I'm in the market for a miter saw, so went to consumer reports and read
their review for miter saws, then moved on to several woodworking magazines
and guess what? None of these publications picked the same saw nor even the
same brand. Makes one wonder if advertising - with the exception of
Consumer Reports - have anything to do with how these test are run and
evaluated. Still shopping.

On Jan 12, 6:49*pm, "Herbs News" wrote:
I'm in the market for a miter saw, so went to consumer reports and read
their review for miter saws, then moved on to several woodworking magazines
and guess what? *None of these publications picked the same saw nor even the
same brand. *Makes one wonder if advertising - with the exception of
Consumer Reports - have anything to do with how these test are run and
evaluated. *Still shopping.

You can get miter saws ranging in price from under $100 to over
$3,000. Do you have a budget? Do you plan on moving it around at
all? What will you be using it for? Do you want (need?) a slider?
How big of a blade? And will you be buying additional blades for it?
I've got a 15 year old Pro-tech 12" CMS that cuts glass smooth 90s
with a sharp Forrest Chopmaster. But the bells and whistles aren't
great, and with a dull blade, forget about it. Lots of variables, no
question.

That said, I've used quite a few different saws, and unless you're
going to go with an industrial model like Omga, CTD or Pistorius you
really can't go too wrong with Bosch, Makita, Dewalt or Milwaukee.
Hitachi has made some good saws too. For these types of saw the
quality of your blade is really the biggest factor in getting a good
clean cut. Make sure it's a good one and well sharpened.

Good luck.

JP

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:49:23 -0700, "Herbs News"
wrote:

I'm in the market for a miter saw, so went to consumer reports and read
their review for miter saws, then moved on to several woodworking magazines
and guess what? None of these publications picked the same saw nor even the
same brand. Makes one wonder if advertising - with the exception of
Consumer Reports - have anything to do with how these test are run and
evaluated. Still shopping.



There are many. I'd look for features. Decide 10" or 12", non-slider
or slider, high back fence, laser, weight (if you will be moving it
around), etc. I have a 12" non-slider DeWalt--blade changing is a
bitch, but at least it stores a handy wrench in the base.

Get a Bosch sliding compound miter saw. You will never regret it.

On Jan 13, 9:36*am, Olebiker wrote:
Get a Bosch sliding compound miter saw. *You will never regret it.

The crew at my local hardwood specialty shop agrees with you. They are
a pretty large outfit that also does different types of custom work,
one-off or production. If I was rich enough to retire, I'd go "work"
there for free!

Anyway, they have a Bosch 4410L, which is the 10" dual bevel slider,
and they swear by it, saying it's the best miter saw they've used.

Tom

On Jan 13, 12:20*pm, wrote:
On Jan 13, 9:36*am, Olebiker wrote:

Get a Bosch sliding compound miter saw. *You will never regret it.

The crew at my local hardwood specialty shop agrees with you. They are
a pretty large outfit that also does different types of custom work,
one-off or production. If I was rich enough to retire, I'd go "work"
there for free!

Anyway, they have a Bosch 4410L, which is the 10" dual bevel slider,
and they swear by it, saying it's the best miter saw they've used.

Tom

If money is no object then there are a lot of choices - hire someone
to cut it for you -- ;-)

Some thoughts...

use of tool - does it need to be moved around? do you have a shop and
other tools to complement, e.g. tablesaw? A tablesaw and crosscut
sled is more accurate.

slider vs non slider - if you need the wider cut, then slider; if
not, the non slide has fewer moving parts. The slider takes another
6" of bench depth. So you go from a 24" deep bench to 30" or so. I
had a 8-1/4" slider, but sold it off in favor of a 12" Dewalt non
slider. I have a table saw for wide cuts.

10" vs 12" - a 12" non slider gives you about 8-10"of crosscut, but
IMO, the smaller the blade the cleaner and more true the cut.

Awhile back I read an article on non sliders. I think they liked the
Bosch, PC, and DeWalt.

I went to a WW show and they had a refurb dual-bevel 12" DeWalt for
$200. Decision made. The DeWalt comes with a pretty decent stock
blade. Something to think about -- a good blade runs about $100+

I got a Delta 36-322L at Lowes for under $200, when they were closing
them out.
Plus they gave a $50 gift card with the purchase for some reason.

It's a 12" with the dual laser guides that are very accurate and very
handy.
All the presets are dead on. The miter and bevel angles are true across
the entire cutting range.
Everything is tight and smooth with the mechanics of it, including the
blade mount.

One feature that is very, very cool, is that the bevel lock in at the
front, next to the miter lock.
You don't have to reach to the back of the saw to lock/unlock the bevel.
I didn't realize how handy that is, until I installed a few hundred feet
of crown molding.

I believe it discontinued, but if you find it used or the newer version,
new, I can vouch.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:49:23 -0700, "Herbs News"
wrote:

I'm in the market for a miter saw, so went to consumer reports and read
their review for miter saws, then moved on to several woodworking magazines
and guess what? None of these publications picked the same saw nor even the
same brand. Makes one wonder if advertising - with the exception of
Consumer Reports - have anything to do with how these test are run and
evaluated. Still shopping.

FWIW
We have (4) 12" Dewalts sliders in use at the shop. Before that we had
a couple 10" Makitas as well. They went out in the field. Many of the
Maikitas (if not all by now) have suffered from a problem locking
positively at the detents (play). That being said though we liked the
Makitas.
A few months ago the Milwaukee rep brought by their new slider. Let us
use it for awhile (not long enough) We want to replace our Dewalts
with them at some point (read: when we win the lottery, pigs fly or
the economy picks up)
There are lots of good saws. If you can try them out before you buy.
What one person likes might not matter to you.
The one big improvement they all could make is in the fence systems.
I'd like to see some kind of telescoping fence with t-track and scale.

Lenny

On Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:18:48 -0500, wrote:

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:49:23 -0700, "Herbs News"
wrote:

I'm in the market for a miter saw, so went to consumer reports and read
their review for miter saws, then moved on to several woodworking magazines
and guess what? None of these publications picked the same saw nor even the
same brand. Makes one wonder if advertising - with the exception of
Consumer Reports - have anything to do with how these test are run and
evaluated. Still shopping.

FWIW
We have (4) 12" Dewalts sliders in use at the shop. Before that we had
a couple 10" Makitas as well. They went out in the field. Many of the
Maikitas (if not all by now) have suffered from a problem locking
positively at the detents (play). That being said though we liked the
Makitas.
A few months ago the Milwaukee rep brought by their new slider. Let us
use it for awhile (not long enough) We want to replace our Dewalts
with them at some point (read: when we win the lottery, pigs fly or
the economy picks up)
There are lots of good saws. If you can try them out before you buy.
What one person likes might not matter to you.
The one big improvement they all could make is in the fence systems.
I'd like to see some kind of telescoping fence with t-track and scale.

Lenny

It could be that the Milwaulkee had a sharper blade. Take any miter
saw, sharpen the blade, and it's like having a new saw. Milwaulkee is
a quality brand, my corded Milwaulkee drill keeps going through all
the tough jobs and the Milwaulkee Sawzall is a good one too. If you
don't need the slider, don't get it--it adds complexity to the
alignment, a larger unit, and more $. I can always use my table saw
or circular saw for wide boards.

wrote:

FWIW
We have (4) 12" Dewalts sliders in use at the shop. Before that we had
a couple 10" Makitas as well. They went out in the field. Many of the
Maikitas (if not all by now) have suffered from a problem locking
positively at the detents (play). That being said though we liked the
Makitas.

My Makita LS1013 has occasionally given me problems locking in the
detents, most often when I'm using it for cutting wet framing lumber.
The damp saw dust sticks in the detents that are under the table in the
base. Blowing the base out with an air compressor solves the problem.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

I've been reading reviews and talking to folks for a while. I was
Bosch at first but I have heard it has the same wear out problem as
the Makita with the dentts not being crisp after a while. I have moved
on to the Milwaukee. I was sold on the 10" slider after a Finh
Homebuilding Review but it seems they only make the 12" now. I guess
I'll have to move up to that. I find the Amazon.com reviews pretty
insightful if you can detect and get past the bias in some cases and
beware the novice who just loves it because it's shiney and new.


On Jan 13, 2:18*pm, wrote:
On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:49:23 -0700, "Herbs News"
wrote:

I'm in the market for a miter saw, so went to consumer reports and read
their review for miter saws, then moved on to several woodworking magazines
and guess what? *None of these publications picked the same saw nor even the
same brand. *Makes one wonder if advertising - with the exception of
Consumer Reports - have anything to do with how these test are run and
evaluated. *Still shopping.

FWIW
We have (4) 12" Dewalts sliders in use at the shop. Before that we had
a couple 10" Makitas as well. They went out in the field. Many of the
Maikitas (if not all by now) have suffered from a problem locking
positively at the detents (play). That being said though we liked the
Makitas.
A few months ago the Milwaukee rep brought by their new slider. Let us
use it for awhile (not long enough) We want to replace our Dewalts
with them at some point (read: when we win the lottery, pigs fly or
the economy picks up)
There are lots of good saws. If you can try them out before you buy.
What one person likes might not matter to you.
The one big improvement they all could make is in the fence systems.
I'd like to see some kind of telescoping fence with t-track and scale.

Lenny

On Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:07:28 -0800 (PST), "SonomaProducts.com"
wrote:

I've been reading reviews and talking to folks for a while. I was
Bosch at first but I have heard it has the same wear out problem as
the Makita with the dentts not being crisp after a while. I have moved
on to the Milwaukee. I was sold on the 10" slider after a Finh
Homebuilding Review but it seems they only make the 12" now. I guess
I'll have to move up to that. I find the Amazon.com reviews pretty
insightful if you can detect and get past the bias in some cases and
beware the novice who just loves it because it's shiney and new.

snip
One thing I really liked was the ability to fine tune (to a tenth of a
degree) the angle of the cut. Well that and the fact it was shiney
and new !

=oP

Lenny

"Olebiker" wrote in message
...
Get a Bosch sliding compound miter saw. You will never regret it.

I too have the Bosch 4410 and I love it. I did buy a higher quality blade
for it and I bought an add on laser marker.