Sliding Miter Saws

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  • poolhound
    Veteran Member
    • Mar 2006
    • 3195
    • Phoenix, AZ
    • BT3100

    Sliding Miter Saws

    I have had my basic Dewalt 10" CMS for many years. It does a fine job with basic rough work but has limited capacity. From an accuracy standpoint its no problem for framing etc if I am out by a 1/16" or a degree or two but its not going to cut the mustard for any fine work.

    I will soon be in the market for a 10" sliding CMS and would be interested to see what everybody else owns and has tested. I had been leaning towards a Makita although many reviews seem to indicate the current version is not as good as the earlier model and lacks in accuracy department. Although it does add a few $$s I am really liking the look of the Bosch CM10GD. The Glide mechanisum allows it to go really close to the wall which would save a lot of valuable space. http://www.boschtools.com/Products/T...spx?pid=cm10gd


    So guys and galls which Sliding CMS do you have, and/or which do you wish you had? All thoughts and personal experiences welcome.
    Jon

    Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
    ________________________________

    We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
    techzibits.com
  • Carpenter96
    Established Member
    • Aug 2011
    • 178
    • Barrie ON Canada
    • BT 3000

    #2
    We have one of the Bosch Glide saws in our WW club and it works very well. It sits right up against a wall as we have very limited space. I own the Makita LS1013 and it works fantastic but if I had to replace it I would probably look at the Bosch.

    Regards Bob

    Comment

    • leehljp
      Just me
      • Dec 2002
      • 8429
      • Tunica, MS
      • BT3000/3100

      #3
      I have the Makita 12 inch Dual Bevel SMS purchased in 2000 and like it. I debated between that and the DeWalt 12 inch. Both were in the $600+ range back then.

      If I could sell mine for a decent price, I would get the Bosch in an instant! For me, the working space saved by the Bosch would allow me to put it next to the wall in my 10 ft wide shop without a problem. As it is now, I bought a Bosch Gravity Rise mobile base two years ago so that I could take it outside to use.

      12 in sliding miter saws take up way too much room in smaller shops to be handy. The Bosch is a space saver and would become far more useful in place.

      I am jealous!

      I just checked on Amazon, the 12 inch is only $50.00 more than the 10 inch. For compound miter saws, I personally would get a 12 inch in a miter saw if the prices were close. In some machines such as table saws, 12 inches are considerably more expensive than 10 and usually larger. But on the Bosch, there is not much difference in the 12 vs 10 inch saw size and price but you do get a moderate and beneficial increase in cutting depth and reach.
      Last edited by leehljp; 10-23-2014, 06:30 PM.
      Hank Lee

      Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

      Comment

      • LCHIEN
        Internet Fact Checker
        • Dec 2002
        • 20920
        • Katy, TX, USA.
        • BT3000 vintage 1999

        #4
        FWIW, I looked at sliding saws and ended up with a Hitachi 12" compound miter saw C12FDH I'm pretty happy with after using a 10" CMS for a number of years, I enjoy the added cut depth and added width. It does take more room but not nearly as much as I figured a slider would.
        Last edited by LCHIEN; 10-25-2014, 06:27 PM.
        Loring in Katy, TX USA
        If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
        BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

        Comment

        • vaking
          Veteran Member
          • Apr 2005
          • 1428
          • Montclair, NJ, USA.
          • Ryobi BT3100-1

          #5
          Was at HD yesterday, saw Ridgid 12 CSMS reduced from $499 to $399. Don't know if this a good saw or a good deal, just reporting.
          Alex V

          Comment

          • JimD
            Veteran Member
            • Feb 2003
            • 4187
            • Lexington, SC.

            #6
            What about the Hitachi C12RSH? It is also zero clearance and gets good reviews. As usual, Hitachi seems to be a bit less expensive. I have a dual bevel non-slider from Hitachi and it is a good say.

            Comment

            • JimD
              Veteran Member
              • Feb 2003
              • 4187
              • Lexington, SC.

              #7
              I would also not buy a slider to get more accuracy. I don't know the condition of your CMS but I have two, one is a 10 inch "pro-tech" - not a premium brand. It is, however, very accurate when I do my part. A CMS is mechanically much simpler than a radial arm or sliding miter so it will tend to be more, not less, accurate. I get occasional bad cuts when I let dust build up against the fence or something but the reasons I get inaccuracy with CMSs can happen to a slider too. In addition, they all have at least a little play in the mechanism. Accurate cuts are even more dependant on good technique with a slider. What they do give you is more crosscut capacity.

              Comment

              • capncarl
                Veteran Member
                • Jan 2007
                • 3564
                • Leesburg Georgia USA
                • SawStop CTS

                #8
                Whatever sliding miter saw we purchase we always expect accuracy that the saw may not be able to provide. Ive ranted about this subject a number of times, so bear with me. My complaint is that the mfg of the saw does not engineer the accuracy into the saw you may never be happy with the results. Do not expect accuracy out of a cheap saw. I've been fighting with accuracy problems on my 10" compound sliding Hitachi for years. There is no good way to check the blade against the back fence. The angle indicators can not be trusted. It they say 45 and you make a picture frame with it you can spend the rest of the night dabbling with solutions to make all angles fit an may never get it right. I've completely replaced my fences with large adjustable back fences and with nice Kreg vice grip type hold downs. Better fence and hold downs than any I have seen on the market. When I want to get a perfect angle I have to get out the Wixley digital angle gauge and fiddle with the saw for a while, and heaven forbid I have to shift the blade to other side.
                My advice, from years of experience, buy the best saw you can find. Do your research and test drive it if you can. If you can't afford it, wait until you can afford it because if you settle for second choice you will always wish you had waited.
                capncarl

                Comment

                • vaking
                  Veteran Member
                  • Apr 2005
                  • 1428
                  • Montclair, NJ, USA.
                  • Ryobi BT3100-1

                  #9
                  Jimd and Capmcarl both said pretty much the same thing and I also agree with it. Mechanics in the sliding saw is much more complex than in regular CMS, making such mechanism accurate is an expensive proposition. For this reason SCMS has to be expensive to be accurate, CMS does not. I have a 12" non-sliding Craftsman and it is pretty accurate. The other factor to consider is that non-sliding CMS can cut bigger moldings than slider. My Craftsan can cut 6" moldings against the fence, try to find SCMS that can do that. So besides the money, if you need crosscut capacity - SCMS is the winner, if you plan to do moldings/picture frames - CMS is better. And CMS takes less space too.
                  Alex V

                  Comment

                  • capncarl
                    Veteran Member
                    • Jan 2007
                    • 3564
                    • Leesburg Georgia USA
                    • SawStop CTS

                    #10
                    I believe that most on this site do not have the room for a compound miter saw saw for accuracy and a sliding miter saw for width of cut. We expect the saw that seems to do it all to be accurate. My 10" Hitachi does not fill that bill. I wish that I had followed the quote that was posted earlier. If you need a machine and don’t buy it, then you will ultimately find that you have paid for it and don’t have it. I figure that I have paid for a premium machine with time wasted setting my machine up, building new fences and wood that I have wasted by bad cuts! I am not sure that there is an really accurate sliding miter saw that meets my expectations.
                    capncarl

                    Comment

                    • leehljp
                      Just me
                      • Dec 2002
                      • 8429
                      • Tunica, MS
                      • BT3000/3100

                      #11
                      Originally posted by capncarl
                      I believe that most on this site do not have the room for a compound miter saw saw for accuracy and a sliding miter saw for width of cut. We expect the saw that seems to do it all to be accurate. My 10" Hitachi does not fill that bill. I wish that I had followed the quote that was posted earlier. If you need a machine and don’t buy it, then you will ultimately find that you have paid for it and don’t have it. I figure that I have paid for a premium machine with time wasted setting my machine up, building new fences and wood that I have wasted by bad cuts! I am not sure that there is an really accurate sliding miter saw that meets my expectations.
                      capncarl
                      A lot of common (and uncommon) sense in that post!
                      Experience is a great teacher; Wisdom is a great student!
                      Hank Lee

                      Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

                      Comment

                      • JimD
                        Veteran Member
                        • Feb 2003
                        • 4187
                        • Lexington, SC.

                        #12
                        I was not trying to say a slider cannot be accurate. I am pretty sure they can be. But I think the operator can also influence them to inaccuracy. My old radial arm saw cuts well when I use it properly. I do not doubt at all that Hitachi has made some saws I wouldn't like. But the reviews of the one I posted the link to are quite favorable and include a stair builder or two and some serious woodworkers. So I think Hitachi makes some good ones too. I think sliders are just now getting to the relatively mature level. The variety of designs indicates to me that they are still getting it figured out.

                        Comment

                        • capncarl
                          Veteran Member
                          • Jan 2007
                          • 3564
                          • Leesburg Georgia USA
                          • SawStop CTS

                          #13
                          A lot of what I blame on my Hitachi slider inaccuracy may well be the wood that I am trying to make an accurate cut. I'd be willing to bet that that 50% of the wood pieces that I prepare to cut on the miter saw have some invisible defect. Defects being anything that effects the accuracy of a cut on my saw, ie, any warp or twist. I'd defy anyone to make a picture frame with any one of the 4 pieces being warped or twisted. This said, if anyone has found wood that is not twisted or warped please let me know because I haven't found any yet! I believe woodworkers that came from a metalworking/machinist background will be haunted with this problem, as I have never had a piece of 1/2" cold roll steel plate warp just because the humidity changed! It is hard to get use to a pine 2x4 turning from a nice board to a cork screw overnight! I bought it and am going to use it, and when it does not fit I will blame it on the saw!
                          capncarl

                          Comment

                          • poolhound
                            Veteran Member
                            • Mar 2006
                            • 3195
                            • Phoenix, AZ
                            • BT3100

                            #14
                            Lots of great discussion here which after all is the point. I agree with capncarl in so much as "buy the best you can." I can cite many occasions when I have been unable to afford and/or justify buying what everybody recommends as the right (or best) tool and lived to regret it. So many times I did end up buying the better tool in the end but had to waste so much, time, money, effort in the process. There are certain circumstances where cheaper (even throw away) tools have their place, e.g. the current thread on the HF hammer drill. Having learned from my mistakes (isn't that what they are for ) now I try and buy the right tool the first time around.

                            That said I agree with the discussion about non sliding CMS having the potential to be less accurate due to the extra mechanics, however this doesn't necessarily make sliding versions inaccurate by default. My fixed Dewalt has some issues with the fence that make it impossible to adjust accurately and likewise the bevel mechanism is extremely crude making it tough to setup. again that doesn't make it impossible just really hard. One thing I see with the Bosch is that it has a depth stop allowing it to be used much like a RAS. Great for simple lap joints etc.

                            Bottom line I picked it up originally for less than $50 on CL and have probably spent more on blades during the 8 years I have owned it. Now that I am investing in my new permanent shop I think its high time to treat myself to a shiny new tool (or 3 or 4 )
                            Jon

                            Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
                            ________________________________

                            We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
                            techzibits.com

                            Comment

                            • Cochese
                              Veteran Member
                              • Jun 2010
                              • 1988

                              #15
                              Originally posted by JimD
                              What about the Hitachi C12RSH? It is also zero clearance and gets good reviews. As usual, Hitachi seems to be a bit less expensive. I have a dual bevel non-slider from Hitachi and it is a good say.

                              http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-C12RSH...xp_grid_pt_1_2
                              That's what I have and love it.
                              I have a little blog about my shop

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