Compound Sliding Mitre Saw for DIY/Hobbiest

[scottjw]

Hi,

I've been doing loads of research on Mitre Saws but struggling to find the sweet spot is for my needs. I'm primarily into wood working with hand tools but want a Mitre Saw as hand-sawing stock getting a bit dull and I'm not a purist! I only work on weekends and want something fairly accurate for hardwood and softwood.

I don't want to spend a fortune but don't want waste money on something that doesn't do what I need. At the moment I'm looking closely at the Metabo KGS 254 M (602540380) Mitre Saw for around £209. Does this feel about right or should I be looking and spending more? I'm not sure what the added cost gets you - is it features, reliability, durability or accuracy? Should I be focusing more on specific blades but a cheaper saw?

Any help appreciated.

Cheers,

Scott

 

[MikeJhn]

Hi Scott and welcome to the Forum

The problem with all mitre saws is the accuracy of the mitre cut, due to their very nature (movable) they do not seem to be able to cut a good enough mitre for a right angle joint and will need trimming to accurately fit, especially on things like picture frames, the more expensive the mitre saw the more accurate I would expect it to be, I have a Makita that cuts resonably good mitres, but that was not without a lot of work and knowing which way to bias the saw when cutting, after cutting the mitre on the saw I use one of these to make it accurate: http://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-mt ... mer-951813



Mike

 

[skipdiver]

I have generally found Metabo stuff to be decent but the proof of the pudding is in eating, so if a saw is inaccurate and difficult to adjust, then no amount of money makes it a good investment. The only way to be reasonably sure is to read first hand accounts of everyday use and i have no knowledge of this particular model. A decent blade will improve any saw but the better ones come with decent blades to start with. If i had £200 to spend on a mitre saw, then the Metabo would be a serious contender for me but i would try and find as much real world info as i could.

 

[Stevebod]

I spent months looking for a new mitre saw, slowly ruling out those on my initial list for various reasons (too expensive / too cheap / no trench cut), and finally ended up with the Metabo 254 which after being on my Amazon watch list briefly dipped to £199..so decision made. Have been happy so far, but be aware that you do need a bit of space "at the back" to accommodate the travel. Seems well made / sturdy and accurate straight out of the box.

 

[scottjw]

I have generally found Metabo stuff to be decent but the proof of the pudding is in eating, so if a saw is inaccurate and difficult to adjust, then no amount of money makes it a good investment. The only way to be reasonably sure is to read first hand accounts of everyday use and i have no knowledge of this particular model. A decent blade will improve any saw but the better ones come with decent blades to start with. If i had £200 to spend on a mitre saw, then the Metabo would be a serious contender for me but i would try and find as much real world info as i could.

Thanks Steve. From what I've read many saws may need adjustment on delivery as they aren't always perfect out of the box. I've read lots of good things about the Metabo hence it being on my short list. Makita and DeWalt are the other makes I'm considering but price is higher for both in similar spec.

Scott

 

[scottjw]

I spent months looking for a new mitre saw, slowly ruling out those on my initial list for various reasons (too expensive / too cheap / no trench cut), and finally ended up with the Metabo 254 which after being on my Amazon watch list briefly dipped to £199..so decision made. Have been happy so far, but be aware that you do need a bit of space "at the back" to accommodate the travel. Seems well made / sturdy and accurate straight out of the box.

Black Friday it dropped to £189 on FFX and I was very tempted. Cheapest I've seen is £209 now. Maybe some post Christmas sales it will drop again.

 

[scottjw]

Hi Scott and welcome to the Forum

Thanks - been lurking for a while..

The problem with all mitre saws is the accuracy of the mitre cut, due to their very nature (movable) they do not seem to be able to cut a good enough mitre for a right angle joint and will need trimming to accurately fit, especially on things like picture frames, the more expensive the mitre saw the more accurate I would expect it to be, I have a Makita that cuts resonably good mitres, but that was not without a lot of work and knowing which way to bias the saw when cutting, after cutting the mitre on the saw I use one of these to make it accurate: http://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-mt ... mer-951813

Which model Makita do you have Mike?

Cheers,

Scott

 

[MikeJhn]

Its a Makita 1016, but an old model before they put the laser on the thing, its been very good, looking at e-bay they seem to bring a premium now days, so a good investment, even though I did not think so at the time.

Mike

 

[Wizard9999]

I only have a cheap Evolution myself, but I watch a guy on YouTube called Jon Peters. He is a bit of a renaissance man and paints as well as making furniture, logically he frames all his own work as far as I can tell. On some of his woodwork videos he uses his mitre saw to cut a lot of mitred face frames and whilst I appreciate he may edit out any mistakes he seems to get those mitres spot on. Jon has recently switched to one of the top end Bosch models with the arm that folds out to advance the saw head, but he used to use a fairly aged looking Hitatchi.

Now, my rambling is taking me to two points. First, it seems to me that you can achieve accurate mitres with saws of differing ages and costs. Second, I recall him doing videos on tuning of his saws and it seems to me that such accuracy will almost certainly require some tweaking / upgrades.

If you haven't already I would be trying to find some reviews and / or tuning videos on YouTube for models in your desired price range.

Good luck with the search.

Terry.

 

[Neil S]

I guess as long as it's sturdy enough then any of the better named saws would be OK as long as it has adjustments to allow you to set it up perfectly. Some of the cheaper saws are just as robust but are fixed by the castings / manufacture and lack the necessary adjustment screws to dial in the accuracy.

-Neil

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[Adam9453]

I don't know the model you're referring to so the following comment does not relate to it.
But the issue I have found with cheaper sliding compound mitre saws is inherent flex within the saw makes it inaccurate. Even if you tweak the setup you'll struggle to get consistent results due to the flexing you can't avoid.
I'd suggest going to a shop and trying out the actual saw you are looking to purchase, see whether it feels solid, comfortable to use etc. Most importantly if its not accurate return it quickly while you can.

 

[Bodgers]

It also affects a lot of expensive ones too...

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[Stevebod]

Makita was on my original wish list, (as was dewalt). However after looking at various Makita products I was disappointed with the quality of the "slide". Several I tried in shops felt very "gritty".....far worse than my original 2nd hand / re-manufactured cheapie. I also read some really bad reviews on other forums regarding some of the newer Makita models...plus they were a lot more expensive. Dewalt would have been good, but at my price point the one I wanted did not have trench cutting facility. NB to set them up / check them you just need to buy a small / 6 inch engineers square, (Got mine from Amazon for about £8.

NB Gutted to read above post saying that the Metabo dropped even further...could have saved myself another £8..!!

 

[scottjw]

Its a Makita 1016, but an old model before they put the laser on the thing, its been very good, looking at e-bay they seem to bring a premium now days, so a good investment, even though I did not think so at the time.

Mike

I've watched a few youtube videos of the Makita and it seems impressive which it was another brand on my list.

 

[scottjw]

I only have a cheap Evolution myself, but I watch a guy on YouTube called Jon Peters. He is a bit of a renaissance man and paints as well as making furniture, logically he frames all his own work as far as I can tell. On some of his woodwork videos he uses his mitre saw to cut a lot of mitred face frames and whilst I appreciate he may edit out any mistakes he seems to get those mitres spot on. Jon has recently switched to one of the top end Bosch models with the arm that folds out to advance the saw head, but he used to use a fairly aged looking Hitatchi.

Now, my rambling is taking me to two points. First, it seems to me that you can achieve accurate mitres with saws of differing ages and costs. Second, I recall him doing videos on tuning of his saws and it seems to me that such accuracy will almost certainly require some tweaking / upgrades.

If you haven't already I would be trying to find some reviews and / or tuning videos on YouTube for models in your desired price range.

Good luck with the search.

Terry.

Thanks for your reply Terry. I have clocked up a reasonable amount of time on youtube but not thought about searching for tuning. Cheers.

 

[Cordy]

My metabo KGS 216M is quite good
Had it a couple of years

This is invaluable for checking the angles; blade perp etc

Tightening the large handle - the one that swings it about the different angles - before sawing makes a marked improvement

The original blade is good too

 

[user22161]

Beware of cheap saws. Recently purchased a Pingtek 12" (almost identical to the SIP version) which arrived with a faulty fence which was replaced by return of post. When I checked mitre cuts it was out in both directions and settings on the rotating table rely on spring loaded ball bearing into holes which was rather sloppy. Returned for refund and purchased a Bosch GCM 10 SD instead at virtually double the price but well worth it. Far more accurate, heavier build quality and it "feels" right.

 

[Alder]

I have the Metabo model. Very with it and satisfied with it's accuracy.
Russell

 

[scottjw]

I have bought the Metabo KGS254M and will get it out of the box tomorrow for a spin!

Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated.

Cheers,

Scott

 

[Stanleymonkey]

+1 for Metabo