Which is a Good Manual Mitre saw?

[Friedrich]

I want to purchase a good quality manual mitre saw that is actually a good quality tool and can produce excellent results- it will be used for trim work mostly but also for some regular mitre saw usage when I will be working away from power outlet.
I currently got a nobex champion 180 which supposedly is the top-of-the-range-stuff ,and quite expensive as well. I bought it because it got good reviews and people were suggesting it- but it's one of the worst quality tools I have ever bought and I regret that purchase everytime I use that tool. ( stuff that has already broken on it- 2x handles/one guide/both clamps/support piece )+ It doesn't cuts anywhere near square so it's only good for very rough cutting which defeats its purpose. Very good ideas - but very bad execution on that tool!

I don't mind buying something vintage &chunky and restoring if needed but I'm after a real quality tool as I really like this kind of tool and I'm using it quite frequently,the nobex will go straight to dump after I get something better - so I don't want another saw from that manufacturer.

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

Ulmia are the best, but lie down before you look at the prices. Even second hand they can be eye wateringly expensive. I managed to get a 352 fixer upper for reasonable money, but it wasn't pretty. It was all there though and they are so solid they refurbish well. Mine cuts dead on accurate at the set angles and dead upright cuts. Wonderful tools and peerless.

Mike.

 

[Friedrich]

Hello,

Ulmia are the best, but lie down before you look at the prices. Even second hand they can be eye wateringly expensive. I managed to get a 352 fixer upper for reasonable money, but it wasn't pretty. It was all there though and they are so solid they refurbish well. Mine cuts dead on accurate at the set angles and dead upright cuts. Wonderful tools and peerless.

Mike.

Seems like they are very very very rare as well? Just one sold on ebay in the last 3-4months.

 

[AndyT]

There's also the whole world of old mitre boxes to explore, from makers such as Miller's Falls or Stanley.
They seem to have been far more popular in the USA than over here, so finding an old import won't be easy especially if you start reading American forums and set your heart on a particular model.

There must have been a big difference in working practices, meaning that our joiners didn't need elaborate manufactured mitre boxes.

Maybe your best option is to make your own special boxes to suit each job.

 

[AJB Temple]

I second Ulmia. I have one and it is faultless. There is one on eBay right now with buy it now price of £275 or best offer.

 

[custard]

I want to purchase a good quality manual mitre saw that is actually a good quality tool and can produce excellent results- it will be used for trim work mostly but also for some regular mitre saw usage when I will be working away from power outlet.

Doesn't quite fit your brief, but some workshops these days use a disc sander for this kind of work (the rest mainly use a chop saw with a fine cross cut blade and zero clearance inserts).

The fence and the tilting table on a decent disc sander means you have complete control over compound angles. One advantage of a disc sander is that the job comes off the tool glue ready, if your hand saw work isn't first class then you'll still have a further stage of planing or sanding before you can achieve really tight glue lines on your trim work.

Just a thought.

 

[D_W]

Millers falls 74 or 75 - i don't know what the availability of them is over there, but I doubt any of the continental european or scandinavian devices are as good.

I run into them from time to time for $50 here, but it would be less if you found one at a yard sale or a weekday auction. I will say this about a miter saw setup - it's something that you think you'll use a lot, but you don't use it quite so much unless you're doing interior trim work, and if you're doing that, a power compound miter saw and a coping saw will be a lot more useful.

(the power tool people I have talked to around here agree with custard - they tune miters with a disc sander)

 

[dynax]

a shooting board might be the way to go for fine tuning mitres , although not as quick as disc sander will give a clean finish and less dust,

 

[AJB Temple]

Custard makes a good point actually. My saw has been in my store room for ages. I use a disc sander and compound mitre saw these days - I can't remember the last time I had the manual one out, but certainly two houses back. I think it may be time for me to have a clear out.

 

[dickm]

Surprised the OP's Nobex wasn't up to scratch. Had a small one bought from a clearance in Texas Homecare years ago that was fine within its limits and is still doing sterling work for Son-in-law. And the £3 Nobex professional from the local car boot is spot on.

 

[D_W]

There is a store there called Texas home care?

 

[bugbear]

I have a s/h Nobex Champion and it cuts perfectly - both angles and verticality of cut within half a kerf.

The plastic handle is appalling though, replaced with a custom wooden one on purchase!

BugBear

 

[Friedrich]

I have a s/h Nobex Champion and it cuts perfectly - both angles and verticality of cut within half a kerf.

The plastic handle is appalling though, replaced with a custom wooden one on purchase!

BugBear

out of interest, what are you cutting with it? how often and to what precision do you work? It can perfectly cut small trim pieces- just because you can't notice any blade wander in small pieces as they are so small.
Try cutting a 15cm tall skirting board to joint it together with another freshly cut 15cm tall skirting board... It won't line up in most of the cases just perfectly as it should.

The problem with the saw is that it's super-flimsy and the small blade isn't rigid enough to stay where it needs to stay - can't really bend the laws of physics I guess so once the blade drift starts you just mess up your workpiece. Try cutting a 10x10cm post in angle to join it together with another massive piece.. It just can't handle stuff like that due to how cheaply that saw is built.. That saw really is only good for faffing around and doing stuff like picture framing where you only cut very small pieces.

I have already searched the internet.. There are loads of people reporting the same problem- the saw is just too flimsy, Not really something you would expect from a $200 saw..which is why I will never buy from that company again and would suggest others to steer clear of them as well.

 

[dickm]

There is a store there called Texas home care?

Not any more! Originally it may have been Marley DIY, then became Texas and then in about 2000, became Homebase, which is now in the throes of being Bunninged.
That's capitalism for you!

 

[dickm]

The problem with the saw is that it's super-flimsy and the small blade isn't rigid enough to stay where it needs to stay - can't really bend the laws of physics

Don't know about the laws of physics (I'm just married to a retired physicist) but arguably, the apparently "flimsy" blade, because it is held under tension, is at least as accurate as the partially unsupported blade of a conventional backsaw.