Miter saw for perfect 5" crosscuts

[Frank Shannon]

I want to buy a miter saw that can make perfect 5" 90 deg crosscuts. The classic hold it up to the light with a try square and none shines through thing. Every time, on both planes. I'll spring for the best blade in the world and any type of stabalizer or siffiner that would help. I would prefer 110v but 220 will be ok. I need good dust collection. It may never see a pine board of any dimension and it may never see a piece of crown molding. My budget is $1300 plus tax. What do I buy? I'm I dreaming?

I can't wait for a used saw to appear on a classified. Got to have it now.

If you can suggest a new RAS that makes perfect 5" crosscuts at or below my price point that would be great too.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
DeWalt DW713 10" non slider, no fancy lasers basic single bevel CMS.
I just checked mine with my new Starrett square & it's dead nuts on.
Runs about $219 @ Lowes.

Stick a DeWalt 40 or 60 tooth blade on it and it will make really smooth cuts - for a while.
Stick an 80 or 60 tooth Freud blade on it & it'll make baby bottom smooth cuts.
Stick a Forrest on it, and it will make baby bottom smooth cuts a lot longer than the Freuds will.
(I just happen to prefer the Freud blades - YMMV)

If you have ~half a day to twiddle around with one & your material is short enough, consider making a crosscut sled for a table saw.

I have both & use them all the time for various things.
It all depends on whatit is & how many pieces I have to run.

Edit to add:
You have to do your part too to get "perfect" cuts.
Check the alignment, clamp the material in place & use a good stand.
Even my low cost Ryobi does "perfect" cuts w/ a good blade, clamped workpieces & mounted on the miter saw stand once it's dialed in.
The difference between the Ryobi and the DeWalt is that I have to check & dial in the Ryobi more often.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

I've heard many many horror storys about the innacuracy of Dewalt miter saws, don't bother. It's a jobber saw at best, and not even a very good one at that.
If you want the best, and your budget suggests you do. Buy yoursellf a new Bosch saw. I just got the 4212L and it's fantastic, dead accurate out of the box. Literally the dead square crosscuts (up to 9" wide on that saw), and thats measuring with a machinists squre. NO LIGHT! I hook up my shop vac to the Bosch and it keeps it very clean.

Or look in to the Milwaukee saw, I almost sprung for one of those. It has the digital miter angle readout to adjust angles within 0.1*.

For ultra fine crosscuts, on a 10" blade you want 80 teeth, and on a 12" blade, you want 96teeth, ATB.

Hope that helps.

Ryan

[Frank Trinkle]

+1 on the Bosch units. I own the 4410L 10" Slider and it is deadly accurate! Long reach... 5" no problem.

Amazon sells them with free shipping under Prime. Virtually flawless out of the box and very ergonomically designed.

I have a Freud Ultimate Cutoff 80T on mine and it leaves a cut that looks like I sanded it with 400 grit.

[Chip Lindley]

Frank, Hold Out for a good deal on a Delta (or Rockwell/Delta) 12" radial arm saw. These are ALL-cast-iron and a used one will run you less than your $1300 ceiling. They are Heavy! Accurate! and *Just What You Need!* Of course, you will have to *set up* the saw to cut square, according to factory recommendations. Once set up, the RAS will give you the square cuts you desire!

A negative hook 60T blade such as Freud's LU91 will give you glass-smooth cuts! GoodLuck!

[Greg Sznajdruk]

I have 2 Dewalt 12 inch saws one is a slider don't understand why some folks think these saws are not accurate. Both of mine are dead on go finger. If you like to tinker and do adjustments rather than woodwork then a RAS is what you need. I've got a 1956 Dewalt and it will go out of adjustment just sitting in the shop.

If your budget is $1,300 then maybe look at the Festool suppost to be the ultimate. Don't have hands on because for a miter saw the price is way out there.

Greg

[Prashun Patel]

Do you have a tablesaw? I'd suggest a good miterfence instead.

[david brum]

I have an Hitachi 10" slider that I really like. I set it up to cut square a few years ago and it hasn't deviated since. I always use the square and light test. I got it because it has surprisingly good dust collection and is fairly compact.

My only complaint is the noise generated by universal motors.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Any chop or slider SHOULD do that, and I'm suprised that anybody would accept anything less. My Makita 1013 with the better stock blades has been doing it for going on 7 years now.

[Frank Shannon]

Do you have a tablesaw? I'd suggest a good miterfence instead.

I agree with that. I'm using a homemade sled for all those cuts now. I'm looking at the Incra 5000. But I think I would get a little more productivity cutting rails and stiles at the chop saw. Set and keep stops for stiles for the upper and lower cabinets and never move them for instance. The thing will always be there ready to go.

I'm just a one man outfit working out of my garage but I've got to get faster.

[Frank Shannon]

Any chop or slider SHOULD do that, and I'm suprised that anybody would accept anything less. My Makita 1013 with the better stock blades has been doing it for going on 7 years now.

That's the information I'm looking for. I'm starting from zero knowledge here. I've never had even a decent chop saw so it will be new to me. I've got a GMC 10" slider. Ever heard of that? It was an open box special for $100 I picked up about 5 years ago. It's junk but ok for cutting 2x's and for painted trim. You can adust it to square make a good cut but's it's stricly hit or miss. Too much play in everything.

When I go look at them at the stores I find that every single model of every single manufacturer gives a little when you hold the handle and wrack it. The $1300 Kapex actually gives quite a bit. Apparently my unscientific test is not valid and that's what I figured, hence the post.

Great info, keep it coming it's greatly appreciated. I'll be buying the next week. I'm leaning toward the Incra track and stop for the fence because of the saw teeth.

[Randy Carnley]

I agree with the Bosch. Check my thread for the one I am selling with a Delta extension stand. Can't beat the cut or the price.

[Frank Shannon]

I have 2 Dewalt 12 inch saws one is a slider don't understand why some folks think these saws are not accurate. Both of mine are dead on go finger. If you like to tinker and do adjustments rather than woodwork then a RAS is what you need. I've got a 1956 Dewalt and it will go out of adjustment just sitting in the shop.

If your budget is $1,300 then maybe look at the Festool suppost to be the ultimate. Don't have hands on because for a miter saw the price is way out there.

Greg

The Festool Kapex is where the budget number came from, that and the $1100 low end Omga.

I had pretty much dismissed the RAS because the good new ones are thousands and I can't wait around for Craigs list. The Omga RN700 which looks to be a good value with it's 27" crosscut is $3300. It's a beautiful machine that would crosscut lower cabinet parts as well as rails and stiles but I just can't swing that.

[Frank Shannon]

Hello,
DeWalt DW713 10" non slider, no fancy lasers basic single bevel CMS.
I just checked mine with my new Starrett square & it's dead nuts on.
Runs about $219 @ Lowes.

Stick a DeWalt 40 or 60 tooth blade on it and it will make really smooth cuts - for a while.
Stick an 80 or 60 tooth Freud blade on it & it'll make baby bottom smooth cuts.
Stick a Forrest on it, and it will make baby bottom smooth cuts a lot longer than the Freuds will.
(I just happen to prefer the Freud blades - YMMV)

If you have ~half a day to twiddle around with one & your material is short enough, consider making a crosscut sled for a table saw.

I have both & use them all the time for various things.
It all depends on whatit is & how many pieces I have to run.

Edit to add:
You have to do your part too to get "perfect" cuts.
Check the alignment, clamp the material in place & use a good stand.
Even my low cost Ryobi does "perfect" cuts w/ a good blade, clamped workpieces & mounted on the miter saw stand once it's dialed in.
The difference between the Ryobi and the DeWalt is that I have to check & dial in the Ryobi more often.

Thanks for the info. I've looked at that saw. It looks like a very good value. I can go the extra for the 12". Would that be better?

So you're saying that if you dial in the Ryobi you can make cuts good enough for cabinetry and it will stay in tune for a little while? You see I didn't know that. I assumed that a saw like the the Ryobi would never be square. Certainly worth the money because it's so cheap but really only good enough for framing and painted trim. That's very interesting.

I can go get any commonly available saw today. I'll probably pay a bit more and get it from my local woodwooking store because I need him to stay in business. I just needed to know if I was spinning my wheels. I was afraid that any common name brand, even Festool, was not up to the job of making cabinets. I need to clamp the rail to the style and get a hair line glue joint that is square on both axises. I wondered if I'd have to go with something like an Omga or one of the saw rigs that picture framers use or just stick to the table saw. I've made all my cuts on a sled in the past so I just didn't know. I didn't want to make a purchase without some reasonable assurance I'll get what I need.

The info I'm getting here is fantastic, greatly appreciated.

[Brent Leonard]

I have never been a DeWalt fan. Call it more of a "prejudice" that came about when I built homes in my college years (and a few more).
I can't tell you why I will not consider DeWalt, other than that. But the many HUGE Dewalt believers most likely disprove my prejudice.

That being said,
Bosch seems to be the leader in quality and precision. Festool is tops too, but I have never been able to accept their prices.

I use my table saw for perfect crosscuts.