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

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

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

"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.

"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?

"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

"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.

"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.

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.

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.

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

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.

3) Excessive movement in the spindle/collar/arbor (whatever its called)
which allows the blade to move laterally a bit.

4). Its not curved ... but the saw has not been set up properly with a
square etc in both planes.

I think a dull blade would exagerate problems 1-3 of the above.

For me this has manifested as a slight curve right to left, fence to
front, top to bottom on the peice.

BTW if any one can tell me what I have been doing wrong ... :-)

Alex.

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

wrote:
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.

Indeed. Point was that dodgy cheap ones are more susceptible to
deflection, as a rule of thumb.

Case in point my DeWalt series 40 on DW707, is better than the Wickes
£10 one on my old B&Q jobby. Wickes is actually quite good though for
the money (1/5th the price!).



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.

Yup. I have seen some quite good brands do this. Implication is that
when the head is angled you are relying on the weight of the head
somewhat for stability!



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. £27 Kinzos arent like
that, Ive not played with BnQ stuff.


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

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

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.
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!).

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

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.