Miter Box Suggestion?

[Solitaryensis]

Hey guys,
I am a relatively new wood worker but I am in the market for a new miter box and would like some recommendations. I am leaning towards a 10" box but please, let me know what you guys, with more experience, recommend.

TIA

[Solitaryensis]

Sorry, should also mention that i am on a budget and will probably not need all the bells and whistles a $500.00 box comes with. I am looking in the $200.00 (or possibly lower) range.

[8BALL_99]

Must be a different kind of miter box then I'm thinking.. The ones I've always seen are lil cheap plastic deals starting at 10.00 bucks up to about 45.00.. If this is what your talking about I dont think it really matters.. If your getting into the 100-200 bucks I'd think you would just buy a compound miter saw.. I have a Bosch that I love.. Its a little on th $$ side But you can get a decent one for 200

[Solitaryensis]

HAHA. Sorry, i am referring to a compound miter saw. Ive heard them referred to as miter boxes before, but i could be mixed up/wrong.

[wooden_reefer]

"motorized miter box" was an old name for a miter saw.

[rustybucket145]

I've got a dewalt that I've been more than happy with. It's not a 10" but it gets the job done for most of my needs.

Once you use a compound miter saw, you will never pick up a skillsaw again..... (unless it won't fit in the miter :D)

[jksteele010]

@ rustybucket - A miter saw and skillsaw are typically used for different things, one for framing and one for trim work.

But as for a miter saw, how much woodwork will you be doing with it?
Staying under $200, you might look at the ridgid saws. not the best, but unless your a trim carpenter and you keep it clean, it will do want you want nicely. Also your other option is just keep an eye out on craiglist

[Solitaryensis]

jksteele,
I hadnt thought about CL but thanks for heads up. I wont be doing anything crazy, and i will prob use it most for an upcoming stand project and hardwood floor replacement.

[michaeljames]

I just bought a 10" ryobi from home depot, it works great plus it has a lazer! I paid just under 200 for it

[Kaos]

I found a Craftsman 10" sliding compound miter saw on sale for $200.

[8BALL_99]

I would try to get a Sliding one if you can.. I've got a Bosch 10"Sliding compound miter saw.. Love it.. I got it cause of all the postive reviews online and in woodworking mags.. IMO thats really where you need to look.. You can find several reviews on all different price ranges.. The sliding ones are nice cause they can handle much wider cuts.. I use my Table saw alot less now then I use to.

FWIW I haven't used my Skill Saw for anything but plywood in years.. My miter saw is on a metal Cart with fold out arms.. Very easy to cut long boards.. I was cutting Treated 2x12s with it just 2 days ago....

[Ebmorri]

same as Kaos
.. works great for the stuff I need it for
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921237000P?sbf=Brand&sbv=Craftsman&vName=Tools&cName=Bench+Power+Tools&sName=Miter+Saws look for it on sale.

[jay24k]

Reviews on Ridgid tools have been higher then Dewalt and other brands. They have a 100% lifetime warranty as well. They are extremely accurate(buddy has the compound one) and you can buy a higher tooth blade for nice smooth cuts. I have a craftsman and it pretty much sucks. I do have other ridgid tools and they do better then my dewalt for sure.

[Solitaryensis]

Thanks for the responses guys. I was looking at the Craftsman that was suggested and it was by far, the cheapest sliding model ive seen - most have been in the range of 3-500 but now i am thinking twice about it.

Jay - can you elaborate on your craftsman? Ive had craftsman hand tools in the past and they have held up much better than any of my other tools but i have never owned an electric tool from them.

On another note, it seems like the higher end models dont have a laser? Are they useful or do they not work very well?

[labatt]

Which ever one you get make sure its a dual bevel. Meaning that it tilts left and right. When I work on something I usually work untill its done and it hurt my brain to try and figure out what way to rotate the wood to get the cut I want @3am after Ive been working on a project since 8 that morning :) . So I gave up and bought a new one a few years ago. It doesnt have a slide or laser but it tilts left and right and that helps a lot. Probably paid for itself in trim and stuff I didnt waste lol. BTW- Its a delta( I think I paid ~300 for it) but I don't think I would recommend the brand I had to take the first one back immediately because the motor would hum and smoke when I plugged it in (never even made a cut with it) and this one the brake is going bad on it already and I dont use it much. Hope this helps a bit

[GTriever]

Same q as jksteele010, how much "woodworking" you going to do with it? The only time I use my miter saw is when I do some trim work for the house; for everything else I use my table saw, router, etc. If you're on a budget, that $200 could be a good start towards buying a Ridgid TS3650 table saw...

[GrandeGixxer]

I use my $25 '60's model Craftsman table saw for almost everything I cut. If it doesn't fit, I take it to my buddys house that has a bigger saw. Once you learn how to be creative with the saw, you can do a lot of cool stuff with it. Make sure to get a good blade, and the right blade for what you are cutting.

[jay24k]

I currently have a table saw, miter saw, and a drill from craftsman. The table saw does fairly well except the fence isn't very good. The miter saw consistently gets inaccurate. I have to constantly fix the alignment. My drill just died out on me. I bought a ridgid drill that just cooks. My neighbor bought the compound mitersaw and it is dead accurate. I originally was leary of buying Ridgid but after several great reviews, I don't have an issue with them. I originally though it was a "Home Depot" brand, but found out that Home Depot bought the rights to sell them(not sure if permanent or for a specific duration). I would think going with some of your very well known brands would be fine. I just know Ridgid is a bit cheaper in price however if you like Dewalt, it is still a very good brand.

It seems after Sears sold out, their craftsman line kind of went downhill. They don't make any of their tools but buy the best bang for the buck and re-label it.

Just like reefing, spend a little bit extra and generally they will last alot longer.

[Solitaryensis]

Thanks once again for all the responses guys. I don’t have any specific projects in mind, but i don’t be using this for anything crazy or extremely detailed. I am just beginning to expand my set of tools and wanted something that would be reliable, yet not too pricy. I thought a good starting point would be a nice saw and I thought about a miter or table saw and after some thought, settled on the miter, primarily because i see it as a more versatile tool. Short of cutting really large pieces of wood, I don’t foresee a table saw being able to do more for my needs than a miter saw.
Based on my budget and my limited understanding of miters, I’ve decided to go with a 10-12” double bevel and if possible, laser and sliding (I’m pretty sure I can’t find a sliding one, other than the Craftsman in my price range.) So, any deals that anyone know of??? TIA

[Donw]

Older Craftsman stuff was made by Emerson when they(both sears and emerson) cared. Now sears is a mixed bag. Ridgid is made by Emerson for HD. The problem with ridgid is they hopped in the sack with techtronics. Techtronics is Ryobi thus Ridgid is moving overseas. Its a tool soap opera. Buy what ever works for the task at hand. Tool preferences are all over the board.

Don

[8BALL_99]

If Ridgid is starting to be made by the same people that make Ryobi.. Then they will go down hill.. I've never been very happy with a Ryobi tool.. I think of them about like a habor freight brand power tool. I've had 4 Ryobi power tools.. Two of them died with in a few months the other two work ok..Not good,,, just ok... Ridgid has some nice budget tools I really hope they dont turn into just cheap tools...

[labatt]

At least when you buy from harbor freight you expect to throw it away after your project.......if it even makes it that long :)

[cannarella]

Just do a lot of Google searching and read reviews. One thing to consider is if you plan on moving it around a lot. Weight may become a major factor in your decision. You can get a good saw and still have a crappy blade. Be sure to get a good blade when you buy your saw. That is another $50+ that you need to think about. My Craftsman works just fine once I put a high quality blade on it.

[rsw686]

Best advice I can give you is to go to the store and look at all of them. I choose a 10" DeWalt miter saw, was around $200, due to the features and build quality over the other units. It doesn't slide, but it gets the job down. When pivoting it locks in at 0, 22.5, 45, and 90 so its exactly the same per cut. The build quality was good with almost all metal components. I've had it for I'd say 2 years now if not longer. I've built a bar, framed out an attic room, built the fish tank stand, laid 4 rooms of hardwood, and many other projects. The sliding feature would've been nice for the bar with the wide trim, but I just flipped the piece around and made the second cut. I took my time on this and it turned out perfect. Its not all about the tool, but about the craftsmanship. Its never let me down and I have no complaints about the unit.

[RumLad]

My .02 would be along the lines of:
If you think you will be learning and applying the lifelong skills of woodworker, then save a few more dollars and get the absolute best tool you can find / afford now. It will more than pay for itself in the long term.

If, on the other hand, you plan to use it once or twice a year to cut the occasional project board or three, then look for a tool with the features you think you might like at a price that fits your wallet. Don't be surprised when you have to replace it.