Looking to get a miter saw.... maybe.

[sachbvn]

Hey guys - I'm looking at possibly getting a MS.

It would be 12" or a sliding 10" - but most likely the 12" regular.

I'm looking at the DW716 - HD has it for $399.99 - I have a $50 gift card.

Is there a better saw for the money? I know it probably depends on what I want to do with it.... well.....

General purpose cross cutting - breaking down stock into manageable sizes - you know....when you have a 7 1/2' board that needs to be 7' - kinda hard to do on the TS (and not all that safe).

Cutting pen blanks, etc.....

I want a 12" because of it's capacity - and would rather spend the extra 70 bucks for the double bevel - whether I use it or not.

Just curious on your thoughts.

Thanks,
Zac

[Doug B]

It all depends on what you want to use it for Zac. I have a DeWalt 708 12" SCMS and I love it. There are a couple of subtle advantages to a slider, and a 12" will cut Pergo flooring even for the angled cuts you need to make - that's why I have one ;D

A slider gives you 2 advantages that might seem insignificant, but are really handy depending on how you use your saw. Number one for me is that you can make a tiny little tick mark on virtually any part of a board and the slider will let you line a tooth up with that mark very precisely. That is because you can slide the blade back to the mark - seems unimportant, but let me tell you how much time that has saved me over the years.

Second is that you can make a quick and dirty dado using a slider. Not something you would want to do when making fine furniture, but when knocking out a firewood storage frame, it is a whole lot quicker than setting up a dado blade on the TS.

I've heard good things about the Ridgid SCMS also, and it is less costly than the DeWalt. I had a Craftsman before the DW 708 and I was happy with it until I used someone's DeWalt and that was all it took. I had to have one of my own. That was many years ago, and I still use the heck out of my DW 708 for everything from cutting pen blanks to length to cutting 12/4 rough stock.

I don't know if it is worth the extra cost for everyone, but for me it has been. Man those things cost an arm and a leg!

[sachbvn]

I honestly don't know if a 12" slider would be worth it or not.....you had some good points. How about a 10" slider?

The other thing is room.....room is running low, this is not going to have a dedicated space.....

I've been thinking about Ridgid also, but DeWalt Has a too knotch rep.


Thanks,
Zac

[fredbelknap]

Zac I have the 12" Dewalt CMS and it gets lots of use. There isn't much that it will do that can't be done on TS but I find myself going to it a lot. Like Doug says it has some limits. I would like to have a slider but then I would have to redesign my bench set up.

[art3427]

Fred, A new project brought on by a new toy?


Sounds like heaven to me. ;D

art

[imahic]

When my old CMS went belly up, I bought the Craftsman SCMS. At that time it was very similar to the Dewalt I looked at and a bit cheaper. It is a 12" and, as Doug has pointed out, it is very handy. I use it for nearly all my cross cutting. I can cut a full 12" board on 90* cut. I cant remember the last time I used my TS miter gauge for crosscutting. If you think you can find the room, I would highly recommend a 12" slider.

[TDHofstetter]

I've got that big yaller DeWalt, the double-bevel 12". I don't use it nearly as often as my 10", though, because it takes the 12" blade so long to spin up (that's a LOT of inertia!). It's not as portable as the 10", either... but boy dang when it's called for, it's the RIGHT tool for the job.

[sachbvn]

So Tim - if you only had one....... ?


Zac

[boodrow]

Zac I have a Dewalt 12" miter saw non slider. Ive had it about 3 years , I dont remember the model number , but I have a good friend that has a craftsman 10" he has used mine and says it hands down more powerful. I like the 12" because its more versital with thickness and board width. Im happy as can be with mine , but would also like a slider , I will have one fore I retire. Just another hint , there was one on craigslist just like mine for 130 dollars , best I remember I paid 359 + another 60 for the laser lite.
I would never cut anything but one end of a pen blank on it. I had a piece of 4x4 that I was cuttin some thickness shims with it , when the wood starts gettin short its time to be afraid of it unless u have some kinda jig made to keep ur hands away from the blade. That particular piece I was cuttin , I still dont know what happened , but the blade took it out of my hand and bounced off the blade knockin the chit out of my left index finger. Was one of the times u grab it and hold behind ur back and look on the ground to see if ur finger is there. Taught me a good lesson. They are great but just like all other woodworkin tools are dangerious.
Bottom line I wouldnt trade mine for a 10" slider. U give up lots of power and more limited what u can do with it. Also If I had the money I would go with the slider. Ur young and have alot of time to recoup ur money in it. The real thing to do is go with what u think is rite for u and stand by it. U can always upgrade later.
My 2 cents
Boodrow

[sachbvn]

Yeah - I'm trying to think of some type of jig that is pretty simple to hold pen blanks - I'm not keen on putting my fingers that close to the blade..... I don't cut pen blanks on the TS for that very reason (meaning, I don't cut them in half - I would cut boards INTO pen blanks though).

Do you like your laser light? Enough to warrant the 60 bucks?


Zac

[TDHofstetter]

Apr 22, 2010 12:47:08 GMT -6 sachbvn said:

So Tim - if you only had one....... ?


Zac

If I had only ONE (instead of three )... that big DeWalt can do stuff the others simply cannot. The others can do littler stuff easier & quicker, but because the DeWalt is more capable it'd get kept.

I bought mine "reconditioned", by the way, for an amazingly deep discount. Peek around - maybe they're still available. Were it not for the language in the ad, you'd never be able to tell mine didn't arrive brand-'em-new.

[boodrow]

Zac the trick on the laser lite is , u have to set it up for the left or right side of the blade. I love it and wouldnt do without it. The 60 bucks was well worth it. But let me say when u install it , u better have an anti cuss kit near. They is a bugger bear to get aligned. But on the upside once it is , u will love it.
Boodrow

[Doug B]

All I can say is that everyone knows that 12 inches is much better than 10 inches. And if it slides too...woohoo! That's definitely a good thing ;D

[boodrow]

Zac this is on craigslist this morn
Boodrow


easttexas.craigslist.org/tls/1705388461.html

[sachbvn]

Thanks Boodrow - the stand doesn't mean much to me due to it's direct application - but it seems like a fair deal. Guy seemed real honest about it's issues, which is good.

Maybe I'll check it out this weekend - make a day trip out of it from IL to Etex

I browsed, briefly, last night for MS in my area - didn't come up with a ton, or nothing I was interested in. Again - it was a real brief search.


Thanks for keeping me in mind!
Zac

[TDHofstetter]

www.toolking.com/dewalt-dw716-factory-reconditioned-12-inch-double-bevel-compound-miter-saw

[dcarter636]

I can't comment on De Walt but I can say that I've had a 12" Bosch CMS for many years, and have never missed not having a sliding mechanism.

A 12" CMS will chop a 4x8 in one bite.

[sachbvn]

Tim - you ever order from Toolking? It's $100 cheaper than the regular price..... very tempting! Thanks for the link!


Zac

[boodrow]

Zac the table is of no use in the shop , but if u ever get an outdoor project its worth its weight in gold. I built my twin granddaughters a 2 story playhouse/swingset in my driveway. Just thought Id pass it along.
Boodrow

[TDHofstetter]

I'm almost positive I've bought there, although I can't point to anything in particular & say I definitely bought it there (I've lost track of where I've bought a LOT of my stuff). I peeked back in my records - I bought my 716 from NationWide:

www.nationwidetool.com/p-1883-dewalt-dw716r-12-double-bevel-compound-miter-saw.aspx