Sliding compound miter

[lexrex]

What is the latest thinking/reviews on a dual bevel SCMS?

It will be explaining to Kim that my shop walls cannot be built without it ;D

It will also become a permanent tool in the shop so I want to get a decent one.

Feel free to link to good reviews or just tell me what you think. Festool is excluded

[Beamer]

Ooooh i'll be watchin this thread for sure

[imahic]

I have a Craftsman that I have really enjoyed. Lots of folks don't like that brand very much but for me it has worked out pretty good.

Mike

[Joe Lyddon]

From what I have read, Bosch is really SUPER good... along with DeWalt.

I've been watching Hitachi for months!

[Ruffnek]

I have a 10" Craftsman CMS (not a slider) that Karen got me for Christmas about 10 years ago. It works great for rough framing but I've quit using it for woodworking except in certain situations. The accuracy is just not reliable.

Now, if I have a lot of square crosscuts to make, I'll take the time to ensure the blade is square to the fence and then lock it down so tightly that it won't move. However, if I'm going back and forth between 90 degree and angled cuts, I use the TS with my Osbourne miter gauge. The stops on the CMS are just not reliable.

If there is a reliable CMS or SCMS out there, I'd be interested in hearing about it, too. Right now, I view them more as a construction tool than a woodworking tool.

[Stretch]

I have a 10" Delta slider that I'm pretty happy with. If I were buying again though, I'd spring for a 12" for the extra capacity. I have used a Makita 12" slider extensively and I can say that it's an excellent machine. It's easily accurate enough for furniture making.

[jim]

I have a 12" DeWalt slider that I bought in 2000 and love it. I bought it to build decks and now use in in my woodshop. Plenty accurate. I think a 10" would suit me as well though.

[rrich]

I have the DeWalt 708. It is a very accurate saw. It was a bit pricey when I bought it as the newer model is now. Both are one heck of a saw.

[woodmannie]

I got the 708 also. Works great, accurate, large cutting capability. As with all tools, these need to be set up and checked periodically.

Tom

[brburns]

I was looking into them and liked the Hitachi SCMS. The slide on them were different and didn't use up as much space behind the saw. I'd like to get one, but don't want to spend the money one one.

[dcarter636]

The SCMS are getting better, but most are still too flexible for my money. Every so often I stop to examine the rigidity of the mechanisms and a few are pretty good now but cost as much as good contractor saw.
Rigidity is absolutely necessary for precision, many of the expensive but wooggety sliding mechanisms are less precise than most radial arm saws available for $75 at yard sales.

Not yet for me, my Bosch 12" CMS does just fine.

[dburkhart]

for what its worth i have a hitachi very accurate good saw alot better than a radial

[rrich]

I have a DW 708 which I like very much. I purchased an add on, blade washer laser which is worthless for woodworking but OK for construction.

Maybe it is the yellow color that is more visible but it seems that way more than half of job site saws are yellow. The teal seems to be next followed by green. I've only noticed a few, very few, red ones.

Before I bought mine, I asked the factory store if they got many back for repairs. The answer was "Yeah, quite a few but most has fallen out of a pick up at 60 MPH."

[Leo Voisine]

I have the Hitachi 12" SCMS --- LOVE it.

[Doug B]

I have the DW 708 and absolutely love it. Some folks say a SCMS is not accurate...but mine is.

[lexrex]

The Dewalt is a substantial saw, I tried it out today. I would like to see the new Makita and Milwaukee up close too. I will have to track them down, I know just the place

[brburns]

I have heard that the angle detants on the Makita wear out quickly and don't hold accurate postions. After looking at it again, I could see why.

[lexrex]

10" or 12"? They both seem to have similar crosscut capacity with the depth capacity being better on the 12". I probably don't really need that added depth as I don't do a whole lotta crown.

[Beamer]

One thing i like about a 10" is that I can use the crosscut blades on both it and the TS - but with a slider, you really should use a negative rake blade which I don't think works so well on a TS so the point may be moot.

[Stretch]

Jan 7, 2010 22:44:10 GMT -6 Beamer said:

One thing i like about a 10" is that I can use the crosscut blades on both it and the TS - but with a slider, you really should use a negative rake blade which I don't think works so well on a TS so the point may be moot.

I used the same logic when I bought my saw, but I found that the way I work, the miter saw is enough of a staple in my shop that I don't ever want to have the blade off of it. I ended up getting another crosscut blade for the table saw. If I bought again, I'd go for the 12" saw. The extra capacity came in handy for me several times using the one at work.