What kind of miter do you use? Do you find a sliding miter is significantly more beneficial than non-sliding? I’ve been using a non-sliding 10” hitachi from Lowe’s almost 15 years. It has been a great saw but think it finally bit the bullet. Motor started getting loud about a year ago, trigger intermittently would just lock in the on position and now won’t turn off at all, brushes need to be replaced, and arbor bolt is locked in place and can’t get it to turn. I’d love to fix it but seems like a used miter may cost about the same as fixing and wondering if it is even worth it to try. It did most of what I needed but when cutting wide pieces was a pain to deal with.
Miter saw - fix or replace?
- Thread starter RedBeard
- Start date
I have a 10" sliding miter saw, which can handle boards up to 12". I rarely have anything wider than that. It replaced an old B&D miter saw, which was not a very good machine. The blade brake doesn't always work, it was underpowered, and like you said, cutting wider pieces is a pain.
I'd say you've gotten sufficient use out of the saw by now, and the fact that it's failing gives you permission to go buy yourself something new. But, I'm a card-carrying member of the Tool Enabler Group.
I'd say you've gotten sufficient use out of the saw by now, and the fact that it's failing gives you permission to go buy yourself something new. But, I'm a card-carrying member of the Tool Enabler Group.
My 26 yr old 8 1/2" craftsmen slider bit the dust late last year, so i too, went on the hunt for a new one. As I sometimes make 16" deep standing cabinets, I knew I wanted a slider, and looking at the reviews, the DeWalt 10" seem to be the best buy. I like to get a hands on look, but the only place I could find one was on-line. About a month after New Years, Dewalt put a deep discount on some of their saws, (not the 10" I wanted) and Lowes had the 12" dual bevel slider for less than the 10", so I bought one.
What I like:
It is very accurate, and only needed very minor tweeking to get it dead on. I have it on a mobile stand, and it has not come out of alignment in the 6 months I have had it.
Very solid with no deflection at the extremes of the slide (without a hard deliberate sideways push, which will only cause about 1/32")
It has adjustable stops, as well as preset ones for both miter and bevel, which are quite convenient.
It has removable vertical fence sections (which are dead on vertical),
It has a blade light that you can switch on or off (not tied to the blade switch.)
The blade that came with it does an excellent job, with no wobble.
The handle with the safety switch is easily used with either hand
Full 4" depth of cut behind the blade center, and 3 1/2" under the blade washer when in the full down position and slide cutting.
What to be aware of:
It has a noticeable kick up when you trigger the saw. If you set the blade down on your work to align the outside of the tooth shadow with your cut mark, and then trigger it just above the work piece, that kick up can cause you to instinctively over-correct, bouncing the blade off the work.
It has a large footprint.
What I don't like about it:
The hold down clamp is useless. The table is slick, and the clamp so wobbly, that the work easily slides around even when tight, and when you tighten it, it will push the work away from the fence. There is a "flexible" chute for the vacuum tube that will knock your work off the fence when you draw the saw all the way towards you in preparation for making the cut.
If you use vacuum, you will need to also buy DeWalt's adapter ($20) to hook up a standard 1 1/4" vac hose, and another $10 adapter if you want to hook up a 2 1/2" hose. (Neither is included with the saw)
When hooked up to my Ridgei=s shop bvac, it does a pretty good job of containing any sawdust from behing the saw.
From what I can tell, both these issues also apply to the 10" model.
Overall, I am happy with the saw: its accurate and solid construction. (and I was able to get it discounted about $150). If you won't be cutting 4 x 4s or 16/4 lumber, the 12" is probably overkill.
What I like:
It is very accurate, and only needed very minor tweeking to get it dead on. I have it on a mobile stand, and it has not come out of alignment in the 6 months I have had it.
Very solid with no deflection at the extremes of the slide (without a hard deliberate sideways push, which will only cause about 1/32")
It has adjustable stops, as well as preset ones for both miter and bevel, which are quite convenient.
It has removable vertical fence sections (which are dead on vertical),
It has a blade light that you can switch on or off (not tied to the blade switch.)
The blade that came with it does an excellent job, with no wobble.
The handle with the safety switch is easily used with either hand
Full 4" depth of cut behind the blade center, and 3 1/2" under the blade washer when in the full down position and slide cutting.
What to be aware of:
It has a noticeable kick up when you trigger the saw. If you set the blade down on your work to align the outside of the tooth shadow with your cut mark, and then trigger it just above the work piece, that kick up can cause you to instinctively over-correct, bouncing the blade off the work.
It has a large footprint.
What I don't like about it:
The hold down clamp is useless. The table is slick, and the clamp so wobbly, that the work easily slides around even when tight, and when you tighten it, it will push the work away from the fence. There is a "flexible" chute for the vacuum tube that will knock your work off the fence when you draw the saw all the way towards you in preparation for making the cut.
If you use vacuum, you will need to also buy DeWalt's adapter ($20) to hook up a standard 1 1/4" vac hose, and another $10 adapter if you want to hook up a 2 1/2" hose. (Neither is included with the saw)
When hooked up to my Ridgei=s shop bvac, it does a pretty good job of containing any sawdust from behing the saw.
From what I can tell, both these issues also apply to the 10" model.
Overall, I am happy with the saw: its accurate and solid construction. (and I was able to get it discounted about $150). If you won't be cutting 4 x 4s or 16/4 lumber, the 12" is probably overkill.
You have got your value out of that saw. It sounds like it is time to retire it and move on to a new slider.
So this was mine problem last weekend. I had a 10” craftsman for 12 years. The plastic handle part broke and it’s unusable without duct tape.
I usually take a lot of time to make a decision on something like this. However I found this to be pretty straight forward.
I debated 10” vs 12” and slider vs none. I ended up with a 12” slider mainly due to cost.
Lowe’s is getting rid of their old model Dewalt DW779. The new ones are model number DW780. No real difference between the 2. So Lowe’s has these regular price $599 and selling this older model for $349. Compare that price to other 12” sliders. So the price sold it for me. If I had to pay $599 I would have dropped the slider. The 12” Dewalt, without slider, is still $200-$250.
I would run out and get that model 779 at the $350 price before the run out
I usually take a lot of time to make a decision on something like this. However I found this to be pretty straight forward.
I debated 10” vs 12” and slider vs none. I ended up with a 12” slider mainly due to cost.
Lowe’s is getting rid of their old model Dewalt DW779. The new ones are model number DW780. No real difference between the 2. So Lowe’s has these regular price $599 and selling this older model for $349. Compare that price to other 12” sliders. So the price sold it for me. If I had to pay $599 I would have dropped the slider. The 12” Dewalt, without slider, is still $200-$250.
I would run out and get that model 779 at the $350 price before the run out
Ended up getting a used 12” Bosch Glide. Had a couple of guys from Raleigh Reclaimed doing an install on a job I’m running and asked if they knew anyone selling a miter. Turned out he was downsizing his site saw from this 12” to an 8-1/2” and wanted to get rid of this one. Ended up getting it for $300 with an almost new blade. More than I wanted to spend but it’s the cheapest I’ve seen for a used Glide. Thanks for everyone’s advice.
Well that's a deal (IMHO). I likely would have bought that if it had been available to me.
Let us know how you like it once you use it some.
Definitely agree it was a deal but still more than I was looking to spend right now. The guy was onsite and told me the price and I let him leave and about 30 minutes later was on the phone saying I’ll take it. As a separate side note to this story, I went to the Raleigh Reclaimed shop to pick it up and the guy gave me a tour of the building and all their equipment. I was like a kid in a candy store but I couldn’t touch. Sawmill with 6’x39’ capacity, 52” sander, rotating pneumatic panel clamping rack, and on and on. I knew they turned out quite a bit of furniture, tops, etc but had no idea how big that operation was.
As far as I coud tell, the only difference between the DW779 and the DW780 is the blade light (XPS guide system). The DW779 cannot be retrofitted with the light because it is enclosed in the handle casting. The DW780 comes with the light installed. I believe all the other specs are identical.
What ever you do get a proper blade. I am talking about a fine tooth cross cut blade made for a miter saw and not some combo blade. Most miter saw sold today come with a combo blade. It makes a difference in how smooth a cut is especially if your are doing moulding work or picture frames.
I agree with ScottM. I would like to add, get a high quality fine tooth cross cut blade. It makes a world of difference. My son works in the industry and brought home an Avanti? I think, sorry, can't remember exactly. I'll have to look again when I go back out to the shop. I was blown away at the difference. Since then I only buy high quality blades. If your on a budget, look at CMT blades. I have a CMT glue line rip on my table saw and I'm very happy with it. It actually does a decent job on cross cuts as well. (I hate changing blades for only a cut or two)
Some of you know that I'm in the process of flood recovery. And one of the projects is TRIM!. My 20+ y/o Rigid heard about the trim project and decided NOT to participate, so off to Lowe's looking for a volunteer. There was a Hitachi 12' SCMS closeout ($749 - $349) looking for something to do, so I took him home. First surprise: the blade is excellent! Second is small footprint. Third is handle/trigger is ambidextrous! Left-handed helper very happy with that. And fourth is the carriage rides on fixed rails requiring very little space behind it. The only DOWNSIDE for me is that the dust chute doesn't accept any hose I own, but a surprising amount of dust gets into the bag.
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