Which mitre saw?

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Hi All,
I know this has probably been done to death, But I am looking for a new mitre saw.

My Old one has just stripped the teeth in the gearbox. It was almost Identical to a dewalt 704 but a B&Q own make and 14 years old.

My old one was a 12" blade version and I have 2 spare blades for it so woul prefer another 12" if I can get one. However It will only be used for DIY use so I cannot warrent spending a lot of money on one, but at the same time I want it to be accurate.

I guess I could sell the 12" blades I have and get a different size saw.

Anyone any recommendations?

Many thanks
Adam

 

[stef99]

Perosnally I use a CHinese rexon, but I wouldn;t recomend it as it's Chinese.

I have seen some really small Mitre saws in B and Q recently for less than £60.
Since its for DIY I would have a look at it, as it's small and compact.

Other than that, any main brand will do.
Especially if its just the ocassional DIY.
Bosch will always last longer, but you pay a premium for it.

 

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Thanks, just worried how accurate they will be. There is no point getting one if I can cut just as square by hand.

 

[stef99]

hmm, you mean "how do I cut square by hand". then my best advice is to use less pressure, take your time and take light strokes with the saw.

mark a line on it with a t square, and hold the saw correctly.

I'm sure theres a video on youtube for it.

If your just looking for a cheap mitre saw, then maybe a cheap mitre block maybe useful?

https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/p...=X&ei=q-Z9VJrAJaTn7gb0m4DQAw&ved=0CLABEPMCMAM

 

[ntb]

How about repairing it?
http://www.partshopdirect.co.uk/dewalt-spindle-and-gear-p146736-01/

Or there's a 110V one on ebay.

 

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I did think about repairing it. But thought i could be throwing my money away. I bought it second hand the other year. Already had to repair the bevel lock. So don't know it's full history.

Anyone know what the cheap ones are like in b and q?

 

[ntb]

You are going to be disappointed with a cheap one and I can't say that I've noticed any budget 12" saws. If you don't need such a big blade then Hitachi come with my recommendation as a cheaper alternative to Makita, Bosch etc.

There are some keenly priced Metabo ones on sale at Toolstop at the moment. Not sure if they're proper German ones or made in China but they could be worth a punt.

 

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Don't really need a blade that big. Just that i have two spare brand new blades. Think I am best to sell them on.
Would you recommend a 10 inch blade over an 8 inch?

Thanks for the tip. I'll have a look at the site.

 

[ntb]

If all else is equal a bigger blade is better because it allows you to work with bigger timber. But the reality is that you pay a premium for the convenience and you may never need it. I get by with one of these:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/hitachi-c8fse-jr-216mm-single-bevel-compound-sliding-mitre-saw-240v/32390
I bought it before I went pro, 10 years ago or more and I still haven't felt the need to upgrade it. It's very rare that I work with timber too thick to cut with it and even then I just cut one side and turn it over to cut through.

You'll have to decide based on what you intend to do. For me, the extra money gives me more utility spent on different blades and a DeWalt DE7023 mitre saw stand.

 

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Thanks for the advice.
I'll mainly be using it to cut timber for studwalls, Skirting and Architrave. Maybe flooring too. So I guess I don't need a big blade really. The width of cut is probably more important.

 

[ntb]

You're welcome. Let us know what you end up with and what you think of it.

 

[ads1]

I will do. Might keep my eye out for a good used one. For the amount i will use it might be better. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I'll mainly be using it to cut timber for studwalls, Skirting and Architrave. Maybe flooring too. So I guess I don't need a big blade really. The width of cut is probably more important.

I hade a Makita MLS100 for a long time (10in blade), not a slider, but big enough to cut 3 x 2 studding, 4in skirting and architraves, etc. It was cheap (circa £100 at the time) and could be set-up to be acceptably accurate. The need to cut larges stuff, like 7 x 2 joists, 9in skirtings, etc led me to replace it with a deWalt DW771 (like the cheaper DW777 and similar capacity to the Hitachi mentioned above) which is now my "everyday" saw - because it's small enough to go into the boot of a car, unlike the 10in dual bevel machines, whilst having enough capacity for 90% of what I cut.

Might keep my eye out for a good used one. For the amount i will use it might be better.

There's the rub. Personally I doubt that you'll find a "good" one secondhand - they tend to have a fairly hard life and it's the sort of thing you get rid of only when it's going to cost you serious money to repair - so if you ever do see one go over it with a fine tooth comb! You will find a secondhand DIY tool easily enough, but TBH the quality/accuracy/durability of most leaves a lot to be desired

 

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You are right, having looked at a few second hand ones. I have realised some poeple just don't look after their tools.

I'm going to wait until after Christmas and probably go for the Hitachi one as that seems to fit the bill for the money.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

There are some interesting deals around, such as this, but I can't help feeling that prices have really gone up a lot in the last 12 months. Possibly because all the retailers have now dumped their pre-recession stock and the building trade is starting to pick-up again. As to a £60 mitre saw you mentioned in an earlier post, I have to wonder what you actually get for that - I pay £30 to £60 per blade to get a tecent quality high tooth count blade (80 to 100 tooth on a 216 to 260mm diameter) - and the £30 level is really for "remaindered" stock when I can find it. Sort of puts cheap saws in perspective, I think

Just think on., though, a 24t blade on a 216mm saw is only suitable for stud work - for skirtings and achitraves you'll need a blade with a higher tooth count (48 to 60t) and for laminates even higher (72t and up)