Thread: SCMS do I need

Yeah it comes down to how often you work with long pieces.

As Bob says it really depends on how often you need to crosscut long timbers. I have the Dewalt mitre saw (not a SCMS) and it is probably the most heavily used power tool I own… whereas I don’t use it for “accurate” work (it is only a carpenters tool) I would really miss it if I had to rely 100% on other methods such as sawing by hand and shooting to length… fine for cabinet work but OTT for cutting framing timbers. Mine is mounted on a Toughbuilt stand and it only takes a few seconds to wheel it out of the shed, unfold it and plug it in. If it was a SCMS it would be more of a PITA as it would take up a much bigger storage footprint but I think I’d still prefer it rather than using a x-cut sled for anything more than about 2’ long. Also consider how you use the table saw in conjunction with your SCMS; I know I regularly rip timber to width then immediately dock it to length on the chop saw, then repeat for different pieces. Changing a between x-cut and ripping modes on a table saw takes time; especially if you’re NOT an American YouTuber and enjoy safety features like blade guards and riving knives.

So maybe consider keeping the SCMS and mounting it on a stand LIKE THIS so that it doesn’t impact shed space and is quicker to set up than a sled?

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

. . . . but I think I’d still prefer it rather than using a x-cut sled for anything more than about 2’ long.

Thants about my limit as well.

thanks for ideas.

another mobile stand nay be the way to go and forget about dust from this thing. They dont create fine stuff anyway.

Originally Posted by Tonyz

thanks for ideas.
another mobile stand nay be the way to go and forget about dust from this thing. They dont create fine stuff anyway.

They do make some fine dust, but not that much according to my dust meters,
Once again the dust levels generated comes down to how much cutting you do and over what time period.

If you make 100 cuts in one go that will certainly mess up your shed.
If you make 2 cuts that won't do much but if you make 2 cuts a week over one year that's 100 cuts worth and that will still mess up your shed.

My pump up trolley (its more compact that the standard Mitre saw stands) / mobile stand serves two purposes.
Storage - it tucks nicely in under the LH wing of my TS
If I need to do more than a few cuts I wheel it outside.
There's a 3 reason - it means it can be easily borrowed - to select persons only.

I've thought about getting rid of mine as well, as like you i have other methods of cross cutting and probably use my mitre saw fairly irregularly ie maybe 1 cut a month if that. Here are the reasons why its still staying put.
- Its currently housed in its own station with dust extraction that goes along a back wall, mitre station accounts for probably half of my storage in my shed so getting rid of mitre saw won't be that advantageous, unless i felt inclined to rebuild the storage unit which i may well do at some point in the future.
- I already have the saw, getting rid of it would be based purely on finances and my saw isn't worth that much so the benefits isn't all that great.
- It does take up decent space, but at the same time doesn't provide enough space to replace it with something else eg would loive room for CNC machine, but getting rid of mitre saw won't provide enough space for cnc.
- When i do want to break up long stock its invaluable
- Cross cutting on table saw can be bit gnarly on things that are not reasonably flat, yes can hazardous on a SCMS but i feel safer at the SCMS due to its guards and fact that it bounces back when something goes wrong.
- Yes you can cross cut on table saw, but beveled/angled cuts on table saw. One cut isn't bad, but repeated cuts just gets annoying.
- Its one of those tools that when you don't have one you do miss it when the situation arises.
- There have been times when having both has proven useful, eg when i didn't break down enough timber for a project. Instead of changing my table saw setup, i could break down a longer board on SCMS and run through table saw.

I'm sure there are other factors, but at the end of the day it depends on what you value. For me, despite its relatively low use will stay for now.

Originally Posted by Tonyz

thanks for ideas.

another mobile stand nay be the way to go and forget about dust from this thing. They dont create fine stuff anyway.

You are on the right track with getting a stand. They dont cost too much either. I drag mine outside to for those few times its in use. Most of the time its folded up and stashed away. I definitely dont have the space for a permanent setup.
Regards
John

I avoided a SCMS for years because I had a decent tablesaw and could do a good job with the multiple sleds.

A few years ago I got a well used SCMS from my builder brother. Accuracy was rubbish but the convenience of docking boards was great.
It made a mess and attempting to collect dust was a waste of time and energy.

I upgraded to a Bosch.
Great machine. Will cut over 300mm wide very easily.
Still make a mess of coarse sawdust.

I use it for rough cutting and sneaking up on a fit.
The convenience is what I like and cutting long boards.
If I had to get it out and set it up everytime I wanted to use it, that wouldn't happen.

It is too convenient to get rid of.

I haven't had a need to use my Bosch Glide at all for any woodworking projects. But enough times on home reno or maintenance that I simply wouldn't sell mine. If you want to save space, maybe a flipping station is the idea

If you only use the SCMS to rough cut long lengths before cutting to final length on TS then you could do this with a jigsaw of circular saw. Also just consider bevel, mitre and compound cuts. How often do you do those.

Another option is to consider downgrading to an 8" mitre saw if you arent cutting 300mm wide boards or 90mm posts often.