Lasers on power tools

[WoodStoat]

Has anyone found one of these in any way useful? they never seem to line up, and are no match for actually aligning the workpiece visually. Usually, they are attached to some wobbly part of the machine - the first thing I do if using a tool with one of these gimmicks is to switch it off, disable it, or ideally remove it and chuck it into the bin.

Any differing opinions?

 

[Philly]

Nope-pile of poo :lol:
Philly

 

[wrightclan]

The only one I have found useful is the one that mounts as a blade washer on my CMS. Because it mounts to the blade arbour it shows a line that is always just to the left of the kerf. Can't go out of alignment. Just need to remember to physically align the blade when the cut line is to the right of the blade.

Brad

 

[Barry Burgess]

Mine works well on the blade arbor.Shows the left hand side of the kerf
Barry

 

[Ian Dalziel]

Woodstoat,
I use the porter cable chopsaw....Norms old one and its in a different league to the others i have tried. It is solidly mounted inside the guard and its easily positioned either side of the blade with the aid of a push button. you can set it up for just a very fine line or a full 2mm wide line whatever i care to set it at.

the odd one comes up on ebay every now and then but command a premium. It does have poor cutting capacity but is as accurate as my festool symmetric. I have mine set up on the bench so it isn't portable.

i tried the elektra beckum....didnt rate ...too gimmiky, i wasnt able to set the line fine enough. I also had the dewalt dw701 with a laser...it too didnt come upto scratch. I found the lines too strong and too wide for accuracy

I did look at the sawblade washer style but it works by centrifugal force and has to be runnning to shine its line, i wouldnt trust myself trying to align for a cut with a spinning blade.

I

The PC one is the only one i've tried that really works the way a laser was intended. It was very expensive at the time and they didnt make them for long because of the price.

 

[Russell]

The battery ones are useless IMO. the ones mounted with adjustment and mains powered are of a much high quality and can be calibrated correctly.

 

[Dewy]

The 1st mitre saw I had with a laser was a B&Q (nutool) one.
To start it aligned perfectly with the left side of the blade then somehow moved to the right hand side. It was adjustable but was at the furthest left possible.
My current mitresaw has a laser but it has no adjustment and is along the centre of the blade.
I only use the laser as a rough guide, never for accuracy.

 

[RogerS]

Not sure I see the benefit for using on a mitre saw. Isn't it just as easy to lower the blade (switched off) and align the cut line that way?

 

[WoodStoat]

Not sure I see the benefit for using on a mitre saw. Isn't it just as easy to lower the blade (switched off) and align the cut line that way?

Easier, unless it's for very rough work, or you can trust the laser absolutely. I never have, and my suspicions have usually been confirmed. I'm saving enough time by using the mitre saw instead of a hand saw - I don't begrudge the few seconds taken to square a line across the timber and line up by eye (made easier by removing the pointless, PITA lower blade guard).

 

[wrightclan]

... I don't begrudge the few seconds taken to square a line across the timber and line up by eye ....

That's fine with square section stock. Much more difficult with compound angles or odd shaped stock such as crown moulding. That's where a laser, if accurate, comes into it's own.

Brad

 

[Russell]

I think a flip stop accurately set up is more use on a mitre saw