After having tried 4 different PPro models from B&Q and a Rexon. All of
which had various problems ... can anyone recommend any upto around £200?

Also anyone had any experience of the 8 1/2" Rexon SCM8-2 which may also
be known as SM215AL.

TIA,

Alex

After having tried 4 different PPro models from B&Q and a Rexon. All of
which had various problems ... can anyone recommend any upto around £200?

What sort of problems are you having?

I was pleasantly surprised by the PPro double bar effort. 99 quid without
any silly features like laser beams, which I could have had for the same
price, but on a single bar model that didn't inspire confidence. It also had
a 255mm blade, allowing much larger beams to be cut, which could come in
useful when I build the shed roof.

The only problem was that the fence adjustment could have been wider. I
needed to adjust it right to the end of its adjustment range. However, the
cuts are good and repeatable and the slide action is smooth. Obviously, it
isn't professional quality, but I was amazed what you do get for the money.
My expectations were much lower than what I found in the box.

Christian.

Christian McArdle wrote:
After having tried 4 different PPro models from B&Q and a Rexon. All of
which had various problems ... can anyone recommend any upto around £200?


What sort of problems are you having?

I was pleasantly surprised by the PPro double bar effort. 99 quid without
any silly features like laser beams, which I could have had for the same
price, but on a single bar model that didn't inspire confidence. It also had
a 255mm blade, allowing much larger beams to be cut, which could come in
useful when I build the shed roof.

The only problem was that the fence adjustment could have been wider. I
needed to adjust it right to the end of its adjustment range. However, the
cuts are good and repeatable and the slide action is smooth. Obviously, it
isn't professional quality, but I was amazed what you do get for the money.
My expectations were much lower than what I found in the box.

Christian.



Had one with the laser on. But it went back because the fence was curved
(and could not be adjusted striaght) which leads to slight twisting as
the blade cuts leaving the timber. The laser also failed after one day.

I also tried the a new single bar PP one, same fence, same probs but
with a sticking guard, which was err really problematic.

I still have an old single bar PP one BTW which I got 2nd hand. This has
the same fence with same problem. Built a timber garage with it though
so its OK for big stuff. This has had tons of stick and I'm going to
keep it but is just not accurate enough for finer stuff.

Tried the black and yellow PP one 8" one with laser. The laser did not
align to the blade and it could not be adjusted to do 45 deg bevels as
the bevel lock screw housing fouled the whole thing at 44 deg making the
stop adjusters pointless!

Tried the new blue and yellow PP twin laser and the turntable was at a
different height from the outer table making it impossible to cut a
straight peice! And only one laser aligns to the blade - the PP support
line said this was how its supposed to be huh?

The 10" Rexon (no slide) looked great but never got used as the laser
did not meet the blade, when I tried to adjust it the screw head sheared
off because it was just so soft and very tight. I checked all the mitre
angles and the accuracy and this was really good barring this fault.

Alex.

I was pleasantly surprised by the PPro double bar effort.

Sorry, I should have said PP, not PPro.

Christian.

Had one with the laser on. But it went back because the fence was curved
(and could not be adjusted striaght) which leads to slight twisting as
the blade cuts leaving the timber. The laser also failed after one day.

Hmmm. The fence on mine is straight, it was just that it was only just
possible to adjust it to the blade. It shows 90 degrees literally as it is
wedged against the stop.

I always thought the laser would be a toy anyway. I was more interested in
having a twin bar, which is actually useful.

I also tried the a new single bar PP one, same fence, same probs but
with a sticking guard, which was err really problematic.

No problems with the guard at all.

This has had tons of stick and I'm going to keep it but is just not
accurate enough for finer stuff.

Yes, the 255mm twin bar isn't exactly dainty. However, it was absolutely
fine cutting the pelmets and plinths in my kitchen. It does great 90 degree
corners without chipping the laminate. It is infinitely superior to my old
manual mitre saw, both in accuracy and chipping to laminate. That's before
you get onto the sore arm (no pun intended) doing it the manual way. I also
much prefer cutting flat pieces (i.e. skirtings/plinths) flat on their
faces, using the slide, than standing the piece upright and trying to stop
it wobbling whilst using a manual saw or non-sliding powered mitre.

Tried the black and yellow PP one 8" one with laser. The laser did not
align to the blade and it could not be adjusted to do 45 deg bevels as
the bevel lock screw housing fouled the whole thing at 44 deg making the
stop adjusters pointless!

Ouch. A mitre saw that can't do 45 degrees is in chocolate teapot territory.

The 10" Rexon (no slide) looked great but never got used as the laser
did not meet the blade, when I tried to adjust it the screw head sheared
off because it was just so soft and very tight. I checked all the mitre
angles and the accuracy and this was really good barring this fault.

Again, I think the laser is to look good in the shop. I find it plenty
accurate doing it with Mark I eyeball, at least to 1mm or a bit less.

It does sound like the cheapie twin bar PP beats the other PPs/PPros, but if
you want a quality super-accurate machine for detail work (given that you
already have a big one for rough work), then you may wish to look elsewhere.

Christian.

"Alex W" wrote in message
...
After having tried 4 different PPro models from B&Q and a Rexon. All of
which had various problems ... can anyone recommend any upto around £200?

Also anyone had any experience of the 8 1/2" Rexon SCM8-2 which may also
be known as SM215AL.


I've got the sip. 10 inch blade. at least than a hundred it is good.

In article ,
Christian McArdle wrote:
I was pleasantly surprised by the PPro double bar effort. 99 quid
without any silly features like laser beams, which I could have had for
the same price, but on a single bar model that didn't inspire
confidence. It also had a 255mm blade, allowing much larger beams to be
cut, which could come in useful when I build the shed roof.

Is this the PPP250MS? If so, I've had one for quite some time (when it
cost rather more than 99 quid) and am generally very pleased with it at
the price. The slide action is poor, so I just use it as a preset, but
it's so rigid this doesn't matter as the cuts line up perfectly. Better
than an easy sliding one which has play - at the end of the day.

I treated it to a decent blade, and made a new pointer for the scale to
get rid of parallax errors caused by the original.

For all the DIY stuff I've needed it for it's been fine - and the ability
to cut 12" shelves is very useful, and not matched at anything near the
price.

--
*My designated driver drove me to drink

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

"Alex W" wrote in message
...
After having tried 4 different PPro models from B&Q and a Rexon. All of
which had various problems ... can anyone recommend any upto around £200?

Also anyone had any experience of the 8 1/2" Rexon SCM8-2 which may also
be known as SM215AL.


I had 2 Rexon compound Mitre Saws (non slide) good powerful machines, but
both failed with motors playing up, a couple of coil windings burnt out on
last one.
A pity as the mechanical build was good.

I 'upgraded' to a Performance Power CLM250LSM5 already done more than
enough work with it to say it's powerful (1200W) cuts very well, and true.
Had to cut up 3.5Km of 4 x 1" for fencing and a huge amount of 6"x2 and
4"x2" - very pleased with it.
It is a bit of a grab on switching on, and I guess could really do with soft
start.

Rick

Christian McArdle wrote:
I was pleasantly surprised by the PPro double bar effort.

Sorry, I should have said PP, not PPro.

Just to add another possibility there is an SIP one, I have one and,
so far, it seems OK.

--
Chris Green

Wickes a have a new substantial double bar sliding saw for £160. Looks well made and more robust than the B&Q jobs.

Christian McArdle typed:

Had one with the laser on. But it went back because the fence was
curved (and could not be adjusted striaght) which leads to slight
twisting as the blade cuts leaving the timber. The laser also failed
after one day.


I always thought the laser would be a toy anyway. I was more
interested in having a twin bar, which is actually useful.


The Laser on these are nothing more than a *guide*,
(as opposed to laser-guided in Ryobi ads) quite useful for brain fade
situations, but are going to be inaccurate depending on which side of the
blade your measured piece is. Also there is little point in having the laser
directly on the blade line as it then masks your hopefully precise thin
pencil line.
YMMV

--
Mark

In article ,
Doctor Evil wrote:
Wickes a have a new substantial double bar sliding saw for £160. Looks
well made and more robust than the B&Q jobs.

The 10" B&Q double bar jobbie is certainly substantial enough, but doesn't
slide well. Is the Wickes one better - using rollers for example?

--
*What happens if you get scared half to death twice? *

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

On 11 Feb 2005 22:02:19 GMT, wrote:

Christian McArdle wrote:
I was pleasantly surprised by the PPro double bar effort.

Sorry, I should have said PP, not PPro.

Just to add another possibility there is an SIP one, I have one and,
so far, it seems OK.

I also use the SIP (£149) and so far have found it very good.
Excellent value for the money.

Regards Alan

In article ,
says...
Christian McArdle typed:

Had one with the laser on. But it went back because the fence was
curved (and could not be adjusted striaght) which leads to slight
twisting as the blade cuts leaving the timber. The laser also failed
after one day.


I always thought the laser would be a toy anyway. I was more
interested in having a twin bar, which is actually useful.


The Laser on these are nothing more than a *guide*,
(as opposed to laser-guided in Ryobi ads) quite useful for brain fade
situations, but are going to be inaccurate depending on which side of the
blade your measured piece is. Also there is little point in having the laser
directly on the blade line as it then masks your hopefully precise thin
pencil line.
YMMV

--
Mark




http://www.laserkerf.com/

Do it right !
--
Paul Mc Cann

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 13:53:05 -0000, Paul Mc Cann
wrote:




http://www.laserkerf.com/

Do it right !


Nice product it seems, Paul. I haven't bothered with one before
because I couldn't find anything decent.

Do you have one and did you order from the U.S. or is there a source
in Europe?

thanks



--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

In article ,
am says...
On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 13:53:05 -0000, Paul Mc Cann
wrote:




http://www.laserkerf.com/

Do it right !


Nice product it seems, Paul. I haven't bothered with one before
because I couldn't find anything decent.

Do you have one and did you order from the U.S. or is there a source
in Europe?

thanks




I'm still trying to establish if it will work on my Elu.

--
Paul Mc Cann

The 10" B&Q double bar jobbie is certainly substantial enough, but doesn't
slide well. Is the Wickes one better - using rollers for example?

Mine slides well enough. I haven't examined the bearings, but I'm happy
enough with it. Very little friction or stickiness.

Christian.

In article ,
Christian McArdle wrote:
The 10" B&Q double bar jobbie is certainly substantial enough, but
doesn't slide well. Is the Wickes one better - using rollers for
example?

Mine slides well enough. I haven't examined the bearings, but I'm happy
enough with it. Very little friction or stickiness.

And that's a 250mm? I'll have to have a play.

--
*Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?

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

Hi,

I'm looking for a mitre saw for use when I do laminate/wooden floors in
a few weeks. I've read your discussion and I think I'll be off to B&Q to
look at what they've got. I don't want to spend too much. It will only
be for occasional DIY use.

Any recommendations or other suggestions?

Also how do I cut boards length wise?

Thanks,

Simon

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
Christian McArdle wrote:
The 10" B&Q double bar jobbie is certainly substantial enough, but
doesn't slide well. Is the Wickes one better - using rollers for
example?

Mine slides well enough. I haven't examined the bearings, but I'm happy
enough with it. Very little friction or stickiness.

And that's a 250mm? I'll have to have a play.


--
Simon Pawson

I'm looking for a mitre saw for use when I do laminate/wooden floors in
a few weeks. I've read your discussion and I think I'll be off to B&Q to
look at what they've got. I don't want to spend too much. It will only
be for occasional DIY use.

They have really quite a large range of own brand cheap and nasty saws.
However, it does sound like the twin bar laserless PP version is the best
value. However, for cutting laminate boards for flooring, a circular saw
would also work at much less cost. (The sliding mitre would be less faffing,
though).

Also how do I cut boards length wise?

Circular saw, unless you happen to have a table saw, which isn't very
likely. A jigsaw would also do it if you don't mind waiting and have one
lying about. Other than that, a handsaw.

Christian.

"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
et...
I'm looking for a mitre saw for use when I do laminate/wooden floors in
a few weeks. I've read your discussion and I think I'll be off to B&Q to
look at what they've got. I don't want to spend too much. It will only
be for occasional DIY use.

They have really quite a large range of own brand cheap and nasty saws.
However, it does sound like the twin bar laserless PP version is the best
value. However, for cutting laminate boards for flooring, a circular saw
would also work at much less cost. (The sliding mitre would be less
faffing,
though).

But don't choose the PPPro one for 'hard' hardwoods. I've f***ed the motor
bearings on several by cutting too much oak.


Also how do I cut boards length wise?

Circular saw, unless you happen to have a table saw, which isn't very
likely.

A jigsaw would also do it if you don't mind waiting and have one
lying about.

And have a far stabler hand than most of us :-)

A jigsaw would also do it if you don't mind waiting and have one
lying about.

And have a far stabler hand than most of us :-)

Well, if you've done it right, you shouldn't even see any cut edges, so a
bit of wobbling shouldn't matter.

I did all my laminate with a handsaw. I didn't have a circular or sliding
mitre saw in those days.

Christian.

Simon Pawson wrote:
Hi,

I'm looking for a mitre saw for use when I do laminate/wooden floors
in
a few weeks. I've read your discussion and I think I'll be off to B&Q
to
look at what they've got. I don't want to spend too much. It will
only
be for occasional DIY use.


No one's asked the obvious, why do you want to cut mitres in laminate
flooring?

MBQ

No one's asked the obvious, why do you want to cut mitres in laminate
flooring?

They are also convenient for cutting boards/planks/battens etc to length.
Easier to use than a circular saw, which requires you to set up some sort of
cutting table so you don't saw through the surface you are laying the planks
on.

Christian.

In article ,
"Christian McArdle" says...
No one's asked the obvious, why do you want to cut mitres in laminate
flooring?

They are also convenient for cutting boards/planks/battens etc to length.
Easier to use than a circular saw, which requires you to set up some sort of
cutting table

.... otherwise known as a bit of scrap board on the floor :-)

Mike wrote:
A jigsaw would also do it if you don't mind waiting and have one
lying about.


And have a far stabler hand than most of us :-)

I did all my engineered wood flooring (approx 100 sq m) with a jigsaw.
No problems, easy and quick, and much simpler IMHO than trying to clamp
a 2m long board securely to use a circular saw. As has been mentioned,
the expansion gap needs to be covered anyway and that hides a multitude
of sins.

Just make sure you have a spare pack of blades, it's much easier with
sharp ones.

--
Tony

Christian McArdle wrote:
No one's asked the obvious, why do you want to cut mitres in
laminate
flooring?

They are also convenient for cutting boards/planks/battens etc to
length.
Easier to use than a circular saw, which requires you to set up some
sort of
cutting table so you don't saw through the surface you are laying the
planks
on.

Christian.

Yes I know that but I was puzzled why he specifically asked for a mitre
saw. Wouldn't a chop saw be more appropriate?

MBQ

Alex W wrote:
After having tried 4 different PPro models from B&Q and a Rexon. All of
which had various problems ... can anyone recommend any upto around £200?

Also anyone had any experience of the 8 1/2" Rexon SCM8-2 which may also
be known as SM215AL.

TIA,

Alex


(...My news server has not been handling external posts for a while...)

Thanks for the advice everyone ... I plumped for the DeWALT DW707 in the
end which was above my price original range but is a great tool.

For me the advantages of this were its compact size (as the slide bars
are contained within the motor housing when unextended) and reasonable
weight whilst still being able to cut 270mm (300 if you jack up your
timber a bit).

I am very impressed with the build quality and precision which is
streets ahead of the other models I have tried.

Down sides are no laser (no biggy) and no depth stop (which is due to
the design of the tool rather than an omission as the slide bars are
only horizontal when the head is fully down).

Alex.

Yes I know that but I was puzzled why he specifically asked for a mitre
saw. Wouldn't a chop saw be more appropriate?

A chop saw doesn't usually slide, so won't cut wide planks, like a sliding
mitre. They also are usually fitted with metal cutting discs, rather than a
circular saw for wood.

Christian.