Need a sliding miter saw

I’ve had good luck with Ryobi miter saws off of Craigslist. I clean the saw up and put on a hundred dollar
blade and it works well for my needs.

https://austin.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=Sliding+miter+saw&sort=priceasc&purveyor-input=all

HTH

I ve had good luck with Ryobi miter saws off of Craigslist. I clean the saw up and put on a hundred dollar
blade and it works well for my needs.

https://austin.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=Sliding+miter+saw&sort=priceasc&purveyor-input=all

HTH

- waho6o9

Thanks, unfortunately tools in the Atlanta CL are extremely sparse. I did happen to find 2 Ryobi saws listed under Heavy Equipment (???) and will call about them. There was also a Bosch 3915 10” listed just today at a pawn shop (good price but I am leery of pawn shops). I note your link is for Austin – does my profile still say Austin? I will make sure that I change that.

-- DannyW

A WOOD Magazine review gave good marks to the Craftsman 21237 10” slider. It’s in the $200 range. I bought one and it has worked well. This saw seems to get a lot of positive reviews.

A WOOD Magazine review gave good marks to the Craftsman 21237 10” slider. It s in the $200 range. I bought one and it has worked well. This saw seems to get a lot of positive reviews.

- JIMMIEM

Thanks! It is always good to hear firsthand experiences. I will check into that one.

-- DannyW

I looked at the Ryobi sliding miter saw before I bought my non-slider and the price was really reasonable. I think HD wanted around $200. I ended up getting the 10” non slider for around $120.

If I were going to buy a sliding saw I’d consider getting it locally for return reasons. These tools are designed for carpenters, not furniture makers. While some are accurate enough for furniture, some are not and there does seem to be an issue with lemons that have warped castings or heeling blades.

Thanks, unfortunately tools in the Atlanta CL are extremely sparse. I did happen to find 2 Ryobi saws listed under Heavy Equipment (???) and will call about them. There was also a Bosch 3915 10” listed just today at a pawn shop (good price but I am leery of pawn shops). I note your link is for Austin – does my profile still say Austin? I will make sure that I change that.

- DannyW

Sparse and extremely overpriced. Sadly The Atlanta CL market is not what it used to be

-- Jack of all trades and a master of most of them.

I looked at the Ryobi sliding miter saw before I bought my non-slider and the price was really reasonable. I think HD wanted around $200. I ended up getting the 10” non slider for around $120.

- Badgerstate

If I were going to buy a sliding saw I d consider getting it locally for return reasons. These tools are designed for carpenters, not furniture makers. While some are accurate enough for furniture, some are not and there does seem to be an issue with lemons that have warped castings or heeling blades.

- Loren

Thanks you both make good points. I probably won’t be doing any more furniture making so accuracy is not critical.

-- DannyW

Sparse and extremely overpriced. Sadly The Atlanta CL market is not what it used to be

- bluephi1914

Yes I am surprised coming here from the much smaller Austin area that the tool selection here is so limited. I have several search alerts set but rarely get an email; in Austin I would often get multiple emails a day.

-- DannyW

I bought the 10” rigid from home depot. Had it for about a year and has performed well.

I have only had experience with a DeWalt and a Ridgid 12” sliders. Both have performed well, While I have no first hand experience with Makitas, I must say all of the Makita tools I’ve ever owned have performed well.

I suggest you look on e-bay. I just found both a 12”Metabo and 12”Ridgid new in open box w free shipping for $380. I also found a Kobalt 10” that might be OK for $285. I’ve had pretty good luck buying used tools there as well. You must have a good reason for not wanting a big blade, but it escapes me. My experience there has been that you get much more capability with the extra inches of blade width, and I personally wouldn’t want anything smaller than the 12 inch one I have.

Search the listings on e-bay. You might run across a real bargain there, but watch the shipping costs. Good luck. Jim

After considering my needs I decided that the 1×8 flat cut of a 7 1/4” saw is sufficient for 95% or more of what I do, and for the remainder I can use my track saw or a circular saw, and I love the light weight and portability of the smaller saw. I just ordered the DeWalt 7 1/4” cordless from Lowes and will pick it up soon. I already have their track saw and the battery supposedly fits. It is not much more than a corded Kobalt or Craftsman and I feel the DeWalt will be a better saw. I do have a 12” non slider that I was thinking of selling but I may keep it just for the occasional use that I might have.

-- DannyW

I was recently in the same position. Had an old 10” miter saw that was gifted to me. had it dialed in fairly well. But, it was nothing special and I really wanted some increased cut capacity. Like you, I also wasn’t eager to drop $4-500 on one. Ended up purchasing the new Bauer 10” Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter saw from Harbor Freight.

https://www.harborfreight.com/10-in-dual-bevel-sliding-compound-miter-saw-57179.html

Got it for (I think) $200 out the door on sale. Overall, have been very impressed. Very feature rich for a saw in this price point. I particularly like the shadow guide LED cut line. It is VERY accurate. And that’s typically not a feature you find in saws anywhere near this price point (I think the Ryobi is the only other one comparably priced with the LED shadow cut line).

Plenty of power. I was just cutting some pretty hardy 4×4 material the other day. Used a 50T combo blade and it made quick work of them. I’ve also been building a dresser for my 4 year old son.The 12.5” of capacity was incredibly useful. Huge improvement over my last saw, and definitely feel like it was worth every penny.

Pros
-Cut capacity
-Miter adjustments are very robust, easy, accurate and consistent; with dedicated stops at something like 13 angles
-Bevel adjustment at the front of the saw is very convenient
-Zeroing the bevel was super easy
-Shadow cut line is excellent; and the LED has the added benefit of illuminating the workpiece very well
-Slides smoothly
-Depth stop is simple and effective
-Electric brake on the motor is a nice touch (would be nice if it had a soft start)
-Extendable wings offer great capacity and are very easy to adjust
-Plenty of power
-Workpiece hold down clamp is actually quite nice

Cons
Really, there is only one con. Maybe not even a con for some folks. Regardless, it’s one you can resolve (if it happens to impact your saw). And, once resolved, it’s a non-issue going forward.

The con… setting the fence, miter wings square. In theory, this should be very easy with this saw. Each side has two set screws. So, loosen them up, tap/adjust them, make your cut, check for square. Simple, right?

Well, the problem I ran into was that there wasn’t enough inherent room for adjustment to get it perfectly square. In short, the holes for the set screws were not large enough to move the wings to where I needed them for a perfect squareness. I actually returned the saw for a replacement. But, found the same issue with the second one. Outside of that, I really loved the saw and features. But, it was a bit of a bummer.

My solution? I simply drilled out the holes in the wing fixture to a slightly larger diameter. I also replaced the adjustment screws (M8s, IIRC) with ones that have a slightly smaller head. Gaining even more room in the adjustment range. Worked perfectly. Snugged them down, never to worry about again.

One should expect to do some adjusting for ANY saw. But, it was disappointing to find that the manufacturer dropped the ball in not providing enough adjustment range for the miter angle. Super easy to fix. But, definitely a miss out of the box.

Now, I realize that a miter saw is not really a fine precision tool. However, I’m probably not alone in wanting the most precision possible. In reality, it was probably fine how it was; with no need to open up the adjustment holes.

We’re talking less than half a degree out of square that I needed to make up. So, less than 1/64th an inch on standard 2x material. And around 1/16”’ off, if cutting at the maximum 12.5” of capacity. And with something sized closer to the latter, I’m likely cutting that on a table saw instead. But, while it would have been OK as-is, my OCD simply wouldn’t allow it.

Ultimately, less than a minute with a drill resolved the “issue”. It now cuts perfectly square. And I couldn’t be happier with the purchase. The saw is a steal at $200.

After buying it, I actually discovered it’s the exact same model Menards sells under the Mastercraft name. However, the Menards saw is nearly $100 more. Only other difference is that the Menards/Mastercraft includes a laser cut line. As opposed to the shadow LED on the Bauer. So the Bauer definitely is nicer in that regard.

Overall, I’m incredibly pleased with the Bauer saw and would highly recommend it. Just be aware that if you want extreme precision, you MAY have to spend 5 minutes widening the miter adjustment holes.

After considering my needs I decided that the 1×8 flat cut of a 7 1/4” saw is sufficient for 95% or more of what I do, and for the remainder I can use my track saw or a circular saw, and I love the light weight and portability of the smaller saw. I just ordered the DeWalt 7 1/4” cordless from Lowes and will pick it up soon. I already have their track saw and the battery supposedly fits. It is not much more than a corded Kobalt or Craftsman and I feel the DeWalt will be a better saw. I do have a 12” non slider that I was thinking of selling but I may keep it just for the occasional use that I might have.

- DannyW

One other thing. A miter saw will be a good tool for your stair renovation project…...cutting the tread lengths to final dimensions. If the treads and skirt boards don’t meet at a 90 degree angle a miter saw will be useful for cutting the angles. Also, if the miter saw has a laser this will also be helpful. You can use other saws to cut these but the miter saw will make it very easy. Bottom line is a miter saw that will handle the width of your treads.

After considering my needs I decided that the 1×8 flat cut of a 7 1/4” saw is sufficient for 95% or more of what I do, and for the remainder I can use my track saw or a circular saw, and I love the light weight and portability of the smaller saw. I just ordered the DeWalt 7 1/4” cordless from Lowes and will pick it up soon. I already have their track saw and the battery supposedly fits. It is not much more than a corded Kobalt or Craftsman and I feel the DeWalt will be a better saw. I do have a 12” non slider that I was thinking of selling but I may keep it just for the occasional use that I might have.

- DannyW

One other thing. A miter saw will be a good tool for your stair renovation project…...cutting the tread lengths to final dimensions. If the treads and skirt boards don t meet at a 90 degree angle a miter saw will be useful for cutting the angles. Also, if the miter saw has a laser this will also be helpful. You can use other saws to cut these but the miter saw will make it very easy. Bottom line is a miter saw that will handle the width of your treads.

- JIMMIEM

I was thinking the same thing about the stair treads and is why I was looking for at least an 8 1/2” slider, but this is only going to be a one time occurrence and I think that I can use my track saw for that. I have seen a few people suggest using a track saw for these cuts. I also am wondering if the treads that I buy are going to have enough extra length to allow cutting; are 36” standard treads actually a little longer to allow for cutting the ends at an angle? I don’t want to have to buy 48” treads and waste almost a foot on each one.

-- DannyW