I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to
the ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The
12 inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a
ridged thinkness planer about once a week).
My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames
can be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able
to cut wide enough stock.
Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with
the accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
I have a really poor table saw an inexpensive skill. I tried making a
miter sled but could not get consistant cuts. The cuts appear to be 45
degrees but not close enough for frames. I talked to a couple people
including a frame shop operator that recommended trying a power miter saw.
Leuf wrote:
> On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:35:03 -0600, william kossack
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to
>>the ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>>
>>One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The
>>12 inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a
>>ridged thinkness planer about once a week).
>>
>>My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames
>>can be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able
>>to cut wide enough stock.
>>
>>Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
>>off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with
>>the accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
>
>
> Do you have a table saw? Because a miter sled makes doing picture
> frames pretty much foolproof. Piece of plywood with 2 runners for the
> miter slots. Another piece of plywood on top with a perfect 90 degree
> corner at a 45 degree angle with the point aligned with the blade. It
> will always cut angles that add up to 90 degrees even if you didn't
> align it perfectly to 45. If you make it big enough you can have
> stops to get the lengths the same. And it gives you zero clearance
> support at the bottom and back to minimize tearout.
>
>
> -Leuf
also weight
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "william kossack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
>>Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
>>off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with the
>>accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
>
>
> Any particular reason for Ridgid? DeWalt is one of the best and my 12" is
> extremely accurate.
>
>
william kossack wrote:
> I have a really poor table saw an inexpensive skill. I tried making a
> miter sled but could not get consistant cuts. The cuts appear to be 45
> degrees but not close enough for frames. ...
Is there actual inconsistency from one cut to the next? If so, it is
hopeless, but most even inexpensive saws aren't that bad. The "trick"
is to cut alternating ends w/ the other side of the sled so the one end
compensates the other. If the angle on the sled itself is accurate,
this works despite a slight discrepancy from a true 45.
I'll note that making the choice if the end result is going to be
judged on accuracy/precision and there will be dissatisfaction w/ less
than adequate cut accuracy, then the selection on the basis of price
and weight for low in both categories is almost universally guaranteed
to go in the wrong direction of both to provide the stated criteria.
_IF_ (the proverbial "big if") the Ridgid name were still actually The
Ridge Tool Company instead of having just sold the label to an offshore
I'd be less suspicious. I will state I've not actually used them so do
not have firsthand experience to judge specifically. I will concur w/
the DeWalt as being quite solid and accurate as that is what I have.
william kossack wrote:
> I have been. I believe lee valley and highland sell a less expensive
> imitation of the same thing with the Lion brand available for about $20
> more locally. One problem is that this is only for trimming the miter
> cuts and not making the miter cuts themselves. The Ridged 10 inch miter
> saw is the same price. In my conversation with the frame maker they use
> something similar for small work but I think it will cut the miters
> instead of just trim the miters.
Those trimmers are good for small moldings and for trimming to a
perfect fit. However, I get excellent results using a zero-clearance
fence and a sharp blade. I took pains to set the detents on my chop
saw as close to pefect as I could get them. We just recently had to
trim out a whole lot of doors and panels. I mark with a knife,
transfer the mark to the top edge with a square, line up the mark with
the cut edge on the zero-clearance fence and get really tight joints
with only the occasional trimming necessary. I make my fence out of
MDF and spray the vertical face with white lacquer. Once I make the
first plunge into it I get a nice sharp registration line against which
to line up my mark. Set your depth of cut control (if you have one) so
you don't cut all the way through the fence, just the molding.
Heh I just realized this is about picture frames but I've got trimming
out on my mind so I'm going to let the stream of consciousness
continue...
I've found that by laying my knife flush to the inside of the lip I can
just press the trim lightly against it (with the other, already mitered
end fit pressed against the other lip). This leaves a nice cut mark.
Although the width of the blade causes the trim to be very slightly
angled out from straight, this actually helps with a nice snug fit.
I've thought of making up a dedicated corner-marking tool that's a
modified square. It's got a sharp edge sticking up and you just slide
it into the corner, then press your trim against that. I'd make it so
it marks the top (back) edge of the trim too, so I need not use my
double square to transfer the mark from bottom to top.
i'm done
JP
william kossack wrote:
> I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to
> the ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>
> One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The
> 12 inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a
> ridged thinkness planer about once a week).
>
> My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames
> can be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able
> to cut wide enough stock.
>
> Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
> off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with
> the accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
There is a review of some 12" (non-sliding) CMS's in the Aug. 2006
issue of Woodworker's Journal. The author's (Chris Marshall) goal
seemed to be to find the best saw that costs around 300 $US.
In this article, the "top-rated" saw (of eight tested) was the
Craftsman 21235 Professional. He also was pretty happy with the Delta
36-322L, Hitachi C12FCH, and Ridgid MS1250LZ.
If I were paying this much money on a tool, however, I seriously doubt
that it would be spent on a Craftsman.
Regards,
Mark
"william kossack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> As it was getting dark I removed the general purpose blade and put on a 96
> tooth diablo blade. I'm debating either buying another insert or trying
> to make one out of wood. I'm not sure the saw is worth returning over a
> simple insert but I doubt Home Depot will do anything for me.
>
There are some negative about Home Depot, their return policy is not one of
them.
Take it back and get another. They will take it back, no questions asked
(well, other than why you are returning it and if you would like you money
back or a credit).
On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:35:03 -0600, william kossack
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to
>the ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>
>One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The
>12 inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a
>ridged thinkness planer about once a week).
>
>My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames
>can be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able
>to cut wide enough stock.
>
>Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
>off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with
>the accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
You might want to have a look at this tool:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=3&p=32922&cat=1,42884
I suggest you visit a more dedicated woodworking establishment for
experienced opinions. Not that there's never any knowledgeable people at
Home Depot, just that from my experience, they're in short supply. Either
that or google additional comments from this newsgroup.
"william kossack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> In conclusion we had to go to home depot to get paint and a couple
> things last night after going out to dinner. I went over to the tool
> section to look things over.
> My wife got her paint etc and I started discussing pros and cons of the
> miter saw solution.
"Leuf" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Do you have a table saw? Because a miter sled makes doing picture
> frames pretty much foolproof. Piece of plywood with 2 runners for the
> miter slots. Another piece of plywood on top with a perfect 90 degree
> corner at a 45 degree angle with the point aligned with the blade.
And to back up that suggestion, here's a good picture of a table saw miter
sled.
http://www.plansnow.com/dn3083.html
except my skil table saw does not have any iron in the table except for
the screws. It is mostly plastic with an aluminum top. The top is also
small preventing a large sled. We have all heard of the nickle test for
table saws. This saw would knock over a soda can if it was on the table
when you turned it on. It is has a tendency to go out of adjustment and
it is difficult to get the blade perpendicular to the table If I ever
change the tilt so I never tilt the blade. I use it for cross cuts.
I'd love to toss it out and get a ridged shop site saw one day.
In conclusion we had to go to home depot to get paint and a couple
things last night after going out to dinner. I went over to the tool
section to look things over. My wife went to the paint department.
My wife got her paint etc and I started discussing pros and cons of the
miter saw solution. I was not planning on making a decision yet but it
was my birthday and she decided to buy a saw. Looking at the features
and cost she got the ridged 12 inch saw with understanding that it might
not work and I might take it back.
Thinking and researching and reading the posts I discussed my findings
about the dewalt. The 715 is only $60 more than the ridged so I took
the ridged back this afternoon unopened and upgraded to the Dewalt 12
inch 715. I added the laser attachment which I may take back. I've had
several recommendations for the dewalt from my neighbor, to a framer, to
people on this list.
I need to see if it will require any adjustments tomorrow. I'm going to
make some test cuts and see if it works out.
BobS wrote:
> "william kossack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to the
>>ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>>
>>One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The 12
>>inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a ridged
>>thinkness planer about once a week).
>>
>>My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames can
>>be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able to
>>cut wide enough stock.
>>
>>Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
>>off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with the
>>accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
>
>
> William,
>
> Try this exercise. Stand in front of your tablesaw and note all the heavy
> cast iron. Now look underneath and you should see reasonably heavy-duty
> trunnions and a 5/8" arbor that your blade mounts to.
>
> Now stand in front of the miter saw - see any differences that would allow
> the blade to deflect when it hits the wood? Won't say you can't make
> picture frames on a miter saw but you did indicate you also wanted
> precision.
>
> Make a sled with 45° miter fences on both sides for your TS, tune it and be
> done. Or spend the money that you were going to use on the new miter saw
> and purchase an Incra 2000 fence with the extra fence and stop
> http://www.woodpeck.com/incramiter2k.html . I have both the 1000 and the
> 2000 with the extra fences. The 2000 is the workhorse and dead-on accurate.
> Visit the Incra site to see all the miter gauges and sleds they make.
>
> Bob S.
>
>
I have owned the 12" Ridgid purchased also because of the price. As I'm a
carpenter, the saw was used almost daily and was ready for the bone yard
after only two years and was replaced with a DW718. The 718, although a
great saw, would be waayyy overkill for what you are trying to do but I
would suggest the DeWalt over the Ridgid anyday. DeWalts are excellent
saws. If you decide on a 10" keep in mind you will not be able to cut a 45
deg. miter on a 1x6 stock, I'd go with the 12" if you can swing it.
As an aside, I picked up one of these cheap at a garage sale last week
http://www.grizzly.com/products/g1690 it would seem this would be a perfect
companion for fine tuning miters, especially for frames. I haven't had a
job to use it on yet, but I cleaned it up and sharpened the knives and it
will slice off nice thin shavings leaving the endgrain smooth. --dave
"william kossack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to the
>ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>
> One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The 12
> inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a ridged
> thinkness planer about once a week).
>
> My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames can
> be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able to
> cut wide enough stock.
>
> Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
> off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with the
> accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
the adventure continues
I attempted to cut miters for a test picture frame Sunday.
First I tried to make adjustments to the saw using my framing square.
The cuts seemed to be good 45s but when I put all the pieces together
there was still a gap.
I next ran and got a better engineering square. I still had problems.
I noticed that the saw has enough power to pull the piece of wood when
I'm cutting. I attempted to use some clamps to hold the wood more
securely while cutting but that did not eliminate the problem.
One thing I noticed with the general purpose blade was that while one
side of the blade seemed square to the table the other side was off. At
this point I noticed was the insert was slightly warped on one side
pusing up the wood just a bit. Seeing this I took some of the test
pieces and tried to put them together to see how they fit and if once
together I could form a straight piece. Certain combinations of miters
showed a gap of several degrees others came together cleanly and when
held together compared as being straight against another piece of wood.
As it was getting dark I removed the general purpose blade and put on a
96 tooth diablo blade. I'm debating either buying another insert or
trying to make one out of wood. I'm not sure the saw is worth returning
over a simple insert but I doubt Home Depot will do anything for me.
william kossack wrote:
> I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to
> the ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>
> One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The
> 12 inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a
> ridged thinkness planer about once a week).
>
> My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames
> can be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able
> to cut wide enough stock.
>
> Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
> off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with
> the accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
none of the opinions came from anyone at home depot. the most
suspicious sources I used were from the rec;-)
Nobody helped us when we picked out the ridged. It was 10 minutes to
closing and there wasn't any on the floor to be seen.
When I was getting the dewalt at least the guy that helped me admitted
that he knew nothing except how to play computer games before starting
to work there recently. It was one of those rare times where I was able
to get someones help.
PS my brother purchased a $99 ryobi miter saw for a job in Atlanta
recently. For his needs it worked OK except the laser needed a battery
to work but I think he was just using it to cut 2x lumber for forms for
concrete so accuracy was not very important.
Upscale wrote:
> I suggest you visit a more dedicated woodworking establishment for
> experienced opinions. Not that there's never any knowledgeable people at
> Home Depot, just that from my experience, they're in short supply. Either
> that or google additional comments from this newsgroup.
>
> "william kossack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
>>In conclusion we had to go to home depot to get paint and a couple
>>things last night after going out to dinner. I went over to the tool
>>section to look things over.
>
>
>>My wife got her paint etc and I started discussing pros and cons of the
>>miter saw solution.
>
>
>
"william kossack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
> off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with the
> accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
Any particular reason for Ridgid? DeWalt is one of the best and my 12" is
extremely accurate.
On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:35:03 -0600, william kossack
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to
>the ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>
>One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The
>12 inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a
>ridged thinkness planer about once a week).
>
>My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames
>can be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able
>to cut wide enough stock.
>
>Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
>off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with
>the accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
I'm using a RIDGID 12 right now. I like it very much. In the 12-13
years since I upgraded to power (from a Millers Falls hand Box) I've
had, Rockwell, DeWalt, Makita and this is the second RIDGID.
I don't believe there is much diff between the 12 and 10 inch as far
as accuracy is concerned. I think you'll be happier with the 12inch
machine.
price
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "william kossack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
>>Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
>>off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with the
>>accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
>
>
> Any particular reason for Ridgid? DeWalt is one of the best and my 12" is
> extremely accurate.
>
>
On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:35:03 -0600, william kossack
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to
>the ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>
>One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The
>12 inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a
>ridged thinkness planer about once a week).
>
>My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames
>can be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able
>to cut wide enough stock.
>
>Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
>off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with
>the accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
Do you have a table saw? Because a miter sled makes doing picture
frames pretty much foolproof. Piece of plywood with 2 runners for the
miter slots. Another piece of plywood on top with a perfect 90 degree
corner at a 45 degree angle with the point aligned with the blade. It
will always cut angles that add up to 90 degrees even if you didn't
align it perfectly to 45. If you make it big enough you can have
stops to get the lengths the same. And it gives you zero clearance
support at the bottom and back to minimize tearout.
-Leuf
I have been. I believe lee valley and highland sell a less expensive
imitation of the same thing with the Lion brand available for about $20
more locally. One problem is that this is only for trimming the miter
cuts and not making the miter cuts themselves. The Ridged 10 inch miter
saw is the same price. In my conversation with the frame maker they use
something similar for small work but I think it will cut the miters
instead of just trim the miters.
Ogee wrote:
> On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:35:03 -0600, william kossack
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to
>>the ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>>
>>One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The
>>12 inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a
>>ridged thinkness planer about once a week).
>>
>>My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames
>>can be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able
>>to cut wide enough stock.
>>
>>Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
>>off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with
>>the accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
>
>
>
> You might want to have a look at this tool:
> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=3&p=32922&cat=1,42884
"william kossack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I was looking at miter saws at HD. After some thinking it came down to the
>ridged 10 inch or the ridged 12 inch compound miter saws.
>
> One requirment I have is that I can put the saw away on the shelf. The 12
> inch saw is close to my comfort limit on moving tools (I move a ridged
> thinkness planer about once a week).
>
> My intent for the saw is to cut wood for picture frames. Some frames can
> be large so my initial thought is that the 10 inch might not be able to
> cut wide enough stock.
>
> Another concern is accuracy of the cut. With picture frames just being
> off a 1/64th of an inch can be too much. Anyone have experience with the
> accuracy of the 12 inch vs the 10 inch ridged?
William,
Try this exercise. Stand in front of your tablesaw and note all the heavy
cast iron. Now look underneath and you should see reasonably heavy-duty
trunnions and a 5/8" arbor that your blade mounts to.
Now stand in front of the miter saw - see any differences that would allow
the blade to deflect when it hits the wood? Won't say you can't make
picture frames on a miter saw but you did indicate you also wanted
precision.
Make a sled with 45° miter fences on both sides for your TS, tune it and be
done. Or spend the money that you were going to use on the new miter saw
and purchase an Incra 2000 fence with the extra fence and stop
http://www.woodpeck.com/incramiter2k.html . I have both the 1000 and the
2000 with the extra fences. The 2000 is the workhorse and dead-on accurate.
Visit the Incra site to see all the miter gauges and sleds they make.
Bob S.