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Thread: 10" VS 12" Compound Miter Saw

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Colfax, Iowa
    Posts
    126

    10" VS 12" Compound Miter Saw

    My 8 1/4" Craftsman CMS is dying.
    Since I have a Ramp & Deck project to do this summer am going to buy a new CMS. The saw would then be in my shop. Wife`s only insistance is that my new saw be laser guided. Am debating between Hitachi & Dewalt saws.
    Other than the advantage of having same size blades on my Table & Miter Saw. What advantages would one have over the other?

  2. #2
    Jim;
    I have the DeWalt 10" CMS and love it. It is probubly the most used saw in my shop. There has been 1 instance where I could have used the 12". In that case I used my table saw.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,675
    For a CMS, I like the 12" versions due to extra width and depth on crosscutting. For a slider, (SCMS) this is less of an issue and a 10" would serve most folks well.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
    For deck building, definetly the 12", really handy in 4 X 4's especially when you miter. I've had the 12" Dewalt since the first came out , I even used it in my picture framing business for the first year, built 10 homes with it including trimming and a couple dozen decks. Other than a recall on the arbor and a couple sets of brushes it still works perfect.

    I also have their 10" which I now use for picture framing and their 12" slider which I like for cross cutting.

    Andy

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Colts Neck, NJ
    Posts
    41
    I think it really comes down to what you are going to use it for. If you are going to be doing a lot of trim work and large crown and bases then I woudl say a 12". If you are just doing some basic cuts on smaller size stock then a 10" will probably do. I have a Dewalt 12" and love it but there are plenty of times I wish I had the 12" slider. It really comes down to the use.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Collin County Texas
    Posts
    2,417
    I have had the 10" Mikita SCMS for about 4 years. As a hobbist, I don't put much wear on it; however I have never had a problem cutting any board on it including PT 4X4 in a single cut.

    Also, the blade that comes with the Mikita is a good blade. When it wears out in a couple years, you can replace it with a Forrest.
    Best Regards, Ken

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Colfax, Iowa
    Posts
    126

    Alright a bit of what I`m up to.

    My home is 45" above grade, as it was flooded in the 93 flood.
    My parents and the wife`s mother are getting into their late 80`s.
    So I intend to build 50' of ramp and a 16'X28' deck.
    There is 124' of fence to go in but I don`t intend to use the saw much on that, since I`ll go with vinyl fencing for low maintainence.
    Once the deck is done the saw will see general shop use. I have no intent to do a lot of crown moulding at this time.

  8. #8
    Jim,

    I made do with a 10 inch SCMS of one brand or another for years,

    using the, " if there is a will there is a way principle."

    So when the next opportunity to justify a new saw presented itself,

    I purchased a 12. On its first day at the job, that thought ran again

    through my pointy head. Why on these little green acres, did I not get one

    like this in the first place?



    Because I am not clairvoyant and neither is any one else.

    The fact is you never know just what job is on the horizon.

    Remember the book of "I nevers" is never completed.

    This may or may not help in your decision.

    Per
    "all men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night....wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible."
    T.E. Lawrence

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Harrisburg, NC
    Posts
    2,255
    I find myself agreeing with Per most of the time, I guess we think the same. If you can anyway afford it, buy a 12" SLIDE COMPOUND MITER SAW. This type of saw is a work horse for most contractors. Why? Because it can do it all, cut 4X4s, cut crown, cut 2 X 12s, and anything you throw at it. I realize I'm a contractor, but I have three of them.
    Also, you should be using a different blade on the SCMS than your table saw so size is not a issue,(in this case).
    I'm also still out on the laser, most only read from one side of the blade. Their is also a problem with parallex (sp.). The laser line moves to the right as you lower the blade. The laser is thicker than a pencil line so you are not sure where your line is. I wouldn't let the laser be the final decession.
    I'm partial to the Dewalt, but also have and like the Bosch.

    Richard

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Wolf
    I find myself agreeing with Per most of the time, I guess we think the same.
    I guess there's one major difference:
    You use a Dewalt SCMS while Per definitely recommends Makita.
    Now that both of you are professionals who build wonderful "stuff", how can somebody like me decide between Dewalt and Makita?


    Regards,

    Christian
    "On Wednesday, when the sky is blue,
    And I have nothing else to do,
    I sometimes wonder if it's true
    That who is what and what is who."


    (A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh)

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Harrisburg, NC
    Posts
    2,255
    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Aufreiter
    I guess there's one major difference:
    You use a Dewalt SCMS while Per definitely recommends Makita.
    Now that both of you are professionals who build wonderful "stuff", how can somebody like me decide between Dewalt and Makita?


    Regards,

    Christian
    Christian, all the major manufactures have good saws, I don't think you can really go wrong. Installing railings makes me look for high fences, and the ability to cut past 45 degrees, which is why I like the Dewalt.

    Richard

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Wolf
    I'm also still out on the laser, most only read from one side of the blade. Their is also a problem with parallex (sp.). The laser line moves to the right as you lower the blade. The laser is thicker than a pencil line so you are not sure where your line is. I wouldn't let the laser be the final decession.
    I'm partial to the Dewalt, but also have and like the Bosch.

    Richard
    My neighbor got a new CMS and it came with the spinning type lazer sight and there is quite a bit of Paralex so I was turned off with the Idea. My New Skll Jig saw has a built in Lazer that is dead on accurate but the lazer is integral to the saw.

    Shop Notes Vol 14 Issue 81 had an article on after market Lazers for CMS's and the one by Lazerkerf www.lazerkerf.com looks like it solves this problem. It even comes in two differant width beams one for standard blades and one for thin kerf blades.

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