# Which mitre saw?



## winjim (4 Apr 2021)

Decking, cladding, general DIY. Would be nice if it came in a fancy box for storage.

I'm not made of money.

Off topic ramblings welcome.


----------



## jowwy (4 Apr 2021)

I had a package deal from ebay last year with mitre saw and cutting stand. It so helps when building in the garden for decking, pergolas, kitchen, planter boxes........i paid around £100 for the both, its not a known name but certainly does the job

this is just for the stand, but i had a deal on both together


----------



## cosmicbike (4 Apr 2021)

I bought a nice DeWalt one some 15 years ago, still going strong and used frequently. £300 well spent. That said, if it's not going to work hard, you can get what seem to be reasonable quality compound slide saws for £100 or so.


----------



## gbb (4 Apr 2021)

Not a cheap one. What constitutes a cheap one is anyones guess....£30, £50, £100 ?
I have a cheap one, its throat is small so it cant cut thicker pieces, I struggled with cornice when doing my kitchen, too thick to make a single pass cut....and also the accuracy is carp. Do 2x 45 degree cuts...and they dont mate up properly.
Talking to a colleague who does lots of side work...yup he said, that what you get with cheap ones. You really need to spend and get a branded, respected make.


----------



## slowmotion (4 Apr 2021)

I bought a Dewalt DW700 twenty years ago for a big contract and it's still going strong. A really great bit of kit but quite pricey. I was surprised at how clean a cut it gave compared to our 10" table saw. It was discontinued a while ago but the DWS774 has a roughly similar specification. It costs about £250 which is a lot less than the DW700 was all those years ago. Have a look at the DWS774 reviews on YouTube.

Good luck.


----------



## FrankCrank (5 Apr 2021)

A Ryobi compound saw has done me proud for around 20 years now, never missed a beat


----------



## steve292 (5 Apr 2021)

Erbauer for me, plenty good enought for diy
Mitre saw


----------



## Fab Foodie (5 Apr 2021)

steve292 said:


> Erbauer for me, plenty good enought for diy
> Mitre saw


Just bought a sliding one...hoping to unpack
later. #tooltime!


----------



## davelincs (5 Apr 2021)

Another vote for de Walt, I’ve had mine for 10 / 12 yrs, still going strong, it cuts accurate angles , the only thing that lets it down is my measurements 😀, no it’s a very good bit of kit, well worth the money


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

Thanks all. Those de Walts are nice I'm sure, but anything north of £200 is stretching the budget a bit. There's a second hand Makita on ebay which looks OK, I'll check it out properly later if it hasn't gone. What's everyone using re blade size, and what's the difference between a siding or a compound saw or whatever?


----------



## TissoT (5 Apr 2021)

I have a makita ls 1013 that was made in 1994 and is still going strong, the older makitas are better made
used every day for business use in construction.

I have also a Dewalt dw 780 for bigger cuts.

both are a joy to use


----------



## TissoT (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Thanks all. Those de Walts are nice I'm sure, but anything north of £200 is stretching the budget a bit. There's a second hand Makita on ebay which looks OK, I'll check it out properly later if it hasn't gone. What's everyone using re blade size, and what's the difference between a siding or a compound saw or whatever?


A sliding saw pulls out and cuts on a rail system.
A compound saws feature blades that pivot left and right for angled cuts and tilt in a single direction for beveled cuts


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

TissoT said:


> A sliding saw pulls out and cuts.
> A compound saws feature blades that pivot left and right for angled cuts and tilt in a single direction for beveled cuts


So the sliding saw can do wider cuts then? I'm looking at a non-sliding one with a 10" blade which can do 5" cuts, does that seem like it would do?


----------



## TissoT (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> So the sliding saw can do wider cuts then? I'm looking at a non-sliding one with a 10" blade which can do 5" cuts, does that seem like it would do?


Yes the sliding saw tend to have a larger blade for bigger cuts.

Makita Ls1040

Makita Ls 1030 

These would last for a while.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

TissoT said:


> Yes the sliding saw tend to have a larger blade for bigger cuts.
> 
> Makita Ls1040
> 
> ...


Yeah it's the LS1040 I'm looking at.


----------



## TissoT (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Yeah it's the LS1040 I'm looking at.


I have one in the Attic covering dust

Buying theses machines second hand is not a problem as they are build to last some have had little use and can resell once you have finished.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

TissoT said:


> I have one in the Attic covering dust


If you want shot of it and you're anywhere near Sheffield...


----------



## TissoT (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> If you want shot of it and you're anywhere near Sheffield...


Its 110v machine.
I am in Stockport.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

TissoT said:


> Its 110v machine.
> I am in Stockport.


Never mind then.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

Hmm. A 5" cut isn't going to do deck boards, is it?


----------



## TissoT (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Hmm. A 5" cut isn't going to do deck boards, is it?


Probably not.

Dont go to small when you chose otherwise it will restricted the size of timber you can cut clean


----------



## Fab Foodie (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> So the sliding saw can do wider cuts then? I'm looking at a non-sliding one with a 10" blade which can do 5" cuts, does that seem like it would do?


I’m gonna need a bigger shed!


----------



## Fab Foodie (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Hmm. A 5" cut isn't going to do deck boards, is it?


Take a look at the Erbauer I bought £125 and very good reviews, I think it cuts up to 300mm wide and many angles....


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

Fab Foodie said:


> I’m gonna need a bigger shed!
> 
> View attachment 582418


Now you've got the tools to build one.


----------



## Adam4868 (5 Apr 2021)

If it's for cutting deck boards and general DIY I wouldn't spend that much.50/60 quid from Screwfix at a guess.Theyll be a three year warranty with that aswell.


----------



## Phaeton (5 Apr 2021)

I think I have this one, https://www.screwfix.com/p/evolutio...e-bevel-sliding-compound-mitre-saw-230v/2965v cuts everything we've thrown at it including 3mm steel box when we made the flatbed recovery truck


----------



## slowmotion (5 Apr 2021)

Fab Foodie said:


> I’m gonna need a bigger shed!
> 
> View attachment 582418


There isn't a shed in the whole wide world that is ever big enough.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

slowmotion said:


> There isn't a shed in the whole wide world that is ever big enough.


Mine is huge, it's just a leaky delapidated concrete prefab with an asbestos roof, so ain't really any good.




On a slightly related note by the way, does anybody know the best way to get children's play sand out of a cordless screwdriver?


----------



## Adam4868 (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> On a slightly related note by the way, does anybody know the best way to get children's play sand out of a cordless screwdriver?


Wife's hairdryer...make sure you leave it on long enough that you can smell burning from the hairdryer 😁


----------



## MontyVeda (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> ...
> 
> On a slightly related note by the way, does anybody know the best way to get children's play sand out of a cordless screwdriver?


take it apart, clean it and put it back together again.


----------



## slowmotion (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Mine is huge, it's just a leaky delapidated concrete prefab with an asbestos roof, so ain't really any good.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Sand will knacker the bearings really quickly, so don't be tempted to ignore it. You could try a vacuum cleaner to start with. If you took it to your local friendly garage, they might be persuaded to blow it out with their compressed air line. To do it properly, you might have to take the casing off.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

Adam4868 said:


> Wife's hairdryer...make sure you leave it on long enough that you can smell burning from the hairdryer 😁


Hmm...


----------



## slowmotion (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Hmm...
> 
> View attachment 582500


Try and keep the sand out of the grease-packed gearbox. You really don't want a highly effective grinding paste in there.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

slowmotion said:


> Try and keep the sand out of the grease-packed gearbox. You really don't want a highly effective grinding paste in there.


Yeah, I'm wondering if I should take the clutch assembly off the motor to clean it.


----------



## slowmotion (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Yeah, I'm wondering if I should take the clutch assembly off the motor to clean it.


I don't know how easy that is to take to bits so I can't give any reliable advice.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I don't know how easy that is to take to bits so I can't give any reliable advice.


Taking it to bits is the easy part...


----------



## slowmotion (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Taking it to bits is the easy part...


Yep. I've been there many times........


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)




----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

Need to find the right size torx bit to disassemble the chuck...


----------



## slowmotion (5 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> View attachment 582502


Steady on, old bean......


----------



## rockyroller (5 Apr 2021)

good luck w/ your projects! sounds fun! I spend a lot of time at the large (sliding) radial arm saw & panel saw at my part time job. it's not uncommon to have a line of customers form. once ppl gear the saws, they come running with their loaded carts! been known to make some judgement calls & break out the hand held circular saw, big reciprocating sawzall & drills. I love that they give us that freedom to make a customer happy. just don't cut yer nutz of, right?












good thing we don't have a commercial table saw, cuz then we'd be re-milling the boards down aisle 21! eek!


----------



## Fab Foodie (5 Apr 2021)

Ta da!






It’s a beast!
Very well made....


----------



## Rocky (5 Apr 2021)

Fab Foodie said:


> Ta da!
> 
> View attachment 582491
> 
> ...


I take it @Hill Wimp is away


----------



## slowmotion (5 Apr 2021)

Fab Foodie said:


> Ta da!
> 
> View attachment 582491
> 
> ...


Spirit level a bit too long?


----------



## Fab Foodie (5 Apr 2021)

Rocky said:


> I take it @Hill Wimp is away


She’s rolling her eyes behind me....


----------



## Fab Foodie (5 Apr 2021)

slowmotion said:


> Spirit level a bit too long?


Just getting it all aligned ;-)


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

It lives. Relatively sand free and now with some fresh grease in the gearbox. No horrible grinding noises that I can detect as yet. Time to initiate a 'no power tools in the sandpit' rule I think.


----------



## winjim (5 Apr 2021)

Fab Foodie said:


> Just getting it all aligned ;-)


Did you actually cut anything or did you just assemble it all and admire it?


----------



## Chislenko (6 Apr 2021)

Am I the only person left who uses a mitre block and manual saw?


----------



## slowmotion (6 Apr 2021)

Chislenko said:


> Am I the only person left who uses a mitre block and manual saw?


I use those for plaster coving. Before getting the Dewalt, I used a Nobex frame saw which was extremely good.


----------



## Phaeton (6 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> It lives. Relatively sand free and now with some fresh grease in the gearbox. No horrible grinding noises that I can detect as yet. Time to initiate a 'no power tools in the sandpit' rule I think.
> 
> View attachment 582551


But how else are the kids going to learn


----------



## Fab Foodie (6 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Did you actually cut anything or did you just assemble it all and admire it?


I had a test-cut....it frightened the life out of me! Have now read the safety instructions....
@Hill Wimp has a project that requires it's usage


----------



## Fab Foodie (6 Apr 2021)

Chislenko said:


> Am I the only person left who uses a mitre block and manual saw?


On occasions. and I also have the same contraption as @slowmotion . 
But sawing well and accurately for jointing is a skill I find needs to be practiced - and I don't get enough practice. I recently bought a 5" circular saw which improved things noticeably, but needs a guide to be really accurate (and that takes a little faff to set-up). This hopefully will just be simpler to set-up and use, cleaner more accurate finish and less time consuming...I may be wrong!


----------



## Broadside (6 Apr 2021)

Phaeton said:


> I think I have this one, https://www.screwfix.com/p/evolutio...e-bevel-sliding-compound-mitre-saw-230v/2965v cuts everything we've thrown at it including 3mm steel box when we made the flatbed recovery truck


I’ve got this one as well, it has been superb doing DIY jobs. The laser guide on it is also very handy for getting cuts exactly where you want them and ends up saving you time.


----------



## Phaeton (6 Apr 2021)

Broadside said:


> I’ve got this one as well, it has been superb doing DIY jobs. The laser guide on it is also very handy for getting cuts exactly where you want them and ends up saving you time.


It does, after owning it for 5 years & always being disappointed in the laser, my son took the protective cap off it, it's much better now


----------



## fossyant (6 Apr 2021)

I've got an Evolution one - no stand, but fits on the workstand fine. Cost about £100 and I'm still on the original blade. Mainly cutting timber and decking, but have occasionally used it to cut steel.


----------



## Profpointy (6 Apr 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I use those for plaster coving. Before getting the Dewalt, I used a Nobex frame saw which was extremely good.
> View attachment 582553



Mind you a proper Nobex saw is likely just as expensive as a Bosch blue or equivalent pro grade lecci saw.

My Uncle always wanted a Nobex saw but couldn't quite bring himself to spend the money, then one day he saw a near identical looky-likey one at a very good price indeed so he bought it. He tried making a picture frame but it was ever so slightly on the piss and the unit was essentially useless. He took it back, gritted his teeth and bought the Nobex which was spot on.


----------



## Profpointy (6 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> Decking, cladding, general DIY. Would be nice if it came in a fancy box for storage.
> 
> I'm not made of money.
> 
> Off topic ramblings welcome.



Whilst I do have a mitre saw, before you spend the dosh, have you considered if a track saw might be more versatile ? A track saw is a hand-held circular saw linked to an aluminium rail to guide it. It can do mitres and angles etc too. Its key advantage is that it can do long cuts. I think Festool (a top quality but brutally expensive make) originated the idea, but Makita, Bosch and so on do them as well now at somewhat closer to a sensible price. Mine's a Festool and I think it's the best bit of kit I've ever bought - ie the track saw idea, rather than Festool wonderfulness.


View: https://youtu.be/xu85MUZwga0


Basically you can do long cuts as well as a lot of the the stuff a mitre saw can do, albeit the mitre saw is quicker and easier for short cross cutting. The track saw isn't really suitable for anything narrower than maybe a skirting board - I can't see it being useful for, saw picture frames.

I built these using the track saw, including the dado grooves on the sticky out side pieces (don't have a router), bearing in mind none of the angles of the alcoves are square. 







I built a second (simpler) set in another room by which time I had the mitre saw as well which made the cross cuts a lot easier and quicker, but I still needed the track saw for the long cuts.

My mitre saw is a "sliding" type which allows maybe 10" width of cuts. A pure "chop" saw would only do 4 or 5", albeit you can flip it over and cut from the other side.

Whilst I'm a bit of a gear tart having bought Festool kit, even if you don't want to go to that extremem, there's still a lot to be said for buying "trade" or "pro" level quality - Bosch blue, Makita, Hitatchi etc as I'm unconvinced that the various Wickes own brands and the like are going to be up to
much (prejudice not experience admittedly) as I simply don't believe you can make a high precision tool for the money - and a mitre saw needs to be precise or it's only good for cutting firewood

To sum up, I probably do use the mitre saw more than the track saw, because of convenience for some jobs, but if I had to choose only one or the other, I'd take the track saw, as it can do nearly everything the mitre saw can, but also long straight cuts too.


----------



## bruce1530 (6 Apr 2021)

+1 for track saw, but it’s for a different type of job- long straight cuts.

brilliant for taking a bit off the bottom of a door or ten if you have installed thick carpets.

mine came from Aldi, and was a bargain


----------



## tyred (6 Apr 2021)

Chislenko said:


> Am I the only person left who uses a mitre block and manual saw?


I do.


----------



## rockyroller (6 Apr 2021)

winjim said:


> It lives. Relatively sand free and now with some fresh grease in the gearbox. No horrible grinding noises that I can detect as yet. Time to initiate a 'no power tools in the sandpit' rule I think.


I have a noisy corded drill, should look for screws to take it apart I guess


----------



## philtalksbx (6 Apr 2021)

fossyant said:


> I've got an Evolution one - no stand, but fits on the workstand fine. Cost about £100 and I'm still on the original blade. Mainly cutting timber and decking, but have occasionally used it to cut steel.


I also have an Evolution one, works well but I was getting a bit fed up with the consistency of the cuts. It has done a fair bit of work and so went for a new blade. Sucked teeth at £34 from Screwfix but now it is transformed and so much cleaner cuts.


----------



## MontyVeda (6 Apr 2021)

Chislenko said:


> Am I the only person left who uses a mitre block and manual saw?


There's a noise threshold for me with power tools and mitre saws are just too bloody noisy, so when i inherited my dad's I let someone else have it and I'll stick with the hand saw. It's not like I'll ever be laying decking or owt so no real need to cut through timber like butter... and i do love the sound of a hand saw


----------



## irw (7 Apr 2021)

Alongside my 10 year old Wickes compound mitre saw....


Chislenko said:


> Am I the only person left who uses a mitre block and manual saw?


No, I made a mitre block for small stuff on my model railway, or metalwork. I made it using my one of these:



slowmotion said:


> I use those for plaster coving. Before getting the Dewalt, I used a Nobex frame saw which was extremely good.
> View attachment 582553



Because the Wickes jobby is pretty awful in terms of angular precision- alright for rough thereabouts jobs, but never seems to work for doorframes/trim etc, so they get done on the manual mitre saw.


----------



## rockyroller (7 Apr 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> a noise threshold with power tools


I make my racket in the basement, so it's not too bad. but I have a neighbor that sometimes does extended power sanding outside, which is annoying. sometimes I feel bad when I shop-vac the cars, but I'm pretty good about keeping it off, until I'm set moving stuff inside the car


----------



## slowmotion (7 Apr 2021)

Profpointy said:


> Whilst I do have a mitre saw, before you spend the dosh, have you considered if a track saw might be more versatile ? A track saw is a hand-held circular saw linked to an aluminium rail to guide it. It can do mitres and angles etc too. Its key advantage is that it can do long cuts. I think Festool (a top quality but brutally expensive make) originated the idea, but Makita, Bosch and so on do them as well now at somewhat closer to a sensible price. Mine's a Festool and I think it's the best bit of kit I've ever bought - ie the track saw idea, rather than Festool wonderfulness.
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/xu85MUZwga0
> ...



I've got a Festool track saw too. Excellent tool, but completely bonkers pricing, especially for the accessories. It's actually quite fun working out how to make the accessories yourself for a fifth of the price of the official ones.


----------



## MontyVeda (7 Apr 2021)

rockyroller said:


> *I make my racket in the basement, so it's not too bad*. but I have a neighbor that sometimes does extended power sanding outside, which is annoying. sometimes I feel bad when I shop-vac the cars, but I'm pretty good about keeping it off, until I'm set moving stuff inside the car


it's more about offending (rather than damaging) my own ears than disturbing neighbours... some tools (like mitre saws) are so loud I'm just much happier with the quieter option.


----------



## Profpointy (7 Apr 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I've got a Festool track saw too. Excellent tool, but completely bonkers pricing, especially for the accessories. It's actually quite fun working out how to make the accessories yourself for a fifth of the price of the official ones.



Agree. You can just about convince yourself the tool is worth it, but they do take the piss on the extras. As an aside I'm not very impressed by their hoover. It just doesn't suck as well as another german made tradesman's hoover I had before. I changed it because I wanted the power-socket-on-the-hoover so it turns in when turn the sander on. Admittedly it's helpful that the hose fitting fits their sanders though, without having to bodge


----------



## rockyroller (8 Apr 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> rather than damaging my own ears


oh gotcha, yeah my hand held circular saw, an old metal housing unit, which I bought 2nd hand & gave a new cord to, is quite loud. but so nice & fast. I sometimes use ear muffs at the commercial/retail job. but with covid I'm not sharing sweaty ear muffs right now. but spending the day on the saws is so much nicer w/ ear muffs!


----------

