Woodworker's Journal 1993-17-1, страница 69

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Hitachi C Hi ll Makita LS1011

Ryobi TSS-220 Sears 23488

JanuanVI-ebruarv 1993 69

lhe years, I'll admit thai I had lo gel used io ihe chop/push action of a sliding compound niiier saw. Once 1 did. however. I found ihese saws to be much quicker and easier to set up and use. especially for making compound cuts. And. after you're through using the saw. you can lilt it off the hench and store it out of the w ay.

Features To Look For

Cutting Capacity: There's not much difference between the four saws here: all have a 12 in. crosscut capacity at MO degrees; and roughly 8'/: to 8V« in. al 45 degrees (see chari). The 10 in. Makita and 8'/: in. Ryobi have the same depth of cut at ^lMI degrees; the Ryobi has V» in. more depth of cut al a 4?-degree bevel, despile it's smaller blade. The Sears has about 2'/2 in. depth of cut at 90 degrees; I'A in. al 45 degrees; the Hitachi about '/)* in. more depth at each angle.

Cutting Performance: All of these saws made clean, precise cuts straight oui of their shipping boxes, with the factory-supplied blades (initial adjust

ments are made al the factory ). However. all have adjustment screws or bolts for squaring the blade to the fence and table, which you should check before operating the saw. All had plenty of power, easily slicing through the fir 2 by 8*s 1 used for my tests.

What impressed me most were the sturdy, well-machined sliding carriages on these saws: the Hitachi. Ryobi and Sears have twin-rail carriages mounted above the table; the Makita has a single sliding rail mounted beneath ihe table.

Although the carriage on the Makita looks as though it might be less stable than the others, ii isn'l: all of these carriage assemblies worked smoothly, with absolutely no delectable slop or side play. The only inherent drawback I could see in these designs is thai the sliding rods require periodic lubrication w ith machine oil. which attracts sawdust like a magnet. So, you have to clean the rods frequently to keep them operating smoothly. Ryobi has partially solved the problem by covering ihe carriage rods w iih a dusi shroud.

Hitachi (shown). Delta, and Ryohi include positive miter stops for cutting standard crown molding.

Miter!Bevel .Adjustments: Each of the saws are designed a bil differently in regard to ihe location of the niiier and bevel lock knobs. On ihe Hitachi. Ryobi, and Sears saws you lock the miter turntable by means of an easily accessible tw ist knob attached to the from of the table; on the Makita the table lock knob is located on the right side of the fence. On the Makita. Hitachi and Sears, the entire carriage assembly tilts to make bevel cuts; these have a bevel-lock lever