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Choosing a high quality Miter Saw for Miter Station

8K views 32 replies 24 participants last post by  gdaveg 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hello!

I'm working on building out my shop and part of that is building a dedicated miter station. I have a cheap Kobalt 10" Sliding Compound Miter Saw - it 'does the job' but it's not great. The laser isn't adjustable that I can find and isn't anywhere near where the blade actually points - and it has rails that slide back and make putting the saw near a wall near impossible.

I was looking at the Festool Kapex but I've seen a lot of reviews of the motor just giving up the ghost with a puff of smoke even when the saw has been well taken care of / babied. If it were $300~500 I'd still consider it but for $1,400+ I don't want a saw that may or may not last more than a couple of years even if it is amazing while it works.

My two primary goals are being able to put it close to a wall as my shop space is extremely limited and good dust collection as my shop space is shared with the rest of my garage.

I have been looking at the Bosch 12" Glide saws but I've seen reviews of blade wobble / looseness in the arm / and a few other issues. I do understand that nothing is perfect and every saw/company is going to have a few issues regardless - but whatever I get I want it to last. If the wobble / looseness can be adjusted out / compensated for it's not a big deal for me.

All of that said - if I could get any miter saw - what would you recommend keeping in mind distance from the wall behind it is at a premium and dust collection is a priority?
 
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#3 ·
I have the Hitachi 12" compound sliding miter saw and it's been great so far.
It was set up at 90 right out of the box and needed no adjustment. It also can be set flush against the wall.

I made a dust collection hood to gather all the dust and after a year have had no problems with it.

I have a Dewalt 12" of the same style but it has to be set back a ways from the wall and I also can not get it dialed in to cut square. No matter how many times I get it lined up, when I go to make the cut, it is off.
 
#4 ·
IMHO - The answer to your question: what you want may not exist!

#1) Miter saws are intended for portable rough cuts framing a house, or cutting molding; where +/- 1/16 or even 1/8 inch are not an issue. So asking for perfectly true miter saw means you must be willing to spend a lot of money to gain best accuracy. Even best saws can be pulled out of alignment by operator man handling saw during operation.

#2) Saw that allows location to be closest to wall is typically a radial arm saw. Reason being the sliding mechanism is towards front and not sticking out back. Besides the Bosch and Kapex saws, couple of newer saws have been introduced that move the sliding mechanism out front to reduce space behind saw. Makita LS1019L and Delta Cruzer are latest examples.
Generally speaking you need 12-13 inches behind a 10 inch radial arm saw, and 13-14 inches wall clearance for newer front slide or articulating miter saws. (there is thread on Sawmill creek documenting various distances) All this said, a permanent miter saw installation is still going to require ~28-30 inches of total depth for saw and clearance for dust collection hood; regardless of which saw you pick and most small shops do not have room for a permanent installation this large.

#3) Dust collection on most miter saws is joke. There is too much of blade exposed in uncontrolled environment (.vs. cabinet saw with zero clearance insert), and that prevents catching majority of saw dust. From my evaluations, the Festool is best at collecting dust but it is not worth price unless you are using your saw inside a customers house and are required to have minimal dust.

It is these reasons above why I have never built a permanent miter saw station and continue to use hand saw or cheap 10 inch Hitachi chop saw stored under a shelf in my shop. I have bought and sold several different used miter/radial saws attempting what you seek, and never been happy with what I learned when I used the saw in real life.

Will follow this thread, like others before it; hoping that someone can prove my current knowledge of miter saws is wrong. It would be really cool to have a space saving design using an accurate miter saw with great dust collection that actually deserves permanent space in a small shop.

Best Luck!
 
#5 ·
I've got a 15+ year old 12"Ridgid CMS and have it on a stand that is mobile. To the left of the saw I have a work bench and built a prop that matches the height of the saw bed for anything laying to the left, and when there's more than 20" I have to pull the saw off the wall to clear the compressor.

As very well said above, the CMS is the handy tool to whack something close to size. I've built an enclosure and have a 4" DC line on it but it still goes pretty much everywhere. If I need to get precision I go to the TS and use sleds and stop blocks there to get exact square cuts.
 
#6 ·
Well i use Dewalt, Milwaukee its the person not the saw. Its everything from setting the saw up right. Keeping it all squared and in good shape and i say it easy to be within 3 thou. If not it wont make the cut to be used.
My dad instilled on us to do it right. When building cabinets to natural wood trim you cant have any gaps.
 
#7 ·
I have a 20+ yr old Hitachi 10" double compound slider, it was a premium tool when I bought it and it has served me well.
Having said that, it takes up an enormous amount of floor space not counting the area that has to be clear on each side of it.
If buying today, I would get the biggest diameter blade and the shortest front/rear footprint available.
 
#10 ·
I am with Klutz on this. I have a Dewalt that I like, it has been a workhorse. That said, it is for rough cuts and deck building. I would not consider a miter saw as part of a workshop unless you are forced into or have a lot of space.

Wuddoc asked a great question. A track saw might be a better option.
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
The Bosch glide is good as I could expect from a slider. The reality is though even a cheap hitachi non slider will cut better than any slider on the market. There is a reason most high end trim carpenters use a dewalt 716 over the slider everywhere cut capacity isn't a issue.

Saw Miter saw Wood Aircraft Vehicle


Bicycle Bicycle wheel rim Window Wood Bicycle tire


Table Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor
 

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#13 ·
Sliding isn't really required to be honest. I just want to be able to cut a miter on a piece that's too long to crosscut on the table saw.

I think if I go with a non-sliding 12" saw I should be ok.

I appreciate all of the feedback and advice. I'm going to give the saws mentioned a look for sure.
 
#14 ·
Back in January I set up my shop. I too initially intended to have a permanent miter station. After careful consideration, which included a radial arm saw and taking up an entire wall…I found just about all of the advice posted above to be true. I bought a Portamate miter table and just continue to use my DeWalt 716. I make a lot of picture frames and so, at the suggestion of some fellow lumberjocks, I also added one of those Rockler miter trimmers. This setup does everything I need to do miter wise and does it well…and it don't take up an entire wall in the shop. You cant beat the convenience of a radial arm set up with extra long tables for crosscut and miter cuts on long heavy boards and i still wish i had one, but how much do you really do of that???
 
#15 ·
My 10" Bosch glider will cut a little over 11". I don't need more. It's only two years old but, it's used every day and, it's maintained it's accuracy with no blade wobble or glide arm looseness.
I use a a Tenryu 80 tooth miter blade.
 
#16 ·
My dewalt 10" slider has surprised me with its accuracy. I built a large shroud around it and have it piped into my DC with a 6" port which works very well. If I had to replace it though, I would probably go with the bosch just to have it take up less space.
 
#17 ·
I'd recommend a 12" non-sliding saw. They're cheap, more accurate than sliders, and they do the job. So long as you don't need the slider for cutting capacity (I rarely need more capacity than the ~9 inches my saw will cut), they're way better than sliding saws.

The dust collection is a complete joke though, as mentioned above. There's honestly not a lot you can do about it.

I've actually toyed with the idea of getting rid of my miter saw. I do use it, but honestly I could use a combination of my table saw, jig saw, and circular saw and probably be fine. I just hate how it tosses dust absolutely everywhere, even with a shop vac hooked up.
 
#18 ·
My Bosch has a ChopMaster hood from Fastcap. It catches 83.7% of the dust. Like all my previous chop and miter saws, it throws dust every which way. Some days, I get lucky and catch 84%. :)
 
#19 ·
BTW, the Hitachi saw you want to look at for zero clearance behind the saw is the C12RSH2 model. Zero clearance just like the Bosch but for almost $200 less. I have seen it on sale at lowes for under $300 a couple of times so if you are not in a hurry, keep an eye out for a sale. I don't have one so I cannot vouch for its quality but I have to wonder why the other manufacturers haven't changed their sliding mechanism to work like this one with the bars sticking out the front instead of the back.
 
#20 ·
BTW, the Hitachi saw you want to look at for zero clearance behind the saw is the C12RSH2 model. Zero clearance just like the Bosch but for almost $200 less. I have seen it on sale at lowes for under $300 a couple of times so if you are not in a hurry, keep an eye out for a sale. I don t have one so I cannot vouch for its quality but I have to wonder why the other manufacturers haven t changed their sliding mechanism to work like this one with the bars sticking out the front instead of the back.

- Lazyman
It's $369 at Lowe's and I get a 10% discount making it $332.
 
#21 ·
My 12" Bosch Glider was bought for space saving and the great reviews. Don't need the capacity that often but nice to have. It may need to be tweaked for accuracy but I'm very happy with it. Of course misuse can lead to innacurate
cuts. As far as dust collection I've got mine on a dedicated shop vac with dust deputy and the Bosch hose. Very satisfied with the small amount of dust not picked up. The speed of cuts can make a difference here.
 
#22 ·
There is a reason most high end trim carpenters use a dewalt 716 over the slider everywhere cut capacity isn t a issue.
Saw Miter saw Wood Aircraft Vehicle


- Jared_S
LOL, I have a 45 degree fixture lthat ooks almost same for my miter saw. Built it to make mitered frame and panel cabinet fronts :)
Saves tremendous amount of setup time, no more monkeying around with test cuts and dealing with inaccuracies in '45' degree notch when rotating saw base.

Thumbs up for sharing that pic, forgot about that miter saw trick.
 

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#23 ·
It s $369 at Lowe s and I get a 10% discount making it $332.

- MikeDVB
I was at Lowes the PM and walked by the display model and it was priced at $399 in store so you might have to order it to get the $369 (minus discount) price. You might be able to get the online price in store if you go to the CS desk.
 
#25 ·
It s $369 at Lowe s and I get a 10% discount making it $332.

- MikeDVB

I was at Lowes the PM and walked by the display model and it was priced at $399 in store so you might have to order it to get the $369 (minus discount) price. You might be able to get the online price in store if you go to the CS desk.

- Lazyman
Mine showed the same but rang up $369. Did get the 10% off too.

While version 2 of this saw isn't as nice as version 1 it's way nicer than the Kobalt 10" I have now. Will be putting the kobalt up for sale.
 
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