Kobalt 10 Inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw Video Reviews
Miter saws are extremely handy for woodworking, and sliding varieties expand crosscutting capabilities even more. There's a saw for any budget, merely which is our prediction for "Best Bet"?
The crude functioning of my first sliding miter saw many years ago gave me reason to believe that "sliders" weren't accurate enough for precision woodworking. But boy accept these saws gotten improve since and so! Today's versions have crisply locking detents for setting spot-on miter cuts, solid tilting controls for dialing in bevel settings and motor carriages that glide back and forth without a hint of slop. In fact, 10″-diameter sliders are a growing category because, thank you to their moving motor carriages, they can crosscut a 2×12 or a four×4 in a single pass. They will cut 1x or even thicker stock up to most 8″ wide when prepare to maximum chemical compound miter/bevel angles. Then, when cutting is done, most are reasonably easy to lift and comport from one job to the next. They simply might be the perfect miter saw for both jobsite and woodshop.
Nosotros last tested ten″ sliders in 2008, so it'southward time to take an- other look. I installed a new Freud 80-tooth Thin Kerf Ultimate Cutting-off Blade and put today's models through a roughshod test, making 50 crosscuts and fifty compound cuts through 1-3⁄4″.-thick, 10″- wide difficult maple. It offered me the gamble to examine many attributes: motor ability, smoothness of cut, accuracy of the rail systems and locking settings and ease and convenience of other important features.
Grit drove on a miter saw is important — they produce lots of it — so I continued an empty shop vacuum or dust extractor to each one during cut. The saw's dust port size deter- mined which vac I could use with information technology. Once washed sawing, I swept up and weighed what didn't get sucked away.
VIDEO: Picket the Miter Saw Dust Collection Test
After my maple plank was chopped to $.25, several of these models tested impressively, merely only one earned our "Best Bet" honors. Here's how they sized up.
Bosch CM10GD
Street Price: $699
Bevel Tilt: Left, Right
Motor / Soft-start: 15 amp / Yes
Miter Detents: 0°, fifteen°, 22.5°, 31.vi°, 45°, lx°(R) Weight / Laser Guide: 64 lbs / No
Base of operations Width / Acme: 26-7⁄8″ / 3-7⁄viii″
Web / Phone: www.boschtools.com / 877-267-2499
Information technology's easy to warm to Bosch's unique CM10GD miter saw, considering it's loaded with friendly features — starting with the controls. Just a quarter twist of the front lock knob releases and swivels the table for setting miter cuts, and it snaps firmly into 10 detent positions. Or, squeeze a release below the knob to override the detents, then lock the override on by thumbing a switch alee of the twist knob. Even more helpful is a front end-mounted lever on the left that locks or unlocks the saw carriage so yous can tip it off of vertical for making bevel cuts. Well-nigh saws locate this control in dorsum of the automobile, so you must accomplish in back to discover information technology. The up-front convenience makes setups a cakewalk.
Powering up this saw's 15-amp motor is like shooting fish in a barrel for either lefties or righties: the trigger is ambidextrous, with dual safeties. A broad contend with milled texturing supports tall workpieces deeply. Since the motor tips both ways, the fence "wings" slide open up hands for blade clearance.
Bosch bankrupt from convention by doing away with the usual two-rail manner for sliding the motor carriage back and forth. Instead, there'due south an Axial-GlideTM system: four bulky control arms fold open and airtight on six pivot points. The sliding motion is silky smooth and stone-solid.
During my tests, the CM10GD sliced maple with verve. Cuts were flat and glassy, and the saw held its miter and bevel settings precisely. Axial-Glide also eliminates the long rail projection behind the saw when ordinary sliders are pushed fully into a cut. Since all the sliding movement happens ahead of the command arm mountain, this saw'due south base takes upward just 21″ of workbench, from front end to back. That's proficient, because at a hefty 64 lbs., you lot may want to get out this saw in one place.
Even with a dust extractor'due south aid, the CM10GD spat a rooster tail of dust into the air with every cutting. Here's why: the dust port is divide from the upper guard instead of being office of it. Information technology seems to be too far away from the bract to capture the spray effectively. I collected about 13.40 ounces of sawdust from on and around the saw — the poorest functioning here.
Grit drove bated, this is a fine saw. But, some others cut just as well and keep the work area much cleaner while costing less.
Craftsman 10″ Compact Sliding Miter Saw
Street Toll: $249.99
Bevel Tilt: Left
Motor / Soft-start: xv amp / No
Miter Detents: 0°, xv°, 22.5°, 31.six°, 45°
Weight / Laser Guide: 43 lbs / Aye
Base Width / Summit: twenty″ / 3-one⁄2″
Web / Phone: www.craftsman.com / 800-843-1682
Released just last summer, this new Craftsman 10-in. Compact Sliding Miter Saw is taking firmness seriously. The motor carriage rides on a pair of tubular rails that are fixed in place and projection forward over the saw'southward base to save forepart-to-dorsum space. Tucking the rails this fashion enables the saw to sit down on a work surface just 19″ deep, and since they don't slide back, they can't blindside into a wall like other moving runway designs. Very overnice. They're also offset from 1 another vertically instead of aligned side by side, to help stiffen the motor wagon against twisting when you bear down and push button through a big cut.
This saw's base also saves bench space left-to-right: information technology'south just a hair over twenty″ wide. When you lot need to cut long workpieces, a pair of tabular array extensions pull out on steel rods to offer 40″ of overall support. A tip-up red stop on each one helps you fix uniform cutoff lengths.
If you need to motility this piddling saw around, its cast- aluminum frame keeps the weight manageable at 43 lbs. There's one downside to compactness, though: the table surfaces at the end of the debate are pretty small, which tin can make broad workpieces like my exam lumber experience tippy. So, be sure to use the hold-down clamp that comes standard with this, and every other saw here. Besides, while the fence has a tall wing on the left, it'due south very short on the correct side of the blade, which limits vertical back up at that place.
I noticed a chip of side-to-side play when snapping this saw's base into nine detents for setting upwardly miter cuts, but one time the lock knob is tightened, the slop vanishes. A plastic throw lever in back allows you to release and tip the motor up to 47° left for bevel cuts. Tighten the lever, and the bending setting stays put.
In my cutting trials, the Craftsman managed difficult maple well. Its sliding organisation produced offcuts that were uniform, indicating that the blade was tracking straight and true. The cut faces on my maple slices weren't drinking glass-shine, just still very acceptable. With the saw'southward 2-i⁄four″ I.D. dust port connected to a vac hose, this system channeled grit very well, rating third best at i.30 ounces.
A light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation with simple, tool-free punch adjusters is provided to assistance align the blade to a pencil line, and its crisp beam hits the mark where it should. Information technology'south not ofttimes that a laser feature really works so well for me. A zippered dust bag rounds out the standard goodies. For $249, Craftsman packs a lot of value into this infinite-saving slider.
DeWALT DW717
Street Cost: $449
Bevel Tilt: Left, Right
Motor / Soft-showtime: 15 amp / No
Miter Detents: 0°, 15°, 22.5°, 31.62°, 45°, 60°(50) Weight / Laser Guide: 51 lbs / No
Base Width / Summit: 22-iii⁄4″ / 3-1⁄2″
Web / Phone: world wide web.dewalt.com / 800-433-9258
Unlike some companies that pack their tools with every imaginable feature, DeWALT knows what the contractor or serious woodworker wants. Y'all may non get oodles of extras on this DW717, but what's here brings solid performance when cutting wood. I like the 4-1⁄4″-alpine fence: its textured faces keep workpieces from slipping during cutting. If you're trying to hold the narrow edges of crown molding confronting information technology when cutting them in the "nested" position, you'll appreciate the extra traction that provides.
Setting upward compound miter cuts is easy: DeWALT locates a big bevel tilt lever on elevation of the rail associates. It's a better position because it's easier to attain. Give information technology a plow and flip upwards a second pair of throw levers, and the saw tips left or right upwards to 48°. In improver to 0°, it also has preset detents at 22.5° and 33.ix° to suit typical crown molding angles (most saws accept one or 2 bevel presets for crown).
To adjust the miter angle, at that place's no twist knob: just thumb a release and swing the saw tabular array to whatever angle left or right. Let go, and the table volition finish squarely on 10 detents. Button the big front lever downward to lock it, and the bending won't budge.
DeWALT provides a traditional dual-track sliding design. When fully pushed through a cut, the DW717 requires about 26″ of demote depth to fit the base and those jutting track. It'due south not the biggest bench gobbler of this test group, but other meaty designs take less space. Nonetheless, the motor carriage glides on the rails smoothly, and they helped the saw's powerful fifteen-amp motor peel off one slice of maple after the next cleanly and consistently. You'll be pleased by the results.
This saw had flat-out impressive dust drove: after 100 cuts, I gathered just nether an ounce (.fourscore) of residue sawdust. The rest of it was drawn away efficiently through the car's 13⁄8″ I.D. grit port, using a dust extractor. If you work in a basement shop with limited fresh air sources, the DW717 will definitely help you breathe easier.
You can buy lots of extras for this saw: table extension, crown molding fence, a laser or an LED job lite organisation. In its basic form (shown), it sells for $449: non cheap, merely even so off-white for a pro quality tool.
Kobalt SM2507LW
Street Price: $179
Bevel Tilt: Left
Motor / Soft-commencement: 15 amp / No
Miter Detents: 0°, 15°, 22.five°, 31.6°, 45°
Weight / Laser Guide: 36 lbs / Yep
Base of operations Width / Superlative: 20-1⁄2″ / iii-ane⁄2″
Web / Telephone: www.kobalttools.com / 888-356-2258
If you frequent the tool aisles at Lowe's®, you've probably seen Kobalt'due south SM2507LW. And if yous were curious about its performance, or wowed by its super-low price of just $179, you lot might take checked the Lowe'due south website to read customer feed-back. Many rave about this bargain-priced saw. On the whole, I found myself agreeing with them after putting this saw through its paces.
It is left-tilting, with a traditional rails system that projects dorsum. That travel, plus the saw base, will crave well-nigh 24-i⁄4″ of bench depth. The motor carriage tips down smoothly, simply on my saw the return leap felt stiff. It pushed through cuts pretty smoothly on linear bearings. A large wing knob in back locks bevel tilt settings securely, and there are presets at 33.9° and 45°, too.
My test saw had a few idiosyncrasies: the factory setting for the argue was too far back, which prevented the blade from fully cut through the maple at the bottom inside corner. Loosening the argue's mounting bolts and shifting it forward corrected the problem. When I swiveled the tabular array and attempted to lock the table off of the nine detents, twisting the knob made the table pitter-patter to the right. That would be crusade for me to return the tool and get another one: a miter saw should lock positively wherever you set it. But, when snapped into its nine miter detents, the lock knob tightened properly.
Kobalt provides a laser feature that comes aligned to the right side of the blade. Right-handers volition want it to illuminate on the left side instead. Saw owners have remedied the problem by disassembling the feature and fixing it — it's discussed extensively online in the reviews; the manual'south adjustment procedure won't be sufficient. I also wasn't crazy about the trigger's left-side safe switch: it's hard to activate with your thumb without altering or somewhat opening your grip every time.
For plusses, this saw has slide-out table extensions with work stops similar to Craftsman that offer almost 42″ of workpiece back up — helpful! It made reasonably polish test cuts in such dense, hard material, and the offcuts were uniform for the most role. Some, however, showed signs that the motor caput might be twisting slightly on its track when starting wide cuts. Dust drove through Kobalt's ii-ane⁄4″ port was decent when continued to a standard store vac, placing it mid-pack at two.10 ounces of debris left behind.
Kobalt makes ship easy, too: the tool weighs just 36 lb. and has two sturdy carry handles on top. My sample saw needed a few tweaks, but information technology was no lemon.
Makita LS1016L
Street Toll: $499
Bevel Tilt: Left, Correct
Motor / Soft-showtime: fifteen amp / Yep
Miter Detents: 0°, xv°, 22.5°, 31.6°, 45°
Weight / Laser Guide: 52.2 lbs / Aye
Base of operations Width / Height: 25″ / 4-1⁄2″
Spider web / Phone: www.makitatools.com / 800-462-5482
Makita builds tools for pro users, and this LS1016L saw is designed with features that should exist very appealing to them. For starters, the tool has a generously wide and deep table area in front of the fence for better than average workpiece support, and a pair of nearly v″-alpine fence facings will lend good backup for cutting crown and wide base moldings.
The LS1016L has a unique rail way, besides: instead of two long tubes, Makita provides iv in shorter lengths. The bottom pair slide in and out from under the table, and the acme two move the motor railroad vehicle on its mountain. The combination creates a telescoping "stairstep" when pushed through a cut. It doesn't actually save space — the saw measures about 26-1⁄2″ from the tabular array's front legs to the back of the posts when extended — just Makita says shorter posts assistance ensure confronting deflection. And in my cutting exam, the motor tracked direct and true: both square and compound angle-cuts were polished smooth, apartment and uniform.
I dear the soft-get-go characteristic on Makita'southward 15-amp motor. When you clasp the trigger, the motor comes up to total power smoothly instead of jerking your trigger hand similar some practice. Makita also tips the motor upwardly at a steep angle, relative to the bract; that helps it clear the alpine contend when tilting to the right (it tips both directions). The design likewise allows the motor to drive the blade direct. Information technology's unlike from other dual-bevel miter saws, which take a drive belt between the motor and blade arbor that will somewhen wear out.
In order to swivel the table to set miter angles, you must push the lock knob in and twist information technology correct to loosen; information technology's counterintuitive to the usual right-tightening approach, but the blueprint is quick and effective once you get used to information technology. Miter angles lock deeply both on and off the detents. Makita provides two overlapping bevel scales in back, likewise, to help make settings easier to see from in front end of the saw without craning your neck.
Rounding out the accoutrements is a hold-down clamp and a laser guide, which was crude to fine-tune. Different the other saws, the Makita'due south bract does not come installed. Make sure you look in the packaging! You practise get a grit bag, the tool's port was slightly undersized for my Festool dust extractor, but it fits Makita's dust extractor hoses. Once I got mine continued, this saw delivered a mediocre dust drove operation, leaving iv.45 ounces around the piece of work area. But, if you don't mind extra dust, this LS1016L saw made commencement-rate cuts and was pleasant to employ.
RIDGID MS255SR
Street Price: $399
Bevel Tilt: Left, Right
Motor / Soft-start: 15 amp / Yes
Miter Detents: 0°, fifteen°, 22.five°, 31.6°, 45° Weight / Laser Guide: 59.half-dozen lbs / Yeah
Base Width / Height: 23-1⁄8″ / three-v⁄8″
Web / Phone: www.ridgid.com / 800-474-3443
Slicing through hard maple 100 times over is a taxing job with whatever of these saws, but I accept to say, information technology was enjoyable with RIDGID's MS255SR. That's because RIDGID's engineers take gotten but near every aspect of this tool right. Its pair of etched fences are a generous 43⁄4″ tall and slide easily open or closed, depending on whether yous demand to tip the saw left or right for bevel cuts. When you do, that job is uncomplicated: the bevel tilt lock is correct in front on the left, next to the miter lock lever. No reaching effectually needed. I wish the bevel scale were easier to encounter from in front of the saw — it'south tucked under the saw'south dual track — merely in one case you find your angle, the lock lever holds it securely. Miter settings either on or off the tabular array'due south ix detents are easy to set as well: pollex a slider knob ahead of the miter lock lever to hinge the tabular array, then push the lever down to lock.
The over-molded and comfortable grip on this saw is smartly designed: its trigger stretches the total width, and at that place are easy-to-reach safe- ties on both ends. The grip is also centered behind the motor carriage, making pushing easier. One downside, even so, is that at full throw, you'll need about 30″ of forepart-to-back bench space to keep from banging these rails into a wall. The saw is as well a bulky 59 lbs., only 2 handles on height of the tool make lifting information technology less burdensome.
RIDGID equips the xv-amp motor with both soft-start and feedback circuitry, so yous won't be startled when you squeeze the trigger and wake this beast up. The motor comes to life gently, and no matter how forcefully I pushed through the exam cuts, information technology didn't bog downward. Cut smoothness, flatness and off cut consistency was exceptional. Had I opted to use these saws' standard blades, RIDGID equips their saw with a practiced quality Freud Diablo® xl-tooth blade.
Grit collection via shop vac was extremely effective here through the tool'southward ii-1⁄4″ port. It scored simply behind DeWALT at only .75 ounces — second-best in this exam.
Other amenities include an articulated hold-down clamp with a quick-adjust push, cord wrap, grit purse and a dual-beam laser that is mod- erately helpful. Its beams project a path wider than the bract, so this laser will get you close only not spot-on to your layout line. RIDGID also includes a gimbal-blazon LED task lite that swings freely within its housing and settles by gravity. No matter what angle the motor wagon may be at, you'll get helpful illumination in the general cutting area. I wish all of these saws had a useful task light, besides!
For $399, this affordable, accurate and make clean-cut saw is a deal among its peers here. Check it out at your local Home Depot store.
RYOBI TSS102L
Street Price: $199
Bevel Tilt: Left
Motor / Soft-start: 15 amp / No
Miter Detents: 0°, 15°, 22.five°, 31.6°, 45°
Weight / Laser Guide: 34 lbs / Yep
Base Width / Top: xix-seven⁄8″ / iii-1⁄2″
Web / Phone: www.ryobitools.com / 800-525-2579
If affordability is the deal- maker for you, RYOBI'south TSS102L is priced to please at $199. The saw is engage- ed similar to the comparably priced Kobalt saw here. When you lot need to cut long workpieces, RYOBI provides a pair of steel bar workpiece supports on either side of the table that extend its overall platform to almost xxx-3⁄4″. They don't retract. A zippered dust purse helps to corral sawdust, or y'all can connect the 1-five⁄sixteen″ I.D. dust port to an extractor.
The table on my test saw swung easily upwardly to 47° left or 52° correct and locked crisply into nine detents. Or, skip the detents by squeezing a release lever under the knob with your alphabetize finger. A 2nd lever beneath that locks this override on. A twist-type knob holds your miter setting. It's besides uncomplicated to tip this saw's rail assembly left for beveling once you loosen a large wing knob in back.
RYOBI'southward twin-tube runway volition require about 281⁄ii″ of workbench depth for full forepart-to-dorsum travel. It's one of the longer saws hither but notwithstanding lightweight, weighing an easy-to-tote 34 lbs.
For other extras, you become a twin-beam light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation guide, but I found information technology difficult to align accurate- ly with the blade, because the beams motion off mark as you lot lower the blade into a cut. And the motor, while plenty powerful for all my cutting needs, doesn't ben- efit from soft-start. When you squeeze the trigger, it snaps to life abruptly with a jerk at the grip (and so do Kobalt and Craftsman). I as well noticed, virtually halfway through the cutting exam, that the saw's electrical brake was fading and taking much longer to stop the blade. The brake's effectiveness didn't improve afterward.
I'd similar to take at to the lowest degree i taller fence facing here for more workpiece backup; as is, the debate is a jumpsuit casting that's three-one⁄two″ alpine at just three narrow peaks. You can, of course, screw a scrap facing to this argue to make it taller or to aid close upwards the gap backside the blade (you can do that with the other test saws, too).
Curiously similar to Kobalt, the fence on this RYOBI saw was also bolted but a bit too far back on the table. I needed to loosen and slide information technology forward a nudge so the blade would cutting completely through the bottom back corner of the maple.
For dust tidiness, the TSS102L finished in 5th identify at 2.35 oz. All in all, this wallet-friendly saw, which is available at Home Depot, neither wowed nor disappointed me. It seems right-priced.
Who Gets Top Billing?
I often struggle between several deserving tools when selecting a "Best Bet" winner, but not here. With a articulate conscience, I think RIDGID's mid-priced MS255SR leads this pack. It is feature-rich, cuts beautifully and keeps the bench expanse cleaner. Even better, it costs $50 less than DeWALT — a saw I as well really liked — while offering more standard goodies. RIDGID as well backs the tool with a Lifetime Service Agreement that covers all defects in workmanship or materials and normal wear items for the lifetime of the original purchaser.
Some other Great 10″ Slider Option: Festool Kapex
For more a year now, I've had the skillful fortune of using Festool's sophisticated Kapex 10-1⁄four″ sliding compound miter saw in my store. It has a powerful, variable-speed, soft-kickoff motor, a compact design with forrard fixed track and large, easy-to-set and easy-to-read miter and bevel scales. It also has the best laser guide for lining upwardly cuts that I've ever used. Why didn't I test information technology here, yous might wonder? Well, at $1,400 street price, this saw is twice the cost of Bosch's CM10GD and multiples the toll of the three budget-friendly models hither. I felt that cost disparity was besides great to make information technology a fair comparing. But make no mistake about information technology, Festool offers a premium quality slider that would exist tough for a 10″ competitor to crush.
Source: https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/10-sliding-compound-miter-saws-tested-reviewed/
0 Response to "Kobalt 10 Inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw Video Reviews"
Post a Comment