MAKITA LS 1016

[mastercabman]

Thanks for the report Bruce, have you experienced the issue with the rails not moving smoothly?

Brice,I also read that the top rails doesn't ride smooth at first,but the more you use it,it gets better? maybe?
Those who complained about about it has had good result after using it (breaking in)Only time will tell.

 

[mastercabman]

..... its my go to saw (unless im doing tall base!)

The LS 1016 has a capacity to cut 4.75" tall,why wouldn't you use the saw to cut tall base? What are you using instead?

 

[djwong]

I purchased a Makita LS1016L from Amazon soon after they were first offered.  The build quality of the machine is very high, and the few cuts that I made from the stock blade were very clean.  Unfortunately, I was one of those that had the rough upper rail problem.  The upper rail was so bad that when making a wide sliding cut, I could not get the saw to transition from the lower to upper rails.  It would get stuck and stop in the slide.  There were no other reviews out so I thought the rails must have been damaged in shipping.  I returned the saw to amazon for a refund.  I don't have anything to compare with, but the dust collection did not seem impressive to me.  I tried the dust bag and connected to a vacuum.  Plenty of sawdust escaped.

 

[Five Star]

Cabman, i dont like cutting base on the flat, i use a dewalt dw716(NON SLIDING) for all tall base! i do however cut my cabinet base on the makita lately!

the one guy here said it right ,its a poormans Kapex, but if using the makita is wrong then i dont want to be right!!!

Never had problems yet with the rails!

 

[mastercabman]

Well, i was at HD today and i was checking the Makita again before i decide on a saw.
I was not sold when i pull on the saw head and try to move it side to side to see if it had deflection.WOW!!! It moved a lot! I kept doing it just to make sure i was not seen thing,but it was deflection.I don't know exactly how much but it look like about 1/8" or maybe 3/16"!!!
I tried the Milwaukee and it was tight,really nice.I also tried the DeWalt and it was pretty tight.
Does anyone (who own this saw)has any problem with deflection?I would love to hear from anyone about the saw.
I'm going to give myself a couple more weeks before making a choice for a new saw.

 

[TheToolPlace]

Well, i was at HD today and i was checking the Makita again before i decide on a saw.
I was not sold when i pull on the saw head and try to move it side to side to see if it had deflection.WOW!!! It moved a lot! I kept doing it just to make sure i was not seen thing,but it was deflection.I don't know exactly how much but it look like about 1/8" or maybe 3/16"!!!
I tried the Milwaukee and it was tight,really nice.I also tried the DeWalt and it was pretty tight.
Does anyone (who own this saw)has any problem with deflection?I would love to hear from anyone about the saw.
I'm going to give myself a couple more weeks before making a choice for a new saw.

Makita is finally shipping these in Canada now.  When I get mine in I'll definitely check this and report back.  It looks to be a very nice saw.

Chad

 

[score0matic]

Chad
have you had a chance to check out its little brother the LS 0714?
what do you think of it
Craig

 

[BMH]

Mastercabman,

Haven't notice any deflection on mine. The only problem I had with mine is that dust collection is not as good as I would like it. It has improved with the 36 mm hose but still not as optimal as I wish.

Has anyone create a benchmark of different type of cuts to judge the quality of these saws. I have read a lot of different opinions of people about them but no systematic comparative out of the box testing and after fine tuning the system with the same blade.

Bruce

 

[mastercabman]

BMH,
I went to another HD and tried the saw in display.It did have a little deflection but not close to the other one.And i was pushing a little hard.
But again i did tried other make and they don't move like that.I am going to do more research on it because i really like the saw.

 

[VictorL]

I have one. Good saw. That's much better than previous LS 1013. Kapex is a little bit better, but $900 price difference...  (With all discounts and coupons plus 12 month interest free.) I invested this price difference into few nice ETS sanders.  
The floor samples in our HD and Lowe's are completely broken. My saw doesn't have any deflection, sagging or free play. 0, 45, 60 degrees are accurate. All parts run smoothly.
That's really hard answer which saw is better. In absolute scores Kapex is the best. But if you compare price/quality or price/performance.... That's really hard to buy new and expensive stuff in this tuft time without some financial help.

Regards,
VictorL

 

[Dan Clark]

I bought a 1016 from HD.  I loved it!  That is until I found that it had runout (also called "Blade Wobble").  So I exchanged it for another 1016.  But it had the same runout!  So I returned it too.  Right now, I'm turned off by the 1016.

There are a lot of people on the JLC forum that are discussing this saw.  Many people like it.  Unfortunately a pretty good number also have the runout issue. 

To test for it, place a board on the turntable and do a plunge cut about 1/8" into the wood to create a slot.  Turn off the saw and drop the blade into the slot.  Now look the left and right of the blade.  You should see the blade scraping the cut on both sides.  If you see a gap on one side, you have runout (blade wobble).

Other symptoms are vibration when running, especially with heavier blades - like a Forrest Chopmaster.  Also, you'll see some gouging on the face of the cut.

This last weekend, I repeated the "blade wobble" test on two Kapex - an older one at a dealer and a demo unit that the Festool rep had at Seattle Woodcraft.  Both had NO runout.  When I dropped the blade into the slot, it scraped both sides. 

Spending $1300 for a saw is a tough decision, but I'm thinking about getting the Kapex.  It's noisier than the 1016 and the turntable isn't as smooth.    And I like the 1016's miter lock mechanism and the horizontal handle better than the Kapex.  The Kapex does have one great feature - no runout.  I can overlook lots of things, but I can't ignore bad cuts.  Is the 1016 a good deal if I can't get a good cut?  Is the Kapex too expensive if it cuts well?  YMMV.

Regards,

Dan.

P.s., If you have an LS1016 and a SawHelper miter saw stand, you might want to look at a quick description (with pics) of how I created a simple custom table top for my SawHelper miter saw stand to use with my 1016.  (Of course, this was BEFORE I returned it.)  I posted this on talkFestool: http://www.talkfestool.com/vb/non-festool-power-tools/2493-new-top-sawhelper-stand.html and JLC Online: http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49400.

 

[TheToolPlace]

Chad
have you had a chance to check out its little brother the LS 0714?
what do you think of it
Craig

Craig,

We`ve stocked the LS0714 since September of 2007 and it`s been a great saw.  It`s actually closer related to the LS1013 then the LS1016.  For the size and weight (27.8 lbs), this saw is a winner for finishers.  The 7-1/2? blade is big enough for many applications.

Also Makita has a video showing the features of the new LS1016 on their web site.  Click here to see it.

Thanks,

Chad

 

[score0matic]

When the new ls1016 came out i went to the tool store to take a good look and ended up with the Ls0714 and have been very happy with it since.
Craig

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I really like the 7 1/4" makita.

It is dang expensive as well.

 

[Five Star]

Victor well said, with times being what they are i cant justify spending $700 more for a saw! the $550 for the ls1016 is fair and im not worried about leaving it outside in the rain or letting it get banged around in the truck, blades are inexpensive! Im quite happy and ive hung 8 kitchens with built up crowns and wide tall fillers,and so far every cut was on the money(or better yet i brought home the money)!

i have absolutly no play in the head of the saw, it runs quiet,smooth,and very comfortable to use!

i do mainly new installs and renovations,so for me i dont really need dust controll because im usually done on a install within a day or two!

for my personal shop/garage i will purchase a kapex and keep it hooked up to my ct-33 with boom arm(since i heard a few people who own them say that the calibration needs tweaking quite often if you move the saw around alot)

anyway if festool would run some kind of promotion or through in some goodies, im sure they would sell some of these! i was @ my festool dealer and he said he hasnt ordered more than  a few saws in the last 8 months!
im checking craigslist weekly LOL

 

[Five Star]

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[festoller]

Prices have already been reduced in the US, but there's still no sign of the LS1016 in Europe.

Obviously the information I found in that UK forum (about Amazon UK starting to sell the LS1016 in September) was wrong.

 

[bruce-ter]

My dad has been frustrated for years with his little Skil 7 1/4 chop saw, finally I used that as an excuse to split the Makita.  Thanks guys!!!  His first two cuts scared me a little; pull the trigger, let the saw get up to speed then bring it down like it was an ax.  'Lot of money just for a saw.'  'Let the saw cut papa.'  'Oh wow!!!  When are setting it up in my shop?'  The answer to that question is as soon as we finish the rowboat, no room right now.

A little story about my dad and tools.  He was given a chisel with cutting edge around 1/16th inch thick, you could beat a notch into a 2x4 if you really wanted.  A few sheets of sandpaper, an hour or two of work, and our collection of stones left us with the sharpest cutting edge I had ever seen.  Made a sleeve and put it back in the tool box.  About two years later I get a call:
"Remember that big old chisel from Grandpa that you sharpened?"
"Yeah, like and inch and half wide?"
"That bugger was sharp!"
"OK"  - there has got to be more.
"Yeah, Dale and used it to cut the heads off a couple nails, worked great!"
"That's a wood chisel Dad!  How does it look now?"
"It's pretty beat up now, think you can come up this weekend and sharpen it again?"
"Sure, see you Friday.  Have Mom make us breakfast."

This saw will go a long way toward making his shop time enjoyable, now if we can get the boat done.
Bruce

 

[twang120]

I really like the 7 1/4" makita.

I have one too.  Really nice saw.  Very light and portable

 

[joiner1970]

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php?sn=MAKLS1016&site=emjan250111&kw=MAKLS1016

Heres a link, about time but wow are they expensive.