Best Table Saw And Sliding Miter Saw.

wackman

I've decided to in house some of the trim and finish so I'm going to get a couple new table saws and 12" sliding miter saws. These will be portable table saws but still of the more powerful line. I just wanted to see what the opinions were on the newest crop of each.

I know that Bosch has made a pretty good miter saw lately and I'm hearing good things about the newest Rigid table saws.

What do you guys think and why?

Thanks

Jeff

Multi-Tasker

As for a miter saw I use a Dewalt 12" slider.
The high fence is the best and I can adjust the miter by 1/4 th deg.
the saw is a little heavy at 60# though.But crosscuts 12"

Joe

dayspring

I have owned a Ridgid Table Saw (3 hp belt driven) for 3 years. For the money, it is very good and powerful and well built. I couldn't say about the newer ones. Takes awhile to put it together from the box and about 15 or 20 minutes to assemble and break-down on the job. I'm satisfied. I use a Makita 10 in SCMS, it cuts like a dream and lighter than the 12 in. which I don't really need and is $150.00 cheaper.

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Sider' Brian

As for a miter saw I use a Dewalt 12" slider.

Gets my vote.

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ApgarNJ

I have used the bosch 10" table saw now for a few years, it replaced an old makita saw, which sucked. i couldn't be happier with the bosch one, came with a stand, places for blades on the side, and it can open up and rip a full sheet of plywood down the middle. a little heavy but doesnt matter, it's a great saw. they just gotta make the base a little stronger.

my miter saw is a 12" dual bevel sliding dewalt. i like it, but i am not sure i'll buy another one. it cuts great, but it does struggle doing 45 deg bevels in hardwoods. maybe all of them are like that. lol

the new hitachi looks horrible, i might try a makita one next time.
it's almost good to have a 10 inch one too. the 12 inch blade tends to have too much waver in it for certain cuts.

joasis

I saw the new Hitachi yesterday...and it looks like it could land in your backyard and little green men would erupt from it.....Actually...I think it has some great features...but I wonder how long it will last in the world of the rough handling and real world use?

maj

DeWalt 12" SCMS = The best
Bosch 10" or 12" SCMS = real close second


DeWalt 10" contractor table saw = The best (the rack & pinion fence is sooooo nice)
Bosch 10" contractor table saw = real close second

Farmall

I have the Dewalt 12" slide and my brother has the Makita 10" slide, I like the makita better. A lot nicer cutting saw for finish work.

I don't do much table saw work so I bought a cheapo Ryobi, has a fold up stand and wheels. Actually works pretty well. I ripped a bunch of 1x12 maple planks and it had no troubles.

wackman

I agree about the new Hitachi. It looks like a toy.

Most of my Hitachi tools are tough as nails and work well but I have the 10" double bevel slider and it's really quirky. Some of the levers are blocked by the saw itself at certain angles. The fence is too short for a lot of things, espescially if I have a, over the table, jig. The height of the blade won't let me cut a true 4by4 (like rough cedar), the degree markings are painted the same color as the rest of the base so it's hard to read in low light or covered with sawdust and that's compounded because they're overlapped with 10th scale which gets a little confusing and lastly if you don't screw down the base then when you push the slide forward the saw wants to fall backwards off your stand. Suffice to say I don't think I'll get a new Hitachi. I do like the Makitas, they seem very accurate and well thought out.

I have the 10" Dewalt contractor table saw and have been very happy with it. I've checked it several times and it's never been out of square. Maj your absolutley right about the rack and pinion fence. It does seem expensive compared to the competition though.

Seems Dewalt is a favorite still. I've been feeling like their quality has gone down a bit. I bought a couple of the newest 7 tool 18v fat packs (with the crappy bag) and have all sorts of clutch and speed selector issues with the the hammer drills. I've never had that before and other guys with the new tools have been complaining too.

Maj, what do you like about the Dewalt slider over the Bosch?

Has anyone used the Makita 12" slider?

Deacon

I have the DW718 dual bevel, sliding compound mounted to a RIGID MSUV. Love 'em both. The workhorse of all my tools.

Currently have the Ryobi folding table saw but will be upgrading tpo the RIGID portable in the next month. The Ryobi worked well but is a bit underpowered.

There was a similar thread a couple of months ago in the Tool section. Check it out to see if it is still posted for some other opinions.

Redman

I have a 7 1/4 Hitachi compound miter saw and love it. its light very accurate and easy to use. Its a great all around saw, Its not built to cut big lumber like. but it is very veristile and solid unit. Still looking for a good table saw, I have used the bosch and was not to impressed with it. Didn't seam to have 'Guts' but that was a few years ago so they might have improved since then.

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kenvest

I've been using a makita 12" miter for along time and its always given great service. I do agree with someone else talking about blade deflection so a 10" slider may be the ultimate compromise. plus, 10" blades are alot cheaper than 12's.

I just purchased a Hitachi jobsite 15amp table saw and for the money (200 bucks), i don't think you can beat it. I shopped the dewalt for along time but i just couldn't justify $500 for what i'm doing especially sense its only rated at 13 amps. i wanted an inexpensive jobsite saw that would be powerful enough to rip 2 bys with no problem and 15 amps is a fairly sure bet for that. the rip fence isn't as nice as the dewalt but for ripping 2bys, i have no problems with it. it also comes with a stand/rollers but it makes it heavy so i left that stuff at the house. two thumbs up!

space ship? check out hitachis new jig saw and grinder!

tom_c

12" bosch slider, put a good blade on it. I put a 90 tooth hitachi blade on mine. Who ever designed this saw was knowlegable about it's use and incorporated some nice features that others do not have.
The only flaw so far I have noticed is the dust collection system or lack of. Might as well throw the dust bag away.......I did. But no biggy to me since I'm going to make a mess away.

I hope the other companies take note of all the features that bosch incorporated into their saw and follow suit.

This is the first bosh saw I ever bought and I am pleased. Ive used dewalt 12"slide, hitachi 81/2 , and the old 10.000rpm rockwells in my days. The Hitachi was a well crafted saw, dewalt was a decent saw,faster than the hatachi but lacked that good tight quality feel hatachi had. The Boschi is the next step in the evolution of the miter saw in my opinion.

cjc21021

I have a ridgid 12in compund miter saw and am looking to up grade to the new Bosch. I am stuck on weather to fork out the money for Bosch's portable table saw or the Ridgid thats a little cheaper. Some ridgid tools work great others are cheap it depends on the tool in my opinion.

dayspring

I'm not trying to convince anyone, because you are correct, every tool with the Ridgid name on it isn't the same quality. Before I bought a table saw, I shopped pretty hard. The little or mid-sized table saws just didn't fit the bill for me. So I was either going to purchase a Delta Contracors saw (The Real One) or something comparable. I chose the Ridgid because of availability in our area, and I'm not sorry at all. Just Friday I was ripping 2 x material with it, a good blade and it cuts through 'em like butter, powerful motor for the price. I like the lift that came with it, raise it up and move it around the room with ease.

SCMS, As I posted above.... Makita 10 in, no bells and whistles, well built and accurate, I don't like the place they put the degree scale (for lack of a better description) you have to move your material out of the way to read it. Other than that, me loves it!

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wackman

Tom c, what are some of the options on the new Bosch that you like? I havn't been able to find one to look at, let alone try out (I suppose I could just look it up on the web, but I'm a hands on type). I've heard a lot of good things and I believe it won best saw, overall, by Consumer Reports.

A+Carpenter

I have the Hitachis 10' and 12' I prefer them over the dewalts, It is only some of the non American tools I own. I do like them tho.

10' inch has lasted with heavy use. Cutting whole house packages in a days time. Never misses a lick

On the 10' I cut 3 to 4 2x4s @ a time without even making the motor hesitate.

The 12 is superb for the bigger timber we cut. Hitachi is very comformed to the users comfort handling.

Dewalt is a good compound but feels weak in the up and down motion.

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jicoll2000

I suggest if you do indeed get the Rigid Table saw and you go from site to site you need to hire another individual to help you load the damn thing. It is extremely heavy. This is a good and powerful saw and very durable. As far as the sliding mitre I have the Delta 10 inch slider and a Dewalt slider. Both very good saws.

bjg5240

DeWalt's 12" sliding compound miter saw is good choice with a nice finish blade. HomeDepot throws in a $75 giftcard w/purchase every now and then which makes it a nice deal. Also, DeWalt has a sweet miter saw stand for $200 which is well worth the $$. You can extend the arms and cut 16' trim with no problem.

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thinkncabin

I just have to sing the praises of the Bosch table saw. I have been using mine now for almost 2 years and could not be happier. I have the gravity rise stand and it is awesome. It is an easy one man load into a truck just set the handle on the tailgate and pick the wheels up and slide it in. the saw itself perfroms flawlessly. with extensions to the side and outfeed it will handle some good size material. Also has slow start on the motor along with plenty of power. It is worth every penny.

As for a SCMS I have to agree with the majority. I Love my Dewalt

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