Miter Saws Reviews

As an owner of a previous Makita 12 slider, I noticed when the new laser models started showing from Dewalt, Hitachi, etc. the basic theme is everything but the kitchen sink. The Hitachi seems more like a kids transformer toy with all the swirly plastic design. This is a trend with their stuff in recent years.

In the real world, a chop/miter saw in this range needs to set up easily and go to work. These new designs with an included laser looked more like a fashion statement than something you'd use to make money. Perhaps I'm wrong, but that's my first impression.
The thought of an accurate laser on a 12 appealed to me, but until the Makita version arrived, I didn't like the feel of the other brands. I assumed the Makita would be a solid tool based on my older saw and it's durable performance in my shop.

My first unit arrived in unuseable condition, with most of the locking parts loose. After an exchange and I had a factory new unit. Much to my surprise, the table was almost 2 deg off center in the pin stop 0 deg position. Not to be discouraged, I loosened the fence bolts and made up for 1 deg. Then it was time to get under the unit and see if I could recover any thing from the bracket that holds the positive stop pin. This process netted me around 1/2 deg, so it was back to the fence. The only way to solve the problem was to remove the fence and drill open the aluminum bolt holes a bit for the last 1/2 deg and finally I have an actual square cut.

On both units I noticed the knobs for locking down the slide and the miter were delicate, and I had to learn to be easy on them or they would break quite easily after a period of use. My rear tilt plastic handle was cracked on this second unit, but I had no time for a second exchange, so I made the decision to deal with it. The shipping box for these is quite a bit smaller than the ones from years past, and the interior packing is reduced as well. On both units, it was easy to see why things might not survive 2 shipping routes - the box is not very good.

Are their any positives - yes. The motor is quiet and the laser is accurate. You can loosen a small knob and choose to move it either right or left of the blade. It's easy to get a feel for where the cut will happen, which for me seems to be exactly on the edge of the laser line. It saves time on many cuts.
The table is very smooth, and has less contact when you move it. It also has better gapping for dust to fall away from the top and fence. The flip fence and right side add-on fence set up and align well on my unit.

My reason for buying the unit was the laser, and I like that function of the saw. It's too bad the tool suffers from so many design flaws. My old 1211 has a solid feel, but this new 1214 gives me the impression that 6 years later the same price point does not get you the the same quality. Makes Sense - The other companies efforts were a warning shot over the bow - I didn't see it coming and assumed Makita would make a better product.

So this is the new face of quality? Perhaps I've reached the point where a consumer tool is not the right choice for my needs.
It's easy to think I was unlucky with a bad run of the unit, so perhaps after some QC from the company, these will thrill a weekend warrior. I don't think it would survive every day use in a real shop.

E

If I could I would give this Makita 10 stars I see one other review mentioning many design flaws? Where? I own or have owned them all Dewalt 708, Ridgid 12",Dewalt 718,Hitachi 10inch Hitachi 8", Bosch 10" and two Bosch 5412 12 Inch and I have to tell you this one is as near a perfect saw as you can get forget the laser Im talking the saw as a whole the laser is just an added bonus to an already superbly designed and operating saw.The saw is vey smooth and its head carriage is the most solid due to the dual linear slide bearings all other saws use one and then a bronze sleeve which I do not understand because for the cost of one more bearing they could all be much more accurate as this is.As far as quiet I do not see that but it is a motor with gears and it is understandable that there will be some generated noise but it is not as harsh as some of the other saws out there.The blade is great that comes with this saw it cuts very clean with little tear out, but my choice is the Ridgid 100 tooth 12" quiet blade it is by far the best cut and yes I mean better than my Forrest chopmaster I know its hard to believe but give it a try you'll see what I mean and with Home Depot you can always return it!..I love this saw and also have the Makita 1013 that is years old and still is like new as far as cutting accuracy goes...Design flaws NO best saw out there YES!!! try the new Dewalt 718 if you want to see design flaws I just returned one it is a piece of junk and dangerous to boot with very poor craftsmansip and build quality or how about the new Hitachi with the digital readout now thats a very inaccurate saw try one at Lowes and flex the head at full extension it has (i checked it with a dial indicator)over 1/8" side play in the head carriage, that is not usable for accurate cutting unless you are manufacturing tomatoe crates.Do yourself a favor and try this saw or the 1013 with or without the laser if you can get by with a 10". To date no other manufacturer has beat this saw as far as accuaracy,smoothness and build quality goes and it is assembled right here in the United States.

I ordered the LS1214L to replace a DeWalt DW716 that I returned and it is super nice. I was hesitant about mail-ordering it b/c of a few reviews about damage during shipping so I checked everything out before signing for the delivery and I'm glad I did. Although there was no damage, Makita does not take any extra care when boxing the unit. In fairness, I don't recall that DeWalt did either (though I purchased it from Home Depot), but I think it's something they both should reconsider now that a lot of their saws are being delivered to their final destination via UPS ground. Something I ran into when putting the saw on it's stand was that it was not locked in the 0 degree bevel position (... or any position) and as I was trying to seat it, the saw collapsed. Except for a couple of unecessary nicks on the blade table insert, no harm was done but I could have easily dropped the saw. Okay, enough about poor packaging.

As for the saw, everything seemed to be in order. Bevel and miter pointers were on the money with no adjustments needed. The laser is set to .04 mm to the right of the blade kerf, square to the fence and dead on accurate. Depending on the cut, the laser shoots on either side of the blade. The slide action is awesome ... smooth as silk. The saw is pretty heavy, so you may want to spend the extra money for a good stand. I have a Hitachi UU610cz that works pretty well for a portable stand. It's rock solid stable but the TracRac design places the aluminum mounts on an aluminum track which does flex at the end of a slide cut. So far it has not affected the accuracy of the cuts but I do find myself gently finishing off each cut.

One of my complaints about the DeWalt double bevel compound miter was that on a 45/45 right bevel/miter, the arbor housing hit the fence. There are no problems hitting anything on this saw. The bevel scale is much easier to read and the overall craftsmanship of the LS1214L is much more refined than the DeWalt DW715, DW716 and DW718. I've test cut just a few bevel/miter cuts and the saw performs very well with the laser making it super easy to cut your mark. I have been using the saw indoors and of course outdoor use will affect the visibility of the laser ... just something to keep in mind but I think the extra cost for the laser is well worth it. The saw came with a 70 tooth MAKblade that is quiet and cuts good. The soft start is smooth and the brake is more gradual than some of the other saws that I've used. The bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with the LS1214L and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quality built high performance sliding compound miter saw.

I bought this one for my home wood workshop. First of all, this is a heavy piece of equipment. Make sure the delivery guys take it close where you intend to install it.

Assembling this table saw took me about 6 hours, take your time, my package contained all the nuts and bolts needed (and then some), nothing missing.

Overall I am very happy with the tool, I use a Woodworker II blade and it cuts very smoothly. The reasons I am not giving it 5 stars are as follows:
1. The fence locking mechanism is not easy to adjust. It may be that there is something wrong with mine, but I have had to re-adjust it several times
2. The Router lift is not flush with the router table when inserted, home made fix required.

This table saw has proven to be a top performer. Despite comments from my Father-in-law and Grandfather about tools from overseas, both were impressed with the quality of this saw (both have much more experience than me). I have used this saw to make several cabinets and small furniture items with great results. I also have used a 8" dado with equal success. The price has gone up since I bought mine - wait for a rebate deal from Jet. Assembly was easy - no missing parts or problems.

I got my table saw a year ago - after pouring over the various reviews on Amazon I decided to go with the Jet. A year later I think that I need to pay back a provide my own feedback to the community.

Over all I am ecstatic with this saw and the router table. Assembly was straightforward, if time consuming. I had a friend help, I'm not sure that this is a one person assembly project. Plan on a day.

I have given it two inch black walnut (using a Woodworker II blade - get one if you don't have one!) and even though I still am using 110V it had no problems.
I have not had any problems with the fence. Quite the contrary I find that it is very accurate and easy to set for a cut.

The router table is a great addition. I have a couple of concerns with it. I mounted a Hitachi M12V (the base plate came pre-drilled for every imaginable router so no need to worry about drilling for the base plate) and I can change bits from the table top with the basic wrench. the only gripe I have is there was a bur which snagged and scratched the wood as you pushed it though the router. This was fixed with a metal file, but wasn't what I wanted to see.

With trepidation, after reading everyone else's views on saws, I selected the Jet. As background, I have 3 cars in my 3 car garage; accordingly, I don't have much spare room so I went with the extension table with router cutout and router lift and put it on a mobile base.
To start with, the only problems with shipment were: (1) Fedex arrived without calling a head of time (but it was one of those rare occasions when someone happened to be home); (2) the left end of the front fence rail was crushed slightly. The damaged area is outside of the area used for clamping the fence so no harm no foul (and I didn't have the patience to wait for a replacement nor did I want to go through assembly a second time). Assembly is time consuming - plan on a day. You also want a helper for some stages. The instructions were ok for the saw. Instructions for the Exacta fence were less clear but common sense overcame any obstacles. For example, table extension is not the same as extension table (it means table wings). Also, the instructions said that the fence had been adjusted at the factory to be square and level to the table. Not even close. The mitre gauge required adjustment also. I don't mind this, but the claim of "factory adjusted" should be deleted.
So far so good. The saw is powerful and smooth (I wired for 220). Then the honeymoon ended. First the fence slipped. Jet had glued a small square nylon pad to the shoe at the point it applies pressure to the front edged of the front rail. Bad idea. The glue (rubber cement?) simply did not hold the nylon pad in place. The result was that the fence moved the same distance the nylon pad nslipped. When I called Jet, they immediately shipped a replacement shoe with advice to attach the new style pad with 2-part epoxy glue. Problem solved. However, would you believe that nylon pads were also attached in the same manner to the fence where pressure is applied to the back side of the rail? Whoops. As one of these pads slipped, the rail would become out of square to the blade. I kept thinking that the adjusment screw was at fault. These pad were also fixed with a little epoxy glue. I'm a little surprised that the kit I received did not include a fix for this also, or at least a warning.
The only complaint on the router portion involves the cut out. The depth is slightly too deep so that the router lift is not flush with the table top. (I trimmed some laminate edging and slipped them under the router lift.)

Now that the bugs are worked out, the saw is a dream to work on. I would buy this set up again.

I've been a finsish carpenter for 7 years and I've used all the saws out there and this saw is by far the smoothest, and the most accurate saw on the market. I did not give this a 5 star because of the locking mechanisim, has broke on me 3 times in two years. Also you can only go 60 degrees one way instead of both, like the older version. Change those two things and you've created the ultimate saw.

and i've used them all I think! However, it doesn't get 5 stars because the fence along the back, crucial for getting a square cut, wasn't straight. Hopefully this manufacturing glitch didn't show up on all the units. The nice smooth action and the quiet start make this saw stand out however.

The MK770EXP is light weight. Its "DC" motor has a lot of toqure for its size but it is a right angle "gearmotor". These gears have a lot of backlash (about .200" at the circumferece of the wheel). The brushes "will" need to be changed out and they of course rub on the commutator which resonates through the gear head to the wheel. This vibration tends to chip my tile entering the corners and on exit. Out in the middle of the tile with constant pressure its fine. Consider the MK100 with its "AC" motor and belt drive(it should have a much smoother cut). Loosing those noisy brushes, that need changed, for belts that also will wear out, but I think worth the trade. Gaining the 10" wheel would also have obvious benifits.

This is the saw that home improvement centers should carry. I do 10-15 tile jobs per year for friends and friends of friends plus myself and family. I do not need a $900 10" saw. However this saw rips and diagonals the same size tile. It has the same adjustments and capabilities as the more expensive saw. It may not have last as long as the saw doing 50-75 jobs per year, but neither will I. This saw will give the average DYI the opportunity to make their job professional. A great saw at a fair price that will last a lifetime, versatile, easy to use, and accurate. [...]

This is a good blade.Aggressive but not overly so.It produces a fairly clean cut and depending on what your cutting almost splinter free.It could stand to be a tad thinnerthough but, for the money and the decent results it's well worth it. Now get out there and cut some wood.

I have had this blade on my Delta compound miterbox saw for many years and just love it. It has lasted well and always gives a good, clean cut. It has stayed sharp, and I have never had any trouble with it.

I own about 18 different blades for my Unisaw includeing three Forrest blades, but in an era where the mantality of "one blade for any job" rules. It is nice to find a quality dedicated rip blade. While it won't leave as smooth an edge as say the woodworker II, you can feed it allot faster. If you've never ripped with a flat grind blade, you're missing out.

When I ordered these saw blades it was because my compound miter saw needed a new blade and money was tight. The combo pack of 10" blades from Dewalt was considerably less expensive than most of the other blades that I know to be good ,so I was not expecting to have the best quality cuts. Boy I couldn't have been more wrong... These blades are great and believe me you will not be disappointed at all. They cut smooth without any strain on the motor of the saw and with virtually no tear out. What a Value!!!!

Amazon.com recommends this stand for the Delta 13" planner. But unless you are a midget or one who works on their knees, this 20" table is not near tall enough. Don't make the mistake that I did. Go with the 30" table.

An excellent tool table for any 'bench-top' tool. But it took ten days to ship and five to be delivered. Your local Sears store is a far better source for this type tool.

I bought HTC's HBT-320 tool stand and the HRUS-320 mobile base. The tool stand requires assembly, including locating and drilling holes in the top. Nothing difficult and the instructions are quite good. I did get to exercise HTC's customer service when I found the cross pieces included with my unit were for the larger HBT-330 stand. Customer service was very helpful, and the replacement pieces, along with a new top, were shipped without question or any charge. In trying to force the wrong cross pieces between the legs, I had pulled out several screws attaching the legs to the top, hence my request for a new top. With the right pieces, it went to together easily. You do have to leave all the screws loose while assembling the cross pieces as the design puts some tension between the legs and cross pieces. Compared to the Sears version, this unit has higher quality components and the mobile base fits much better than the generic adjustable bases. And, with Amazon's free shipping it didn't cost any more than Sears. All in all, I'm very happy with the stand and the mobile base, and the new drill press fits perfectly on top.