What are the essentials components of a great sliding compound miter saw? You can read dozens of miter saw reviews and walk away dazed and confused. You read about lasers, motor amperage, RPM speed, blade diameter, miters, and bevels. What do you really need to focus on to buy a good saw?
The first thing to look at very closely is often overlooked. Check how easy all of the controls, adjustments, and measurement guides are to read. Check to see if they are designed to last through the abuse of years of cutting wood. This small detail is one which will lead to major frustration if you cannot read the numbers and measurements on your saw.
The second item to check is the ease of use. How easy is it to setup a cut? Look at the clamping system and the methods of adjusting the saw for miter and bevel cuts. If it is difficult to setup cuts on your sliding compound miter saw it slows down your projects and often leads to bad cuts.
The third item to check closely is the power of the saw in both motor amps and blade speed in RPM. The blade speed is important for making the smoothest possible cuts. The faster the blade teeth are spinning the more efficiently they cut. The amperage of the motor gives you a quick idea of the power of the saw. You should be able to find both of these numbers in product literature and miter saw reviews for the brand. The amperage of the motor will help you determine if the saw can maintain the fast blade speed even during a difficult cut.
What about a laser sight system? This is one item which is not essential but is definitely one of the nicest options you will ever find. As a great example the Hitachi C10FSH sliding compound miter saw comes with a laser sight which works great. Once you have your cut setup and you start the blade spinning you will see the laser mark across your lumber and be able to visualize if the cut looks proper. This simple addition reduces the number of bad cuts you will make saving you money over the years.
Blade diameter is another item you should pay close attention to. You can buy saws with blade diameters ranging from 8 inches to 12 inches. Keep in mind the larger the blade diameter the larger the lumber you can cut. If all other items are equal and you have a choice between a 10 inch or 12 inch saw then choose the 12 inch option. It gives you more flexibility for the future. In most situations it is wise to stay away from the smaller 8 inch saws unless you are only planning to work with trim material.
The final essential item to check is the warranty. You want a good warranty. Hitachi offers a 5 year warranty on most of their saws, Dewalt includes a 3 year warranty, and Makita only a 1 year warranty. Make sure you consider the warranty in your decision making process of choosing your perfect sliding compound miter saw.
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