I am looking for a mitre saw, before you start screaming 'KAPEX' at £1000 for a mitre saw that will only be used occasionally it is an awful lot of money. Just wondering what other saws members use. The Bosch GCM 8 SLJ has caught my eye. The dust extraction looks better than other mitre saws.
Mitre saw
- Thread starter Mickfb
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bkharman
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I was going to say... get a Kapex... sticker to put on whatever you buy... appease the masses. [wink]
I am in a similar boat. I need a nice mitre saw that will trench but the Kapex isn't my choice as this is mostly in PT lumber. I don't want to gum up a 1300+ beauty with soaking wet treated lumber. I haven't looked at too many machines but is trenching something that other saws do? Like i said, this is for PT, so it doesn't need to be the most accurate machine, just be able to take a beating/soaking and notch out what I need.
Didn't meant to hijack your thread mate...
And Kev, that made me laugh... almost had a spit take!
I am in a similar boat. I need a nice mitre saw that will trench but the Kapex isn't my choice as this is mostly in PT lumber. I don't want to gum up a 1300+ beauty with soaking wet treated lumber. I haven't looked at too many machines but is trenching something that other saws do? Like i said, this is for PT, so it doesn't need to be the most accurate machine, just be able to take a beating/soaking and notch out what I need.
Didn't meant to hijack your thread mate...
And Kev, that made me laugh... almost had a spit take!
I've had the Hitachi C12RSH for a couple months and have been pretty happy with it. At a full $1000 less than the Kapex, I can't complain. I do plan to change the blade, however. This saw does have a rail forward design so you can place it against a wall.
Wooden Skye
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I have the hitachi 12 inch slider and like it a lot, I did put a better blade and it cuts great. As for dust collection, I have used it outside mostly since I am still working on my stand in the shop, so can't provide an opinion yet. I bought this to replace a Bosch saw, which is good, but the slide on the Bosch takes a lot more space than the hitachi.
I owned a Hitachi for many years. My recommendation for dust collection is some kind of a large shroud in the back with an outlet at the bottom to which a vacuum or dust collector is connected. Fastcap has a ready made one that looks like it would work. I never got around to this and and was always frustrated with dust collection on the saw. I finally sold the saw and replaced it with a TS55 and MFT/3 table. The dust collection for the TS55 is superior regardless of which vacuum you have and the accuracy with a guide rail and either dogs for the table or the table's miter fence and head I found to be at least as good as the Hitachi. I have less dust in my shop now that I don't have the miter saw anymore.
grbmds said:
Funny you mention about the MFT3 I also have one and thought this could be used instead of a mitre saw. My only concern is how this method would be with small sections ie picture frames or beading. On the plus side I could spend the money on a TS75 instead
I framed a picture late last year. I have never cut miters so accurate and had a frame go together so easily; never with the miter saw. I kept my MFT fence set as usual (for 90 degree cuts) and used Parf dogs to make the 45 degree cuts. The pieces were long enough that this wasn't a problem, but I also have the Lee Valley set which has low profile stops which may work with smaller pieces. I have never been sorry I moved to the TS55, a Festool dust collector, and MFT. I felt the TS75 was a little large for my use and, even though others say the weight isn't that much more, it's enough to make it a bit cumbersome when making a number of cuts. If you need that extra capacity I suppose it would be worth it.
The dust extraction is OK, but not great on the Hitachi. It has one good thing going for it, in that its dust catcher moves with the saw blade, like the Kapex does. On the down side, it has some odd blade stop at the end of the slide. I don't know how to explain this well, but it's a plastic piece mounted near the saw's bevel pivot hinge, facing forward, where the blade can "dock" into at the end of a cut. I have no idea why the have this odd thing. The problem is that when you slide the blade all the way to the back, the dust chute hits this and flops up/out of the way, and you no longer have that chute directing dust to the vacuum port (what where they thinking?!?!?). So, I cut that damn thing off soon after I got the saw.
I have been experimenting with dust extraction enhancements, which I hope to achieve 95%+ extraction, but I am not at a point where I can share info that's useful to anyone.
I have been experimenting with dust extraction enhancements, which I hope to achieve 95%+ extraction, but I am not at a point where I can share info that's useful to anyone.
Fine Woodworking rated the Bosch CM12 12" (non-slider) the best all around miter saw for furniture makers in the June 2014 issue (No. 240). According to the article it has a list price of $330 US dollars.
They compared it to other non-sliders the; DeWalt DW715, Makita LS1221, Ridgid R4120 and Skil 3821-01.
I personally have a DeWalt 12" slider that works OK for general carpentry and was great for building decks, etc.
I would like a new Kapex but, I also need a new set of golf Irons [eek]
Jack
They compared it to other non-sliders the; DeWalt DW715, Makita LS1221, Ridgid R4120 and Skil 3821-01.
I personally have a DeWalt 12" slider that works OK for general carpentry and was great for building decks, etc.
I would like a new Kapex but, I also need a new set of golf Irons [eek]
Jack
bkharman
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Based on some research and this thread, I just went to Lowes and picked up the Hitachi!
I will update soon on this thread, but it does have the depth stop for trenching and that was a big feature I was looking for.
I picked up for about $350.00 with a 10% discount. Even though it is a different shade of green, I hope it performs for my tasks!
Thanks for the suggestion, I have high hopes here!
Cheers. Bryan.
I will update soon on this thread, but it does have the depth stop for trenching and that was a big feature I was looking for.
I picked up for about $350.00 with a 10% discount. Even though it is a different shade of green, I hope it performs for my tasks!
Thanks for the suggestion, I have high hopes here!
Cheers. Bryan.
Stephen B
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[size=14pt]
Whilst we are talking about non-Festool saws, does anyone wish to comment on -
The Milwaukee-305mm12-sliding-dual-bevel-compound-mitre-saw-ms305db
As shown at - http://justtools.com.au/milwaukee-305mm12-sliding-dual-bevel-compound-mitre-saw-ms305db
Thanks.
Whilst we are talking about non-Festool saws, does anyone wish to comment on -
The Milwaukee-305mm12-sliding-dual-bevel-compound-mitre-saw-ms305db
As shown at - http://justtools.com.au/milwaukee-305mm12-sliding-dual-bevel-compound-mitre-saw-ms305db
Thanks.
Untidy Shop said:
Seems like a lot of money for miter saw. I would think you could get the Hitachi top of the line version for less than that and I would think it would serve almost anyone's needs, hobbyist or professional. I had one and it was great. The dust collection made it the worst dust producer in my shop regardless of what I used; cyclone dust collator or high powered vac. I sold it after I bought the TS 55 and MFT. I am now more accurate and the dust is minimal for all operations I would have used the miter saw for. If you are a professional trim carpenter or need a miter saw for efficiency, great, but, if you are going to pay that much you might as well spend some more and buy the Kapex. I think across the board you would be happier in the long run. For me, I'm glad I no longer have a miter saw.
shed9
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To be honest, at £310 for Bosch saw there is little room for regret;
http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Bosch%20Gcm8Sjl2%203165140654333%20216Mm%20230%20240V%20Sliding%20Mitre%20Saw
I'd go both routes - use your MFT3/TS combo and the mitre saw and see how it works out, if it looks like the mitre is superfluous sell it on the bay of E.
http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Bosch%20Gcm8Sjl2%203165140654333%20216Mm%20230%20240V%20Sliding%20Mitre%20Saw
I'd go both routes - use your MFT3/TS combo and the mitre saw and see how it works out, if it looks like the mitre is superfluous sell it on the bay of E.
Untidy Shop said:
One of the shopfitters/joiners I work with bought one of these, but ended up selling it. Was just too bulky, hard to transport etc, with no real performance advantages over other saws to offset these issues. Probably didn't help when he compared it to my new (at the time) Kapex.
Lincoln.