Good Quality Mitre Saw

[LoveMonkey]

Hello again,

I'm now looking at mitre saws. I need something that will make accurate, clean cuts. I originally settled on the Bosch GCM 350-254, but after thinking on it I decided that I don't really need a sliding one as anything too big for the mitre saw I can do on the table saw. I have read that sliding saws can be open to more inaccuracy than non sliding ones anyway, so a non sliding one with a big blade seems more appropriate.

Is there a non sliding equivalent to the Bosch above? Are there any other recommendations in this category/price range that might be better for me? When choosing the sliding saw it seems like you can find good reviews on all of these saws in a price range if you read enough, so it's difficult to know which, if any, saw would be best for me.

I'm relatively new to woodworking, but having purchased what I now find to be a fairly budget table saw and already wanting (but resisting the urge) to change it I want to make sure I buy quality tools that will last me from now on.

Thanks

 

[MikeJhn]

How accurate do you need the Mitre, if for instance you are going to be making picture frames, none of the powered mitre saws will suffice, for that I use a Nobex hand saw frame and a guillotine, the problem with picture frames is that people look at them very closely and every imperfection is seen.

 

[LoveMonkey]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the response.

I think that would just be 'as accurate as I can get on a powered saw'. I'd like my cuts to be clean and be able to make proper square frames, but most of what I do will be items of furniture etc. around the house and in the garden, so nice to look at without gaping joins, but not necessarily up to minute scrutiny.

Perhaps if I need to make something like a picture frame in the future I will have to consider some hand tool methods.

Thanks

 

[HappyHacker]

I have got the GCM12 SDE which looks similar and find it is accurate enough for me and a great machine. You can lock the slider so it is just a chop saw if you think the sliders may introduce more movement.

At the moment most of what I do tends to involve long lengths so the Mitre saw is great. I have not tried any proper joinery with it, although I do need accurate mitres for skirting boards which I seem to have been doing a lot of recently.

The only time I have had a problem is trying to take a very thin shaving off an end, less than the width of the kerf, when it often won't cut accurately. But I understand this is a problem with mitre saws and is probably due to me trying to do it too quickly. I could probably do with a new blade as well as I have been cutting some rubbish wood.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

Festool KAPEX KS 120 is by far the best chop saw I've used. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but it beats any thing I've tried including the Bosch CM10GD which is highly regarded.

No chop saw will give you 100% perfect mitres though the kapex comes close.
Blade sharpness plays a huge part in good clean cuts, a dull play will fractionally push the work piece out of place effecting the straightness of cut.

I find the kapex biggest downfall is the compound mitre locks. it has a brilliant micro adjuster for compound cuts but you have to remove the upper parts of the fence to tilt past 30 degrees which is a pain.
Other than that its a good saw but with a high price tag.

 

[LoveMonkey]

Thanks for the replies.

I had a look at the Festool Kapex KS120 and I think it is a bit too much of a stretch to justify for me, but thanks for the suggestion.

I'm going to have a look at chop saws as I just realised from Happy Hacker's post that I might have been searching the wrong thing to get something that doesn't slide.

Thanks

 

[Chris Knight]

Make a mitre shooting jack, board or box and then you can saw any old how, roughly to the line. All the fine work required, being done by the plane. If it's thin wood and the mitre is not too long, I often don't bother to cut the mitre at all, just shooting the thing completely.

It is very easy to sneak up on a final dimension this way. If I needed to mitre umpteen skirting boards I would worry more about the sawing.

 

[transatlantic]

It's quite hard to get a good non sliding saw these days. The non sliding saws tend to be the entry level, cheapo machines. You'll most likely have to look second hand.

It's certainly true that the further you extend the saw on the rails, the more play it will have, but they usually all have a locking mechanism(for transport) that will stop it sliding, but still enable you to make cuts. It basically just locks it in place on the rails.

 

[LoveMonkey]

Thanks for the further replies. Looks like I'm probably back to the Bosch. I will take it all into consideration and make a decision tonight.

Thank you

 

[fezman]

I was in this dilemma earlier in the year. I pretty much made my mind up on

Bosch Professional GCM 12 GDL - the only down side i had for this is the size of it and how much space it would take up in my workshop

or

Festool KS60 E GB 240V Kapex - down side on this one was smaller depth of cut.

I eventually opted for the Festool for 2 reasons. The price, i picked it up for £415 new from FFX (20% of from their ebay store and £50 cash back from festool). The size - I rarely need to cut anything that tests the capacity of the festool never mind the bosch.

The finish from the festool std blade is superb, but as others have said, you still need a shooting board and creep up on your dimension.

 

[johnfarris]

I am still searching for a decent lightweight double bevel mitre saw. Thought i had solved the problem when i purchased a Festool KS60 E GB 240V Kapex
Brand new straight out of the box the saw would not cut right as its presets so i sent it back.

 

[deema]

The most accurate mitre cut depending on the space you have available can IMO be achieved by either a Morso guillotine (they also do a bench top version) which can be bought inexpensively secondhand off auction sites, or alternatively a Wadkin BRA, preferably the older round head version. These sell for peanuts, but are incredibly accurate once setup, which is very very easy. The older version can do compound mitre cuts. The reason they don’t sell for much is they are both space hungry in a small shop and being a RAS have a bad reputation from being used for ripping as well as cross cut.
I have both machines and each is superb at what they do. The Morso produces a cut that has a ‘glass’ like look and no gap. It does have a limited capacity, and only does mitre cut.

 

[will1983]

I have a Bosch sliding mitre saw, I think its the 12" version.

Good points
Cut quality is very good which the ability to take a gnats knacker off to creep up on a perfect fit.
Hold down clamp is an excellent all steel design
The blade tilts to 45o on the stops which are easy to adjust
It swings around to 60o one way and I think 55o the other which is plenty for me.
The fence is very solid
It is really really heavy which makes it very stable
Very accurate for smaller stuff

Bad points
Dust extraction as standard is rubbish. I made an overly coplicated shroud for behind the blade which improves it massively.
There is a little hole at the back of the blade slot which stuff gets blown down and ends up under the saw. This doesn't stop it functioning but is just a bit annoying.
It is really really heavy so a minus if you need to move it or take it to site.
The guard didn't fully retract when I bought mine, again I modified it until it worked right.
The accuracy creeps out at its full extension but I prefer to use the table saw or track saw with the FC hybrid square for parts that big anyway.

On the whole its a good pro saw but I wouldn't buy another one as it took to long to get working how I needed it to.
With regards to what to replace it with I'm at a bit of a loss, if I could afford one I'd go for the Festool but I think the big Makita is a more realistic buy.

 

[owen]

I wouldn't even consider a non-sliding mitre saw nowadays, the sliding versions can do a lot more, they're just as accurate, and easier to use IMO. With a non sliding one I used to struggle to cut to a mark on the timber accurately, you can't line a tooth of the blade up with the mark if your marks not in the right place on the timber, with a sliding one you can just pull it back until one of the teeth lines up with the mark. I've got two dewalts, one big 12 inch, and the others an 8 inch. I use the 8 inch the most, it's a great bit of kit. Think it cost around £200.

 

[owen]

https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dws77 ... 240v/9008j

That's the one I use.

 

[transatlantic]

https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dws773-gb-216mm-electric-single-bevel-sliding-compound-mitre-saw-240v/9008j

That's the one I use.

I've seen that saw in a few shops on display. Always seems to have a ridiculous amount of play

 

[bp122]

Hi

I will go out on a limb here and suggest something else.

I thought exactly like you that I needed a mitre saw and bought a Scheppach one (BTW, don't buy that even if there is a gun to your head)

My two cents on this, being probably even less experienced than you, is to NOT buy one at all.

1. Instead invest in a good mitre fence - something like an Incra one. Sure, it is pricey, but it is well worth it. It gives consistently more accurate results than my mitre saw on my table saw. This has single handedly put my mitre saw out of a job.

2. If your table saw, being a budget one as you mentioned, has not got a mitre slot or doesn't have a good one at that, then try and make a good picture frame jig (tons of tutorials online, videos and otherwise) - which, like a few before me have suggested, will help you deal with imperfections which arise when making picture frames. It gives you a lot of control and very hard to go wrong.

AGAIN, these suggestions are purely based on your requirement for a mitre saw for doing picture frames and other mitre joints, combined with my experience of it.

On their own, good mitre saws are amazing and have their place. It is just that for your use, it may not be the right fit, as your mitres may (not definite) be if you use them solely for that!

Hope this helps.

 

[W666]

Get the Bosch one you mentioned in original post. I recently bought it and it is flawless. Really good machine, 100% accurate.
If you look on amazon, there's one in the warehouse deals for £300. It's one I returned, unused, because its just missing the sds blade arbour and has a normal allen key one ( they come with both usually).
That's it, nothing else wrong when it left me. Description is based on the packaging imo. It is very well packaged compared to dewalt ones I've had previously.

 

[LoveMonkey]

Thanks again.

I have considered a mitre gauge, and intend to get an Incra one at some point, but I think for now a mitre saw is going to do a better job than a better mitre gauge on my current table saw. I'm going to get the Bosch one I've been looking at and hopefully get some use out of it over the Christmas period.

Thanks

 

[craigs]

I use the makita ls something something 19, never had an issue and cuts nice, clean and accurately. and if it doesnt cut dead on balls, them umm adjust it like the do in the manual, its not rocket science. I would use a sacrificial fence and a zero make a zero clearance insert because its just common sense to.