Mitre saws

[routermaniac]

G'day everyone on this very rainy Melbourne cup!

I have been following the recent thread on the merits and pitfalls of the GMC SMCS range... I am in the market for a sliding complound mitre saw and have come across a lot of ads for the makita LS 1013 copies... I am also lloking at the GMC saws...

It seems that all makita copies come with a 1430W motor and the average price is between $370 to $450... The GMC comes with a 2000 to 2400W motor and roughly around $300.

Has anybody had any experience with the makita copies??? They look very well made (solid aluminium bases compared to partly plastic for the GMC). I need some feedback from you that own one of these machines... Is 1400W enough for most hardwoods??? (my circular saw has more power than this!). Also is it difficult repairing or getting parts for the clones? And how accurate are they?

Any input would be appreciated, I am planning on a project with lots and lots of mitres soon and I think I will struggle on my triton.

Cheers.

routermaniac

[derekcohen]

routermaniac

Personally I would rather consider the accuracy of the system than the power. Which cuts more accurately, the plastic GMC or the alloy Makita-lookalike?

I think that it is a moot point whether this mitre saw is 2 hp or 3 hp - either will do the job satisfactorally. 3hp is probably overkill. It depends so much on the blade you are using and the type of timber you are cutting (both are self-explanatory so I will not belabour the obvious).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[himzol]

Routermaniac,

I have the 12" Sherwood version sold through Timbercon, I have only used it for cross cutting (no mitres yet) and so far I can say that I am very happy with it.

It is very noisy however.
I intend to strip it down and check the quality of the bearings and replace if necessary when the warranty runs out. I think a better quality blade would also quieten it down considerably.

As for the construction of the machine, I think it's very well made and no play in the slides or arbour.

The reason I baught this unit was that I was able to get a good deal on it as well as a KS12K table saw together.
I was also able to test different models at the same time during the Adelaide WWW show. It basically came down to this or the GMC.
For the price range I would have gone with the GMC over this unit (apart from the deal I got) mainly due to the GMC 2 year warranty.

If there is any way you can test/try the machines you are interested in do it. It saves a lot of headaches later.

Himzo.

[Jacksin]

Routermaniac

I am also thinking about buying a SCMS. There are experts who are definitely against anything of a cheaper quality and they do have a valid point.

A GMC scms model SMS250LS cost about $300 at Bunnings, but when you take time to really compare the difference between them and a Makita 1013f as I did today (for $990 incl GST) there really is no comparison. Honestly they are like chalk and cheese. I doubt the accuracy etc would be there in a GMC. I can see the logic in paying extra dollars for quality, provided you can afford it.

I am getting on a bit in years and as I sip my beer I quietly chuckle to myself, should I throw caution to the wind and buy a Makita at least then my ex-wives will have something of quality to fight over once I am gone. LOL
Jack ;)

[echnidna]

If yer gunna leave yer EX WIVES sumthin to fight over let em fight over crap!!

btw at 60 you should have another wife left in you!!

[routermaniac]

Thanks everyone for your input


I really cant justify a true Makita, for the price I could buy a few more tools that I havent got... and a respirator that I really need, but I will probably go for the clone, it just feels so much better than the gmc.

routermaniac

[GCP310]

i dont know who sells them now, but the Delta SCMS is an awsome bit of machinery. One of the cabinetmakers here has one. Very nice. Not sure on what they are worth though.

G

[Chum]

Check to make sure the motor bearings have no movement in any Mitre Saw you buy. I recently bought a GMC compound mitre saw from Bunnies (the one with the two radial bars) and there appeared to be some movement in the bearing which effected the cut very slightly. I removed the blade (I initially replaced the original blade and fitted a 60 tooth blade) and checked the bearings which seemed ok so I carefully cleaned and greased all the parts and refitted the blade and the problem was solved. I can only assume that I fitted it incorrectly or there was some dirt causing an incorrect fit. It was a bit scarey though as any movement in the motor bearings is critical. It works real well, plenty of power, 2 year replacement warrenty and with the 60 tooth blade the finish is great.

Chum

[alexeib]

I've just got myself one of those clones from e-bay (gotools - $385).
It is 99% Makita replica but do not be fooled, it is NOT a Makita. There are obvious substitutes: say the scale is a cheap 0.5 aluminium strip, vs Makita's ~2mm solid.
If you buy it be prepared to pull it apart and fix minor bits. Mine had the following problems:
- it would not slide -- there was a bracket under the table that was scratching against the rails. Had to undo one bolt and reposition it;
- the gears were noisy -- had to pull it apart (discarding brushes on the way) and spread the grease inside;
- fixed positions are not accurate -- i just disabled it and calibrated the angles;

I have not done much work on it yet (I am going to use it to cut hardwood parquetry), but from what I've done so far (cutting ~20 pieces): after my fixes it is dead accurate and repeatable. There is no noticable free play in any directions. Depth stop is also very good, you get max 2 mm variation if you press too hard. If you tried it with any saws you would now that it is good.

Probably too early to say but I am very happy with it, it is miles ahead of GMC/Ryoby in solidness, convinience and features.
There is very little plastic in it (only motor housing).

for what it is worth,
my 2c

[Corcorbear]

I have a carbatec clone and for about $380 it seemed like good value - looks just like the makita. It wears out bushes like a bastard though and carbatec service was ordinary on a warranty repair. Iwill use this one til it explodes then buy the Makita I should have in the first place.

[sgr]

I bought the mikita ls 1013 11 years ago........ it just broke last week, i have it apart now on the work bench.... it has bounced around the back of the truck....... in rain........ in snow for 11 years, If i am not mistaken, i think i had to reset the fence just twice in 11 years......i immediatly replaced it with a bosch 4410, if you want to make money, buy good the first time, dont fool around with clones unless you are a weekend warrior.........