# Compound Miter Saw



## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

Anyone have experience with compound miter saws so that you can tell me if I'm nuts for looking at the Bosch 12'' Compound Miter Saw - 3912.

I'm also looking at the DeWALT Heavy Duty 12'' Double-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw but the price is a little higher, $679.00 versus $297.00 for the Bosch.

Now I know you get what you pay for but we are talking a happy home owner here with the usual crown molding, deck and other trim type work. Is there really $380.00 worth of difference between the two saws?

I'm also open to other suggestions if someone has a better idea. I'm leaning toward the 12 inch saws because of the crown molding work and because both the above saws have all the stops built in for the molding work.

Thanks in advance.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Bosch is a pretty good brand and not a bad price as well
When I bought mine I should have gotten the compound miter one
instead of the chop saw

Don


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

bill_pfaff said:


> Anyone have experience with compound miter saws so that you can tell me if I'm nuts for looking at the Bosch 12'' Compound Miter Saw - 3912.
> 
> I'm also looking at the DeWALT Heavy Duty 12'' Double-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw but the price is a little higher, $679.00 versus $297.00 for the Bosch.


I have the Bosch 3912 and am very happy with it. Ideally, I'd like the saw to be sliding, but have only run into a half dozen occasions where it would have helped. I've installed a 3/4" Maple wood floor (set on a 45 deg angle thanks to DW







), Built a swingset/climber, installed crown molding/baseboard/trim, installed a laminate floor (cutting at 45 degrees required two passes because it didn't slide), and basically used it for any other cutoff/miter tasks over the past 5-6 years.

In addition to the slide feature, I believe the Dewalt has slightly better settings (clarity and ease of use), but I couldn't justify the price difference I suspect you won't be able to either.

As far a Bosch tools go, I have a bunch and have been very happy with them.


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

I have the Dewaly 12 inch slider and if I had to replace it tomorrow, I'd buy another one just like it.
The slide feature has been used constantly.
The dewalt will bevel both left and right where alot of the others only do one direction.


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## GarethsDad (Apr 4, 2007)

Are you buying localy or off the net? As an outside sub I work for two custom home builders and there carpenters use Hitachi and Makita double bevel compound miter slide.


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## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

GarethsDad said:


> Are you buying localy or off the net? As an outside sub I work for two custom home builders and there carpenters use Hitachi and Makita double bevel compound miter slide.


Price I have is off the net. I'd like to buy local but haven't seen it anywhere locally. I'd say the price would be about the same if I did find it locally as the net price for the DeWalt is the same as Lowe's has it for.

Nathan, I'm confused. You say you have the 3912 but you wish it were sliding. The 3912 is sliding. Do you have an older model?

Sorry Nathan, I was out of control. You are right, the 3912 is NOT sliding. As usual, one must watch out for deceptive advertising. They show a big picture of the slider, but the fine print says it isn't a slider. Buyer beware I guess. That's why I check in here. At least I can get the straight story.

Sorry again.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

DH just bought a 12" Ryobi compound miter saw at Home Depot on sale for $199.99. The model number is TS1552DXL. This one came with the built in laser, unlike the Dewalt he bought and returned at Costco for $279.99 where the laser was sold seperately as an accessory for $60.00.

He has been very happy with Ryobi in the past, so he felt good about this one. We're getting ready to do crown molding throughout our house...can't wait!


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## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

skippershe said:


> DH just bought a 12" Ryobi compound miter saw at Home Depot on sale for $199.99. The model number is TS1552DXL. This one came with the built in laser, unlike the Dewalt he bought and returned at Costco for $279.99 where the laser was sold seperately as an accessory for $60.00.
> 
> He has been very happy with Ryobi in the past, so he felt good about this one. We're getting ready to do crown molding throughout our house...can't wait!


Ryobi has some nice stuff. I'll have to check it out..... Thanks


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

What you chose will be totally dependent on what you are trying to do and how often you will use it.

A "Chop saw" is a good all purpose tool for the homeowner. You are usually limited to cuts of about 6" wide at a 90 degree and 4" on a 45 degree.

A compound miter saw will swing both the angle and the bevel. These can be like a chop saw, or also have the additional feature of "sliding" on tubes. This tube feature will give you a longer reach on your cut.

The Hitachi sliding compound miter saw (10") is one of the best of it's type. Mikita also makes a good saw.

Pricing is basically dependent on quality. The more pricey saws USUALLY make more accurate cuts. And there is no substitute for a sliding saw when installing large crown molding. A small chop saw will do just fine for small projects.

If you will do a lot of woodworking, pay the price for the best saw you can buy.


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## Scott and Jamie (Aug 27, 2006)

You get what you pay for, most times. And if you buy a miter saw I would look at getting a sliding miter saw. I have many DeWalt tools out in my shop and love them. Was in a money pinch when I put down our floor and ordered a 10" sliding miter saw from Harbor Freight ($159.00). I've used the *&^% out of it for three years doing many many projects and it still works great. If I would of had the money at the time I would have bought the DeWalt 12" but the Harbor Freight one has done everything I've needed to do so far.

If you are a home owner doing some simple projects I would look at a cheaper sliding miter..if you plan to use it all of the time or build houses buy the DeWalt.

Scott


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## Drac (Apr 26, 2007)

Another dependency will be what you already have. Do you have a table saw? For me, when I bought my compound miter saw the sliders were not that critical, I have a pretty decent table saw with a sled. If I really need to make a long/wide cut, I can use the table saw for it. If you do not have a table saw, you may want to consider that as a first purchase. As 3LEES mentioned, it's really depends on what you are going to use it for and how ofter. I like making furniture so my needs will differ.


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## fspieg (Jul 31, 2006)

skippershe said:


> DH just bought a 12" Ryobi compound miter saw at Home Depot on sale for $199.99. The model number is TS1552DXL. This one came with the built in laser, unlike the Dewalt he bought and returned at Costco for $279.99 where the laser was sold seperately as an accessory for $60.00.
> 
> He has been very happy with Ryobi in the past, so he felt good about this one. We're getting ready to do crown molding throughout our house...can't wait!


X2 I have this saw. It's 2 years old and has been used to remodel my daughters house and build 2 deck's. Ryobi is not known for making commercial tool's but this has proven to be extremely rugged and reliable.


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## tripphammer (Oct 3, 2006)

My second career is as a general contractor (general remodeling, cabinet installs and finish work). I've owned 8 compound chop saws over the past ten years. Currently I use a Rigid and I believe it to be one of the best yet. This is hard for me to say since I am still employed part-time at Lowes and Rigid is exclusive to Home Depot. I believe the closest at Lowes would be the Hitachi brand. Milwaukee has a great slider but I'm not impressed with the accuracy of any of the sliders when it comes to finish work and putting up molding. None of them seem to handle the compound angles with any finite accuracy. DeWalt used to be good equipment, but it has cheapened over the past few years. Am not sure whether this happened before B&D bought them or afterward.

In conclusion, and to be a bit more to the point.... the Rigid 12" Laser or the Hitachi of the same would be my choices.

Take Care,
Tripp


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

We have two of the dewalt 12 inch compounds in our shop. One of them goes out on installations and the other is set up for use in the shop and is used constantly for cutting everything from small trim to 10/4 mahogany . We'd buy two more in a heartbeat, they've been great tools.

Buy a good blade as well, that'll make a good saw great.

Mike


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## JimBo99 (Apr 25, 2006)

I have had a Makita 10" for four years and it has done a heap of cutting. It is a slide compound model. Can't remember what I paid for it. Bought it from www.grizzly.com.

Jim


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## NAturedog2 (Jan 29, 2007)

I have a porter cable 12" miter saw, it has the laser also this is a very nice feature. If you can find one with the laser it is nice. My father does work with me and with the eyes going a little it helps alot. My wife got it for me at Menards ( a local home center like a homedepot) for 259 but that was some christmas thing where I think every thing in the store was 20% off one day. Anyhow. as far as sliding the cost is considerally higher (almost double) so it depends what you are going to use if for if it just a deck and trim them the 12" is fine if your going to be doing work with larger board: 2 by 8, 2 by 10 or even large trim 1by 8 I would then consider the slide, for me if I am using larger boards it is mostly ruff cost so a skil saw works fine.

Russ


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

I choose a Delta 12" compond saw because of the expandable table and 15 amp motor. Not a slider.

If you intend on cutting wood that is larger that 6" on a regular basis, then go with the slider. If not the extra cost is not worth it in my opinion. Use some of the money saved to buy a 60 or 80 tooth blade for working with fine cuts such as molding.

Regards, Glenn


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

I would suggest that whatever model you buy that there are a few features that are worth the money:

> Get the slide feature. Without it, a 12" saw will not complete a 45-degree cut all the way through a 2X6 laid flat. It will require two cuts.

> The laser feature will make your carpentry look like you are a pro. Cuts and lengths will be exactly where you marked them.

> Extensions for each side are a big plus, as well. They will help you hold longer boards flat so that you don't have to clamp or fight the board to hold it flat while cutting.

> Buy a "roller" type helper, with adjustable height, to help support those really heavy, long boards that stick out (like deck boards). It's like having a helper when cutting (and they can be used with a table saw, router table, too.)

Just my $.02 - but I've experienced all these little problems. ( I have a "hand-me-down" 12" Craftsman miter saw - not the new fancy double-miter, with laser, slider, etc.)

Mike


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

I have a Dewalt 12" Double bevel mitre saw. It is a great saw -had to reset all the adjustments to get it to cut square to the bed though but I am very picky.... I would buy it again in a heart beat. The Bosch stuff is high quality but I believe as someone else pointed out it may not be a full double bevel. Check the range of adjustment both right and left bevel -if this is a required feature. Not all the compound mitre saws have full dbl bevel.

IF/When this saw dies -I will go to a sliding saw due to it versatility and my small shop size.

If you are not in a hurry to buy watch Amazon very closley as they run promotions all the time and have free shipping too.

A website with a flavor like Outbackers.com that has a woodworking related "Bargain" alert forum is at this link. BT3Central.com

Happy hunting!

Map Guy


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## bentpixel (Sep 2, 2006)

I have the craftsman saw. The price was right. It has the laser mounted out front to indicate on the front and top of the work piece. It only bevels to the left, miters both sides.

Ceilings are rarely square so you maybe cutting close to but not on the stop points. One trick I read about to make gap free internal corners is to make no miter cuts on the wall you face when entering the room. The side mouldings are first mitered to find the profile then coped out to fit. This way when the wood contracts gaps will not be visible. A cool tool may make the external corners fit better.

Money spent on a good blade is worth it. I've had excellent result with Freud Diablo smoothing blade ( 60T I think) it render knife smooth cuts. To cut small stuff (>1") try a backer board against the fence, it will help bring the work to the lower part of the blade.

Also, (this lesson cost me some ruined material) when cutting the non-wood moulding I first used a nice and slow motion to cut. This invariably left a large melted glob hanging on the piece.







Some suggested that I cut faster like chopping with an ax.







It was uncomfortable the first few times but I did get a very nice finish.

My .02,
Scott


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

bentpixel said:


> I have the craftsman saw. The price was right. It has the laser mounted out front to indicate on the front and top of the work piece. It only bevels to the left, miters both sides.
> 
> Ceilings are rarely square so you maybe cutting close to but not on the stop points. One trick I read about to make gap free internal corners is to make no miter cuts on the wall you face when entering the room. The side mouldings are first mitered to find the profile then coped out to fit. This way when the wood contracts gaps will not be visible. A cool tool may make the external corners fit better.
> 
> ...


Good advice here. I have the cool tool too -use it for all kinds of angle checking.

Map Guy


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## marks (Nov 20, 2006)

I too, highly recommend a slider.

I have the 10" Makita slider and it has been fantastic. It will cut more sizes that a 12" fixed.

I got it at HD for 449.00 since they had a 100.00 off coupon.

Makita, Dewalt, HD, etc. sometimes has rebates on their websites.

MarkS


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

TrippHammer said:


> My second career is as a general contractor (general remodeling, cabinet installs and finish work). I've owned 8 compound chop saws over the past ten years. Currently I use a Rigid and I believe it to be one of the best yet. This is hard for me to say since I am still employed part-time at Lowes and Rigid is exclusive to Home Depot. I believe the closest at Lowes would be the Hitachi brand. Milwaukee has a great slider but I'm not impressed with the accuracy of any of the sliders when it comes to finish work and putting up molding. None of them seem to handle the compound angles with any finite accuracy. DeWalt used to be good equipment, but it has cheapened over the past few years. Am not sure whether this happened before B&D bought them or afterward.
> 
> In conclusion, and to be a bit more to the point.... the Rigid 12" Laser or the Hitachi of the same would be my choices.
> 
> ...


Good to hear. My trusty (and cheap) Ryobi just took a dump on me after several years of use. I picked up a Hitachi 10" compound (w/laser...which I don't know how I lived without! WAY COOL!) So far, I love that Hitachi saw. Price was around $170. I looked at some with the slide feature...very nice.


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

I have the Dewalt 12" Double Bevel. If you want to do good crown molding without making yourself nuts then the Double Bevel is the saw for you. I should say "true crown Molding". The angles that you have to cut at are not apparent nor even in my mind very intuitive.


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## E9E1CEF (Mar 1, 2007)

I bought the Dewalt two years ago during Christmas. Everything was on sale then so I couldnâ€™t pass it up. As a matter of fact, just the other day I had it out so I could do some repair jobs on the roof. Itâ€™s a heavy sucker







, thought I would get a hernia moving it from the garage to the portable stand outside.

CEF


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## fspieg (Jul 31, 2006)

And the winner is?







Please let us know what you decide on.


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## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

After considering all the feedback, thinking about what I was going to use it for, looking at the size/weight of some of the saws, and choking on some of the prices it came down to the Makita LS1013FL.

Locally available, good depth of cut, not too bulky/heavy, good reviews and only $499.

I know a lot of the other saws are probably better but I think the Makita will do everything I need and maybe even more.

Thanks again to all of you. Appreciate everyones input. I found all the information very helpful.


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## fspieg (Jul 31, 2006)

bill_pfaff said:


> After considering all the feedback, thinking about what I was going to use it for, looking at the size/weight of some of the saws, and choking on some of the prices it came down to the Makita LS1013FL.
> 
> Locally available, good depth of cut, not too bulky/heavy, good reviews and only $499.
> 
> ...


Sounds like a great choice. Now bolt it down to this http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/AC9944-Miter-S...hicle/index.htm and you will be able to take it anywhere with ease. Thanks for sharing your decision.


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## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

Sweet!

I've been looking at these but didn't find one I liked. Mainly because they didn't look very portable but it seems the Ridgid will do the job (and plus the price is nice).

Thanks again!


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## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

Go Yellow! ... get the slider too.








If you use the slider just once it is worth it! To not get a headache over
having to make a double cut... Just my .02









MaeJae


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