Miter Saws

[Paul Zonneveld]

I happened to stop by the orange borg today as I am looking to get a miter saw. It is easier to cut down long boards with a miter saw than on the table saw. i also do some rough carpentry and could use the miter saw. Two saws caught my eye. No not the Dewalt, i have been off Dewalt tools for a while they just dont feel like they used to to me. Anyway I noticed the Milwaukee 6955-20 12" slider and the Makita LS1016L 10 inch slider. I like the slider becuase it gives me the extra capacity to cut wider booards as apposed to a non slider but I am open to thoughts on that as well. Firstly do any of you all own one of these saws and can give me any input on your impressions? Are either of these saws adequate to do more detailed finish work? Looking for input on these two saws or others that you think I should also consider. Any advice input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Cliff Holmes]

I own Makita 10" and Bosch 12" sliders. I much prefer the Makita, it cuts more precisely, which I think may be because of the smaller blade. The Bosch is way heavy, I can just barely move it myself. And it barely has any more capacity in terms of width. I now keep the Bosch on a portable stand and use it for rough work. It's the Makita that's in my new miter station.

[Dave Lehnert]

I to have been looking at sliding miter saws. The 10" Makita gets great reviews but the model that is on shelfs now is a new model. Popular Woodworking gave the new model great reviews. But looking at the display at HD there seems to be a great deal of flex when you grab the handle. That concerns me a bit. I am going to hold off and see what other owners think of the new saw.

[Gerry Werth]

Go back to the orange BORG and take a look at the Ridgid. I have the 12" slider, mounted on my bench. Its too heavy for me to be protable, but maybe with the MSUV it could be for you. The 10" is lighter, but I wanted the capacity. With Ridgid's warranty, you can't go wrong. It is very accurate, all the adjustments, miter or bevel, are easy to reach, and IIRC it did pretty well in tool tests. Just a thought.

[Paul Zonneveld]

Thanks for the responses so far. Gerry I did look at the Ridgid and would consider it, its just that right now the Makita version comes with a free hypoid saw and the Milwaukee comes with a free stand. I have two circular saws already and like the capacity of the Milwaukee and its 12 inch blade and the free stand is very tempting as well. I too thought that the Milwaukee was the most ridgid followed by the Ridgid and then the Makita, which suprised me as I expected more from that saw. With that 4 rail system (upper and lower) it just seems to me that it would inherently have more flex.

Really appreciate it and would love to hear from anyone who has these saws on their impressions.

Thanks

[Dave Lee NC]

The Ridigd also gets the same free stand.

[Mac McQuinn]

The Ridigd also gets the same free stand.

+1 This is what the store associate told me too...

Mac

[Paul Zonneveld]

THanks guys I did not realize the Ridgid came with the stand as well. I think that the Ridgid was actually more expensive than both the Makita and Milwaukee.

Keep it coming appreciate it.

[Simon Dupay]

Makita is the better saw the milwaukee, the milwaukee feels like a toy compaired to the Makita.

[Dave Lehnert]

Makita is the better saw the milwaukee, the milwaukee feels like a toy compaired to the Makita.

Are you speaking of the new model now in stores or the older model that could be had just a few month ago?

[Glen Butler]

I know you want to hear about Milwaukee and Makita, but I wouldn't let a free stand sway your decision as to what is a better saw. A couple 2x4' s do not cost much. Make a stand, you are afterall a woodworker.

I have not looked at miter saws in 4 years, but I do own 2 Rigid saws. I like the large bed and the preset stops are nuts on. You can't say that for most miter saws out there. I also like that you can cut 60 degrees.

I also don't think Milwaukee is the company it once was. I used to be a fan but in recent years I have swayed from them.

[Mike Cruz]

I have had experience with both slider and non slider models (both Dewalt, sorry). I have to say that I serious prefer the non slider. Sure the slider gives you the ability to cut a wider board, but the blade on a slider doesn't go as deep into the saw's bed. So, on a slider, if you want to cut anything over about 3 or 4 inches, you HAVE to use the sliding mechanism. On the non slider, the blade drops 8" into the saw's bed. Yes, it is the maximum you can cut, but on a board wider than 8", you flip the board over and cut from the other side. Then take it to your TS and make your final cut if you need to.

Disclaimer: This is my experience with two different Dewalt sliders and two different Dewalt non-sliders. I can't speak for how other manufacturers' saws opperate...I can only ASSUME they are similar...FWIW.

Oh, yeah, I did use someone's Makita once, and didn't like the "feel". Likely it was just different than what I was used to...not that it was bad.

[Dan Clark]

Then I found that my 1016 had the "blade wobble" problem. It was from arbor runout. I returned it for another one. It had the exact same problem. So I returned that one too and bought a Festool Kapex. (The Kapex is very pricey, but is a very good saw.)

IF you need a light-weight saw AND can find one without arbor runout AND are not concerned with dust collection, then the 1016 is a good choice. Some people have the arbor runout problem and some don't. One fellow bought one and sent it to Makita service. They repaired it. It has some nice features and the miter table is excellent. OTOH, dust collection is mediocre.

OTOH, if you don't care about weight, then the Milwaukee may be a better saw. I've never owned one, but reviews are good. It has some nice features including a miter digital readout and micro-adjustment. Dust collection is supposed to be pretty good and it has a very large capacity.

Regards,

Dan.

p.s. To test for arbor runout, take a wider board that is light colored, painted white, or covered with melamine. Lock the head so that it doesn't slide and make a plunge cut part way into the wood. Turn off the saw and lower the blade into the fresh cut. The blade should scrape both sides of the cut. If there is a space on one or both sides, it has arbor runout and is defective. Both of my 1016's had gaps; my Kapex has none.

p.p.s. Do not confuse the 1016 with the older 1013. They are significantly different. Positive and negative comments about the 1013 don't necessarily apply to the 1016.

[John Callahan]

Out of curiousity where do they make the 1016?

[Robert Chapman]

The reviews that I read say that you cannot beat the Bosch sliding miter saws.