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Thread: New drop saw
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8th September 2017, 02:47 PM #1Intermediate Member
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New drop saw
Hi All, I am looking at purchasing a dropsaw to work on various projects around the place and have settled on two choices, being the Makita https://www.totaltools.com.au/catalog/product/view/id/10799/s/75062-makita-sliding-double-bevel-compound-mitre-saw-260mm-ls1018l/category/248/ or the Metabo https://www.totaltools.com.au/catalo.../category/248/
As far as I can see, the advantage the Makita has is dual bevel, but simply from the pictures the Metabo looks a better quality unit. I am looking at simple mitre-ing and bevels, but compound mitres are a bit out of my skill level. I want something reasonably accurate and decent quality without spending a shedload of cash.
From some google research, the dual bevel is useful if working on long crown mouldings but I dont think I will be doing those.
Any advice r input is much appreciated from those with more knowledge and experience than me.
Thanks, Paul
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8th September 2017, 03:50 PM #2GOLD MEMBER
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I would suggest you consider purchasing a sliding compound mitre saw (SCMS) that can do bevel cuts either side. Trust me, it is really handy to have this feature every now and then. Not essential, but there would be times when you wished you would have purchased one that can.
I don't know about the Metabo unit, but I can vouch for the Makita unit as my Men's Shed has one and it gets hammered, but it is still as sweet as anything and very accurate once set correctly.
You may wish to consider this unit Swarts Tools 305mm 12" Sliding Compound Mitre Saw Belt Driven Double Bevel Drop Saw (SW1045) - Swarts Tools | An exciting new brand of semi-professional power tools launched in early 2011.
Not only is it cheaper, it does, within reason, give more bang for your buck; so to speak. If you do a search on this forum, you will find an extremely long thread on this exact unit; makes for interesting and informative reading. Timbecon also sell this unit.
If I was on the market now, I would consider either the smaller Makita, or the Swarts unit for size of cut and the fact that the saw rails don't slide backwards into a wall.
The Makita unit at my Men's Shed, is silky smooth and a joy to use.
Mick.
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8th September 2017, 05:24 PM #3Intermediate Member
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- Apr 2015
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- Adelaide
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Thanks for that Mick, your thoughts are appreciated. The swartz is an impressive looking unit, plus it has a larger cut and the saw rails benefit. The only issue I have is with belt adjustment/slippage etc, but the flipside to that is if the blade jams a belt is cheaper than a motor to replace. BUT..... definitely worth further investigation.
Regards, Paul
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8th September 2017, 06:43 PM #4
Can't comment on the Metabo, but I have the Makita 305mm at home and love it. At work, we have 3 shop Makita mitre saws (2 sliding, 1 compound) and there are 2 other Makita mitre saws (personal-use) and one Bosch mitre saw (personal-use). I've used a few Bosch mitre saws and a few Festool Kapexes and the biggest fault of the Makita, imo, is that they don't have a compact slide option like some Bosch models and the Festool Kapexes.
That aside, the Makita is a great value mitre saw.
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8th September 2017, 06:44 PM #5Woodworking mechanic
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- Jan 2014
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- Sydney Upper North Shore
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- 4,464
I have that Makita and it's been faultless. However, rails that slide backwards take up a lot of room if you want to keep it in place or, if you push it back against the wall, you have to pull it out every time you want to use it which is not ideal for dust collection.
That said, I put up with it taking up room because I can't fault it's cuts.
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6th October 2017, 01:39 AM #6GOLD MEMBER
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I have the Swarts and I'm very happy with it. Especially the blade it comes with and the service. It has higher specs on paper than your other listed options but I don't have the Makita or the Metabo so I can't give you a real world comparison.
Sent from my SM-G935F using TapatalkMy YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2_KPRN6I9SE
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