Miter Saws Reviews

"Flush Cutting" means the blade literally slides on the surface and cuts protruding wood to that level - e.g., I've used it on many a stud poking out too far. Of course, you can cut above the "surface", as when shortening door-jambs because you are now installing ceramic tile. In such cases, this little gem of a tool is a God-send. I'm not aware of a competing electric tool, and although a manual saw could work in a pinch, this saw does a much better and faster job. The flush-cutting blades are quickly reversible, so you can cut right to left or left to right; depending on which is more convenient. Accessories include other types of blades, with rougher teeth or for ferrous metal (aluminum, brass, copper) cutting.

The 1640VS has no tool case.
The 1640VSK has a nice case, the miter "box" accessory, and several clamps.

In my opinion, the miter box is only useful in an emergency. The piece of wood to be cut vibrates too much, even when clamped, for a quality cut. It might do a passable job, if you plan to grout the joints, and paint the work, but don't use it for stained/varnished trim. Basically, the blades and tool design just aren't for finish carpentry. (I'm used to glass smooth cuts from my professional radial-arm-saw, or sliding compound miter saw.) For sure, any electric miter saw would do a significantly better job than this tiny miter box; in fact, any quality manual miter box would be preferable. Having said that, I'd still get the kit, just to get the nice tool box and small clamps.

The saw itself is mainly for remodelers or serious do-it-yourself types, since it's a speciality saw you won't use every day. When you need it, however, you'll be mighty glad you own one. Highly recommended.

5 stars for the saw and tool box - 1 star for the miter box.

Powerful and very steady balance. I have used this to cut door jams for laying tile. When I first turned it on, I was a bit skeptical; not wanting to loose a digit. Amazing power for such a small unit, but the balance of it at full power allows for an amazingly clean, and even cut w/ no kick back.
Expensive for a niche tool, but you would be amazed at the labour time it saves.
For door jams, you basically have to eye the amount to cut. I would suggest cutting the jam at least 2 times, the cut is so clean that if you over estimate the tile height, your can use one of your cuttings, to glue back after the fact.
I have also used this unit to "shave" interior window trim, that came out a hair too long on a miter saw.
This is a must have for a tile or window installer, for a homeowner; you will find uses for it.

I've used this particular saw before, but did not have one in my personal arsenal of trim tools. I like its ease of use. Actually, the job I purchased to used it on this go-round, I wound up not doing by recommendation of a professional trim carpenter friend of mine.

I had 4 windows and a door with jambs that needed to be built out to match the sheetrock for trimming. All required pine fill pieces, some of which went from 3/4" to 0" over a 6' length. The thought of cutting these huge "shims" with any accuracy on the table saw was a bit daunting. So, I figured I could easily cut myself 1" pieces, glue it into place, and come back later with the Bosch 1640 and flush cut them.

My friend discouraged me from doing so do to the fact that my 1" addition would require a "rip" cut rather than a crosscut for which the saw is actually designed. He also pointed out that the supplied blades were not conducive to rip cutting. Knowing the wood was going to be ultimately enameled, I knew there was a fudge factor involved where any small gaps could be spackled, and I opted to attempt cutting the necessary "shims" on the table saw. All worked well and the finished paint job looks wonderful.

However, I'm wondering if anyone has attempted longer rip cutting in a similar situation with hardwoods, (e.g., oak or maple that will be stain/seal/varnished) with any success? Also, do they make a "toothier" blade for the 1640 that one might be able to get reasonable preliminary rip cuts accomplished in harder woods?

I have owned this saw nearly a year and have just started using it extensively. It is like anything else in life I guess, it has it's good points, and it's bad ones.

The good news is that it does do a beutiful job of cutting. Clean, burr free, and quick. The bad news is that the blades are terribly expensive and not nearly as long lived as advertised. I would estimate that I get about 3-4 abrasive blades worth of cutting out if it before it is time to think about sharpening it. In my neck of the woods it costs nearly 50 cents a tooth ($36.00) to sharpen, so I can't say that it is cost effective. The material holding vice doesn't seem to be strong enough for the amount of vibrations you can sometimes get with this saw. (Mine is held on with a snap ring that sometimes falls off without warning). Push it a little too fast through some small diameter rod (5/16" in my case) and it will rip it right out of the holder, total the blade, and scare the heck out of anyone misfortunate enough to be standing where the material got tossed. (Only happened once, very light down pressure is essential, but they don't tell you that in manual that came with mine.)

I tried using Freud blades but was told by their factory tech support that they do not allow re-sharpening of their blades, and that the 14" Speed Demon was not sold in the U.S. but boot legged in through a third party.

Regardless, the theory is great. If they could just come up with longer lasting blades (yes even with very light pressure, they wear out quick) and possibly a better vice arangement (The one that came with my Dewalt abrasive blade chop saw is better designed and more durable), I could recommend them whole heartedly. Right now I could only say that it depends on what you are using it for. If you have a lot of cutting to do and your time is expensive, you might be able to justify the expense by the time savings and prep savings (No grinding to remove burrs, at least until it gets dull). For the rest of us that just wanted a good cost effective way to cut lots of steel, the abrasive blade seems to be the better way to go for now.

I got tired of burning through band saw blades so I figured I'd give this saw a try. The cuts are very nice with little blade deflection. The speed is better than any other type of saw I've used. I've made about 50 cuts on medium to heavy gauge tube, pipe, bar, and angle, and the blade is shot. Completely my own fault, as I became more confident with the saw I was putting too much pressure on the blade, material got hot, started throwing sparks, and stopped cutting. I don't like the fact that it only takes one minor mistake to waste a very expensive blade. I have a new blade on the way and I'll get the original one sharpened as a spare, but I'm not getting rid of the old band saw yet. Overall I'm happy with the saw, but I don't think it's worth the extra cost. There is no reason this saw should cost 4X the price of an abrasive chop saw. For the price of the saw it should have a cast base and a better clamping system. The material clamp works OK, but the backrest has a lot of deflection when the material is clamped down tight. I think they should also reduce the blade speed and ship with a 90 tooth blade.

Clean, fast cuts. Be careful and DO NOT force it through the piece TOO FAST. It still cuts steel pipe faster than anything before it. Take all needed precautions for flying debris and make sure the work is held securely. And, don't let your welder use it if they do not how to, first. Otherwise you get missing teeth and a bent blade. All-in-all: It paid for itself in 2 days as I saved two days of additional welding (using fittings and cut pipe instead of just pipe cut on a 45s or 22s). And, since the blades are servicable, it costs way less over time.
Point-of-reference: I was cutting 3" Sch 10 galv steel pipe for exterior mounted gutter downspouts @ Las Lomas HS, Wlnut Creek, CA. I am a plumbing contractor.

I researched for months and found the reviews at Amazon made me decide on this saw. Almost bought the 8 1/2" Hitachi but comment about D Handle is right on. The vertical handle Hitachi has is awkwade and unconfortable to use. A lot of cutting fatigues the wrist. D Handle is great. Blade with the Dewalt cuts beautiful, cutting MDF 3/4" like butter and clean. Also crosscutting 24" stock with full 12" pass and fliping material. The slide makes it easy to line up exact ( no power on first to allign after flip). I like all the notches in the adjusting curve and I adjusted the 90 degree, easy with wrench that came with saw. Has a depth gauge that can be adjusted if you want to cut groves and not go through material. Easy flips out of way. Asked Carpenters in my development why they use Dewalt, answer, they like the saws and they are accurate, good enough for me. I am cutting material for finish carpentry and love the saw. Weight is very important to me and this saw is portable and light.
Saw came in 2 days with the free shipping, can't beat that!
Tony - Hamilton, NJ

I've been pleased with the saw's performance so far. However, I would suggest swapping out the included factory blade immediately. It tends to leave wood "feathers" at the end of your cuts. Swapping to a 60 tooth took care of the problem.

I do finish carpentry. Have used most of the saws made. This one is lite and is a nice saw. Only complant is that the right side has more distance then the left side for holding wood squaire against the fence. I use my left hand to hold the wood and right hand on the handle. Guess the engineer at Dewalt is left handed.

I ordered this saw on March 12, Amazon said that it would ship within a couple weeks, 7 weeks later I received a notice today that it would be delayed another 4 weeks. What a damn joke. I have bought my last item from Amazon!

My wife bought this Miter Saw for my birthday and WOW! I've worked with a lot of tools of varying quality and I have to say this is a very nice saw.

The upfront bevel controls and the ease of changing angles make this a dream to work with. Combine that with the clamp, crown stops and the fact it can be angled left or right with an ambidextrious locking control button - it takes all the guess work out of crown moulding. I love it!

I did have trouble with the laser. The laser is not built-in, it attaches to the side of the blade. It didn't seem to want to work properly, the light kinda flickered on then off for a few seconds, then on, all the while I had the blad spining. Changed the batteries and still same thing.

I called Bosch and they sent a replacement laser, no questions asked. I was highly impressed with the level of service. The lady said there really isn't a lot of troubleshooting because there is only one way to mount the laser.

My only con about this unit is the laser, and not because it flickered, but because there is only 1 and it was an afterthought of engineering not a built-in. I have worked with saws that have lasers on both sides of the blade and the fact that this unit only has it on the left is disappointing, but still workable. I'm sure I'll still be able to use the laser to make precision cuts, I'm just spoiled. :P

I highly recommend this product.

I already own one 4212L and I was encouraged to purchase another by the great Amazon deal fron early March '06 and the Bosch rebate of a free jigsaw. I was getting a little nervous as the saw was still not in stock as the deadline for the Bosch rebate was drawing near. I contacted Amazon, and then Bosch with the number they gave me. Good news! Bosch has extended the jigsaw rebate(both purchase deadline and postmark deadline) for 30 days. So you have until April 30, '06 to buy if you want in on the deal. Bosch said that the delay in shipping was their fault, not Amazons, and they expected to have these excellent saws back in retail channels by mid April. This is an excellent saw at full retail price and well worth a wait unless your need is dire. Throw in a free jigsaw (the best jigsaw on the market BTW) and what's not to love. Hope this info helps.

Now if they'd just offer a sweet deal on the Bosch miter saw stand, I'd be all set. First saw is on a PortaMate PM4400 which is a solid stand and a great value, but I wanted something a little more full featured for the new saw. And No!, I don't work for Bosch, but you'd never know it to look at my tool collection.

The very first time I made miter cut with my new Hitachi C10FCH compound saw, the bevel angle scale fell on the floor. When cutting molding, the blade will mare the edge of the cut before cutting the wood.

I'm very sorry I purchased the saw. Plan on returning it for a Delta.

For the price this is probably the best laser-guided compound miter saw on the market. It ain't perfect, but it's definitely cost-effective. I do remodeling, so I'm cutting everything from 2x12 to fine molding. The cross-cut blade that comes with the saw is fine for #2 lumber, but any woodworker knows to buy a finer blade for finish material. I bought the 70-tooth Hitachi blade for $38 at the same time I bought the saw, and have never taken it off, cutting everything from MDF trim to quarter-round cove molding to 2x material. Couldn't ask for a cleaner cut. Everytime I pull that chop handle down I feel great for making this purchase. That said, be prepared for some little glitches: The miter guide needs to be glued down (if you want it to stay put), but you have positive stops at the major angles, including 22.5 degrees, so it's not a huge issue. My laser works fine, but has begun to drift slightly. It has not affected the precision cut; I'm still within a 64th of measured, but the bright red line is a hair skewed. This may be a result of trying to calibrate it. When I tried to calibrate the laser so I could put the saw blade on the left instead of the right of the line, the adjustment screw gave out and the light wouldn't move. After reading some other reviewers I might take a shot at opening up the enclosure. Finally, I've decided it would be really nice to have double compound miter capability, but then again I don't think it's worth the extra money. Just flip the material.

I originally purchased for some base boards and some crown. After about a year of usage I think I can post a usefull review. As others have said, a dual laser would be useful, but honestly, once you get the hang of it, a single laser is really not that much of a handicap.

I have put built-up crown in 3 rooms + 1 hall now, baseboards in 4 rooms, chair rail in 2 rooms and 2 hallways, chair rail up stairs (probably over 200-250 linear feet of chair), and 3 rooms + 1 hallway + 1 stair way in wall frames. All of this was used with this saw and the only thing that did not work perfectly was my poor measuring.

Add to that, my neighbor borrowed my saw and put in chair and base board in two of his rooms as well.

Now I am building some cabinets and am using this to cut exact lengths for my face frames. I recommend this w/o reservation for a great beginner's - Intermediate saw (I now consider myself an intermediate). It has a good amount of power and spins a decent finish blad fast enough to put a razor sharp edge on MDF molding. (NICE).

I am giving the saw 5 stars for the dollar-performance ratio as it does a TON for how much it costs.

Negatives:
- The Bevel scale is a sticker and mine is beginning to come off.
- After a years worth of usage, the miter angle was getting a little tight. It seems that the fine dust was getting into the cracks and was binding up. I took it apart and cleaned it out in about 15-20 minutes. Lubed it up with Silicone and worked like new. I tried blowing it out with compressed air, but no dice. I assume this is an issue with all saws of this sort, but have nothing to compare it to since this is my first compound miter.
- Singe laser... said before, but for the beginner, knowing where both kerfs are is a big help.
- No saftey. Actually I really LIKE this feature. I don't like setting up my cut only to have to fumble with a safety switch. Some may think the lack of a saftey is bad, I think it is just fine.

Overall great purchase. This thing has paid for itself after the first project, now as I see it, I am making money off this thing! Buy it, you won't regret it.

This table is fine when you finally get it together. But be warned that the bolt holes the company drilled in the legs may not line up well enough to get some of the bolts through. Since there is little room for error I had to run to the hardware store and buy some bolts one size smaller than what came with the table so I could finish assembly. Still, a solid, stable unit which should work fine for the hobbyist or handiman.

I purchased 2 of these. They were easy to assemble. Took about 20 minutes (each). It comes with a template that makes it very easy to align the mounting brackets. I did have to bend the brackets (with my hands) a bit to get them to line up but that was really not a problem. The feet are adjustable so to keep the table level. It has a thick table top with nice rounded corners.
Another important factor is that the table is the perfect height for doing work on. It is a really nice work table and is very sturdy. Well worth it.

I found this tool table to be of excellent quality and craftsmanship. It is very sturdy, and assembly was a cinch.
It is helpful however to leave all the bolts loose when putting it together, then tighten when finished. I also found it easier to install the top by placing the frame on it "upside down", then mark the holes for the leg screws accordingly, instead of using thier template, as it takes a small amount of adjusting to make everything square. I plan to purchase some threaded shaft casters for mine, as I have my entire shop on casters. It just make life easier. I was very happy with this purchase. It's a winner!

I'm wondering if anyone else has had problems with defective saws.
I've been a Milwaukee fan and user most of my life. I'm 52. So when I needed a miter saw for a job I naturally went straight to Milwaukee. I ordered a 6497-6 10 inch from an on line dealer (no one in town had one in stock) after quite a bit of compairison shopping. I actually almost bought a DeWalt because everyone in town had them in stock. Well the saw was delivered last Thursday 7-6-06. I set it up in my garage to test run it before taking it to the job site. During the test I set it on a 45 degree bevel and started to make a cut. The lock pin slid right down and engaged, locking the saw in the down position and causing it to jam. At that point it kicked so hard that it actually cracked the housing around the pin. Okay. Not that big a deal but now I couldn't take it to work and had to make about 25 phone calls to the supplier and Milwaukee to get a new saw sent out. Well the replacement came today 7-12-06 and I never even got this one out of the box.
While unpacking it I wanted to check the lock pin and make sure it worked. ( no need to unpack it if this one is defective too )
I never did find out if it worked because the pin on this one was actually completely broken off. I found it lying in the bottom of the box. I understand production and know that sometimes things just happen, but what are the odds that I would get two saws in a row that had a completely different defect on exactly the same part. I honestly don't know if I really want a Milwaukee or not at this point. I don't want to turn anyone off on Milwaukee here but I can't help wondering if quality control is really up to snuff in Taiwan and how many other things might be gettting missed.

First, this saw is NOT made in Germany, as stated in Amazon's Technical Details. It is made in Taiwan. Two days after notifying Amazon of the error, it is still there. I received the saw, removed it from the box for inspection, then promptly returned it. The lower blade guard was annoying at best. It both engaged and disengaged with a slamming action. The assembly allowed several inches of motor travel before the guard engaged. Not certain why it slammed upon returning to the upright position. A small amount of lateral pressure produces noticeable deflection, though it does decrease as the arm reaches a horizontal position. The bevel set-up is ridiculous. A vertical threaded knob applies downward pressure to the scale in order to lock in your angle. The scale assembly then moves so much you can watch the pointer shift as much as two degrees. How can you expect to obtain repeatable and accurate results? If you intend to use your saw for cabinetry, etcetera, look elsewhere. I generaly respect Milwaukee tools, however, this one is not satisfactory.

I don't know what's going on with the saws people are writing all the negative stuff about, but I've owned one of these for years, and it's been a rock solid performer. A "job site injury" finally cracked the case, causing it to fail to hold alignment, and I'm paying to have it repaired rather than buy another. But, if I did buy instead, I'd buy another of these. It's a solid saw.

My saw did not come with the rip fence pictured in the catalog and described in the invoice. Trying to deal with Amazon on this via the web or via phone is impossible. What do I do now?

Tom Butt

I was intending to get a Delta Unisaw, and own the last saw I'd ever need, but my budget tightened at the last minute, and I elected to go with this one. I have to say, I was very happily surprised. The cast-iron top is the same size as the Unisaw, and will take the same accessories, including the option to upgrade to the 50" Beisemyer fence later on if I want to (though the T2 fence is very good, and was accurate right out of the box)

The pros:
-Cast iron trunnions (not quite as bulky as a cabinet saw, but not flimsy by any means)
-Easy adjustments for every part of the saw.
-Quiet, quiet operation (I wired mine for 240v, 120v may be a little noisier)
-Very nice fence- not the best, but I use a Unisaw with a Beisemeyer fence at work, and I really can't tell the difference.
-Heavy enough to feel solid, but light enough to move around
-Solid, accurate miter gauge
-Plenty of power for sawing 8/4 hard maple with a good Freud blade.
-Feels like a Unisaw, only about $700 less expensive

The cons:
-Belt should be disconnected when not in use to prevent jerky operation if you don't use it every day, but at least it's not too hard to do.
-Powder-coating on the stand was inconsistant, with a couple of large light spots that will need touch-up eventually.
-240v wiring diagram for the motor requires a bit of digging around to find and read (It's under the cap with the breaker in it, and you have to take the breaker completely out to read it)
-A short jump when the saw starts, but it runs smoothly after that.
-No place to store the miter guage or blade wrenches on the case
-Odd-sized nuts and hex keys are needed for assenbly and adjustment, but don't come with it. (make sure you have an 18mm open-ended wrench for the extension wings- all three of my sets jump from 17 to 19, and a 3mm hex key [Delta includes a number of hex keys that I didn't use for anything, but not the one I needed to adjust the height of the insert...?]
-Bolt kit for the fence was for a model with steel wings, not the cast iron ones that come with this saw, making the fence assembly a little different than it should be, it was also missing one bolt entirely.

Overall, it's a heck of a nice saw, and you really can't beat the price. I was seriously considering Grizzly, but after checking this one out in the store, it's hard to imagine a better product in this price range, and the money I saved on shipping made this a much more attractive proposition. I'd definately buy this one again- sure, it doesn't get you the bragging rights of a 5hp Unisaw, but do you really *need* that?

I've used this saw daily for over 3 years and it has never let me down. Compared side-by-side with a Unisaw in my shop, I really have no preference between the saws other than better dust collection on Unisaw. Both perform flawlessly with easily repeatable, accurate cuts.

I have the 240V model with a 50" table extension, the Unifence, and a mobile base. Very workable and reasonably priced setup.

Please ignor people that critize saw for errors in shipping, faulty setup on their part, or issues with Delta that have nothing to do with saw in question.

BEFORE YOU BUY A DELTA SAW PLEASE READ MY REVIEW ABOUT THE DELTA 36-680.TRUST ME ITS WORTH IT AND MAY SAVE YOU FROM WHAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH.IT TELLS WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT DELTA.ALSO I LOOKED AT THIS SAW AT STORE IN CT. AND THE HEAP I BOUGHT (36-680) LOOKED MUCH BETTER .THE WINGS LOOKED CHEESEY ON THE 36-444 ALSO AND IF I (HAD TO) PICK BETWEEN THE TWO I WOULD GET THE 36-680 $569.IF I KNEW WHAT I KNOW NOW I WOULDNT GET A DELTA AT ALL. THERE ARE PLENTY OF BETTER SAWS OUT THERE.WITH NO SCAMS OR LIES. (WARNING)BEWARE OF OLD SAWS WITH THE LABELS SWITCHED FOR NEW ONES. THIS IS A HONEST REVIEW.GOOD LUCK

If you plan to buy the saw from Amazon, the saw will be delivered by a trucking company because its too heavy for UPS. You'll either need to get help to unload the saw from the truck or open the box in the truck and unload part by part.

The rip fence and fence guide came slightly damaged and I suspect it was damaged even before it left the factory - the box showed no signs of damage but the items were dented. Because the damage wasnt great enough to be worth the hassle of trying to return a 5-foot long box and then have to wait an unknown time for a replacement, I decided to keep it damaged - it leaves a bad taste though. Delta or Amazon probably knew of the damage and was betting (correctly) that it wouldnt be returned

The saw functions beautifully - its sturdy and all the parts that relate to alignment can be adjusted. Couple of minor complains - I wish the blade tilt wheel would have a positive stop at its maximum tilt - as it is now, the wheel feels like its tightening rather than stopping. I also wish the power cable didnt lead out of the dusty inside of the saw - a hole through the side and a rubber grommet would solve that.

If I had to do this again, I would have bought this in a store instead of by mail order so that its easier to return damage parts.

I bought this tool at Amazon.com. The extension wings are warped and I could not get the rip fence parallel to the miter slot, so I made my own extension wings and upgraded the fence to a Vega system. Other than that and a few blade adjustments, this system has worked very well for me.

....master of none. This blade has all the great aspects of a typical Freud blade - quality carbide, well built, anti-vibration slots, lifetime warranty, etc. It does alot of things reasonably well, but isn't particular strong in any regard, other than the TCG teeth are more durable than other grinds. Several of Freud's other general purpose blades crosscut better, rip more efficiently, have faster feedrates, and are generally more versatile. Being that it's full kerf, it also bogs the motor on my saw more than many others. I just can't find an application that gives this blade any advantages over others in my shop. I much prefer the LU86, LU88, and even the LU84.

It's probable that we didn't get exactly the blade that we wanted, but we got this for our Dewalt table saw and found that it cuts much slower than our previous (dull) blade and tends to burn the edge (it might be that we are out of alignment--but we didn't have that problem on the old blade and nothing has changed). It also has a very wide kerf, much bigger than we expected. If we hadn't already used it, we would have returned it and got something different.

I find this blade to do an excellent job in my table saw. I have had many Freud blades in the blast and they have all been good.