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| UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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Compound Mitre Saw
Can anyone please tell me where I can get a decent budget compound mitre saw
from? Not bothered about laser guidance or other fancy bits, I just want something basic and robust. I just need it for some skirting and other odd jobs. I bought one from B&Q for ~$30, but it can't cut straight (how one of these manages to cut a curve across every mitred joint I don't know!). Thanks |
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#2
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RayDavis wrote:
Can anyone please tell me where I can get a decent budget compound mitre saw from? Not bothered about laser guidance or other fancy bits, I just want something basic and robust. I'm in the market for one too. Homebase has a sliding compound mitre saw for £100 (twin rail, feels fairly solid), which is the cheapest I've seen. Does anyone have any experience of it? -- Tony |
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#3
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Tony Eva wrote:
I'm in the market for one too. Homebase has a sliding compound mitre saw for £100 (twin rail, feels fairly solid), which is the cheapest I've seen. Does anyone have any experience of it? Oops. Scrap that, I see that Argos has what looks like the same model for (currently) £70. I've been happy enough with the Challenge Xtreme circular saw I bought from them, maybe I'll take a punt on the mitre saw as well at that price. -- Tony |
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#4
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"RayDavis" wrote in message ... Can anyone please tell me where I can get a decent budget compound mitre saw from? Not bothered about laser guidance or other fancy bits, I just want something basic and robust. I just need it for some skirting and other odd jobs. I bought one from B&Q for ~$30, but it can't cut straight (how one of these manages to cut a curve across every mitred joint I don't know!). It's more than likely to be the blade rather than the saw. These cheap saws are fitted with crap blades, a decent blade will cost more than you paid for the saw. I note that Axminster sell a cheap sliding mitre saw similar to the £99 B&Q single rail job, but they fit a better quality blade which puts another £40 on the price. |
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#5
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"Kaiser" wrote in message ... "RayDavis" wrote in message ... Can anyone please tell me where I can get a decent budget compound mitre saw from? Not bothered about laser guidance or other fancy bits, I just want something basic and robust. I just need it for some skirting and other odd jobs. I bought one from B&Q for ~$30, but it can't cut straight (how one of these manages to cut a curve across every mitred joint I don't know!). It's more than likely to be the blade rather than the saw. These cheap saws are fitted with crap blades, a decent blade will cost more than you paid for the saw. I note that Axminster sell a cheap sliding mitre saw similar to the £99 B&Q single rail job, but they fit a better quality blade which puts another £40 on the price. Thanks for the advice... I'm looking at the Axminster MS12C (300mm £99)...??? What do you think? |
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#6
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"RayDavis" wrote in message ... "Kaiser" wrote in message ... "RayDavis" wrote in message ... Can anyone please tell me where I can get a decent budget compound mitre saw from? Not bothered about laser guidance or other fancy bits, I just want something basic and robust. I just need it for some skirting and other odd jobs. I bought one from B&Q for ~$30, but it can't cut straight (how one of these manages to cut a curve across every mitred joint I don't know!). It's more than likely to be the blade rather than the saw. These cheap saws are fitted with crap blades, a decent blade will cost more than you paid for the saw. I note that Axminster sell a cheap sliding mitre saw similar to the £99 B&Q single rail job, but they fit a better quality blade which puts another £40 on the price. Thanks for the advice... I'm looking at the Axminster MS12C (300mm £99)...??? What do you think? It's probably as good as anything in that price range, but if you are looking for real accuracy you will looking around the £300 price range for a 300mm saw. Also they are very bulky and not easily portable, and not worth the extra cost unless you specifically need that little extra capacity.. Personally I would spend another £60 and go for 255mm Makita like the one below. http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...22578&recno=15 |
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#7
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"Kaiser" wrote in message ... It's probably as good as anything in that price range, but if you are looking for real accuracy you will looking around the £300 price range for a 300mm saw. Also they are very bulky and not easily portable, and not worth the extra cost unless you specifically need that little extra capacity.. Personally I would spend another £60 and go for 255mm Makita like the one below. http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...22578&recno=15 As this isn't a sliding saw I think you will find too many things it won't cut. |
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#8
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"Mike" wrote in message ... "Kaiser" wrote in message ... It's probably as good as anything in that price range, but if you are looking for real accuracy you will looking around the £300 price range for a 300mm saw. Also they are very bulky and not easily portable, and not worth the extra cost unless you specifically need that little extra capacity.. Personally I would spend another £60 and go for 255mm Makita like the one below. http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...22578&recno=15 As this isn't a sliding saw I think you will find too many things it won't cut. He just wants something basic but accurate mainly for cutting skirting boards and other odd jobs. If he was to buy a sliding mitre saw of that quality he would be looking at £400 to £500. |
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#9
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Kaiser wrote:
[snip] He just wants something basic but accurate mainly for cutting skirting boards and other odd jobs. If he was to buy a sliding mitre saw of that quality he would be looking at £400 to £500. I think the OP needs to clarify what he means by "decent" and "budget". IMHO "budget" is £150. Many would say that that automatically excludes anything "decent" but opinions differ. -- Tony |
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#10
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RayDavis wrote:
Can anyone please tell me where I can get a decent budget compound mitre saw from? Not bothered about laser guidance or other fancy bits, I just want something basic and robust. I just need it for some skirting and other odd jobs. I bought one from B&Q for ~$30, but it can't cut straight (how one of these manages to cut a curve across every mitred joint I don't know!). Thanks A while back I spent quite some time looking at (S)CMSs. I had some B&Q jobs (c. £130) that went back due to bent fences and other prob's. However others here have had more success with that brand (and I suspect the models were actually different, the newer ones look much better). Also, I had a Rexon which was great but no slide and the laser adjustment screw sheared off during adjustment. In the end I decided I wanted the slide and went for a DeWALT DW707, I think you can get these for around £250 mark now sometimes with a supporting stand/table. Its really good and very robust, but double my original budget! However, when you are done you could probably ebay it and recoup a lot of the cost. IIRC CMS/SCMS brands on my radar we SIP Axminster Charnwood Rexon Ryobi B&Q PP/PPro Wickes Makita - pro = £ Dewalt - pro = £ Metabo - pro = £ Bosch - pro = £ B&Q were doing a good deal on a 10" Ryobi CMS @ £80 a while back, from what I recall the build and blade quality were better than avarage at the price and the stops were very positive. My advice would be to check out the saws in person and check for: o Facility to adjust compound/mitre angle stops to at least 45 deg (46-48 better). o Facility to set the blade exactly to 90 deg for crosscut. o Check blade for flexibility and the arbor/collar its attached to for excessive movement. o Check that any preset stops are positive, otherwise they may need to be checked and adjusted a bit during use (which lessens their usefulness). o Check fences are not bent or curved (I used a spirit level as a straight edge in B&Q for that) - if so without clamping the workpiece the timber can turn etc. o Check that the turntable is the same height as the outer table. o Find out the cost of a good quality new blade. o Pick it up and move it around the shop - really. Some saws even at the same weight are more easy to handle than others due the position and orientation of the handle. o Consider dust extraction too ... its the way forward IMO. HTH, Alex. |
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#11
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RayDavis" wrote in message
... Can anyone please tell me where I can get a decent budget compound mitre saw from? Not bothered about laser guidance or other fancy bits, I just want something basic and robust. I just need it for some skirting and other odd jobs. I bought one from B&Q for ~$30, but it can't cut straight (how one of these manages to cut a curve across every mitred joint I don't know!). I have Stayer SC265 (£200) from Machine Mart, bit expensive but cuts perfect right angles and can cut upto 150mm. Handy table saw as well. |
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#12
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RayDavis wrote:
Can anyone please tell me where I can get a decent budget compound mitre saw from? Not bothered about laser guidance or other fancy bits, I just want something basic and robust. I just need it for some skirting and other odd jobs. I bought one from B&Q for ~$30, but it can't cut straight (how one of these manages to cut a curve across every mitred joint I don't know!). Thanks I'll put the cat among the pigeons and say the =A327 kinzo does that, straight cuts no problem etc. I hope you took the Bnq one back if it wasnt capable of doing what it was bought for. Seems like we get just complaints on this group about BnQ power tools. What I found helps with a cheapie like the kinzo is to put the blade down twice. First time cuts, second time shaves off any remainsing sliver to get a dead flat smooth cut. How does a blade make a curved cut on a bad saw? Maybe the blade is ground wrong and creates sideways forces that bend it as it cuts? I dont know, but the kinzo didnt suffer that problem. I'm not recommending it as a good saw, but if all you need is straight clean cuts for skirting etc, it does that easily enough. NT |
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#13
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#14
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#15
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"Tony Eva" wrote in message ... Kaiser wrote: [snip] He just wants something basic but accurate mainly for cutting skirting boards and other odd jobs. If he was to buy a sliding mitre saw of that quality he would be looking at £400 to £500. I think the OP needs to clarify what he means by "decent" and "budget". IMHO "budget" is £150. Many would say that that automatically excludes anything "decent" but opinions differ. I would tend to agree with you, that's why I pointed him in the direction of the £159 Makita. He was looking at 300mm Axminster non sliding saw, which IMO would be rather heavy and bulky for general DIY work and a 300mm saw in that price range(£99) has to be a bit suspect. With the 255mm Makita at least you can be sure that it's of decent quality and there is not that much difference in the cutting capacity, even though as someone pointed out it's not a sliding model, but then neither is the 300mm Axminster. |
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#16
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AlexW wrote:
wrote: How does a blade make a curved cut on a bad saw? Maybe the blade is ground wrong and creates sideways forces that bend it as it cuts? I dont know, but the kinzo didnt suffer that problem. I have had this problem on a number of saws, my thoughts although not exhaustively tested are... 1) Workpeice not up against fence, or dodgy fence. Either can result in a slight twist in the timber as the blade enters and/or exits. Clamping helps. 2) Dogdy cheap blades, even if ground OK they can flex under pressure. all circular blades flex under pressure. The user needs to not put enough pressure on them to cause them to misalign - it might possibly be that the problems we're seeing are due to users not appreciating this. 3) Excessive movement in the spindle/collar/arbor (whatever its called) which allows the blade to move laterally a bit. Thats something I'd check before buying a cheapie saw, wasnt a prob with the kinzo, no free movement. 4). Its not curved ... but the saw has not been set up properly with a square etc in both planes. yup... that would be one terrible saw though. =A327 Kinzos arent like that, Ive not played with BnQ stuff. NT |
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#17
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Chris Bacon wrote:
wrote: How does a blade make a curved cut on a bad saw? Several reasons - it may be a cheap saw like some Wickes hardpoint panel saws I've had, where the teeth have been ground from only one side, leaving a burr on one side of the saw only. This is very sharp, and the saws will cut around corners, being useless even for 2 by 2. this is the main reason I dont buy stuff from sheds. Its not that some of its poor quality, too much is unusable crap. Another reason may be that the saw has hit something hard like a nail or a stone, and the teeth are dulled on one side. You can often see this sort of damage/poor sharpening, or even feel it by gently stroking the teeth down one flank or other of the saw blade (care!). Yes, a) its the users fault, b) it shouldnt be a problem with tct blades. NT |
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#19
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"Kaiser" wrote in message ... I would tend to agree with you, that's why I pointed him in the direction of the £159 Makita. He was looking at 300mm Axminster non sliding saw, which IMO would be rather heavy and bulky for general DIY work and a 300mm saw in that price range(£99) has to be a bit suspect. With the 255mm Makita at least you can be sure that it's of decent quality and there is not that much difference in the cutting capacity, even though as someone pointed out it's not a sliding model, but then neither is the 300mm Axminster. No. But a 300mm non-slider will handle most things whereas a 255mm won't quite handle hardwood skirting for example. |
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#20
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I would tend to agree with you, that's why I pointed him in the direction of the £159 Makita. He was looking at 300mm Axminster non sliding saw, which IMO would be rather heavy and bulky for general DIY work and a 300mm saw in that price range(£99) has to be a bit suspect. Personally I'd trust Axminster not to sell anything 'suspect'. If it's only suitable for DIY use they say so. Dave |
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#21
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AlexW wrote:
wrote: re kinzo Sounds like a good deal then ... result! Several of the ones I have played with need a bit of adjustment to get spot on. That does not mean that the saw is bad, just not setup right. It also depends on how square you need things. Like I said in a another part of this thread having a good look at a saw in person is a good idea, IMO. Its worth checking the setup from time to time, especially if the saw has been handled roughly. Alex There is one thing I found a pain about the kinzo, as long as youre aware of it you can work around it, but I guess it could produce wonky cuts if you didnt notice. The base is metal on plastic, so if you lean on it it bends. The base stays in alignment with the cutter, but not in alignment with the workbench - so if your long workpiece is supported at the other end on something, you need to watch it doesnt shift out of line when you lean on the wood to hold it wood firm so it doesnt move during cut... too little pressure and the wood can move, to much and as the workpiece moves with the base, it might touch something and be limited in its movement, and thus be out of alignment with the base. IOW you need to watch the sticking out end of wood, make sure it doesnt stop against something when its pressed onto the metal baseplate, as it will move a little. Its a bit basic, very noisy, no dust extraction option etc, but as long as you pay attention it will produce straight clean repeatable cuts. If you cut a wedge shaped piece of wood you can extend its cutting angle range beyond 45 degrees: a 20 degree piece of wood placed behind the workpiece will give you another 20 degrees to play with, etc. PS yes there is a dust extract hole, but it wont work. Big deal. Must be the most cheaparse lowdown power tool I've ever bought, but its quite ok for the job, so I'd kinda recommend it. NT |
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#22
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In article ,
RayDavis wrote: Can anyone please tell me where I can get a decent budget compound mitre saw from? Not bothered about laser guidance or other fancy bits, I just want something basic and robust. I just need it for some skirting and other odd jobs. I bought one from B&Q for ~$30, but it can't cut straight (how one of these manages to cut a curve across every mitred joint I don't know!). I've got the PPPro 300mm one which uses twin sliding bars. It doesn't slide easily so I just regard it as an easy means of adjustment rather than an operational feature. Other than that it's a pretty rigid and accurate saw, and I reckon good value at around 100 quid. It will cut at 90 degrees 12" wide shelving etc which I think the minimum requirement to be of much use for this sort of tool. -- *Procrastinate now Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
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#23
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#24
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I've been in the home refurb trade for three years now and my B&Q
sliding mitre saw has worked fine for me. It cuts up to 12" skirting no problem and Dado without to many splinters.Its a bit loud and jerky.I will probably upgrade at some point but for DIY use you can't knock it. |
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#25
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"Kaiser" wrote in message ... "Tony Eva" wrote in message ... Kaiser wrote: [snip] He just wants something basic but accurate mainly for cutting skirting boards and other odd jobs. If he was to buy a sliding mitre saw of that quality he would be looking at £400 to £500. I think the OP needs to clarify what he means by "decent" and "budget". IMHO "budget" is £150. Many would say that that automatically excludes anything "decent" but opinions differ. I would tend to agree with you, that's why I pointed him in the direction of the £159 Makita. He was looking at 300mm Axminster non sliding saw, which IMO would be rather heavy and bulky for general DIY work and a 300mm saw in that price range(£99) has to be a bit suspect. With the 255mm Makita at least you can be sure that it's of decent quality and there is not that much difference in the cutting capacity, even though as someone pointed out it's not a sliding model, but then neither is the 300mm Axminster. I've just ordered the Makita LS1040F from Axminster. A bit more than I wanted to spend but hopefully it'll last a good few years. Thanks for all your help and advice. Cheers |
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#26
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AlexW wrote:
wrote: snip-some-stuff There is one thing I found a pain about the kinzo, as long as youre aware of it you can work around it, but I guess it could produce wonky cuts if you didnt notice. The base is metal on plastic, so if you lean on it it bends. The base stays in alignment with the cutter, but not in alignment with the workbench - so if your long workpiece is supported at the other end on something, you need to watch it doesnt shift out of line when you lean on the wood to hold it wood firm so it doesnt move during cut... too little pressure and the wood can move, to much and as the workpiece moves with the base, it might touch something and be limited in its movement, and thus be out of alignment with the base. IOW you need to watch the sticking out end of wood, make sure it doesnt stop against something when its pressed onto the metal baseplate, as it will move a little. snip-some-stuff I made a mitre saw table with side supports from thick MDF it looks a bit like this on the front elevation: H HHHHHHHH HHHHHHHH HHHHHHHH H ###### BBBBTTTTTTTTTTTBBBB ###### # # BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB # # ################################# # = MDF table B = saw base T = saw turntable H = saw head and blade assy It might help reduce the flexing, if I understand what you are getting at. I use the table mainly to get a extra support for longer stock and it makes the whole thing a bit more stable on uneven surfaces etc and its wide enough (approx 1m IIRC) to put on top of a couple of saw horses for short/medium length stock. On day I might get around to adding some sort of exstendible support / stop mechanism... HTH, Alex. Ahh, clever. I changed the H to # above for anyone else. So if your mdf table has blocks underneath the saw base, so that the turntable rests on the blocks rather than on its own plastic feet, there would be no flexing at all. I might try that.... then again I need 100 round tuits already! Is anyone selling tuits? I want to place a bulk order. NT |
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#28
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AlexW wrote:
wrote: Is anyone selling tuits? I want to place a bulk order. Probably seen this.... http://www.myrtlewoodgallery.com/get_a_round_tuit.htm Not sure about bulk rates though! Alex. wow,seriuosly cheap, I thought they were going to be a couple of hundred each. I've ordered 100. Must be the best online bargain ever. NT |
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