Popular Woodworking 2008-12 № 173, страница 24

12" Sliding

Compound Miter Saws

BY ROBERT W. LANG

Testing the ultimate crosscut saws.

T

^^ hirty years ago, there wereri t many options for making wide crosscuts. The machine to use was a radial-arm saw. Expensive, fussy toset up, hardly portable and touted asa' do-it-alT device, the saw's head could turn and twist to make compound-miter cuts in wide material. Repeatingasetup fora mating piece, however, took a long time.

Then Delta came out with the Sawbuck, a small saw mounted on rails, supported at the front and back of a rotating table. This was a great leap forward, but was short-lived. Something better was on the eastern horizon.

1 litachi effectively made Delta's tool obsolete with the introduction of the sliding compound-miter saw. This wasan instant jobsite favorite, and its most important feature was its accuracy and repeatability.

Makita followed with a 10" version, and since then manufacturers have competed to make saws to make complex miter cuts on larger and larger mouldings, such as crown moulding. The saws in this test are designed to make life easier for the trim carpenter.

In the shop, however, the benefit depends on the types of cuts commonly made. Furniture makersand cabinetmakers can go years without needingto make a compound cut in wide material, and the features of these saws

ItAOItlOICJIIVAt I'AKKISH

that allow that could be something paid lor but never used.

The Price of Capacity and Accuracy

Because of their complexity, there is some play-in the head of even the best saw when it is fully extended. This can lead to cuts in wide flat stock t hat are rough or out of square. This can be minimized by careful technique.

Bringthe blade to operating speed then gently lower t he blade and start cuts at t he edge of the board nearest you; push back at a pace that doesn't strain the motor. If you move too fast you can flex the carriage and get a less-than-perlectcut. Saws with smaller bladesancl simpler mechanisms may be a belter choice for furniiure making or cabinetmaking.

Forthis test, we compared 12" dual-bevel, sliding compound-miter saws from Bosch, DeWalt, Hitachi, Makita, Milwaukee and Ridgid, ranging in price from about $550 to $750. We also scrutinized the new 10" saw from Festool, the Kapex. Our impression of t he Kapex is in t he sidebar on page 47. We also looked at a prototype of a saw with a video display. A review of that saw is online.

Aside from price, the differences among the saws were mostly in the features or combinations of features.

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A good group. Large-capacity sliding compound-miter saws will make nearly any imaginable crosscut. Choosing which one to buy may be a challenge.