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Advantages of a Compound Sliding Miter Saw over non-sliding?


MarkFitch

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I am in the market for a compound miter saw. I would like dual bevel. But do I need the slide.? Hopefully you can help me see the advantages and disadvantages of each and I can make the right decision for me. Slide over dual bevel. single bevel slide. Dual bevel non sliding. Dual bevel sliding. 10 and 12 inch. Thanks.

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I asked myself the same questions when I bought mine. I have very limited space in my vehicle and being a small dude a didn't want it to be too heavy so I ditched a slider. But i still wanted the biggest cut capacity so I went with a 12". As for the single vs dual Bevel, if you can afford the dual go for it. You can get by with single but there will be times when it will be a pain in the butt having to flip boards around because of only single.

My miter saw has a very large cut capacity of 8" even for a 12" but let's say you need a bigger cut capacity then you will need a slider. If I was going with a slider I wouldn't need such a big blade. I would stick to a 10" or smaller to keep the whole package smaller and lighter but that's just me.

None of us here on the forum can tell you which to get. It's one of those things you have to reason with yourself to figure out what features you need.

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A slide adds more weight and size to a miter saw, but allows for a great cut capacity. Same thing on a 12 or 10 inch miter saw its weight and size verses cut capacity. If you not cutting big pieces of wood a smaller miter saw is more portable and less expensive. Another thing to consider is the cost of blades 12" blades are not cheap to replace. I all depends on what kind of work you would be doing with the saw.

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Most likely it will be for laminate flooring and trim work. For stair str8ngers we have always used a circular saw and a jig saw always has worked fine. Mainly I need it for trim and I dont know how often I will be using it. If I could cut this trim any other way for this room I wouldnt buy one but it never hurts to have more tools..!!!!

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Most likely it will be for laminate flooring and trim work. For stair str8ngers we have always used a circular saw and a jig saw always has worked fine. Mainly I need it for trim and I dont know how often I will be using it. If I could cut this trim any other way for this room I wouldnt buy one but it never hurts to have more tools..!!!!

Thats exactly what I got mine for, I got the dewalt dw716 with the dual bevel and 12 inch blade, it doesn't slide but it can cut even the largest pieces of laminate in one chop. It has a tall fence which makes it great for crown molding also

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Personally I don't regard the dual bevel very highly. It simplifies the job sometimes, but you do anything with a single you do with a double.

Sliders are nice. I have a 12" non-slider and while I've gotten pretty damn good with it, 12" lumber can be a real pain in the ass. 1 slip up and your cut is shitty.

Check out Ridged miters. Good saws at good prices.

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I've actually got the Ridgid, I like it. I wish I had bought the dual bevel slider thought. I will probably go with Bosch' next time with those features. It's a big machine but it allows you to really tackle a lot more jobs plus the dual bevel although not necessary, allows quicker set up for making alternating repeated bevels. I just sold my 8" sliding miter to start saving up for my next one. Until then my Ridgid, non sliding single bevel is doing the work for quick cuts and my TS55 is making the long ones.

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I've actually got the Ridgid, I like it. I wish I had bought the dual bevel slider thought. I will probably go with Bosch' next time with those features. It's a big machine but it allows you to really tackle a lot more jobs plus the dual bevel although not necessary, allows quicker set up for making alternating repeated bevels. I just sold my 8" sliding miter to start saving up for my next one. Until then my Ridgid, non sliding single bevel is doing the work for quick cuts and my TS55 is making the long ones.

Might as well save up and get the Kapex Mr. Festool :) I hear its a really nice saw well everything festool seems to be well thought out.

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Well DR....I unfortunately don't have the cash for that! I do want the Domino though and am going to get the TI15 Impactor at some point. The Kapex is going to cost about 1600 the way i want it so I'll slum with Bosch (totally kidding, phenomenal tool) for my next Miter (?). Maybe Dewalt will make one in the US and that could result in my second Dewalt tool! I'm definitely going with a dual bevel sliding miter saw this time.

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Yea the Kapex with stand is mighty spendy!! I have the sliding 12" bosch and its a great saw only problem is I wish it was the axial glide model it's nice being able to put the saw right next to a wall if you need too like in a workshop or tight work area. Also its a heavy beast that needs the gravity rise stand to go with it it's not a saw you want to haul around by hand!!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

What do y'all think about the DW713 it's around 200, and all I do is hardwood flooring and shoe molding. I also thinking about get the dewalt stand

 

It is a nice saw it will work well doing hardwood flooring and trim and a stand is always nice to have.

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  • 2 months later...

So the Hitachi 12" has the axial glide. What do you think about their saws? I have a basement workshop and space is really limited and that would be a really sweet feature.

I missed this post but The Hiatchi just put the rails in front like the Festool Kapex. IT's not the same mechanism Bosch went with for the axial glide saw. The axial glide is nice but adds a ton of weight to the saw.

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