Thread: SCMS - how much width capacity do you need?

Originally Posted by jmk89

He seems to think that he needs at least a 300mm capacity (he often uses 300mm x 30, 40 or 50 mm DAR in his jobs.

What do you guys think - is the extra capacity necessary or desirable and is it worth paying the extra to get it?

It depends on what you're doing. If he's regularly cutting at 300mm, then an SCMS with a narrower capacity will only be used half the time, eh? He'd still have to use something else to handle the big boards, so in that sense the extra cut length is desirable. "Necessary" only comes into it if he was only cutting 300mm(ish) boards!

Worth paying extra for? If it's the difference between the machine being used & cherished, or being just another dust collector, then IMHO yes.


I wish people would buy me new power tools as presents... but I gotta admit that they know (and, in all honesty, so do I) that it's a futile exercise 'cos they'll never quite match what I really want. (A Ryobi belt-sander just isn't the same as my dreams of a 5' drum sander, for example. )

Mine cuts 300mm wide but I often cut wider than that. What I do is cut from past half way, then flip the board and cut the rest, so you can effectively double the cutting capacity.

Having said that, if I was using 300mm wide stuff all the time, I'd buy one that can cut that in one go.

You can't beat the Mak. Mine cost just over $1,100 about 8 or 9 years ago. If it ever breaks, I'll buy another one just like it.

I wouldn't bother with less than 300mm (ok 295mm anyway)

As he works with 300mm boards he just won't use an inferior saw

I did much the same 'survey' and ended up getting the Hitachi 12" (305mm) SCMS that was just coming out after the show - C 12 LSH. It has a readily adjustable laser guide, left/right miter & tilt, ambidextrous grip/trigger/guard release.......

It too cost about $1100 delivered, also has the same sliding system as the Festo Kapex where either the head slides or the head locks to the rails which then slide. It has a digital angle system that runs off the saw power supply (no battery to go dead) that reads off both mitre angles - something the Kapex doesn't have.

Thanks for the replies - very helpful, as always.

Originally Posted by silentC

Mine cuts 300mm wide but I often cut wider than that. What I do is cut from past half way, then flip the board and cut the rest, so you can effectively double the cutting capacity.



You can't beat the Mak. Mine cost just over $1,100 about 8 or 9 years ago. If it ever breaks, I'll buy another one just like it.

You could pick one up for about $900 now. definitely the way i would go.

Carry Pine