Thread: The most accurate Mitre Saw

What was the issue with the Kapex? These are arguably one of the most accurate and easy to use saws on the market.

I have the Bosch glide arm 10" saw and it seems fine but I find the bevel 90 degree adjustment to be a real pain and it never seems to stay square.

What do you use it for that requires precise cuts?

I regard all SCMS and mitre saws as accurate enough only for carpentry; if you want accuracy you need to finish the job using either a guillotine or a shooting board. It may be able to be set for perfect angles; but getting the blade aligned with a line made with a marking knife is hard. And the blade can wander.

I own a 14yo Dewalt chop saw; it’s accurate enough for cutting decking planks, skirtings and architraves but wouldn’t trust it for cabinet making. And sliding mitre saws are incredibly easy to deflect to one side.

Sliding table saw

Originally Posted by 1talk

Hi I have been researching mitre saws in the hope of discovering the most accurate. this led me to look at the Festool Kapex 60. I took a drive to see the saw in real life and was somewhat under impressed. I had a makita somewhat dated sliding mitre saw that required frequent tunning and did not deliver the accuracy I would like. Any recommendations / comments would appreciated.

I’ve had two Kapex 120’s, both have performed faultlessly and used professionally every day by three or four carpenters. They are by far the best saw made.

Thanks for your valued comment bI will probably spend the extra and go with the Kapex as there is no better assessment then the one done on the job

Hi thanks for the reply. No real issues with the Kapex apart from initial cost. I was looking at the KS 60 E the smallest saw in the range, it appeared quite small and lite amongst the other saws on display.

Hi yes but I simply do not have the space

I have the Kapex 60 and it does everything I need. I can cut 300mm wide boards with no issues. It is accurate for most jobs. I use a shooting board for anything that requires critical accuracy. However, having said that the original cuts appears quite accurate. Dust collection is good, not perfect. Festool blades are expensive, there are other cheaper options that are just as good. I previously had an AEG, chalk and cheese.

I have a Kapex 88 to which I have added some of the 120 features using parts from Germany. Great construction saw, even for the finest of paint grade period details. I would not use it solely for really fine work however. For that you need a sliding panel saw with a scribing blade, or a dedicated mitre saw that framers use. For finer work I currently do use the Kapex, then get that last few tenths of a degree or milimetre on a mitre trimmer. Pay attention to sub fences and zero clearance inserts as tear-out is a common problem. The Festool blade is only average.

Originally Posted by 1talk

Hi I have been researching mitre saws in the hope of discovering the most accurate. this led me to look at the Festool Kapex 60. .... Any recommendations / comments would appreciated.

Originally Posted by pippin88

... Sliding table saw...

Great logic; I love it. At a typical $10,000 for a European sliding table saw, this makes a Festool Kapex 60 at around $1,500 seem a positive bargain!

In general, the comments about intended use are right: these are carpentry, not cabinetry tools...
However, if you take the time, and accept the need for initial fettling, they can be pretty good. Here’s a 22.5 degree joint straight from the saw, using the supplied blade, on mine after tuning.C278B880-CB4D-4C5B-9BDE-FC47F506B5FE.jpg

Which saw? The $500 Bunnings AEG double bevel one with a 6 year warranty...1800W 254mm Dual Bevel Slide Compound Mitre Saw | AEG Powertools

It isn’t something for day in, day out professional use, but it shows that you may not need to spend too much: every stop is adjustable to your own zero point, including the degree scale on the base- a very well thought out and repeatable performer, and more than adequate for anyone who has a shooting board to trim to perfect fit.

If you want an accurate mitre saw, you get an Omga or Elumatec.

The entire unit is made of cast iron, only plastic is the power and saw blade guard. its heavy, weighs 35kg
Check the dust port size, thats 100mm.


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Originally Posted by Albert

If you want an accurate mitre saw, you get an Omga or Elumatec.

The entire unit is made of cast iron, only plastic is the power and saw blade guard. its heavy, weighs 35kg
Check the dust port size, thats 100mm.

It might have 100 mm dust port but air flow will still be seriously throttled by the saw guard and rotating saw blade which will act like an impeller and spry air and saw dust away from the blade.

Most Mitre saws (and table saws) have problems with dust collection because they try to collect from a relatively close fitting shroud around the saw instead of from where the sawdust is being directed by the blade.

What usually happens is most of the sawdust from MS ends up striking the area shown by the red circle and scattered off to the side as shown by the red arrows.

MSdust.JPG

The Bosch Glide saw I just posted about (SCMS extraction.) uses a short rubber skirt to produce surprisingly good sawdust collection even with just a vacuum cleaner. The addition of a longer skirt and a plastic scoop in the
"red circle zone" improves it even further.

The Glide saw contains no cast iron but still manages to weight in at 32kg.

I am close to posting a box I made on a jobsite recently. Had a young carpenter tell me the only way to get tight mitres on architraves was to use Festool, So I set out to prove him wrong.

Learning the machine, and learning how to calibrate it, and learning how to work with its quirks will get you tight mitres and glue lines. Learning how to work with timber and its quirks helps make tight mitres and glue lines. I used 2 contractor saws (table saw and mitre saw) and because I was out to prove a point I have made the best mitres I have ever done, and that was done on a building site renovating a house.

I watched a youtube video the other day, and they guy was using a sanding machine to make his mitres on very high end musical gear. You dont need expensive gear, you need practice.