# Compund sliding miter saw recommendations



## DLJeffs (Nov 13, 2014)

I'm thinking of getting a compound sliding miter saw because they seem to be much more accurate than my old Delta table saw for the kind of projects I do. I've been reading reviews and reports and as usual, if you read enough you get an entire spectrum of pluses and minuses which ultimately only succeeds in confusing me more. One says this saw is great - someone else says don't ever buy that saw, etc. So I thought I'd get another set of recommendations from youse all. Please post good and bad points if you can. Much appreciated.
Dazed and confused Doug


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## Alan Sweet (Nov 13, 2014)

As a compound sliding saw, I have the Bosch articulated compound miter. I really like it. It is really useful when having to deal with any angle cuts. I make custom wooden window valences and it really helps because most walls and windows were not installed straight or flat or square. Homes constructed in last 20 years have just been thrown up and the construction detail has suffered. I've found the Bosch is very accurate and allows me to make adjustments for all the weird angles I've had to deal with. 

But, it will never replace a table saw or a band saw.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## JR Custom Calls (Nov 13, 2014)

I haven't heard of anyone on here posting that they have a festool... but if you have $1400 laying around, they seem to be highly rated. 

I have a Hitachi 10", but I use a 12" sliding quite a bit as well... I've been very pleased with the performance of my 10", and his 12" sliding. Great tools IMO.


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## TimR (Nov 13, 2014)

I probably have one similar to the Bosch Alan referred to. Nothing but good marks from me on it. Accurate and durable, and the rolling stand they make for it is a piece of excellent engineering. When I was siding my house a few years back, it would go thru a stack of 6 of the Hardiboard siding pieces without a problem...not sure if that's a big feat, but I was impressed. 
Check out deals and refurbs often available at Bosch CPO site.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kevin (Nov 13, 2014)

Most of the name brand saws makers' premium models have fans, detractors, and apologists. The festool following is near cultish and perhaps it is warranted I don't know. Following close behind are the DeWalt hordes. Most of them are blind DW followers and will buy whatever Yellow makes without looking at other models by other manufacturers. 

When I'm reading user reviews (I pay very little if any attention to Editor's Choice Awards or Editor Reviews) I try to discern the cult brand guys. If a review is a 5 star review and he says "_As with all my DeWalt tools this drill is the best money can buy!"_ I totally ignore that review. If he says _"Although I'm a pretty hard core DeWalt fan and own many of their tools, I am disappointed with this sander...."_ I give that review plenty of weight in the whole big scheme of my review search. If the reviewer says _"I've never bought a Bosch tool before but I have to admit this saw is the best I have ever owned and I have owned 3 different brand."_ then I know that guy is probably giving an objective review. Although I'm not a brand guy, my 3 main CSMS are all Makita. Not because they are Makita's but because they seemed to be the best models in the class at the time I purchased each one. I have a 8.5" a 10" and 12". I'd suggest getting a 12" if you can only afford one. 

I probably didn't help you decide which saw to buy, but I think the most important part of researching is to read user reviews, and the most important part of reading user reviews is to be able to sort the wheat from the chaff and discern who are the _"My Brand is the BEST!"_ guys so you can weed them out. 

Except for Festool, it would be impossible for you to find a major brand not represented multiple times in my tool stable, because I'm a brand atheist; I look for the best model not the prettiest color or the badge. If you practice that over the years I think you will be happy with the bulk of your purchases with few exceptions.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 3


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## DLJeffs (Nov 13, 2014)

Thanks all. Alan - Bosch seems to be sort of a sleeper, hidden behind the hordes of DeWalt and Makita fans. I am only a hobby wood worker so durability isn't necessarily my primary selection criteria. Accuracy is probably the most important since I have time to set things up and double check them while at the same time I rarely have wood to redo a bad cut. Maybe just a subset of accuracy but quality of cut is second. But I think I can get that by purchasing a good blade as long as the saw itself doesn't wobble. I guess ease of set-up and use would be third. I'm thinking a 10" primarily because of space and weight. All the 12"ers I've looked at at Lowes and Home Dep seem big and heavy. My neighbor up the street as an older Milwaukee (I think, might be a Makita) and he swears by it. I used it to cut the miters for the mirror frame on that coat tree thing and I was impressed. But like Kevin said, models can differ year to year so just because he has a good Milwaukee doesn't mean the Milwaukee's of today are good. I'll give the Bosch's a closer look.

Jonathan - Everything I read about Festool's are they are the top of the line but I can't justify or afford the cost of one for the small amount of wood working I do. The current Hitachi's seem pretty good, and light weight.

Thanks again and I appreciate any more advice, feedback about SCMS


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## DKMD (Nov 14, 2014)

Kevin said:


> ...Except for I look for the best model not the prettiest color or the badge...



That's strange because I buy almost all of my tools based on how they fit the color scheme of my shop... Oh, and based on how many sparkly things and doodads they have... I love sparkly things!

Reactions: Funny 9


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## SENC (Nov 14, 2014)

DKMD said:


> That's strange because I buy almost all of my tools based on how they fit the color scheme of my shop... Oh, and based on how many sparkly things and doodads they have... I love sparkly things!


And don't forget making sure they don't clash with your nails!

Reactions: Funny 5


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## DKMD (Nov 14, 2014)

SENC said:


> And don't forget making sure they don't clash with your nails!


And my purse and heels... And hair sticks

Reactions: Funny 3


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## JR Custom Calls (Nov 14, 2014)

Doc, did you bedazzle your tools?

Reactions: Funny 2


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## kweinert (Nov 14, 2014)

I'm not sure if Doc's Jeep goes here or over in the Cool Cars thread.

http://i1003.Rule #2/albums/af158/SGTSANCHEZ82/100_2505.jpg

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 7


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## DLJeffs (Nov 14, 2014)

That's just wrong


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## matt swiderski (Nov 19, 2014)

I have only used the Dewalt and Festool sliding miter saws. If money is no object, I would recommend the Kapex, but it is $1400. My only recommendation is to try different ones out, and don't try to committed to having to get a 12" saw, 10" saws have only a little less cut capacity.
Matt


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## Mike1950 (Nov 19, 2014)

I have a 12" Hitachi- POS is the best I can say about it. It has had light hobby use and It needs a bearing for the second time $160 to have it done the first time. I will burn it first. I also have a sliding 12" dewalt that was a company saw- abused-used it with masonry blade to cut cultured stone. 10 yrs old and works great. Disclaimer- I have delta- jet powermatic-makita- bosch-porter cable- Jessem- Incra- get the picture- Tool whore- I buy what I think will do best job for the buck.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Aurora North (Dec 13, 2014)

Not sure if this helps, but it's my own experience with some these saws... Been in the custom cabinetry trade for 4 years now and I've used a number of sliders from my own stuff, to the stuff our shop has, to multiple contractors on install jobs. The hitachi 12" I thought had a pretty smooth cutting action and it seemed like it had a soft start. I might be wrong on the soft start, but when I was cutting crown and base on it it seemed like it would take a second to crank up to full. After that the cut was very smooth. The only thing I didn't care for so much was the size of the damn thing. I would hate to be lifting that and carrying it from the truck for set up and tear down every day. (due to people being scumbags I bring tools home every day if other contractors are on the same job). As far as power it didn't seem to have any problems I was aware of, but have Mike weigh in some more on that kind of detail other than it being a POS due to bearings.

My personal 10" hitachi I would never recommend to anyone. Not enough power. It gets it done for smaller jobs and I haven't had any problems with it, but when I buy a new one I know now to invest in higher quality for the long haul. At the time I bought it to do a quick job and I picked it up in good condition, used. But I truthfully I would never use it for a big job. I don't think I would even recommend a 10" sliding compound miter to anyone.

The festool... nice products. Smooth cuts, and smooth draw, and left very nice joints. But again that one I was only using for a couple of days on a job. Another trim guy who we work with often on jobs was kind enough to let me cut on his saw. I think he just wanted me to give me a little saw envy. They're definitely nice and if its quality over time is anything like the orbital sanders/vaccums I use at work, expect it to be a lasting investment. Our sanders/ vac combos are 8 years old and have logged thousands of hours. They're used daily for finish sanding; literally everything except trim. We also have a festool D handle drill that is the same age and the thing has never gone down. It's used on every single job we do for cabinet assembly, mounting drawer fronts, and throughout an install getting into tight spaces.

I'm impressed with the longevity of those tools and I would expect the same out of their miter saws. Of course, with time and use bearings do go bad on any saw and will need to be replaced. The only thing for me that I noticed I was not such a fan of was the orientation of the handle/trigger. The D handle is vertically aligned and to me it just didn't feel as comfortable as a horizontally aligned handle. But then again, I've been using Dewalt for the last 3 years so I'm probably just accustomed to that feel now. Just a personal thing to be aware of I guess, though I'm sure I would get used to it with use. As far as the actual cutting goes, it's just a joy.

For the Dewalt 12" slider... The shop has 2 with the fold out stand. I've been using them for the last 3 years on every job and in the shop. We also just picked up a 2 year old 12" compound miter box (non sliding) and that thing cuts with gusto. I like using it for trimming out doors in the shop. I would say the thing I noticed over my own hitachi was the power in the motor. The Dewalts feel like they have more and it's apparent when going through larger hardwood stock. Our 2 sliders are 9 years old at this point and no longer produced. It's been updated at least a couple times to the model that you find now in stores so I can't tell you about the current model.

The bearings have been replaced twice in their life time and again, they have logged countless hours of run time on every single job, cutting through hardwoods, mdf, and plywood. Shoe molding to ceiling beams and everything else in between. My complaint, and it might be due to the age, is the sliding action when doing a lay down miter cut. A fully extended draw on both of our dewalts just doesn't ever feel as smooth and clean as I think it should and dealing with the blade deflection pisses me the F off. And I pay very close attention to how straight I'm pulling and try very hard to be as smooth as I can when cutting like that. No jerking, very straight draw, how my body is positioned, supporting the piece, etc. At this point if I have to do a lay down miter cut, I cut my piece 1/16 or 1/8 over and trim to the final length to lessen the blade deflection. Serious pain in the balls and it wastes time. But the boss just says it's fine and refuses to update them so, I guess it's just his time it's wasting and I get paid by the hour.

My buddy has the ridgid 12" and the wide rolling stand. As far as quality, it's kind of like... eh... It's a ridgid isn't it? Now, that being said, I did buy a ridgid trim router over porter cable, bosch, makita, and dewalt because it's actually pretty damn decent for the price in terms of quality and features. Time will tell how long it holds up, but the 3 we have had in the shop for the last 2 years are still working fine. As far as a sliding miter saw I'm not sure I would go with them personally just due to still being unsure about their quality over time (bearings/motor). But this is just due to me not using a lot of their stuff.

I used this saw while I was helping my buddy build a couple of decks and I cut on his ridgid for a couple of weeks straight. One deck we were cutting composite decking board which it had no problems with (even the really wide and thick steps) it produced very tight miters. The other deck was all 8/4 ipe hardwood (THE WOSRT BTW) and it too had no difficulty cutting through that, leaving clean miters. Felt pretty strong in the motor going through both materials and decent on the draw. Pretty minimal blade deflection.

The wider rolling stand was nice and it created a very beefy/stable platform. I would say it beats the crap out of the fold out stand we use for the Dewalts. Might not be a fair comparison though. The dewalt stands are lighter weight and very portable because you just cary them by a center handle and drop and set up wherever you're working. The support arms on the dewalt are always a bit annoying to use because when they're extended out far they sag and I always have to shim up my trim stock to bring it level with the table. I also hate the short support width when dealing with trim that has a bow in it when using the dewalt stand.

The ridgid stand is a lot bigger and heavier (though it has wheels and can also wheel the miter box to minimize lifting when applicable) so it might be more of a pain for say, lugging up 2 flights of stairs to get into a bedroom or hallway to cut. But as far as supporting your stock while cutting, it's like having a fixed table in a shop. I would be suspect of how well the wheels hold up if you have to wheel over unpaved driveways or grass/ mud and such (typical of new home builds). And carrying that thing up and down steps or lifting it up into the the back of a truck I could see being a serious pain in the ass at the end of a long day. I feel like the best use for the ridgid is for setup as a dedicated shop saw or on new homes where you set this up once at the start of the job and leave it on the job up to the point of their floors being finish sanded.


I hope some of this helps you in some way, but I realize my post isn't as technical as some guys who reeaalllyy know tools and what to look for. Really the best way to decide is if you demo the saws and get a feel for them yourself. I realize that is easier said than done or you wouldn't be here asking. Check out how they feel in the store when fully extended and laying over. move them side to side to feel for any play/sloppiness. As I'm sure you're aware, a good quality blade is vital to the performance so be sure to also invest in one if you need really accurate cuts. Also the adjustable fence design is something to look at. It pisses me off something awful when you tighten up a sliding fence and the damn thing isn't even a true 90 degrees. WTF is the point if you can't square up your stock with confidence that it's going to be on point every time? And I'm not sure if there is a miter saw out there with a built in led, but that is something I look for in new tools anymore. It's not a deal breaker, but I do like it when a company designs in small light that illuminates the point of cut.

Reactions: Like 4 | Great Post 1 | Informative 1 | Useful 2


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## barry richardson (Dec 13, 2014)

We have the Bosch 10"compound slider where I work, other than some minor nitpicks, it's held up very well, and the adjustment knobs are well thought out...


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## Kevin (Dec 13, 2014)

DKMD said:


> That's strange because I buy almost all of my tools based on how they fit the color scheme of my shop... Oh, and based on how many sparkly things and doodads they have... I love sparkly things!



So that's the reason your stuff always looks better than mine! I know your secret now you better watch out . . . . . . .

Reactions: Funny 2


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 22, 2014)

I was in Home Depot yesterday, and happened to notice a 12" Bosch sliding miter saw in their 'gift' section... that thing is frikkin sweet. The way they've set it up, without the rails, is very cool, but also very very smooth. It just felt like a quality tool, so I understand why several have raved about them. If I needed one for more than cutting the occasional 2x4, I'd probably check them out a bit more.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Tykemo (Aug 24, 2015)

DLJeffs said:


> I'm thinking of getting a compound sliding miter saw because they seem to be much more accurate than my old Delta table saw for the kind of projects I do. I've been reading reviews and reports and as usual, if you read enough you get an entire spectrum of pluses and minuses which ultimately only succeeds in confusing me more. One says this saw is great - someone else says don't ever buy that saw, etc. So I thought I'd get another set of recommendations from youse all. Please post good and bad points if you can. Much appreciated.
> Dazed and confused Doug


Hi Jonathan - My name is Ty and I bought a Bosch GCM12SD and love it. It is smooth portable and accurate. It is a bit heavy but I don't move it much. It is also more expensive than most but you will never need another miter saw. Good luck!


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