Thread: Small Mitre Saw (8 1/2 Inch that can trench).

Well THIS looked like a great candidate, but according to a REVIEW of it's predecessor, it's a very good saw, except for the lack of constant depth full width trenching.

I emailed Bosch to see if they had address this issue in their latest iteration, but didn't hear back. Excellent customer service.

Just about all the 8" sliding compound mitre saws now are all cordless. I think it's an additional expense myself.
The only one that I have used is the makita 8", made in the USA, complete with a stand. cost nearly as much as the big one, but I have to say it's excellent for trim work.
I heard the Dewalt777 is quite good. It's also 240V. It's on special from Sydney tools at the moment.

Just saw it on the just tools website for $625.

Have you considered the Metabo KGS 216M, seems like a decent saw for the money ($369 at Sydney Tools). May I ask why you only want a 216mm saw? For a small extra spend you could step up to a 254mm Metabo kgs254m slider, which allows you to take advantage of a better choice of blades (like the Flai Mustang) and greater depth capacity, pretty useful for trim carpentry. Most saws need a better blade than the one supplied, so factor that into your budget.

The downside of those Metabos compared to the Bosch you were looking at is they are single bevel saws, but most other 216mm saws are the same.

Yeah I've considered every saw on the AU and UK market, but none of them have full width trenching. That's why I asked, thought someone may have know about something that hasn't come out yet.

Originally Posted by justonething

Just about all the 8" sliding compound mitre saws now are all cordless. I think it's an additional expense myself.
The only one that I have used is the makita 8", made in the USA, complete with a stand. cost nearly as much as the big one, but I have to say it's excellent for trim work.
I heard the Dewalt777 is quite good. It's also 240V. It's on special from Sydney tools at the moment.

Just saw it on the just tools website for $625.

Some of the cordless saws look good, I want corded for remote dust extraction though I have considered the DW777, even thought of importing a DWS777 at one point, but the lack of right hand bevel was a deal breaker, need at least 5 degrees for undercutting (like the Makita LS0714 has).

Originally Posted by richmond68

Have you considered the Metabo KGS 216M, seems like a decent saw for the money ($369 at Sydney Tools). May I ask why you only want a 216mm saw? For a small extra spend you could step up to a 254mm Metabo kgs254m slider, which allows you to take advantage of a better choice of blades (like the Flai Mustang) and greater depth capacity, pretty useful for trim carpentry. Most saws need a better blade than the one supplied, so factor that into your budget.

The downside of those Metabos compared to the Bosch you were looking at is they are single bevel saws, but most other 216mm saws are the same.

Yeah mate, I have a 12" which is great for framing, but would like a smaller one with dust extraction for fine trim work (which I can do with my current saw, I just would like to be able to work exclusively inside).

Ok, that's fair enough. I imagine it would be quite rare to find a slider that can do full width trenching, because that would require raising the pivot point height, much more costly to engineer than a simple trenching stop. Between that and the pull cuts, are you sure you don't want a radial arm saw instead 😉 Though I suppose a track saw and festool's mft3 is the job site equivalent these days.

Good luck with the search, hope you find what you're looking for.

I don't think there's any problem with using a sacraficial fence for trenching. I can't see a problem with that method. That's how I do it and no-one's complained (to my face)
TM

Originally Posted by richmond68

Ok, that's fair enough. I imagine it would be quite rare to find a slider that can do full width trenching, because that would require raising the pivot point height, much more costly to engineer than a simple trenching stop. Between that and the pull cuts, are you sure you don't want a radial arm saw instead  Though I suppose a track saw and festool's mft3 is the job site equivalent these days.

Good luck with the search, hope you find what you're looking for.

I know right! Not just rare it seems, non existent. My TAFE instructor tells stories about the good old days when Hitachi made one apparently, but it has been lost to history. You're spot on with the pull action, with the 200mm+ skirting we're dealing with, I often lay it flat and pull cut to ensure the blade is always cutting into the face as much as possible. Full width trenching would also move the point the centre of the blade contacts the material further from the fence, more downy downy cutty for betterer finish.

Edit: I do have the Bosch plunge saw, which I have found to be very handy So will probably get the little bosch mitre when it's released here, and couple it with one of their dust extractors. Reviews to come

Originally Posted by TermiMonster

I don't think there's any problem with using a sacraficial fence for trenching. I can't see a problem with that method. That's how I do it and no-one's complained (to my face)
TM

Yeah it's not a massive problem, but a step that would be handy to remove if I could. Also being able to pull cut into the face of the material full width would leave a better finish, especially when finishing for stain not paint. I'm planning on getting a compact anyway, so might as well see if there's one that stands out with an extra feature the others don't have. As I said, our TAFE instructor often rubs it in our face that he has one :P