a sawing question

[joedirt63]

ok another kinda dum question, daughter wants to buy dad , me a saw . so i can speed up this house renovation . i was always used to my dad's craftsman radial arm saw. love that thing, wish i still had it, put space and mobility are big concern. so i figured on table saw 10 inch or a compound sliding miter saw. but i could only get one,she said,( sounds like me when she asked me for barbie doll collection many years ago ) any way i kinda really like the coumpound slideing miter saw . question, any recomendations.? i'm not a contractor and i don't plan on using it crazy, and her purse isn't really big. also choice between a 10 inch and a 12 inch, pros and cons of each. thanks guys

[flcruising]

Slide compound is nice for wider lumber. The size of the saw really depends on what size material you'll be working with. Basically the bigger you go on the blade, the larger reach and through-cut. Cost of blades goes up too with the bigger ones. I think a 10" slide compound is a good size for rough carpentry and most finish work. That's my vote. Brand is another story. I'm not a carpenter by trade, so for the occasional use that I give my tools, I stick with non-professional brands like Black & Decker, Skil and Harbor Freight.

[Greg]

Joe, I have a Ryobi 10" folding table saw that I use a lot more than my Sears radial arm saw (that is on Craig's list) It has wheels on it so you can wheel it to where you need it and just unlock the legs and flip it up, ready to go.

Miter saws are great for framing & trim work, but no way are you going to do a sheet of plywood or rip boards.

My advise has always been to to do a LOT of looking, and touching. Different saws FEEL different. The handle shapes & positions make a difference. I have a Rigid miter saw that just plain feels good in my hand. Look at the way blades & adjustments lock, how well do they stay locked? I had a cheap Craftsman miter saw that you could set, make a cut and the second cut may or may not be the same, a quick way to go through wood if you are doing exact cuts.

Don't be afraid of re manufactured saws, Home depot sometimes has returns or rebuilt for 1/3 off retail with the same warranty. Greg

[JD]

For me, my first saw would be a worm drive Skilsaw or other brand. The worm drive will outperform a circular saw in every aspect except the weight of the saw. Worm drives just cut straighter and stronger.

Between the table saw and miter saw, I use a miter saw a lot more, but as Greg said, if you do not have a worm drive or circular saw, you will need a way to cut panel materials. I have a 23 year old Ryobi, 10" plain jane, cheapest I could buy (I think it was $79 at the time) miter saw. I still works flawlessly and shows no sign of getting tired. I would love to wear this thing out so I could get something newer and more prestigious (tool nut), but it just won't die. I bought a cheap craftsman table saw about 10 years ago with the intention of just doing some home projects. But this saw quickly ended up with the crew and handling commercial duty work. It also works flawlessly. Because it is a cheap craftsman, I can't rip a 2x as fast as I would like, but taking it easy has helped the machine last as well as it has.

JMO
JD

[Jim from Canada]

One of the highest rated SCMS's (sliding compound mitre saw) is the Makita 10". The only other one that beats it in performance is the Festool Kapex, which cost double the Makita. I believe the one I seen in the tests is the 1013 model, which, I think, has been now given the model number 1016. Although I may be out on the model #'s.

[Brenda (OH)]

amazon.com is a great place to get a range of prices on new, used, and rebuilt tools of all kinds...

Brenda (OH)

[joedirt63]

thanks guys for the info. i do have a skill saw w a laser guid for panel cuts and i'm pretty good cuttting a straight line. the miter saw i think is the ticket cause of the frameing stuff and now i'm starting the finish work. greg, if i had the room, i would buy that arm saw, man that does everything but build for you. flcruising , harbor freight is my next best place to shop,other than home depot and sears. got one bout 10 min form my house. to all thank you will be looking at alot of stuff. like greg said holding it and looking makes a diffrence in choice. my ole fashoin miter box is not dependable,and dad said if you can't trust your tools you can't be 100% confident in your skill.

[Groo]

a non sliding 12" will be of higher quality than a comperably priced 10" slider. not to mention less to go wrong with it.

the 12" will cut what you need cut.

try to get her to throw in a portable stand for it too.

I don't like harbor frieght for power tools in general, and the slider they had there was pure crap.