Best Miter Saws

The Best Miter Saws For Every Budget

Being a carpenter for more than eighteen years, having a good miter saw is essential to achieving perfection. Miter saws are used in the cutting of angles in moldings on an archway, or door trim. These new saws are a huge step up from the older miter box, which I used to have and it was the biggest pain in the neck. Miter saws help make the cutting process smooth and efficient, while keeping the wood aesthetically pleasing.

I own one of the best miter saws on the market, in the Makita LS1013FL model. It is very reasonably priced, although being one of the higher priced ones on the market. It costs about five hundred dollars, but is well worth the price tag. Once you use it, you will never want to part from it. This saw can make cuts that are extremely smooth on boards up to twelve inches high.

The Makita comes with a soft start motor, which means that it uses very little power on start up and even though it has reduced power, it still cuts through even the thicker boards efficiently. There are a few cons when it comes to the Makita. It only has a yearlong warranty, which for saws is not very good, since they can break or wear down easily. The only other con I have noticed is that the degree limit is only forty five, and I have had clients where I needed more than forty five degrees in a cut.

Another great saw, is the Festool 561287 KS120 EB Kapex. This saw is extremely expensive, pricing in at over one thousand three hundred dollars. I have used this saw, although it is out of my price range. Every carpenter would love to own this saw. It makes the finest cuts and trims out there; as it should for being priced at three times higher than most of its competitors. It eliminates all the dust for you automatically. It is extremely compact and does not weigh a lot at all.

It has what is called the Fast Fix system for blade switching which is great. This makes changing the blade as easy as pie, and can be done with just one hand! It does have a larger bevel degree range than the previously described Makita. This is one of the fastest saws I have used. It is usually spinning at around three thousand revolutions per minute.

One last saw, which is the best for people on a budget, but still very good is the Craftsman 21231. It only costs one hundred twenty dollars. Craftsman’s are good saws, as they stand by their products one hundred percent. It comes with a stand, which saves a few bucks. It is also limited to forty five degrees like the Makita, and it is also made of plastic parts not steel, so it really isn’t that durable. If I were to pick, I would take the Makita as the Kapex doesn’t do that much more to warrant nearly a three times markup on the saw.