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I was curious about the nicer miter gauges vs. a good sliding chop saw like the dewalt 718 etc.. After reading a couple of comments here I am curious what the advantages or disadvantages would be between the two. I rarely use my unisaw for cross cut miters and instead use my 708 slider that is mounted on a cabinet with hinged wings on both sides for support when I need it. So what do others think?
For true dead-on accuracy I depend on my Unisaw that is within 1/1000 tolerance. But if I'm trying to cut a 16 foot board in half, no question it goes on my chop saw. Obviously boards of a certain width you have no choice.
Whenever it makes sense to bring the blade to the material as opposed to move the material past the blade, I'll go with the miter saw. For me the TS is much more repeatably accurate and so when I have the option I will go there.
I have a Hitachi 10" sliding compound miter saw. I use it mostly for installation of molding at customer sites. In the shop, I use the table saw with a sled. I keep three sleds around: the usual one with no miter or bevel; one with left and right miters; and one with 45 degree bevel.
I'm struggling with this right now. My shop is small and my miter saw is heavy. (10" compound, non-sliding, will only crosscut 6") I've decided to get rid of it, rough crosscut with my circ saw and final trim with table saw.
For longer pieces, I will just set up a cutting guide and use the circ saw. I don't have room for big TS sleds either.
If you have the room & money, I think a sliding compound miter saw is the best answer, as it is easier to set up stops for identical long pieces with this than with a table saw & sled.
Because I have a 12" SCMC that is very accurate I use it for any cross cut under 12". If I didn't already have one I would have a smaller crosscut sled for the tablesaw.
A SCMS is useful for lots besides just cross cutting so they are nice to have. You can have a lot of dough in a premium miter gauge and if you are going to be doing mostly 90 or 45 cuts a small sled is almost no cost if built from scrap.
Joe
Just a heads up Ron that your 708 is more accurate than the new 718 by most accounts (and more desirable).
I own the 708 and I've had offers to trade it for a 718 from some tradesmen I know.
The only complaint most have about the 708 is the weight... happens to be the heaviest SCMS I know of.
Of course, mine will get moved and replaced by the new RAS acquisition. Which is even more accurate and capable (18" X-Cut capacity, 75º left / right miter ability)
Mike
Mike, what kind of RAS are you buying that's more accurate than a good sliding mitre saw?
Are you purchasing an Original Saw machine?
Regards, Rod.
For molding and construction I use my dewalt where a little gap doesn't matter. But if I need to make a picture frame 45 deg angle I can not get a accurate cut out of my dewalt miter saw for the life of me. I perfer to use a miter saw and I can not wate till the Festool saw it out hopefully it will be better.
Hi Rod,
You can see my gloat thread where I acquired a DeWalt MBC unit (the Original saw remakes the larger family units). The unit I have is wicked tight and doesn't flex AT all. My 708 I can move with a bit of force, but the DeWalt is ROCK solid.
mike