There are many tools that started off in general carpentry that were later adopted by the woodworking community. Table saws. Nail guns. And, the powered miter saw.
Originally identified as the chop saw, manufacturers have added more features to their tools – sliding heads, compound miter cuts, laser guides and the like. As these saws became more powerful and capable, woodworkers have moved these saws into their shops for the mundane tasks (cutting boards to length) all the way to the trickiest (cutting joinery, making complex miters, etc.)
Today, tell us what you think about these powered miter saws. Are they critical in your shop, or just a waste of time?
I do much more power cutting then hand cutting, so this machine really comes in handy.
I had a 10″ compound miter saw that I recently sold.
I picked up a Kobalt 7 1/4″ sliding compound miter saw from Lowes. I really like the little saw. It can cross cut a 2×8 and is much quieter. A 60 tooth 7 1/4″ blade is much finer than a 60 tooth 10″ blade (and is cheaper).
I recommend it.
I voted “mighty handy to have”.
Great tool for a shop. It is capable of precison cuts. I like the stops sets at standard angles. I like being able to make precise cuts (my pricision with hand tools and hand controlled tools is abject failure). BUT WHAT TO DO WITH DUST COLLECTION? It leaves quite a huge mess in the small shop that has shared space.
I have a DeWalt chop saw that I use for home improvement projects and a restored Stanley 360 miter box and shooting boards for furniture work. I chose “mighty handy to have” because nothing beats a chop saw for trimming 2 by 4 studs in wall construction. My house has an unfinished basement which is my shop so I was thrilled to have a sliding compound chop saw again.