Looking to buy a saw for a birthday, unfortunately not mine - it's for my
dad, but I expect to make some use of it ;-)

Price range can be justified up to £400 max - the saw will get a lot of
varied diy use. I have been looking at the pros and cons of the following
saws

DeWalt DW707, this does left/right mitres to 48deg and bevels (not sure if
left and right) and will cut 60mm x 270mm, cost is about £250
For an extra £130 the DW712 at £380 gives you 50/60 left right mitres,
bevels both ways and will cut slightly larger at 70mm x 300mm plus some
extra features like groove depth stop.
In this price range there is also the Makita LS0714 (£365) which has 57/45
mitres and bevels 45/-5 but only cuts 52mm x 300mm.

I feel that the depth limitation of the LS0714 rules it out, the saw will
get a lot of varied diy use, some will need to be accurate but there will be
some bigger stuff to cut. Similarly I would prefer the DW712 over the DW707
for the extra versatility it offers, however for a similar price (£370) I
have looked at the Bosch GCM10S which has similar specs in terms of the
mitre/bevel capability but, because it has a ten inch blade, can cut 87mm x
305mm - I expect the extra depth will be handy. The larger DeWalt (DW708)
and Makita (LS1013) equivalents of the Bosch are about £520 - which is too
much. I have had a quick google and haven't seen any bad moans about any of
these saws, unlike some of the budget models. I don't have any DeWalt tools
and am aware that some think they are overpriced, I have a Makita electric
chisel and Bosch hammer drill, which have both put in years of sterling
service, but brands change and these are many years old now. I would like
to know if anyone has used any of these saws, particularly the Bosch, or if
you have used a different brand that can be recommended.

Martin

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 11:03:12 -0000, "Martin Crook"
wrote:

Looking to buy a saw for a birthday, unfortunately not mine - it's for my
dad, but I expect to make some use of it ;-)

Price range can be justified up to £400 max - the saw will get a lot of
varied diy use. I have been looking at the pros and cons of the following
saws

I looked at all of these about a year ago during a trip to the U.S.
I found a machinery store that had an example of virtually every mitre
saw made and went and had a long look through them. Coincidentally,
Fine Woodworking magazine had done a detailed review as well.

I was looking at 10" or possibly 12" sliding compound mitre saws. I
wanted something of good and solid quality with accuracy,
repeatability and smoothness of operation.

As a sanity check, I went along to a Home Depot store (they are the
largest DIY retailer in the world and B&Q model themselves on HD to
the finest detail). HD have a substantial tool display also and do
quite a lot of rental. I thought that it would be a good idea to
look there because it would be a reasonable indication of how tools
could get after being subject to people poking around and site use.
I'm glad I did this.

Anyway.... the three saws that I liked the best also seemed to be be
liked by the reviewers. These were the Makita LS1013, the DeWalt
DW708 and an equivalent Bosch (number I can't remember). The DW was
felt to have an advantage if the extra capacity was needed and it is a
site workhorse for sure.

The Makita LS1013 came out the best in reviews and in the tool store
it certainly had the most solid feel and smooth operation by a long
way. When I looked at the same models in Home Depot, the DW708 was
frankly in a sorry state. The mechanism, which was never as good as
the Makita felt distinctly graunchy. It may be that the saw had been
dropped or something, but that was enough to put me off.

When I returned to the UK, I also looked at the Elektra Beckum.
This is also a very nice saw, made by Metabo and of high quality. I
had an opportunity to try one out and it seemed fine. It has two
advantages. The first is that it is an induction motor and therefore
quieter than the others. The second is that it is somewhat lighter.

The Makita is well balanced and has a strategically placed handle for
carrying, but like other good quality mitre saws is relatively heavy.
Unfortunately if you want something solid, weight is implicit.

So I bought and would recommend the Makita LS1013. It's a lovely saw
and lives up to its expectations and price.

If you are looking to buy a decent saw, with similar criteria to me,
then you won't find one for under £400. Don't even bother looking at
any of the DIY shed products - they are not in the same league.

You can get an LS1013 for about £450 if you shop around, and frankly,
I would spend the extra £50 - it really does make a difference.

e.g.

http://www.caldertrade.co.uk/makita%...aws.htm#ls1013

and this one includes a stand.



--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 11:03:12 -0000, "Martin Crook"
wrote:


Anyway.... the three saws that I liked the best also seemed to be be
liked by the reviewers. These were the Makita LS1013, the DeWalt
DW708 and an equivalent Bosch (number I can't remember). The DW was
felt to have an advantage if the extra capacity was needed and it is a
site workhorse for sure.

The Makita LS1013 came out the best in reviews and in the tool store
it certainly had the most solid feel and smooth operation by a long
way. When I looked at the same models in Home Depot, the DW708 was
frankly in a sorry state. The mechanism, which was never as good as
the Makita felt distinctly graunchy. It may be that the saw had been
dropped or something, but that was enough to put me off.

When I returned to the UK, I also looked at the Elektra Beckum.
This is also a very nice saw, made by Metabo and of high quality. I
had an opportunity to try one out and it seemed fine. It has two
advantages. The first is that it is an induction motor and therefore
quieter than the others. The second is that it is somewhat lighter.

Thanks for the comments Andy - I am going to have a look at most of these
saws in the flesh this weekend, the Makita is a bit more pricey than
intended, but I'll see how it feels - its a question of knowing where to
stop!

Martin

All I can say is that the 200 odd hire shops I call on in my job tend
to sell DeWalt, but hire out Makita or Bosch.

Makita has a great reputation in the hire trade - which is a tough
place.

Dave

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 16:06:10 -0000, "Martin Crook"
wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 11:03:12 -0000, "Martin Crook"
wrote:


Anyway.... the three saws that I liked the best also seemed to be be
liked by the reviewers. These were the Makita LS1013, the DeWalt
DW708 and an equivalent Bosch (number I can't remember). The DW was
felt to have an advantage if the extra capacity was needed and it is a
site workhorse for sure.

The Makita LS1013 came out the best in reviews and in the tool store
it certainly had the most solid feel and smooth operation by a long
way. When I looked at the same models in Home Depot, the DW708 was
frankly in a sorry state. The mechanism, which was never as good as
the Makita felt distinctly graunchy. It may be that the saw had been
dropped or something, but that was enough to put me off.

When I returned to the UK, I also looked at the Elektra Beckum.
This is also a very nice saw, made by Metabo and of high quality. I
had an opportunity to try one out and it seemed fine. It has two
advantages. The first is that it is an induction motor and therefore
quieter than the others. The second is that it is somewhat lighter.

Thanks for the comments Andy - I am going to have a look at most of these
saws in the flesh this weekend, the Makita is a bit more pricey than
intended, but I'll see how it feels - its a question of knowing where to
stop!

Martin


You're welcome. I think that going and seeing and touching is by far
the best way. You may decide that you're happy with the smaller
models that you mention - they are all good products. The thing to do
is to look at the feel of the saws and to check the size specs.
Another thing I thought of is whether the larger saws might not be too
heavy if your father is not as young as he was, so I would think about
that carefully as well if you think it might be an issue.





--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Magician" wrote in message
oups.com...
All I can say is that the 200 odd hire shops I call on in my job tend
to sell DeWalt, but hire out Makita or Bosch.

Makita has a great reputation in the hire trade - which is a tough
place.

Dave

I asked the same thing at the local hire shop today, the reply was Makita or
Bosch. The reason they don't hire much Dewalt stuff is due to reliability
and endurance problems.

I also asked their opinion of the LS1013, that Andy Hall mentioned in his
post yesterday, they more or less confirmed what he said about quality and
accuracy.

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 20:46:14 -0000, "Kaiser" wrote:

The reason they don't hire much Dewalt stuff is due to reliability
and endurance problems.

DeWalt stuff is vastly overpriced unreliable garbage. The only reason
anyone buys it is because they've been weatching Changing Rooms.

Bosch is a little flakey. They can make good stuff (or they get
Scintilla to do it for them), but these days they don't _always_ do
it. Caveat emptor.

The new red Milwaukee stuff is pretty nice too.