Thread: Compound Mitre Saw Opinion/Purchase Advice

I've never heard or seen either. You can get a Makita new for $500. It's not going to the top of the line but at the very least it's a name with as support network behind it.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/makita-1...e-saw_p6240084

I would discount the Ryobi either. Would be a safer bet than the two ebay units.

Ryobi 2000W 254mm Dual Bevel Sliding Mitre Saw | Bunnings Warehouse

Metabo also have a saw at $500
602540190-MET | Metabo Slide Compound Mitre Saw 1800 watt 254mm Cuts 90mm width 305mm Bevel | Gasweld

Does it have to be a sliding saw? All SCMS can flex side to side and up and down; it’s the drawback to their design. Better brands such as Makita & Dewalt are more rigid than the cheap units; I’ve played with the Ozito and it definitely moves under little pressure. The two 12” Makitas we have at our guild are more rigid but these will still deflect if pushed hard.

Unless you are expecting to regularly cut boards wider than 6” a normal chop saw may well suffice. I have a Dewalt 10” unit that copes perfectly fine with 99% of all my cuts; on the rare occasion that I need to make a cut outside of its capacity I either flip the wood over and make two cuts or use a table saw.

The other thing to think about is storage and mounting. SCMS take up an exorbitant amount of room on a bench; they are best mounted on a purpose built stand but then you run into hassles with moving it around. For years I used a normal folding stand that allowed the saw to be quickly removed but it was still a true PITA to keep dragging it in and out of the shed. Earlier this year I managed to get hold of a Toughbuilt folding wheeled stand which now makes life simpler.

I was going to suggest having a read through this thread to get some opinions on that saw but when I searched it appears that they don't sell that saw anymore.
There was one on graysonline at some stage but now sold. The review at the bottom indicates the purchaser was happy with it for doing general work.

One thing to remember when looking at reviews of these saws is that the reviews come from different expectations. A builder or framer might be happy with the lower cost and less accurate SCMS like the Ozito and eBay stuff but if you're trying to get pitcure frame perfect mitres straight off the saw or other precision work, you'll struggle. I had a Bosch green SCMS for quite awhile and it was fine for planter boxes and exterior fencing/gates things where a little inaccuracy wasn't a problem, slide it though and the cuts stopped being perpendicular to the fence. For the price it was ok and as a docking saw it did the job. The cheaper saws will run ok and will generally take a fair bit of abuse to kill but they all lack in build quality and rigidity and as a result, in their accuracy. And sadly $500 is the budget end of the SCMS market. When you're looking at the saws, try to twist and turn the trigger handle. The cheaper saws will flex and that will translate to incosistent cuts. You also need the bed and fence to be perpendicular or some way to make them so, again cheaper saws may not have adjustability or the bed may not be completely flat.

Chief is right - if you don't need the slide feature, $500 will buy you a very nice mitre saw and it'll be a lot more accurate than a comparable SCMS.

The Max-Orbit in the first link based on the pictures is a very very close clone of the old Ozito 305mm SCMS which i still own and have tuned up to the point that it cuts accurately consistently and i'd put it up against most of the more expensive ones any day.

Whatever you do get though at the lower end of the market be prepared to spend time checking and setting up especially the fence to the blade.

For occasional use docking timber to length just about any SCMS on non slider will do the job use you confirm you get 90 degree cuts.... it gets trickier if you want to do compound angles on a regular basis.

Even though a bit above your budget the Metabo saw linked to by Samo should be a good unit being Metabo. Obviously at the bottom end of their price structure but the brand has a good reputation. The only drawback of this one is it can only bevel to the left but will that be a problem.
It is also the same price with free shipping here.

I was in a similar boat about 4 weeks back except I had a starting budget for $500. I seriously considered the Makita drop saw but then the chancellor of the exchequer said I could get whatever I wanted so I started looking at around double that price but there's just no stock (none on line either) around ATM - some are apparently coming in next week. Physical size is a real issue for me as it has to fit under a bench.

Originally Posted by Treecycle

Even though a bit above your budget the Metabo saw linked to by Samo should be a good unit being Metabo. Obviously at the bottom end of their price structure but the brand has a good reputation. The only drawback of this one is it can only bevel to the left but will that be a problem.
It is also the same price with free shipping here.

I have looked at them before, they are just a Chinese made saw, I don’t know if they would be any better/ different to the cheap Makita ones
The size is good though as they are quite compact

One general word of warning regarding cutting metals, the chips are very hot when they come off, and are quite capable of embedding themselves into any plastics in their path. If you use the metal capabilities of the one in the first link, you are likely to end up with enough metal chips embedded in the red clearance slot piece or the guard to mar the surface of any wood that you wand to slide across the table later. Not an real issue if only used for timber or only used for metal, but an important consideration if used with a mixture of materials and decent end results are expected.

Beyond that general comment, no knowledge or experience with either model so no specific comments to pass on.

Originally Posted by malb

One general word of warning regarding cutting metals, the chips are very hot when they come off, and are quite capable of embedding themselves into any plastics in their path. If you use the metal capabilities of the one in the first link, you are likely to end up with enough metal chips embedded in the red clearance slot piece or the guard to mar the surface of any wood that you wand to slide across the table later.

My BIL is a boilermaker by trade but is now an Al boat builder. I've learned a lot from watching him use his Ryobi SCMS for many of his cuts and he has replaced the plastic clearance slot with and Al made job. I'm not going to use mine for steel as I have lots of other ways to cut it.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

Does it have to be a sliding saw?

Actually no, it doesn't, I just assumed more is better, I hadn't considered loss of rigidity with a sliding compound and having thought about it I would prefer smaller accurate cuts opposed to greater work envelope

Originally Posted by BobL

I started looking at around double that price but there's just no stock

I think this might become my biggest hurdle, finding stock.

Maybe I'll just buy a decent circular saw to get the jobs at hand done and save for a better compound mitre saw when the shelves are restocked, my only real need for a saw at the moment is to build some work benches and shelving for the shed.

Originally Posted by NedsHead

Maybe I'll just buy a decent circular saw to get the jobs at hand done and save for a better compound mitre saw when the shelves are restocked, my only real need for a saw at the moment is to build some work benches and shelving for the shed.

There are a number of cross cut jigs on Youtube for use with a circular saw. Not something I've done personally but it seems like a pretty good idea!

I wouldn't touch either of them. They are at least 15 years out of date in their design. You can spend $400 and then weep if something goes wrong and you want to make a warranty claim. Stay with the brand names properly represented in Oz, not some random seller on EBay. At least you can read the reviews.

The dust extraction arrangements look woeful. The supporting slides look like they need about 800mm of depth. There is no statement of power (wattage) in the ads. I bought a Makita LS1017 recently for about $1200 and it holds its settings consistently for an accurate repeatable cut. But it all depends on what you want it to do.

mick

Originally Posted by Glider

The dust extraction arrangements look woeful. The supporting slides look like they need about 800mm of depth. There is no statement of power (wattage) in the ads. I bought a Makita LS1017 recently for about $1200 and it holds its settings consistently for an accurate repeatable cut. But it all depends on what you want it to do.

Are you sure it was the 1017? This appears to be old model as it it is not showing up on the Makita site.
Bunnings has these for $499.
The top of the line 10" Makita SCMS is the 1019 which is typically priced at $999.

Im looking at 12" SCMS and have narrowed my choice to between the 1219 and the 12" Bosh Glide saw because both of these have no rails poking put the back. Problem is no stock and I want to have a close up look at it before I buy.