Compound Miter saws

[James Jones]

I have been reading this forum for some time now and this is my first post. I am in the process of rearranging my shop and upgrading several of my tools. I just purchased a new MM20 bandsaw, a signature work bench from Laguna (don't have time to build one) and today I bought a new Dewalt 718 12 inch Heavy Duty Double Bevel Sliding Compound Miter saw. I also purchased the Dewalt 7187 Laser System for it. Now I have never owned a compound saw before and don't really know much about them. I know there are a lot of people on this forum that have a lot of experience with a compound miter saw and am hoping you will tell me if I made a good choice. It was rather pricy and I would hate to think I have wasted my money. I know this compound saw will do things that are easier to do than on a table saw. I hope I got a good saw and made the right choice. Thanks for your advice.

James Huntsville, Tx.

[Tom Hamilton]

Hey, James, from a little closer to the Gulf, welcome to the Creek.

You are about to be coverws up with good tips and advice, so I will just welcome you and hope you enjoy your dip in the Creek as much as I have.

Best regards, Tom, in Houston, waiting on the big blue norther with the AC running.

[Dan Lautner]

The MM 20 is a good saw. You might want to also look at the Bridgewood and agazzani. I would not buy the Laguna bench. You can find a much better choice from Diefenbach, Lie Nielsen or the bench I chose the Sjoberg elite. I would never buy any dewalt tools. I stick with Festool, Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee and Hilti. For a 12" slider it would be between the Makita and Bosch with the makita being the rock solid workhorse. The bosch has great ergonomics and controls but the quality seems to be hit and miss.

Dan

[Paul Greathouse]

James

You made a good choice. There are other good sliders out there as Dan noted. Its just a matter of picking the features that best suit you.

I have the Dewalt 12" single bevel compound non-slider. I bought it about 15 years ago and it has served me flawlessly. Cuts square and true everytime. I have cut miles of crown and base moulding with it along with a good share of stiles and rails for cabinets. I even used it alot for cuts on 2x4 and 2x6 lumber while framing my new shop. Much faster and more accurate than picking up the circular saw.

If I were to buy a new double bevel slider today, I would be looking very closely at Dewalt, Makita & Bosch. I would just have to try each one and see which is most comfortable for me.

Good luck with the saw and post again after you have had time to use it for a while. Let us know how you like it.

[Allen Bookout]

I cannot comment on the DeWalt that you bought as I bought a Mikita 10" a couple of months ago and I cannot believe how much I use it. The new saws are so fast to set up and so smooth and accurate. I am sure that you will be supprised at how much you use it and how much you like it. The DeWalt experts will be along shortly.