Miter Saws-recommendations?

[XJEEPER]

Looking for some insight from those who use power tools on a daily basis in their trade.

My budget is in the $250 range and I've narrowed my search down to these models:

http://www.tylertool.com/mals10comisa.html

http://www.tylertool.com/dewdw10commi.html

http://www.tylertool.com/hitachi23.html

I've never owned a miter saw and have several projects coming up that will justify me owning one, instead of borrowing the bro-in-laws.

Most of my projects are finish trim related, although there will be some 2x4 framing as well. Laser guide would be nice but not a requirement. I have a nice worm-drive Skil saw for the wider stuff, and a Saw-zall for the really thick stuff.

TIA

 

[lesslimited]

Any of those would do the job nicely. The larger diameter blade and dual-compound cutting of the Hitachi will give you more versatility, but I have no actual experience with Hitachi saws other than using Beezil's while we were building his deck. I do think they're a bit goofy looking with all the decorative flourishes. My 10 year old Makita 12" slide dual compound is still rock solid, and my Dewalt 12" compound has survived several years of jobsite use. For $250 you can get a factory re-conditioned 12" Dewalt... http://www.amazon.com/Factory-Recon...ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1230504626&sr=1-7

I rarely use the compound feature. It's supposed to allow you to cut crown molding flat on the table, but cutting it upside down using the fence works better for me...

 

[Spudboy]

I have had the DeWalt 12" for several years and it has served me well. I have a few observations though.

I've noticed that the 12" blade tends to have more flex in it so it is tough to get a real precise cut on finish work where you want it to look nice. A different blade with more/smaller teeth might do a better job. The big blade is nice for cutting 4" posts if you need to do that.

The 12" blades are harder to find at the big box stores. You'll pay more for them because you have to shop online or at specialty/tool stores for anything other than the most basic blades.

I bought mine before they came out with the slide feature. I would definitely get that if I were to do it again. I have built decks and sheds with mine and cutting the frames and decking would be a lot easier if I could use one saw for most, if not all of the cutting.

I have a Hitachi table saw and a 18v drill/driver and have been impressed with the quality of both tools. The color scheme is a little goofy though.

 

[XJEEPER]

Any of those would do the job nicely. The larger diameter blade and dual-compound cutting of the Hitachi will give you more versatility, but I have no actual experience with Hitachi saws other than using Beezil's while we were building his deck. I do think they're a bit goofy looking with all the decorative flourishes. My 10 year old Makita 12" slide dual compound is still rock solid, and my Dewalt 12" compound has survived several years of jobsite use. For $250 you can get a factory re-conditioned 12" Dewalt... http://www.amazon.com/Factory-Recon...ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1230504626&sr=1-7

I rarely use the compound feature. It's supposed to allow you to cut crown molding flat on the table, but cutting it upside down using the fence works better for me...

I've always cut crown upside down as well.

Thoughts on miter settings and how the pivot locks down. I see that the DeWalt has a spring loaded clamp handle, where the others have a screw clamp handle. I'm thinking the screw clamp would minimize deflection and keep the cuts more accurate?

 

[lesslimited]

Both the 10" Dewalt that you linked, and the 12" that I linked have cam locks with detent overrides, which sounds superior to the screw type.

My older Dewalt has the screw type with no override and unless you crank down on that screw, when it's near a detent it will pop into it, usually halfway through a cut.

And the screw sometimes tends to move the table a bit while you're tightening it.

Is there somewhere that you can go to play with the saws? Not necessarily operate them but at least get a feel for the controls and such...

 

[XJEEPER]

Both the 10" Dewalt that you linked, and the 12" that I linked have cam locks with detent overrides, which sounds superior to the screw type.

My older Dewalt has the screw type with no override and unless you crank down on that screw, when it's near a detent it will pop into it, usually halfway through a cut.

And the screw sometimes tends to move the table a bit while you're tightening it.

Is there somewhere that you can go to play with the saws? Not necessarily operate them but at least get a feel for the controls and such...

Thanks John, I'll be playing with saws later today........

 

[Bent]

The fences on the Dewalt tend to be more parallel left to right. Without stiffeners the 10" will give a smoother cut than the 12".