All Replies on What's Your Dream Chop/Miter Saw

I would go with a DeWalt or other good brand of CMS (not a slider) and an old DeWalt radial arm saw. SCMS’s have 3 to 4 times more flex than a CMS or good RAS (I measured it). If a SCMS or CMS will do the job at hand, it might be my go-to saw. If I wanted more accuracy or had a larger board that would fit on your RAS table better, I would go to the radial arm saw. People that say a miter saw is as accurate as a radial arm saw need to qualify their statement. That might be true if it was a narrow cut or a cheap radial arm saw being compared. Often there is overlap in tool capabilities. If a good table saw can be used for the job, it will have less flex than a RAS or miter saw.

Dewalt 799 with a 96T negative hook blade on a heavy duty Harbor Freight mitre saw stand. Bought it all with coupons and discounts for my birthday last month.

-- Eric

If you want a slider, the discontinued DeWalt 799 is a great bang for the buck right now. Still available in many stores.

I have the Dewalt double bevel slider and love it.

-- Michael Dilday, Suffolk, Va.

Bosch glide 12inch

-- Aj

I also have the Bosch glide 12 and it’s been fine for me so far. Getting ready to set it up as a chopper for my wife to do picture frames (just for us), and am going to lock down the glide, anchor the saw to a built-in stand with laminate bench top extensions on either side (10’ on one side and 12’ on the other side), and put the thickest high tooth count blade I can find on it for minimal blade flex (probably the Forrest Chopmaster).

-- Pete -- Bark less, Wag more, and SHOW COMPASSION to everyone you meet.

I have a hitachi 10 in sdbcm saw and an old craftsman radial arm saw. The hitachi goes to jobsights and the craftsman is a good saw in the shop. Neither one is my dream but i had a 12 in miter saw and thought gee every other saw i got is 10 in why am i buying very expensive blades for 1 jobsight saw? I can swap bldes between 2 tablesaws a radial arm and my hitachi. Makes more sense to me.

-- Who is we and where is here? - bullwinkle

I have mine: the Bosch 12” glider. I am so impressed every tie i use it. My old Dewalt compound miter (no-sliding) is a great saw to have sitting on the floor, ready to take to other places I might work.
.

-- Jim, Houston, TX

Bridge City Jointmaker Pro

Clean, accurate and precise joints with almost no noise. I’ve lusted after it since they came out, but price and space are a problem. I can save up for the $$, can’t make the shop bigger as easily.

-- https://www.jtplaneworks.com - In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.

The saw I have: Bosch 12” glide

This is mine….DeWalt DWS779…..! I like everything about it…..12” slider…..!!

-- " There's a better way.....find it"...... Thomas Edison.

....An image is worth a thousand words…

-- Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day's work. I follow in building the principles which nature has used in its domain" Frank Lloyd Wright

My Bosch 12” glider. I had a Mikita 12” SCMS for years and constantly struggled with getting repeatable cuts/angles. I am constantly impressed with the accuracy of the Bosch. I use a Forrest 12” Chopmaster blade and have it sharpened by Forrest.

-- Don't let perfection get in the way of plenty good enough

....An image is worth a thousand words…

- Francisco Luna

Yup, that’s my dream saw.

-- I always knew gun nuts where afraid of something, just never thought popcorn was on the list.

....An image is worth a thousand words…
- Francisco Luna

Yup, that’s my dream saw.
- RobS888

I dream of being able to buy that saw, too. And then going to get the Bosch 12” and having $800 left over to play with. ;-D And I admit that I cannot fully bury my practical, logical mentality.

I don’t really dream about how much i can spend, but rather what i can do to optimize my gear, space, and overall enjoyment.

I think the underlying answers for such optimizing hinge on how you plan to do your work. For me, having a great miter saw is a super nice convenience, and it is really nice to have one set up for easy use, but the table saw is the real heart of the whole machine woodworking setup.

-- Jim, Houston, TX

Bought the Bosch 10” miter slider about 5 years ago. It was my dream saw then. It still is. Its a shop saw. Not a job site tool. Not sure how well it would hold it’s accuracy being hauled around but, its held perfectly in my shop.

-- Gene 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

....An image is worth a thousand words…
- Francisco Luna

Yup, that’s my dream saw.
- RobS888

I dream of being able to buy that saw, too. And then going to get the Bosch 12” and having $800 left over to play with. ;-D And I admit that I cannot fully bury my practical, logical mentality.

I don t really dream about how much i can spend, but rather what i can do to optimize my gear, space, and overall enjoyment.

I think the underlying answers for such optimizing hinge on how you plan to do your work. For me, having a great miter saw is a super nice convenience, and it is really nice to have one set up for easy use, but the table saw is the real heart of the whole machine woodworking setup.

- jimintx

Tell you the truth, I got a ts55 and made an mft style top for my Table saw outfeed table. With a $12 inch pair of clips that hook onto parf dogs, I’m making the squarest corners ever, so for the past 2 weeks I’m only using my CMS to cut scraps for the fireplace. Slower, but much better results.

-- I always knew gun nuts where afraid of something, just never thought popcorn was on the list.

A Makita 36V 7.5” blade found it’s way home.

....An image is worth a thousand words…
- Francisco Luna

Yup, that’s my dream saw.
- RobS888

I dream of being able to buy that saw, too. And then going to get the Bosch 12” and having $800 left over to play with. ;-D And I admit that I cannot fully bury my practical, logical mentality.

I don t really dream about how much i can spend, but rather what i can do to optimize my gear, space, and overall enjoyment.

I think the underlying answers for such optimizing hinge on how you plan to do your work. For me, having a great miter saw is a super nice convenience, and it is really nice to have one set up for easy use, but the table saw is the real heart of the whole machine woodworking setup.

- jimintx

Tell you the truth, I got a ts55 and made an mft style top for my Table saw outfeed table. With a $12 inch pair of clips that hook onto parf dogs, I’m making the squarest corners ever, so for the past 2 weeks I’m only using my CMS to cut scraps for the fireplace. Slower, but much better results.

- RobS888

Now, this is like hearing somebody speaking another language…..:/
I was goggling those terms: TS55, mft top….and now I know what are you talking about….would be great to see pics about your saw, MFT top setting and perhaps the FT vacuum if you use one….

I used the medium FT router for the entire 2006, I paid $410 at woodcraft, and sold it for $400, after all the use and abuse it was still like new, what a great tool, a delight to work with…..now you have me thinking again

-- Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day's work. I follow in building the principles which nature has used in its domain" Frank Lloyd Wright

I quickly replaced my Ridgid 12” non-slider with a Ridgid slider. Put a CMT high tooth blade on it and used it for a number of years, but cuts weren’t very accurate. Finally I got the manual and read the instructions, being careful to not let my wife see me actually reading directions. I set the saw up carefully, per instructions, and it now cuts very accurately. The saw is great, but dust control is a joke. I set it up in the barn, so dust control isn’t really an issue. If it was, I’d pay up the $1300 for the fancy saw.

Happy with mine, don’t think I would change. Accurate and powerful.

The rails forward design on the Festool saw is a huge plus. We have a DeWalt scms in the shop currently. It does a good job, but it takes up a country mile in space.

-- Chris - Would work, but I'm too busy reading about woodwork.

....An image is worth a thousand words…
- Francisco Luna

Yup, that’s my dream saw.
- RobS888

I dream of being able to buy that saw, too. And then going to get the Bosch 12” and having $800 left over to play with. ;-D And I admit that I cannot fully bury my practical, logical mentality.

I don t really dream about how much i can spend, but rather what i can do to optimize my gear, space, and overall enjoyment.

I think the underlying answers for such optimizing hinge on how you plan to do your work. For me, having a great miter saw is a super nice convenience, and it is really nice to have one set up for easy use, but the table saw is the real heart of the whole machine woodworking setup.

- jimintx

Tell you the truth, I got a ts55 and made an mft style top for my Table saw outfeed table. With a $12 inch pair of clips that hook onto parf dogs, I’m making the squarest corners ever, so for the past 2 weeks I’m only using my CMS to cut scraps for the fireplace. Slower, but much better results.

- RobS888

Now, this is like hearing somebody speaking another language…..:/
I was goggling those terms: TS55, mft top….and now I know what are you talking about….would be great to see pics about your saw, MFT top setting and perhaps the FT vacuum if you use one….

I used the medium FT router for the entire 2006, I paid $410 at woodcraft, and sold it for $400, after all the use and abuse it was still like new, what a great tool, a delight to work with…..now you have me thinking again

- Francisco Luna

I’m thinking of doing a review of the ts55 and mft stuff. It was incredibly easy to make the top. The track saw and mft are like a precision dream for me.

-- I always knew gun nuts where afraid of something, just never thought popcorn was on the list.

The rails forward design on the Festool saw is a huge plus. We have a DeWalt scms in the shop currently. It does a good job, but it takes up a country mile in space.

- CB_Cohick

I think the only complaint I’ve heard is over price. So if we are dreaming, that is what I want.

-- I always knew gun nuts where afraid of something, just never thought popcorn was on the list.

https://www.festoolusa.com/products/sawing/sliding-compound-miter-saws/561287---ks-120-eb-usa

Kapex is around 1475.00

I would go with a DeWalt or other good brand of CMS (not a slider) and an old DeWalt radial arm saw. SCMS s have 3 to 4 times more flex than a CMS or good RAS (I measured it). If a SCMS or CMS will do the job at hand, it might be my go-to saw. If I wanted more accuracy or had a larger board that would fit on your RAS table better, I would go to the radial arm saw. People that say a miter saw is as accurate as a radial arm saw need to qualify their statement. That might be true if it was a narrow cut or a cheap radial arm saw being compared. Often there is overlap in tool capabilities. If a good table saw can be used for the job, it will have less flex than a RAS or miter saw.

- bill1608

Agree with Bill here. Space is the big consideration for me, but had I the room, I’d love an older turret arm style RAS as a dedicated cross cutting saw (maybe one of the newer ones sold at a ridiculous premium by Elite Metal Tools), and a nice dual bevel Dewalt.

Then again, if I’m allowed to cheat a little to respond, I’d love the space and cash to get a nice sliding table saw for panel work and eliminate the need for an RAS altogether.

-- "Ladies, if your husband says he'll get to it, he'll get to it. No need to remind him about it every 6 months."

I’m thinking of doing a review of the ts55 and mft stuff. It was incredibly easy to make the top. The track saw and mft are like a precision dream for me.

- RobS888

I’d be very interested in your review. Other than for rough carpentry, I’ve never been happy with the accuracy of my own (admittedly cheap) CMS. The root problem is that it’s just not very rigid laterally—a little inadvertent side pressure on the handle, or some lateral blade pull, and the miter-angle calibration is out the window.

I’ve checked dozens of CMS’s on various store shelves. Most of them are better than mine, but none approach the rigidity of my vintage cast-iron DeWalt radial arm saws … including the Kapex. But cast-iron RAS’s aren’t exactly portable, you have to devise your own dust collection, and they start at almost $5K for a brand new one.

-- Dennis 'We are all faced with a series of great opportunities, brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.' Charles Swindoll

Tell you the truth, I got a ts55 and made an mft style top for my Table saw outfeed table. With a $12 inch pair of clips that hook onto parf dogs, I’m making the squarest corners ever, so for the past 2 weeks I’m only using my CMS to cut scraps for the fireplace. Slower, but much better results.

- RobS888

Now, this is like hearing somebody speaking another language…..:/
I was goggling those terms: TS55, mft top….and now I know what are you talking about….would be great to see pics about your saw, MFT top setting and perhaps the FT vacuum if you use one….

I used the medium FT router for the entire 2006, I paid $410 at woodcraft, and sold it for $400, after all the use and abuse it was still like new, what a great tool, a delight to work with…..now you have me thinking again

- Francisco Luna

Here you go, Picture of the MFT top I made, Picture with dogs, picture with track saw attached to dogs, picture with piece of trim lined up on dogs. The mft top was made with a jig that uses pegboard as a guide.

-- I always knew gun nuts where afraid of something, just never thought popcorn was on the list.

everyone drools over the kapex but from what ive read and heard the bosch axial glide at less than half the price gives it a run for the money so id probably go with that considering i love bosch tools.

-- working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

that looks great Rob, lots of possibilities, thanks for the pics!

-- Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day's work. I follow in building the principles which nature has used in its domain" Frank Lloyd Wright

everyone drools over the kapex but from what ive read and heard the bosch axial glide at less than half the price gives it a run for the money so id probably go with that considering i love bosch tools.

- pottz

Sure, the wood whisperer did a comparison. The OP asked for dream miter saw, not reasonable priced saw. Seems like the German saws are at the top though.

My track saw is a work of art.

-- I always knew gun nuts where afraid of something, just never thought popcorn was on the list.

that looks great Rob, lots of possibilities, thanks for the pics!

- Francisco Luna

You’re welcome, the jig was 40 dollars, the router bit and adapter were $50ish, the mdf was maybe $30. A 2 foot by 4 foot pegboard was maybe $14, the dogs are from Lee valley and were about $35 for 2 tall ones and 2 short ones. The clips that hold the track saw to the tall dogs were $12. So less than $200 for perfect cross cuts. Plus I can make more tops to replace this one as needed. I’m very pleased with the results.

-- I always knew gun nuts where afraid of something, just never thought popcorn was on the list.