Bosun mitre saw, any good?

[kaseryn]

Seen these on ebay, seem quite well spec'ed for the price, but does anyone know if they're actually any good?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....00033292616&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

 

[Scrit]

They're cheap Chinese junk, poorly made and not very accurate. Stick to established makers like Makita, Bosch, etc if you want an accurate tool - you might not get a bells and whistles saw for the same amount of money, but with mitre saws accuracy is everything

Scrit

 

[kaseryn]

Well warned! Can you recommend a good one somewhere in the £200 range? Main things i'd want are accuracy [good enough for bead work] and slideable..

 

[Scrit]

The only one I can say with all honesty that I've used and found to be a good machine in that price area and is a slider is the deWalt DW707, i.e. the old Elu design. They're a robust little saw, but possibly about £30 outside of your budget range. The accurate SCMSs are all trades machines and most of them are £300 plus, discounted. Why do you need a sliding compound saw if you are only doing beadings? The question is what are you going to be cutting that can't be done on a 10in or 12in compound non-slider (and please don't saw 16 x 9 roofing beams)? I'm asking this because I rarely need to cut much bigger than 7 x 1in or the like (skirtings, architraves) or sometimes 5 x 2in (cornices)

Scrit

 

[kaseryn]

I didnt realise fixed ones would cut timber that wide. My use will be general purpose really,from detail up to shelving widths.. it's for those i thought i might need a slider but from what you say not! Taking the slide out fo the equation, can i still get something reasonable in the price range?

 

[seaangler]

makita LS1040 would cost you about £150 plus the vat , good quality saw but not sliding so wouldnt do your shelf widths , perfect for beading etc though

 

[Scrit]

Well the DW707 does 216mm crosscut and is accurate and I agree with seaangler that the Makitas are good mitre saws ('coz I have a Makita SCMS as well), but one of the tricks to getting extra width of cut out of a non-sliding chop saw is to put a spacer beneath the piece you are cutting which will gain you extra cutting width at the expense of some cutting thickness - so the Makita LS1040 seaangler mentioned can cut 130mm width @ 69mm on the bed, but would be able to cut about 155mm @ 44mm thick on a 25mm spacer or possibly as much as 170mm @ 19mm thick on a 50mm spacer. If you really want to chop 300mm wide shelves then you'll need a fairly big pull-over saw - and a good one will cost you £500 plus (not to mention weighing a ton). A cheap Chaiwanese saw has neither the longevity nor the accuracy you require. There's no such thing as a free meal IMHO

Bosun? I'd rather have Bo Selecta!

Scrit

 

[Belle427]

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101401&ts=35935&id=27291
Rexon SM2150AE 8½" 2 Speed Sliding Mitre Saw 230V - Screwfix Direct

 

[AndersonC]

Are these Rexon any good?! I am going to need a SCMS (good abbreviation that) for mitring large skirtings, cutting flooring etc and was considering something maybe up to £250. Some fools at work mentioned that LIDL or something was selling a bag o'sh!te one for £60 ish but I want something decent.

If I spent £150 on that Rexon would it last or am I best adding a ton to my budget and going for a makita or suchlike?

All comments welcome, thanks.

 

[Scrit]

Rexon appear to have some "lightweight" saws and some heavier models. The size of the blade has a lot to do with the price difference, though. If you are doing roofing trusses then you probably need a 12in (or certainly at least a 10in) SCMS. If all you intend to do is skirtings, floorboards, architraves, etc which are fairly thin then a smaller blade machine such as the Makita LS0174 can be a lot better value than it's bigger bladed brother, the LS1214 - same crosscut widths (300mm) only the depth varies

Scrit

 

[kaseryn]

The 220 odd cross cut would do me for shelving but i havent seen that dw707 for less than 280 quid.. u seen it for 230 u say? The Makita would be cutting it a bit close on the width for me, whereas that Rexon seems a bitgood to be true. Any reports on the acuracy or reliabilityof those? Of that model particularly.. v cheap..

 

[Scrit]

Try Lawson HIS - currently listed at £235 or £247 if you buy it with the legstand. I did see someone doing them about £5 cheaper a couple of weeks back, but that may have been a one-off promo.

Scrit

 

[kaseryn]

Thanks again m8, that looks the jobby - unless someone tells me those Rexons are absurdly good value!

 

[SimonWray]

Just to through my 2p into the ring... I bought a Makita LS1040 a few months ago for general DIY & renovation work and am very happy with the quality and versatility of it. So far I've been up to about 155mm thickness on skirting and I think with more packing could increase that a shade. I've used it on some 3"sq hardwoods too with just the comes-wth blade and the cuts are good.

Edit: got it here: http://www.powertoolsuk.co.uk/webcat/details.asp?ProductCode=LS1040&ID=1254

 

[kaseryn]

Thats v cheap m8, looks a great deal given what people have said here abt the makitas. But looking at that blade diameter, how close to the 216mm crosscut of the Dewalt can that get? At 260mm diameter i would have thought pretty close no?