Hitachi C12LC 12" Compound Miter Saw with Digital Display

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I've been suffering from paralysis by analysis trying to decide which miter saw to get. SCMS, CMS, DW718, 4212L, C10FSH? Then I saw the Hitachi C12LC 12" Compound Miter Saw with Digital Display on Amazon for $199.94 - 10% = $179.95, free shipping. Is it just me or is this an incredible deal? I've done some searching but can't find much information about this saw. The Amazon reviews are glowing. I'd like to have a slider but is it worth an extra $450 (for the C12LSH)? Am I missing something here? Will I have wished I got the slider?

[Doug Lindley]

I've been eyeballing this saw also, when I read your post I had to double check because I've only seen it at Lowes and they are selling it for $299. The Amazon price looks like a great deal. I didn't see the additional 10% off on the Amazon website though.

Buy the way as you can see this is my first post here and I just want to say that this forum is my new number 1 stop for woodworking info. The members here are incredibily helpful.

[Vaughn McMillan]

I had to check it out, even though I don't need a miter saw. Nice looking saw. I had to share this snippet from a review:

...Thought it was a great deal for the price. I have to admit that I know little about woodworking but this saw makes a nice power tool sound that your wife will think you are all the more manly for being a part of and it cuts wood into pieces and accurately...

If ever there was a reason to buy a noisy power tool, making LOML think I'm more manly sure seems like a good one.

And welcome to the Creek, Doug. Way to sneak in. We have a lot of fun here, but make sure you get pics to record the evidence, or you risk being beaten about the head and shoulders with a thong. It's not pretty.

- Vaughn

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I chuckled at that too, Vaughn.

Actually, while it seems to be a great price, my hesitation is with the lack of dual bevel capability.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Are you sure it can't do dual bevels? The description says "...Revolutionary Digital Liquid Crystal Display For Clear & Accurate Miter & Bevel Readings,...", which sounds like it does both miters and bevels at the same time. Hence "compound miter saw"? Of course, I've not seen the saw in person, so I could be way wrong. (Wouldn't be the first time today.)

- Vaughn

[Rob Bodenschatz]

You're right, "compound" means it can do miters and bevels. "Dual bevel" means that it can lean in either direction when doing bevels. This saw is single bevel which means it'll only lean in one direction. The result is that you would need to turn the board over when cutting the "other" end of the board when doing a compound cut. Complicates things for my simple mind.

I probably didn't a good job of explaining that. Anyone else is welcome to clean it up.

[Tom Araya]

I've been suffering from paralysis by analysis

I went through this problem for a week trying to figure out
what to buy. Then it occurred to me. Make a list of
what the miter saw needs to do for you, exclude features
you aren't interested in.

Example;

1. I need to cut 4x4's, therefore a 12" blade is needed.

2. In spite of what many woodworkers say, I wanted a
long stroking miter saw to cut bigger panels. Granted,
I can run them on the table saw if I have a good sled,
but many times I don't want to run a heavy piece of thick
wood through the stationary blade {tablesaw}, it's best
to secure the heavy wood and run the blade through it.

All other features, don't care. That said, the DW718 was
the winner for me. I got the Amazon discounts of a few
weeks ago and $50 gift card to help minimize the spending damage.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Boy you guys in the US get deals, that same saw here in Japan (you know, where the freaking factory is) lists for close to $800 ...

I have an older 8", SCMS, and it is a VERY good tool.

Cheers!

[Doug Lindley]

And welcome to the Creek, Doug. Way to sneak in. We have a lot of fun here, but make sure you get pics to record the evidence, or you risk being beaten about the head and shoulders with a thong. It's not pretty.

- Vaughn

Thanks for the welcome Vaughn, I have been reading enough here the last couple of weeks to know that whenever I purchase or make anything, pictures must be included, those pic police seem like a nasty bunch, woodworkers with thongs !!! Yikes. (haha).

[tod evans]

welcome doug!

bob, if you can swing it sliders are really nice......02 tod

[Doug Lindley]

A correction to my earlier post in this thread, the hitachi saw that Lowes is selling for 299 is the same saw but with the laser guide included. Not sure if the laser guide is worth $100 but it's not good to compare apples to oranges.

[Jeremy Chisholm]

Good call on writing down the features you think you need, and giving that list a good hard look. That's how I recently broke out of my own miter saw analysis paralysis.

I knew I wanted a dual bevel (as previously mentioned- I guess I'm slow too!), and preferred a front bevel action (as opposed to reaching behind the saw to change the bevel). Long did I lust after those beautiful sliders, but on serious thought, I realized I didn't really need the capacity (I'm laying floors and installing trim, and this summer will likely be doing some framing), and larger crosscuts I can easily to on the TS in the garage. I ended up going with the 4212L, as it had the features I wanted, is easy to adjust, and I read a lot of good comments regarding it's overall accuracy. $320 including shipping from Toolking back in February. I haven't regretted it yet- best CMS I've ever used- and thanks to the Creek and a little sale at HD a couple weekends back, it's now mounted on a Rigid MSUV picked up at a nice discount.

[Vaughn McMillan]

You're right, "compound" means it can do miters and bevels. "Dual bevel" means that it can lean in either direction when doing bevels. This saw is single bevel which means it'll only lean in one direction. The result is that you would need to turn the board over when cutting the "other" end of the board when doing a compound cut. Complicates things for my simple mind.

I probably didn't a good job of explaining that. Anyone else is welcome to clean it up.

Ah...now I understand. Thanks for the edumacation.

- Vaughn

[Scott Parks]

I have the Hitatchi 12" CMS with digital and laser. However, I paid $329 for mine, 9 months ago.

It is a good saw for it's purpose, and I like to use it a lot. Powerful, smooth cut, etc. (remember to use hearing protection, becuase it is VERY loud!) The digital thing is really a gimmick. It is not needed. There are hard detents at 22.5, 30, and 45 degrees; all the common angles. The DRO records to .5 degrees. The only benefit to the DRO is easy readability. I had to cut a miter at 33.5 degrees once, and it was easy to swing it until it read 33.5, instead of guessing by the marks/pointer.

It only has one laser. It is adjustable to either side of the kerf, but you only get to pick one side. I commonly cut on both sides of the blade, so mine is set to the middle of the kerf.

Cons:
It will slightly cut a of a potato chip arc, but this is likely due to it coming with a cheap thin kerf blade... close enough...

It lacks extension infeed/outfeed tables. Therefore I have it mounted on a Rigid MSUV. This was a great investment. Problem solved, and portablilty to boot.

The right side fence is not machined square to the base. I had to shim it and tweak with it to get it square to the base.


The cons are minor. Overall, I rate this saw as a 4 out of 5 stars... 1-1/2 thumbs up... etc... At $179, it is a great buy! You won't be dissappointed.

[Stan Mijal]

Doug,
I received mine from Amazon just the other day. At that time they had a 12" Hitachi 90 tooth blade free with the saw. ( Had to call Amazon since it would not take both the 10% off and free blade code. they were gracious enough to allow both of them).
A slider is nice, but they take up quite a bit of real estate. 12 inch saws are quite bulky and heavy---makes my 10" Makita feel like lifting a toy!
The digital readout is nice, mainly for the bevel angle. Most saws are difficult to set an accurate bevel since the scale is quite a distance from your point of vision while holding the saw in position.
For the money involved, this saw seems like a no brainer.