Miter Saw for Keezer Build

[liquiditynerd]

Also with gluing mitred corner clamps are a life saver. $4 at harbor freight I think.

 

[TerraNova]

Even the cheapest Skil 10" table saw is rated at 15-amps. At 120V, that's 2.4 hp. Compare it to a 3 hp cabinet saw and it's like the difference between a 60's Beetle and a modern Modena.

This is true, BUT, for the regular home user a sub $500 table saw is more than enough. I have a Ridgid 4512. It is heavy as hell, cast iron top, and has a stable base. At first I was worried about the 13 amp motor but when I asked a friend of a friend to give me a demo of his saw of that model, he showed me how it cut through a bit of Ebony like it was softwood. Effortless and clean cut.

What he did tell me was to use a higher end blade. I said "ya ya ya" and blew it off. When I tried the blade that came with the saw when I got one and it cut nothing like the one I saw demo'd. Then I got a proper carbide blade (Freud Diablo) and it is as good as a saw that I have seen.

Yes a bad ass commercial cabinet saw would make my saw look like a toy but it is made for commercial use (and priced as such). It is made to be running non-stop cutting woods of all type 8 hours a day without break. I use my saw a lot and it works perfectly. I can produce furniture with my saw as well as I could with any saw on earth...I just wouldn't want to burn out my saw mass producing furniture/cabinets, which is what a commercial cabinet saw is used for.

The note about technique above is key. Watch as many videos or relatives or neighbors as you can. And get the best blade you can afford. Keep in mind the blade is really the saw that does the business of the cut. The table, mitre, and circular/worm drive "saws" are really just there to spin the blade and create a surface for you to line up the blade to cut accurately (complete over simplification but the over all point is correct).

If you are looking to use the tool for a specific task and don't really have too much of a use for it after you are done, there is nothing wrong with borrowing/renting one (you can probably get a demo from whoever you are borrowing it from. I have bought a cheap power tool before (a mitre saw, in fact) and I used it until it wore out so I got value for it as a semi-disposable inexpensive tool.

Just some things to consider.

And use CAUTION. Power saws are witches and they WILL take your fingers if you let them. My friend's wife's dad is missing thumbs from two separate occasions....THUMBS! (I probably would have really favored my remaining thumb after the first accident, but somehow he didn't learn his lesson and is now essentially no longer a primate).

 

[TerraNova]

Also with gluing mitred corner clamps are a life saver. $4 at harbor freight I think.

You can NEVER have enough clamps. Invest and have them always.

 

[thadius856]

Fair enough. Just a note that Freud makes amazing blades, but their Diablo line is generally regarded as not very good. I have a Freud Diablo 90T Ultra Fine Finish blade hanging in the tool shed that I paid $65 for to cut some furniture grade oak plywood, and it performed terribly. I bought six or eight $25 discontinued Onsrud blades (a few negative hook miters, 60t, two different 40t, a 20t, and a 8-tooth dado set) on eBay and they really blew it away. I've tried to give away the Diablo a couple times, and nobody seems to want it.

Agreed that most home users won't be able to push a cheap saw to their limits, with the exception of entry level jobsite/portable table saws. They just don't have the table or fence to accommodate full sheets. Most users (myself included) can't freehand full sheets solo on a saw like the without binding the blade up.

 

[TheKeg81]

You can NEVER have enough clamps. Invest and have them always.

I'll second this one. I've been doing work on my keezer and everything was taking about 2-3 times as long because I didn't have enough of or the proper clamps. Broke down and went to Harbor Freight yesterday and they happened to have (most) all of their clamps on sale and I bought 12 clamps of different styles and sizes.

 

[TerraNova]

That has not been my experience with Freud vs their Diablo line. I have a Diablo 60t ATB finish blade and a Freud 30 TCG blade (I use each for specialized cuts) and I have had no issues with either. Both have preformed excellent. I suspect Diablo is their economy line, but I would take their economy line over many other companies high end stuff based on my experience.

I have an 8" Oshlun 42 tooth Dado set and it KICKS @$$.

And yeah, even though my table saw is big and heavy enough to accommodate full sheets, it is still a bear to do by myself. I use my circular saw to break down sheet material and then fine cut it on the table saw. While I wish there was a single saw that does everything, the reality is that to the variety of cuts needed for intermediate level and above woodworking you need multiple saws. Table, circular, band, jig, reciprocating, and several hand saws for specific tasks. There is just no way around it. I thought for the longest time that I could forgo a miter saw...then I need to do mitered cuts on metal. NO WAY was I about to cut metal on my table saw. So the miter saw got added to my list.