10" Miter Saw Good Enough?

Brandito

ok first time posting a question of my own here, feel a bit like a n00b

here's the question, i did framing throughout my apprenticeship and decided to ask for a miter saw a couple christmas's ago so i could do trim work if the opportunity arose. i figured a 10" would be enough for interior trim work. i'd like to diversify my skill set a bit more.

i've not gotten to use it a great deal, which i planned for by getting the 10" instead of a 12". it's not a slider either, it's actually a dw713. my question is how good did i do? mind you this saw really only was intended for interior trim, and i've used it to trim a shed i built recently.

it seemed like a 12" might be overkill for interior trim at the time, but it seems most of you guys use 12's as well as 12" sliders so i'm beginning to second guess.

seems like the few times i've worked around the trimming crew that they had smaller 10" saws mostly which is what i really based my decision on. as a framer it's rare that i'm in a building long enough to see any trim guys go to work.

so what will my limitations be as far as material? i just don't have the experience with trimming to know how much, if any, my saw might limit me cut wise.

pinwheel

Standard base, casings, base shoe, ect, you'll be just fine. Wide base or wide crown is a different story.

Brandito

that's kind of what i figured. so it sounds like i'll be fine for basic trim, which is what i figured when i got the saw.

thanks for the quick reply!

AndersonsWworks

Is it a compound saw? If not you are pretty limited on the width of the trim. I use a 10" compound miter and can do 4 1/4" base pretty comfortably but sometimes I wish I had a 12".

Rocky

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chris klee

i had a 10" delta before i started doing trim and stuff, and used it for a couple years in.
for 90" of the trim i do, i could use a 10" compound. the 12 makes 5-1/4 base alot easier. i think the 10" dewalt will cut that standing up iirc.
either way, if your new to trim you will wear that thing out about the time you need a better saw.

Brandito

yes it's a CMS

good to hear! i'll have to check that 5 1/4" base stat though.

WarnerConstInc.

I use a 260mm saw. It will do whatever I need it to.

Slides just give you more cross cut capacity.

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Rustbucket

I started out with a 10" CMS back in the early 90's. It was a Craftsman with cast iron base. I swear it is heavier than my 12" SCMS Milwaukee! I still have it, and still use in now and again. Worked great for what I used if for back then. Combined with my worm drive, I built a lot of decks, fences and trellises, and did a lot of trim with it back then. It won't handle larger trim, as many have mentioned. But, for the stuff that goes into most average homes, it worked fine.

TBFGhost

....I have a dual bevel 10" Delta Saw I use ALOT. But for the larger jobs I take my 12" Slider...

10" CMS




12" Slider

WarnerConstInc.

Are your saws doing the nasty again?

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RobertCDF

Glad to see censorship has come to tool pics as well... My wife will finally stop yelling at me for looking at pictures of saws...

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woodworkbykirk

when i was a 2nd yr apprentice i bought a hitachi 10" compound mitre. it was good at first, fine for 4" wide mouldings but that was it. as i started doing crown more often the saw had to go i sold it off and bought a Bosch 12" dual compound mitre saw. love my bosch super accurate since i only use it for trim but hard on the lower back its the heaviest non slider on the market. the next saw will be a 10" dual compound slider either makita or another bosch, not as heavy with greater cut capacity only thing is ill have to switch to cutting crown on the flat as opposed to upside down and backwards as i was taught

if you can handle having two saws, keep the 10" for framing use it for a cut station and for decking. get the 12" for trim but avoid dewalt, ive found their bearings get bad too quick which leads to blade wobble and sloppy joints

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putting down subfloor with glue and screws, well i saw dr. smith and the robot too , i had a martian burger and a sonic shake

Brandito

i've never used a miter saw for framing, just don't really see that around here.

good advice though guys.

say i were to go larger, 10" slider or 12" non-slider? and how important do you guys think it is to go for dual bevel? i know dual bevel would likely come in handy, i don't guess it would hurt, well except the wallet

chris klee

For a saw that can cut 5-1/4 base, I hardly use it. On the 10" I used to have, I used the bevel everyday. It was only single, and flipping 15' base around to get the right miter sucks.

Warren

I have owned both miter saws and slide saws. Currently I have a 12 inch milwaukee slide and a Dewalt slide. We do mainly framing and occasionally exterior trim. We rarely use the slides for framing. For exterior trim however it is a must. Most framers eventually will end up doing a decent amount of exterior trim and therefore I think the slider is necessary.

Fyrzowt

Those are the 2 saws I have - a 10" Makita slider and a 12" Bosch non-slide. I always go for the 10" unless I'm doing crown. The 12 has a taller fence for crown.

The 10" cuts a wider board, and I feel that the smaller blade is more accurate.

I prefer the dual bevel saws.

Dave

woodworkbykirk

flipping long stock around also sucks if your in tight quarters and run the risk of dinging painted ceilings. also if your like me and have chewn up shoulders spinning long stock puts alot of tension on the rotator cuff

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putting down subfloor with glue and screws, well i saw dr. smith and the robot too , i had a martian burger and a sonic shake

Brandito

can anyone recommend a good book for finish carpentry?

saw in a few threads some books guys recommended for framing, and picked, "A Graphic Guide to Frame Construction"

has a lot of good stuff in it i can reference when i just haven't done something before, wondering if anyone might know of a similarly good book for finish carpentry.

i till have all my workbooks from my apprentice training as well as our huge text book. the text book doesn't detail a lot but it's got some good stuff in it too. i've looked back a few times through my old work books to refresh myself on something i haven't done in a while. they don't have much info in them though as they mostly contained details on what the shop projects for that week of classes would be.

chris klee

That's why I got a dual bevel saw. My shoulders would always Hurt. Not as much after getting the 12" dual bevel.

Fyrzowt

Taunton's "Finish Carpentry" is a good one, put out by Fine Homebuilding.
It's broken down into different chapters - each chapter is written by a different carpenter, and on different subjects, such as Crown, Windows, Paneling, etc.

I've enjoyed reading/re-reading mine.
About $18 in the US, $26 in Canada

Dave