Laser or Digital readout...10" or 12".. Help.

[Mike Cutler]

Greg.

I also have the Dewalt 705. Very rugged little mitersaw. I use it all the time in the shop.

I would go with the 12" version, but.... I would replace the blade with a full kerf blade. The Dewalt blade( thin kerf) has a tendency to "potato chip, slightly along the face of the cut. A full kerf blade is less prone to do this. It never hurts to have more capacity when you need to cut miters, sometimes that extra inch, or so, is all you need. The 12" gives you just a little bit more than the 10" in this application.

Gotta agree with the rest about the laser issue. They might be convenient in a construction type application, but I haven't seen the need in the shop yet. I also think that they would encourage people to try and work too fast. If I have to drop the blade to align it to a pencil mark, I don't move my hands, and I know that my hand is out of the way of the blade when the cut is actually made. Just a thought.

[Per Swenson]

Hello all,

Full disclosure time. I bought the laser kerf gee gaw.

Cause I am a sucker. Suppose to be the best on the market.

I didn't need it then, I don't need it now.

Nice concept, useless application.

Now that you are aware of my penchant to buy almost any thing

on impulse, you can stop sending me the pictures of those bridges.

I now own several.

My only other suggestion in mitre saw happiness is to stick

with the big three and spend the money.

A $500 mitre saw is only 27 cents a day over 5 years.

Per

[tod evans]

Thanks for the replies,

Dave, I've looked at the DeWalt, and they are sure used in the construction industry.

Tod, very nice web site and work you do. Do you use a 10", a 12" or both? If you could only have one, which (10 or 12) would it be?

Thanks again.

greg, i use a 10" saw `cause that`s what i`m used to, i do like the sliders much more than a plain chopsaw. the blade you choose is actually as important if not more so than the color of saw. get a full kerf blade by a reputable manufacturer.
and thanks for the compliment! the site hasn`t been updated for quite a few years, it`s only a marketing tool.......02 tod

[Don Bergren]

I've got the Dewalt DW703 and I'm very happy with it. I've always used a 10" miter saw so when I made a change from my old Craftsman cast iron 10" miter I stuck with the same size saw and bought a Dewalt.

I considered a 12" model but I really don't need the extra cutting capacity very often (maybe once in a blue moon). Also, I wanted something that would make less of a mess and the 10" Dewalt was designed in a way that would work quite well. I have it hooked to a Shop Vac and it really catches the bulk of what gets ejected. I have very little to clean when I'm done using it.

[Norman Hitt]

OK Dev...the lasers are out!

Which would you suggest, and why from the 2 DeWalts above... 10/12 and new/referb.

Thanks.

Greg, I would go with the Refurb 705, as I just think you'll be happier with it in the long run for it's extra cut ability, and heavier motor. I have had good luck with A Refurbed Dewalt 14.4 Drill kit AND a Refurbed Hitachi M 12V, both purchased from Amazon over 2 yrs ago. (I'm trying to find a good deal on a full kerf Tenryu Finish blade for my DW-705 Mitre saw right now). Actually, my 705 was sold to me as a Refurb Unit, although it never went back to DeWalt, because there was nothing wrong with it. It had just been sitting on the shelf all the time at Sears as their Display Unit, and the original box plus a couple of items on it were missing, as well as the owners manual, so they told me to e-mail or call DeWalt and tell them what was missing and Dewalt would replace the items. I called Dewalt, explained the situation, and they said No Problem, and everything showed up in about a week, (No Charge) and I got the same warranty as if they had sold it to me as a brand new unit.

[Steve Ash]

I got to thinking about this thread and had another thought. I am color challenged ,some shades of red, green and brown(used to be it was called color blind) and anytime I've used a laser for installing suspended ceilings I have a hard time seeing the pencil line with the red laser line. The red laser erases the lead pencil line in my eyes. Something to think about if you are color challenged (blind). So actually a laser sighted saw would slow me down to a crawl.

[Jim Becker]

1st!!DO NOT USE TABLE SAW BLADES ON A MITER SAW....Miter saws need a blade with a zero to slightly negative hook. A blade with a positive hook will grab the wood and can throw it back at you.

I just want to re-emphasize this point...these tools use different format blades for good reasons and not just for cut quality.