood. Good capacity, excellent cut quality and pretty accurate. They may have a cheap reputation but it really was pretty good - except for non-existent dust collection.
http://charnwood.net/products/product/p ... -saw-305db
There is also this previous thread on the same quest: which-csms-t99364.html
http://charnwood.net/products/product/p ... -saw-305db
There is also this previous thread on the same quest: which-csms-t99364.html
AJB Temple
Finely figured
I meant to post this last night but wine may have interfered with my ability to press the send button! My wife Is German and she recommends the Bosch, even though as chief household banker she knows it is expensive. There must be a link there somewhere. Had a look on-line at Metabo - not really a brand I am familiar with. Like the Milwaukee I would want to see before buying and dealers around here only stock the brands previously mentioned. Metabo is a great deal cheaper then any of the others.
I think I will see if the Bosch can be fitted to the much better Makita table, and probably buy that. The 10mm depth of cut as compared to the Makita is not a deal breaker and I think accuracy is really what I am looking for most. I might cruise over to Axminster again before I make this life changing decision! It does consume workshop room so I want to make a proper decision.
I have considered a RAS now and again. The trouble is they take up a lot of space and are not portable. Large capacity used machines are cheap second hand, but my workshop is long and narrow and does not really lend itself to a RAS. The chop saw can easily be wheeled to the other buildings I am working on and in.
Anyway, today is dedicated to adding another 16amp socket and installing trunking for the new extractor.
I think I will see if the Bosch can be fitted to the much better Makita table, and probably buy that. The 10mm depth of cut as compared to the Makita is not a deal breaker and I think accuracy is really what I am looking for most. I might cruise over to Axminster again before I make this life changing decision! It does consume workshop room so I want to make a proper decision.
I have considered a RAS now and again. The trouble is they take up a lot of space and are not portable. Large capacity used machines are cheap second hand, but my workshop is long and narrow and does not really lend itself to a RAS. The chop saw can easily be wheeled to the other buildings I am working on and in.
Anyway, today is dedicated to adding another 16amp socket and installing trunking for the new extractor.
skipdiver
Established Member
AJB Temple":37f0y18f said:
I had a RAS in my last workshop, which was much bigger than my current workshop and i sold it for that very reason. They need a lot of space to work effectively and don't have the portability. I now have a Makita chop saw and stand under my lay out bench and only get it out when i need to, which can also be a pain when i only want to cut a few bits but it frees up valuable space for me.
Farmer Giles
The biggest tool in the box
I'm seriously considering getting the Bosch GCM 12 GDL, the one without the slide bars. I currently have an ELU RAS which I am happy with cross cut wise, but I'm constantly digging out my old Faithful mitre saw as it has much large capacity. I have the faithful bolted to a large wheeled stanley toolbox and it has been blinding at all the oak skirting and door architrave mitreing when I was renovating the house but most of my stuff is workshop bound now.
I want the old mitre saw in the barn to cut firewood/kindling and I want my shop saw to do both fine carpentry and bigger stuff and the Bosch seems to tick both boxes plus I can put it up to the wall and save some space. The Festool is about 300 quid more and smaller capacity and I don't care if it hoovers up a bit more sawdust. If I sell the RAS then it's not too much of a jump to get the Bosch, but a lot more to get the festool and I can't see why I would do that.
Anybody got the Bosch GDM 12 GDL with the glide system and can opine based on practical experience? I've read loads of reviews and seen lots of videos but sometimes there is no substitute for long term hands on experience from a fellow amateur wood butcher
Cheers
Andy
I want the old mitre saw in the barn to cut firewood/kindling and I want my shop saw to do both fine carpentry and bigger stuff and the Bosch seems to tick both boxes plus I can put it up to the wall and save some space. The Festool is about 300 quid more and smaller capacity and I don't care if it hoovers up a bit more sawdust. If I sell the RAS then it's not too much of a jump to get the Bosch, but a lot more to get the festool and I can't see why I would do that.
Anybody got the Bosch GDM 12 GDL with the glide system and can opine based on practical experience? I've read loads of reviews and seen lots of videos but sometimes there is no substitute for long term hands on experience from a fellow amateur wood butcher
Cheers
Andy
