Couple of related things here…
I am contemplating buying a Makita 12″ compound miter saw to replace a Harbor Freight that seems to cut square and is plenty powerful. My wife bought a rug so thinking I can buy a less expensive trim saw. Rugs are expensive.
Does any miter saw that cuts square provide the same quality cut as a well adjusted table saw for furniture type cuts, trim, miters, cross-cut and such. I have a sled and Incra Fence for the table saw.
If I should only use the miter saw for rough, not final cuts then no point in spending a lot of money on a new saw. But I much prefer the trim saw for miters. I can’t let the rug go unanswered; but there are other things I could buy, like fine lumber. Thanks.
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It sounds like you could put that money into a future account for a marriage counselor, or a divorce attorney. They're expensive.
I see this question every now an then in this section. If you are making fine furniture I question the miter saw. First of all how square are you pieces? If they are perfect then maybe you should consider a shooting board as a way to get a good miter fit. If not then you have to 'adjust' your cut with a shim. If you are making something beside a 45 cut, then maybe a very good miter gauge for you table saw. Or, it the rug was really really expensive, how about a CNC unit? If you are doing home remodeling the current HF tool is sufficient. I have done a ton of trim work in my house and shop from base boards, to window trim, to crown molding with a very cheap miter saw. Why, because nothing in this 1848 house was square, I always needed a shim here and there on the fence to get a good fit. (Buy more length that needed for the final fit, sometimes way more.) And if all else fails, get a good filler and paint.
Unless you cut 4"-thick material all day a 10" saw will do the job. If you want a shiny new toy buy a 10" slider. If the rug was really pricey get the Festool.
Love is a battlefield.
I use an old Craftsman radial arm saw for most of my cross-cutting and it still works great. I also own a 10-inch Bosch compound miter saw and, although happy with it, regret not getting the 12-inch version. If you ever want to vertically miter baseboards that are even slightly higher than 4 inches, you will need the 12-incher.
Using a well-built crosscut sled on the table saw can also produce very accurate results. However, I find it easier to avoid frequent blade changes by usually leaving a ripping blade in the table saw and doing cross cutting on another type of saw equipped with a saw blade made for that specific purpose.
I get good results from a 12" deWalt slider.
I don't use the full capacity often (farm life) so I'd go 10" unless you really need 4" depth of cut.