Which Mitre Saw to buy?

[jamesselby]

I'll apologise now as there will likely be several questions from me around recommendations on tools.

I'd say I've done DIY my entire life and learnt lots from my father. Something that when I was a teenager I couldn't understand why I being made to help but now am grateful as most my friends can't even put a shelf up. Over the years I've collected a few tools but more recently I've started to invest in a better range of equipment and tools.

I was given a Bosch Professional 18v drill last year and a few batteries so I'm kind of stuck with that brand, but I'm sure there are endless threads on Bosch vs all the other manufacturers.

As I've been doing more and more timber projects I've recently purchased a Bosch mains powers circular saw which was fantastic when cutting big sheets for the floor and roof on a playhouse. But what I'd wish I'd purchased first was a mitre saw, after cutting about 250 bits of wood by hand I've decided it's time to get a mitre saw. Looking online it opened up the endless saws available and I'm completely confused by it all.

So I'm looking for advice on a good mitre saw that can help me make reliable cuts and ideally no more than £300.

What gets peoples vote?

 

[MikeJhn]

You will get so many replies you wont know where to turn, best to read as many reviews as you can and make up your own mind, everyone on here is biased to the mitre saw they own: https://www.mitresawzone.com/

You have to consider if you require double or single compound mitre, extending or fixed, so many permutations it will make your head spin. (hammer)

Mike

 

[Bodgers]

Hmmm, bit of a strange site in that link. Looks to be some kind of vehicle for capturing affiliate and ad income.

Anyway, if you do a search on this forum, mitre saw threads are common - I am sure you will find what you are looking for. For you budget they are going to be very similar with no real terrible ones. You would have to step up Festool money to gain any real difference.

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[RossJarvis]

It may be worth looking at what's available and choosing a few and posting to see if people on here have got or used them. I'm definitely not biased toward mine, it's a Makita LS0815FL and wouldn't recommend it to anyone, in fact one I had for £20 from Aldi was better.

 

[transatlantic]

I have the Metabo KGS216M. I was actually able to afford something more expensive from the likes or Dewalt/Makita/Bosch, but having compared them, I don't think they were any better. And in many cases, the Metabo seemed to be of a higher quality. As for how long it will last? we'll see.

 

[AJB Temple]

My advice is that people frequently buy mitre saws that are too small. The snag with this is that the depth of through cut that you can achieve with say a 45% tilt, is a great deal less than with no tilt. Same applies to cross cut capacity - bigger is good as the compromise point is reached at the deepest part of the blade.

Buy a decent brand and at your budget they are all much of a muchness. Buy bigger if you can.

 

[transatlantic]

My advice is that people frequently buy mitre saws that are too small. The snag with this is that the depth of through cut that you can achieve with say a 45% tilt, is a great deal less than with no tilt. Same applies to cross cut capacity - bigger is good as the compromise point is reached at the deepest part of the blade.

Buy a decent brand and at your budget they are all much of a muchness. Buy bigger if you can.

I actually downscaled as the one I initially bought just took up far too much space and was difficult to move. So also bear in mind just how big a SCMS can be.

 

[Stevebod]

I went through this process last year....lots of different makes considered...long story short, (trench cut, easy to carry, reasonable quality, reasonable price, reasonable capacity), I went for the Metabo KGS254M 254MM as it seemed to give the best of most worlds. You want a minimum 250 dia, and you want it to be reasonably "portable", and reasonable quality. Price wise I got one for £199 "special deal" on Amazon.

So far I am very happy with my choice...and recent;y got an Aldi MS stand for £40....even happier now!!

good hunting

 

[Robbo3]

I have no idea what the quality of the Sheppach HM100LXU is like but the capacity & price should put it in the running.
Cross cut at 90° - 340 x 78 mm
Mitre cut at 45° - 240 x 78 mm
Bevel cut at 45° - 340 x 42 mm
Compound cut at 45° - 240 x 42 mm
£149
- http://www.toolstop.co.uk/scheppach-hm1 ... 40v-p72715

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I've just purchased my first SCMS and was in the same position as you - spoilt by choice. I didn't want to go too big/expensive for my first so opted for something that was decent enough for resale if and when I wish to upgrade. I went for this one https://www.angliatoolcentre.co.uk/bosc ... 40195.html It's not the biggest, yet it's capable of doing what I need at the moment, and so far I've not been disappointed 8)

Obi Wan

 

[dynax]

I have no idea what the quality of the Sheppach HM100LXU is like but the capacity & price should put it in the running.
Cross cut at 90° - 340 x 78 mm
Mitre cut at 45° - 240 x 78 mm
Bevel cut at 45° - 340 x 42 mm
Compound cut at 45° - 240 x 42 mm
£149
- http://www.toolstop.co.uk/scheppach-hm1 ... 40v-p72715

I have this one, can't fault it except for the dust extraction, but that it is pretty much universal with most scms's , comes with a 60T stock blade which is pretty good to be fair, when i get the chance i will be doing a full review of it as i have had for a few months now,

 

[pcb1962]

One thing to bear in mind is that conventional mitre saws need quite a bit of space behind the saw for the sliding rails. This can be an issue if your workshop layout dictates that the saw needs to be on a bench with a wall directly behind. To get around this issue some saws have fixed rails that point forwards, meaning the saw can be positioned against the wall, this metabo is one example. Saws that don't need space behind are made by Festool, Bosch, Hitachi and Metabo, though they tend to be higher up the price range.

 

[Mark A]

I've just purchased my first SCMS and was in the same position as you - spoilt by choice. I didn't want to go too big/expensive for my first so opted for something that was decent enough for resale if and when I wish to upgrade. I went for this one https://www.angliatoolcentre.co.uk/bosc ... 40195.html It's not the biggest, yet it's capable of doing what I need at the moment, and so far I've not been disappointed 8)

Obi Wan

I've owned the predecessor to this saw for the last seven years (GCM800S).

The cutting capacity isn't huge, but for general building work I think it's perfectly adequate. If I must cut something wider or deeper than what the saw can manage then I find a different approach.

Jamesselby - I would start by making a list of jobs you can envisage doing in the foreseeable future and work back from there. A 216-250mm saw will be ample for things like decking and shelves. A wooden rollercoaster would probably call for something a bit bigger

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[Seiken]

Hi ,
I've had the Bosch GCM8SJL for a couple of years and its been reliable and I think its a good bulld for the price