Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-3, страница 62

TOOL REVIEW

Craftsman: Dual bevel scales with vernier gauges and bevel detents at 0° — and 33.9° and 45° both left and right — make the saw easy to set for common bevel angles. The locking knob is around back: not the most convenient location, as you have to reach around the saw.

Craftsman

Model: 921201 Price: $400 Phone: 800-377-7414 Amps: 15

Performance Score: 25 total

For more info on the web: use our CJH

bladed Hitachi surprised me as it produced cut edges nearly as clean as the 60-tooth Bosch. Incidentally, each saw has a built-in arbor lock for convenient blade changes, but not all work the same: The Festool's rotating knob locks and stays in place during blade changes. With the others, you must hold in a button to lock the arbor.

Cutting Power

Bosch............3

Craftsman.........3

Hitachi...........4

Makita..............5

Metabo...........3

Festool...........4

The ability to cut through thick hardwood planks or heavy, wet construction lumber is a factor of a sliding compound miter saw's motor power. Five of the seven saws in this review employ motors rated at 15 amps, the exceptions being the 14.5-amp Festool and 12-amp Hitachi. To test the power each saw actually had on tap (amperage is only a rating of how much electricity goes into a motor), I cut up some thick scraps of oak and rock maple. Dozens of cuts later, I found that

the Makita and Festool saws were the ones that handled difficult cuts with the least drop of motor RPMs. Both saws have electronic constant speed control as well as soft start (the Festool features variable speed as well). The 15-amp Metabo, Bosch and Craftsman delivered power that was only a small notch below the leaders. Surprisingly, the Hitachi's cutting power wasn't far behind either, despite its smaller 12-amp-rated motor.

Operating Smoothness

Bosch............3

Craftsman.........2

Hitachi............4

Makita............5

Metabo...........4

Festool...........5

Next, I evaluated how easily and smoothly each saw's sliding and pivoting cutting action worked, as even the most precise, powerful saw isn't worth a darn if it's a bear to cut with. The sliding action of the Festool, Makita and Metabo felt extremely silky and precise, although the Metabo's pivoting action was stiff and a bit clunky. The Hitachi was also a smooth operator, but it required a bit more effort to slide through the cut. The Bosch 4410L had a very smooth sliding feel, but I felt as if the workpiece was too far away from my control of the cut. The slides on the Craftsman were very rough and required some adjustment before sliding smoothly. The auto-retracting blade guards worked well on all the saws, and I particularly like the Bosch and Craftsman guards that feature small wheels on their leading edges to prevent the guard from hanging up large workpieces.

Angle Setting Ease

Bosch............3

Craftsman.........2

Hitachi............4

Makita............4

Metabo...........4

Festool...........5

A good sliding miter saw should be easy to set for all manner of miter, bevel and compound angle cuts, then reset for square cuts quickly and accurately. Five of the six saws have controls at the front of the saw for locking in miter angles and a lever or knob around the back that secures the saw's bevel angle — a simple and effective arrangement. In contrast, the Bosch features front-mounted miter and bevel controls. It's a clever idea, but I found the controls fussy to use. Both the bevel setting and miter "micro adjust" mechanisms require so many steps to implement, it reminded me of the hokey-pokey (you pull your lever up, you slide the big knob back...). The Craftsman also has a micro-adjuster for setting precise miter angles, which I liked and found easy to use.

All miter saws have built-in stops at commonly used angles (0°, 22.5°, 45°, etc.), and most models use a lever mechanism to lock angles positively. The Metabo's spring-loaded miter angle stops felt a little loose, as did the Bosch's. Both had to be set gingerly. In contrast, the Festool's miter stop lever was a bit stiff to operate, but it locked rock solid and dead-on. When setting miter angles on the Craftsman, its table was hard to rotate and made a grinding noise I couldn't eliminate. I liked the large miter compass scales on the Makita, Festool and Craftsman saws, which made it easier to set odd angles precisely. The location of the Makita's scale at the far right of its table took some getting used to; it's not as convenient as it is on the other saws. I also prefer the printed scales to the cast-metal scales on the Bosch and Metabo sliders.

Tool Review continues on page 64 ...

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June 2008 Woodworker's Journal