Let's talk...mid-range mitre saws

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Cheesefood

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I'm looking at mitre saws because I want to put up new moulding on my new pad. After that job, it might not get used again for a while, and when it does it'll probably be to cut studs for my basement. So I don't want to spend a lot on it since it won't get a ton of use.

Two models I saw at HD are the Ryobi and the Rigid. The Ryobi is the cheapest ($199), the Rigid is probably second cheapest ($260). Both have mixed reviews on Amazon.

Anyone have a recommendation?
 
Are you doing crown molding or just regular molding? If crown, you'll need a compound mitre with a decent size blade. Do you have a HOBO near you? They typically have pretty good deals on tools. For the amount you're going to be using it, you certainly don't need contractor grade.
 
Never used the Ryobi, but I'd be a little leery of getting the bottom-of-the-line for a CMS---I might be willing to get Ryobi or Black-n-Decker for sub-$50 tools where I don't mind too much if they break---but spending $200 on anything from Ryobi doesn't sit well with me.

I've had this Ridgid model for a couple years, have used to quite a bit, and have never had a single problem. It's easy to use and adjust, it's built very solid, and I'm a fan. Given Lowe's awesome return policy, I'd rather have bought one there, but we had a stack of Home Depot gift cards, so...I just hope that, if anything were to happen, HD would be as cool as Lowes when it comes to returns. But I digress---go with the Ridgid. I don't trust Ryobi any more than I trust B&D.
 
rdwj said:
Are you doing crown molding or just regular molding? If crown, you'll need a compound mitre with a decent size blade. Do you have a HOBO near you? They typically have pretty good deals on tools. For the amount you're going to be using it, you certainly don't need contractor grade.

I don't know if we're going to do crown moulding yet. I agree that contractor grade is more than I need, I just want one with a good guide and accurate, repeatable cuts. Obviously I want quality since I don't want to buy more than one CMS. I'm thinking about the 10" blade unless you convince me to go 12" blade. Given the house's proximity to a park, I don't think I'll use this for a jungle-gym or a fence, but I will use it for normal M&R and light remodeling.
 
Cheesefood said:
I don't know if we're going to do crown moulding yet. I agree that contractor grade is more than I need, I just want one with a good guide and accurate, repeatable cuts. Obviously I want quality since I don't want to buy more than one CMS. I'm thinking about the 10" blade unless you convince me to go 12" blade. Given the house's proximity to a park, I don't think I'll use this for a jungle-gym or a fence, but I will use it for normal M&R and light remodeling.

The only reason to go to a 12" is insurance for the future. You may not envision yourself needing anything but a 10 right now, but the first time you try to slice through a 2x6, you'll be wishing you had the 12.
 
Evan! said:
I've had this Ridgid model for a couple years, have used to quite a bit, and have never had a single problem.

That's the one I've been considering. B&D doesn't sit well either, I almost bought a B&D drill and the guy working there talked me out of it, saying that he sees a lot of B&D returns due to low-quality. Considering that the two drills I was looking at were about $5 difference (and I know that he has no clue what the margin is) I don't think he was really trying to make an up-sell.

HD has a great return policy. When my dremmel died, they exchanged it for me even though I didn't have my receipt (they looked it up).

I'm leary of Craftsman. They used to be the de facto standard for tools - my dad would buy nothing but Craftsman, but I don't think the quality is what it once was.
 
I have a 10" Porter-Cable compound miter saw that I love. Not sure how much it cost, it was a gift.

510X858VG7L._AA280_.jpg


Mine's got a frickin' laser beam, though ;)

Looks like this model is unavailable. but I also see a pretty-good looking Dewalt (another brand I would trust) at Amaon for $190w ith free shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005AUXJ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
 
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Cheesefood said:
That's the one I've been considering. B&D doesn't sit well either, I almost bought a B&D drill and the guy working there talked me out of it, saying that he sees a lot of B&D returns due to low-quality. Considering that the two drills I was looking at were about $5 difference (and I know that he has no clue what the margin is) I don't think he was really trying to make an up-sell.

HD has a great return policy. When my dremmel died, they exchanged it for me even though I didn't have my receipt (they looked it up).

I'm leary of Craftsman. They used to be the de facto standard for tools - my dad would buy nothing but Craftsman, but I don't think the quality is what it once was.

Good to know re: return policy. I have one craftsman tool---a 12" planer---and I love it. Really well made, no problems over the past few years. But yeah, I don't think they are what they used to be.

the_bird said:
I have a 10" Porter-Cable compound miter saw that I love. Not sure how much it cost, it was a gift.

510X858VG7L._AA280_.jpg


Mine's got a frickin' laser beam, though ;)

Looks like this model is unavailable. but I also see a pretty-good looking Dewalt (another brand I would trust) at Amaon for $190w ith free shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005AUXJ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Yeah, I've had great luck with all my DeWalt tools---drills, circ saws, jigsaws, etc. I've heard people talk some junk about DeWalt, that their quality doesn't justify the price, etc., but I haven't had any problems myself.

This would be another option.
:D Actually, for table saw, Grizzy Industrial is the way to go. I have the older one of these, had it for about 5 years, and it's just sick!

I wouldn't go the Amazon route unless the price is really really amazing. If you buy it at Lowes or Home Depot and something goes wrong, you can just bring it back and they'll refund or replace it---but if you buy from Amazon, you have to deal with the rigmarole of shipping, returning, etc. Just a thought.
 
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Evan! said:

This would be another option.
:D Actually, for table saw, Grizzy Industrial is the way to go. I have the older one of these, had it for about 5 years, and it's just sick!

I wouldn't go the Amazon route unless the price is really really amazing. If you buy it at Lowes or Home Depot and something goes wrong, you can just bring it back and they'll refund or replace it---but if you buy from Amazon, you have to deal with the rigmarole of shipping, returning, etc. Just a thought.


I'm not going the $4,700 route. But good thought on the returns. Most of the "great deals" from Amazon are refurbished.
 
I've got a Ryobi 10" CMS a while back for $99 and did a bunch of crown, chair rail, etc in the whole house. Can't complain. It can do 5.5" tall mouldings. You don't really need compound miters for smaller crown since you can just cut them "in place" against the fence.

medium.jpg

58556024.jpg



If I had to do it over again, I'd go for a higher end 12" like a Dewalt.
 
Cheesefood said:
I'm not going the $4,700 route. But good thought on the returns. Most of the "great deals" from Amazon are refurbished.

Not necessarily. My JET table saw (which so far, is just as good as I could have hoped) was brand-new, in the box, shipped for free. You've just got to be smart with what you buy.
 
the_bird said:
I have a 10" Porter-Cable compound miter saw that I love. Not sure how much it cost, it was a gift.

510X858VG7L._AA280_.jpg

Ditto, and I love it. About $260 new.
 
the_bird said:
Not necessarily. My JET table saw (which so far, is just as good as I could have hoped) was brand-new, in the box, shipped for free. You've just got to be smart with what you buy.

Yeah...I use Amazon for certain things, but when it comes to power tools, it has to be a REALLY good deal. Like the 2-gallon C-H compressor kit for $80 that I got from Amazon a few months back. Nothing even came close at Lowes.

But, at the end of the day, for most things, given Lowes' no-questions-asked-even-without-a-receipt return policy, I'd much rather drive 5 minutes to return an item than have to deal with shipping it back to Amazon...or even worse, dealing with manufacturer warranties.
 
the_bird said:
Not necessarily. My JET table saw (which so far, is just as good as I could have hoped) was brand-new, in the box, shipped for free. You've just got to be smart with what you buy.

I've got a PowerMatic 64 that I bought locally at a "tool store" (i.e. higher prices) for the internet price. No shipping, the handle the warranty service. Shop and you can find deals.

If anyone is interested, I love the PM 64 as well. I will rip a board so nicely that you can darn near READ through the cut off.
 
Well, it takes me an hour to get to a Lowes', and the local Depot's tool selection is a bit limited.

Cheese - as to onr of your original concerns, AVOID Craftsman, at least the tools aimed at homeowners (not the the "Professional" lines). From all that I was reading when researching the table saw, Craftsman quality is overall in the ****ter over the past few years.
 
I've needed the miter more often than the table, but they're completely different tools for completely different jobs. Buy 'em as you need 'em.
 
Miter's good for chopping, table's good for ripping. If you have to work with pieces that are bigger than 6" in more than one direction, the miter becomes useless...but trying to cut crown moulding correctly on a table saw is insane. Like Bird, I thik I also use my miter more than the table, but I've used the table quite a bit to build all the furniture I've built. I'd get the miter now, since you're working on moulding, and get the table saw later. You probably don't wanna go the route I went, though...Grizzly is really nice, top-notch equipment, but moving a 425lb table saw is not easy. Cast iron is so badass, though...
 
Danny Trejo is Mexican-American...but, then, all brown people look alike to you, don't they Cheese :D

Can't f*ck with Billy Dee, tho...

And Garnett looks like he's auditioning for a role in another Alien sequel...
 
Evan! said:
Danny Trejo is Mexican-American...but, then, all brown people look alike to you, don't they Cheese :D

In this case, YES.

I thought your avatar was a Ray Lewis / Ice-T lovechild.
 
Evan! said:
but trying to cut crown moulding correctly on a table saw is insane.

Cast iron is so badass, though...

I agree about cast iron. Now that I have one, I'll never own anything but iron...

As for he molding, only the length is a bear to handle. Once you have made a table saw sled, miters (even compound) are no big deal.
 
If DeWalt makes all their tools like they make their 18V XRP drills, I probably won't buy a non-DeWalt power tool ever again. At my previous job I did a lot of misc drilling and driving screws, and I went through a few drills. The DeWalt out-performed everything else I had ever tried.

Looks like that 10" DeWalt is in the same price range of the Ryobi, sounds like a no-brainer.
 
Thalon said:
If DeWalt makes all their tools like they make their 18V XRP drills, I probably won't buy a non-DeWalt power tool ever again. At my previous job I did a lot of misc drilling and driving screws, and I went through a few drills. The DeWalt out-performed everything else I had ever tried.

Looks like that 10" DeWalt is in the same price range of the Ryobi, sounds like a no-brainer.

I hear that. I have a 14.4v XRP (the 18v was much more expensive, and much heavier). It's the best drill I've ever owned.
 
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