I'm in the market for an electric mitre saw.
B+Q currently have the Dewalt DW703 at £200, which is a bloody good
price.
It seems a good spec, with a 89mm depth cut, albeit 'only' a 162mm
crosscut.
The similar DW707 at Screwfix for £250 does 60mm x 270mm.

The figures given are crosscuts at 90 degrees. At 45 deg, they are ~25%
smaller figures - the DW707 quotes a depth of 44mm at 45deg.
That means it couldnt mitre a piece of 3x2" doesnt it?

Any advice on which would be the better all round saw?
I currently use a hand mitre saw, which is ideal for small bits, but is
totally out of its depth when doing 7 inch skirting board.
Though I dont often use 7" board, it would be nice to have the capacity
to do it when required - if so, that would rule out the 162mm cross cut
one wouldnt it?

How about 3x2 timber, which would be the size with greatest use - the
one with 60mm depth cut would not be able to handle the depth of 3x2
standing up, so the wood would have to be laid down on the 2" depth side
each time a cut is made.
How does this work in real life - is it a pain in the arse, or do you
soon get the hang of it, and think nothing of it?

Thanks
Alan.
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

In article ,
A.Lee wrote:
I'm in the market for an electric mitre saw. B+Q currently have the
Dewalt DW703 at £200, which is a bloody good price. It seems a good
spec, with a 89mm depth cut, albeit 'only' a 162mm crosscut. The similar
DW707 at Screwfix for £250 does 60mm x 270mm.

I suppose it depends on your needs - but a 300mm plus cross cut is
essential for me, which means a sliding variety.

--
*Save the whale - I'll have it for my supper*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

A.Lee wrote:
I'm in the market for an electric mitre saw.
B+Q currently have the Dewalt DW703 at £200, which is a bloody good
price.
It seems a good spec, with a 89mm depth cut, albeit 'only' a 162mm
crosscut.
The similar DW707 at Screwfix for £250 does 60mm x 270mm.

The figures given are crosscuts at 90 degrees. At 45 deg, they are ~25%
smaller figures - the DW707 quotes a depth of 44mm at 45deg.
That means it couldnt mitre a piece of 3x2" doesnt it?

Any advice on which would be the better all round saw?
I currently use a hand mitre saw, which is ideal for small bits, but is
totally out of its depth when doing 7 inch skirting board.
Though I dont often use 7" board, it would be nice to have the capacity
to do it when required - if so, that would rule out the 162mm cross cut
one wouldnt it?

How about 3x2 timber, which would be the size with greatest use - the
one with 60mm depth cut would not be able to handle the depth of 3x2
standing up, so the wood would have to be laid down on the 2" depth side
each time a cut is made.

So just cut a 45deg bevel instead....


How does this work in real life - is it a pain in the arse, or do you
soon get the hang of it, and think nothing of it?

Being able to cut 540mm overall more than makes up for it for me.

Ben

It all depends on the type of work you are doing, if roofs & floors are your
mainstay work you cannot beat the Dewalt DW718 albeit a bit pricey at around
£500 but you get what you pay for.

If it is general DIY then the DW708 will suffice.


"A.Lee" wrote in message
.. .
I'm in the market for an electric mitre saw.
B+Q currently have the Dewalt DW703 at £200, which is a bloody good
price.
It seems a good spec, with a 89mm depth cut, albeit 'only' a 162mm
crosscut.
The similar DW707 at Screwfix for £250 does 60mm x 270mm.

The figures given are crosscuts at 90 degrees. At 45 deg, they are ~25%
smaller figures - the DW707 quotes a depth of 44mm at 45deg.
That means it couldnt mitre a piece of 3x2" doesnt it?

Any advice on which would be the better all round saw?
I currently use a hand mitre saw, which is ideal for small bits, but is
totally out of its depth when doing 7 inch skirting board.
Though I dont often use 7" board, it would be nice to have the capacity
to do it when required - if so, that would rule out the 162mm cross cut
one wouldnt it?

How about 3x2 timber, which would be the size with greatest use - the
one with 60mm depth cut would not be able to handle the depth of 3x2
standing up, so the wood would have to be laid down on the 2" depth side
each time a cut is made.
How does this work in real life - is it a pain in the arse, or do you
soon get the hang of it, and think nothing of it?

Thanks
Alan.
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

A.Lee wrote:
I'm in the market for an electric mitre saw.
B+Q currently have the Dewalt DW703 at £200, which is a bloody good
price.
It seems a good spec, with a 89mm depth cut, albeit 'only' a 162mm
crosscut.
The similar DW707 at Screwfix for £250 does 60mm x 270mm.


I have the Axminster
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...sfile=1&jump=0
which I use for decking & skirtings.

Good saw for the money, ideal for DIY.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

A.Lee wrote:
I'm in the market for an electric mitre saw.
B+Q currently have the Dewalt DW703 at £200, which is a bloody good
price.
It seems a good spec, with a 89mm depth cut, albeit 'only' a 162mm
crosscut.
The similar DW707 at Screwfix for £250 does 60mm x 270mm.

At that price you would probably also be able to pick up a Makita LS1013
on ebay. This will cut over 90mm deep, and 300mm cross cut or 215mm at a
45 degree mitre.

The figures given are crosscuts at 90 degrees. At 45 deg, they are ~25%
smaller figures - the DW707 quotes a depth of 44mm at 45deg.
That means it couldnt mitre a piece of 3x2" doesnt it?

The 703 has specs thus:

Cutting Capacity at 90°/90° (W x H) 95x89 mm
Cutting Capacity at 90°/90° (W x H) 162x41 mm
Cutting Capacity at 45°/90° (W x H) 67x89 mm
Cutting Capacity at 45°/90° (W x H) 114x41 mm
Cutting Capacity at 90°/45° (W x H) 95x61 mm
Cutting Capacity at 90°/45° (W x H) 162x25 mm
Max. Cutting Capacity at 45°/45° 114x25 mm
Max. Depth of Cut [Saws] 89 mm

Which suggests you ought to be able to mitre a 3x2 laid flat, but not
upright.

The DW707 adds the slide capability, but can cut no deeper.

Any advice on which would be the better all round saw?

Sliding versions are far more versatile.

I currently use a hand mitre saw, which is ideal for small bits, but is
totally out of its depth when doing 7 inch skirting board.
Though I dont often use 7" board, it would be nice to have the capacity
to do it when required - if so, that would rule out the 162mm cross cut
one wouldnt it?

For skirtings you need a sliding action and to use the bevel cut
facility on even the biggest saws. Hence going for one with decent angle
setting capabilities on the bevel axis is worthwhile. This is an area
that lets down many of the budget saws - they often have decent enough
angle scales on the mitre axis, but not the bevel.

How about 3x2 timber, which would be the size with greatest use - the
one with 60mm depth cut would not be able to handle the depth of 3x2
standing up, so the wood would have to be laid down on the 2" depth side
each time a cut is made.
How does this work in real life - is it a pain in the arse, or do you
soon get the hang of it, and think nothing of it?

For cross cutting it is second nature to lay it down anyway, so not a
problem. I would not expect that you need to make too many mitre cuts in
stock 3x2 or over - but that does depend much on what you are doing.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
A.Lee wrote:
SNIP

For skirtings you need a sliding action and to use the bevel cut
facility on even the biggest saws. Hence going for one with decent
angle setting capabilities on the bevel axis is worthwhile. This is
an area that lets down many of the budget saws - they often have
decent enough angle scales on the mitre axis, but not the bevel.

Agreed. My Axminster saw will cross cut & mitre cut with more than
accepatable accuracy, but for bevel cuts its not so good. I have to try a
few settings on off cuts to get it spot on.

Not a problem on the few occassions I need to do this, albeit a
Makita/Bosch/DeWalt would probably do it first time.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

The Medway Handyman wrote:

A.Lee wrote:
I'm in the market for an electric mitre saw.

I have the Axminster
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...587&user_searc
h=1&sfile=1&jump=0 which I use for decking & skirtings.
Good saw for the money, ideal for DIY.

Yes, that looks interesting, and cheaper than the others I was looking
at.
I had the misfortune of having to go to B+Q earlier today ( Unlike you,
I hate the place - I find them quite expensive for many things, and
there is always a queue to pay).
Anyway, I wanted some black screw caps. You'd think they were available
anywhere, but no, I went to 3 different places yesterday, and didnt find
any in black, so looked on the B+Q website, who do have some in stock.At
an eye watering £1.50 for 20.
Getting back on topic, the DW703 I saw last week at £200, has now been
reduced to £170. I asked the assisitant about it (yes, there was one
right behind me, - I didnt have to go up and down 3 aisles to find
one!), and he said the same - a waste of money without the slide.

"Have a look at this one - great value" he said, pointing to a
Macallister 305mm slider. £170 on display (yet looking on the website
later, it says reduced to £130 there).

Hidden under a pile of other boxes was a demo version, once it was
cleared, he let me have a play with the various functions - what stood
out was how big it was compared to others around it. It seemed very
solid, with easily adjusted bevel/mitre increments, and a claimed 300mm
cross cut, though the website specs again differs to the spec displayed
at the store.
I think I may have to endure B+Q again ealry next week to have another
look, and maybe buy one.

I also noticed they are selling a lot of things cheaply at the moment.
Exterior rear UPVC doors - ~£120. Good hardwood glazed doors - £110,
ladders reduced by 20% or more (making the fold up '10 in 1' ladder at
£50 seem rather a good deal), and a lot of other stuff that does seem
quite cheap.
Ta
Alan.
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

A.Lee wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:

A.Lee wrote:
I'm in the market for an electric mitre saw.

I have the Axminster
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...587&user_searc
h=1&sfile=1&jump=0 which I use for decking & skirtings.
Good saw for the money, ideal for DIY.

Yes, that looks interesting, and cheaper than the others I was looking
at.
I had the misfortune of having to go to B+Q earlier today ( Unlike
you, I hate the place - I find them quite expensive for many things,
and there is always a queue to pay).

orry if I mislead you, but I hate the place as well! Its just the nearest
store to me. Well over priced (but not as bad as Homebase) and always a
queue.

SNIP

Getting back on topic, the DW703 I saw last week at £200, has now been
reduced to £170. I asked the assisitant about it (yes, there was one
right behind me, - I didnt have to go up and down 3 aisles to find
one!), and he said the same - a waste of money without the slide.

"Have a look at this one - great value" he said, pointing to a
Macallister 305mm slider. £170 on display (yet looking on the website
later, it says reduced to £130 there).

I'd avoid McAllister like the plauge. Everything I've bought under that
brand name has been crap. Looks good on the spec, but the quality is poor.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257