Swarts tools 305mm 12" sliding compound mitre saw drop saw

1) Blade square to Fence in 0° locked cross cut position ?....as mentioned this was not the case out of the box but it only needed a minor adjustment.

The misalignment may not have been noticable on smaller pieces of timber but this machine can cut a width of 340mm. Over that distance any misalignment will show up by the end of the cut.

NOTE: To Sam (Swart Tools)..the booklet that comes with the machine covers adjustment for blade to the table BUT NOT blade to the fence. As much as quality control may insist that the saw & fence are square in the 0° position...where ever a component is fixed by bolts/screws, there is the possibility of misalignment.

Although the book didn't cover the realignment, I was able to work it out quickly. The fence is fixed to the table by 4 x 6mm bolts with allen heads (2 each end of the fence...see pic below) access from the top of the fence.Those black holes that you can see inside the slot.



a) Engage the fence into the locked position at 0°
b) Slightly loosen the 4 bolts
c) Using a square against the fence, rotate the fence until the other face of the square is parallel or flat against the blade's face
d) Carefully tighten the bolts and check that the blade is still square to the fence
e) Re Zero pointer on the protractor on front of machine.

My first post on this forum so I hope I don't cop a beating for being an employee of Swartz tools. I purchased the SCMS based on the reviews in this thread and received it on the 31st March.

First and foremost I would like to say I experienced the best after sales support in my lifetime from Samuel at Swarts Tools. True I did experience a problem with the saw but it was quickly sorted out and with no extra cost to me for postage and such. Really couldn't have been more helpful and fair.

That said I did have to do some re-aligning of the saw, but since then I have it cutting square to my liking. The blade does a fairly good job with little chop out, so I would say that I'm very happy with my purchase especially for the price and the 3 year warranty.

So are people happy with these machines after a bit of adjustment and use? I'm going to buy one in the next day or two unless someone says otherwise, doesn't really seem like there's much competition without spending 2x the money.

Yes I'm very happy with it.
However ask them if they now come with new stops. They promised new stops in the 2nd half of this year so just ask. If not, check the accuracy of the stops when you get it. Especially after changing angles.
As you say anything better is going to be 3 times the price.

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Cheers mate, will do.

Having used nearly every drop saw on the market and found problems with everyone of them, I took a chance on buying a Swartz 12" slide compound saw. I'm actually very glad I did. Service was first class and extremely fast. Over all this punches well above its tiny price tag. There was no issues adjusting the fence to a perfect square and operations are very smooth. Adjusting angles is not a positive exact lock/clic, but once I remembered to chech the angle indicator it wasn't a problem. Having already dulled the blade it came with I installed a quality thin cut type blade and the saw really performs better again. Several other chippies onsite have already dumped their expensive awkward droppys in favourer of this new beast. I can't fault this saw at all.

That's good to hear. I've got one on order now but just awaiting more stock, excited for its arrival!

Bueller, any new feedback on your new Swartz?

Just a quick update about my Swarts saw after using it for a few months. I'm very happy with it.
After a few uses it seemed to go out of square. I emailed SWARTS and Sam called me back and talked me through adjusting the saw over the phone. He also gave me several other tips. Try getting service like that for a $300/$400 tool from anyone else. The problem was that the positive stops are not positive enough. Once I realised this was the issue I just had to adjust it to make sure 90 degrees really is 90 degrees. Now, even when I cut an angle and then move it back to square it cuts square.
For example the other day I cut some mitres. Then last night I switched it back to square and cut some 240mm boards square - no problem at all.

Apparently they plan to improve these stops in the future and also issue a retro kit for existing saws.

I make a cut just outside my line and then work up to it to get a sub-mm perfect cut so I have only been using the laser to tell me very roughly where the blade is. In the manual is says the laser can not be adjusted. I talked to Samuel about this and he told me it can be adjusted and they should change the manual. I haven't got around to adjusting the laser yet because I don't rely on it but Sam has explained to me how to do it so I'll try this at some point when I get around to it because it would be handy to line things up faster.

Incidentally I also bought a shop vac from Swarts and this has been running just fine also.

Thank you DaveVman!

Ive been thinking about one of these saws for ages! Id only use it to pre-prep long lengths for final cutting as I have zero space for one inside.

Anyone used their stand/cart? Portable Universal Mitre Saw Stand (SW1001) - Swarts Tools | An exciting new brand of semi-professional power tools launched in early 2011.

I have the dewalt stand. Looking at the link the leg machanism looks very similar and the dewalt works fine.

The doubel rail may provide extra stability and I like the roller supports.

Can you get extra midspan supports if you want them?

DaveTTC
The Turning Cowboy
Turning Wood Into Art

Mine lives in the shed so therefore no need for the stand.

I just wanted to comment on the pre-preping concept.
This saw comes standard with an excellent blade. I use this saw to cut off the factory cross cuts on DAR. The finish is so good that I basically don't need to sand the cuts left by this saw. I haven't compared it with a shooting board finish yet because I only have one crap plane at this stage but I will once I can afford a good plane. I even have made up a shooting board in anticipation. Yet I have my doubts the shooting board will be an improvement.

So you might think you are going to use it to pre-prep or approx cross cut. But I'm pretty confident you will end up using this saw to do final cuts.

However that does depend on correct setup and regular checking for complete accuracy. IMHO.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by DaveVman

Just a quick update about my Swarts saw after using it for a few months. I'm very happy with it. After a few uses it seemed to go out of square. I emailed SWARTS and Sam called me back and talked me through adjusting the saw over the phone. He also gave me several other tips. Try getting service like that for a $300/$400 tool from anyone else. The problem was that the positive stops are not positive enough. Once I realised this was the issue I just had to adjust it to make sure 90 degrees really is 90 degrees. Now, even when I cut an angle and then move it back to square it cuts square. For example the other day I cut some mitres. Then last night I switched it back to square and cut some 240mm boards square - no problem at all. Apparently they plan to improve these stops in the future and also issue a retro kit for existing saws. I make a cut just outside my line and then work up to it to get a sub-mm perfect cut so I have only been using the laser to tell me very roughly where the blade is. In the manual is says the laser can not be adjusted. I talked to Samuel about this and he told me it can be adjusted and they should change the manual. I haven't got around to adjusting the laser yet because I don't rely on it but Sam has explained to me how to do it so I'll try this at some point when I get around to it because it would be handy to line things up faster. Incidentally I also bought a shop vac from Swarts and this has been running just fine also.

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I don't suppose you feel like posting instructions on how to adjust the laser and squareness? :-) I'd love to know how to adjust mine; just like you, mine has gone a bit out of whack too. I've just taken note of where the 'real' zero degrees is to cut square.

This has been a really informative thread, I found the saw on the timbecon website, and it has been great to see all of your comments about it.

Can anyone confirm whether this appears to be the same saw as sold by SIP in the UK: http://www.toolstop.co.uk/sip-01504-...aw-240v-p74338