Thread: Makita MLT100 "Table Saw" - Opinions?

Skew,
I have not used one but going by the reviews I looked at I would not fork out $750. As you say it will likely do the crude ripping you need but so too would the Ozito or similar. You would be quite a few hundred bux less despondent at the end of the exercise.
Regards
John

I'm a big fan of Makita tools, however I did not buy the table saw because of the bad reviews. They have two models, like for most other machines. The M-series machines are targeting the hobbyist and are cheaper for a reason. I viewed the table saw at Adelaidetools and it felt somehow flimsy, so I decided to buy a DeWalt: https://www.totaltools.com.au/96293-...-saw-dwe7491xe
The DeWalt is made mainly from plastic (bloody modern times) but so far it didn't let me down. Nothing in comparison to a Festo of Mafell, but those are 4 times as expensive at least.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Armed with a list of who had what, I went for a drive... and that's where my troubles started. Apparently "in store" means "Oh, the computer shows we have on down at head office and it'll only take a week/fortnight/<insert ridiculously long delivery time here> to get it in."

I've been looking at SCMS for about 3 weeks - same experience. The only store that has responded to emails has been been one Total Tools store and they will get my business when stock arrives


RE: The MLT100
I used one at a mens shed in the northern suburbs. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Teal and Black so to me it looked impressive but it's clear designed as a job site saw for medium-light work. It easily/accurately cut short bits of softwoods and small pieces of ply but if it couldn't do that there's not much else it could do. The fence was accurate but I wonder how well it could sustain a knock, and is had very ordinary dust extraction, but all these types of saws and most TS are not much better.
As a mobile unit I can see its uses, likewise if you need to put it away in a workshop, otherwise I'd prefer something heavier./substantial.

Skew
if you have a bandsaw, use that for the "crude ripping" you refer to.

The Makita Australia site show that the MLT 100 is this one

lots of plastic, and the motor only spins the blade at 4300 rpm.

if you don't have a band saw and you only want to do crude ripping while you are awaiting parts for your TS ...

OK, first day of use.

I think BobL has pretty much nailed it... as an on-site saw for Tradies kncocking together frames, etc. it'd be just fine.

It most definitely isn't a saw you can 'dial in the numbers' and expect accurate cuts with. But I'm used to that, so I can bear with it although the motor is rather gutless. and easy to stall.

.

Some of the 'features' I'd much rather do without; I guess it's nice to have on-machine storage for spare blades, spanners, fence & gauge but frankly I've found them to be annoyingly rattly and major dust collectors. Worse, they don't even do the job well... I was constantly picking up the hex key for 'fine adjustments' from the floor. (It has now been relegated to a drawer.)

My biggest complaint, mainly cosmetic, is with the quality of the knobs and small fixtures. Mainly plastic, but a couple of the locking knobs - for the side tables - aren't even fully extruded. Just half-formed blobs of plastic on the end of a threaded rod.

It doesn't speak well for their quality control.

Makita, considering the price you're asking for what is basically just another mid-range contractor's saw, you should be ashamed of yourselves!

Hi Andy. I think the problems with this saw lie in the expectations of the user. I am a carpenter, predominately working on home renovations, big and small (and at the moment not working because of stage 4 restrictions which is why I am typing this at this time of day ). And I wouldn't have bought this saw had it not been a bargain. But it is well worth the money.

Recently I had to make repairs to some old windows, cutting out rot, replacing with timber bits cut to match, etc. The saw made this job efficient and safe. I ripped a whole fence worth of pickets on this saw about a year ago. I've made custom fence post capitals, ripped hwd decking, etc, etc. And it cut perfectly (if I want to rough rip I use a circular saw and follow a pencil line, for greater accuracy I use a fence).

Yes you have to spend some time aligning the rip fence but once done it has not got out of alignment. I don't like the table insert, it's too flimsy and can flex and while it is a big plastic box, at least I can carry it by myself.

An old truth applies, dont force it, let the tool do the work. I read lots of reviews about it before I bought it but the funniest was from a guy complaining that it must be bad because Makita didnt make it in Japan but got it made in China. My ute is full of Makita tools and only two are NOT made in China (jigsaw -England and collated screw gun - Japan). Ignorance is everywhere, especially in online tool reviews (please ignore the irony of me saying that in my online tool review )

Hope this helps. You didn't waste your money.

When I desperately needed a table saw but couldn’t afford one, I bolted my circular saw upside down on some form ply, clamped the ply to two carpenters horses and just clamped a length of timber for a fence. It worked so well I finally built a table and added a proper fence, height adjustments etc.

I think that if I had my druthers, I'd have a bought a different, cheaper saw that I could toss without qualm when I no longer have the need for it. (Actually, I'd probably strip for parts and modify to something else, but that's a whole 'nother topic.) Primarily because once my TS is up & running this saw will likely become just another dust gatherer, no matter what I'd bought.

As for the MLT100 it is performing better than I feared.

The locking levers have an annoying habit of changing settings when moving the fence or changing the blade angle, but pretty much every contractor saw I've ever used is guilty of that.

At least when I have the numbers dialled in I can bang through a lot of material without worrying about the fence creeping or blade angle changing. Which I can't say is true of the cheaper units I've used.

In all honesty, while I bought it primarily for ripping, it's cuts are accurate enough (when set) that where I'd expected to need to do some hand dressing before assembly, I can instead mostly use the material straight off the saw. [Phew!]

If only it wasn't such a PITA every time I change the settings. Or, while I'm throwing wishes around, if only the mitre track would take my incra jigs...