Sliding Compound Mitre Saw or Circular Saw and Mitre Saw

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  Stewardo on 15/04/2017 - 23:05

  +1

  Yeah you want both, sliding drop saw and a circular saw, what do you need it for

  • 

    Bargain4Days on 16/04/2017 - 10:02

    Just recently move and wanted to make a loft bed (room is very small), wanted a sliding mitre saw to make dado joints, was wondering if a circular saw or sliding mitre saw was better for that joint

    • 

      Stewardo on 16/04/2017 - 11:33

      Is quicker and easier to cut that joint with a sliding compound saw. A fixed dropsaw will only cut the shape of the blade. The sliding saw will make a rebate
      These saws also cut larger pieces of timber.
      It is possible to use a router or a circular saw but you need more setup time. A circular saw will let you rip timber or sheets to size.
      I personally would buy both, then you can attack many and varied projects.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 16/04/2017 - 13:03

      I made a queen loft bed using sliding mitre saw for the whole lot. It did a great job. Was the Rockwell one from supercheap. The more important consideration i think was the drill press. I got a pretty big one, and not sure how i could have done some of it without this.

      • 

        otter-raptor on 28/09/2017 - 16:27

        I'm researching on Queen loft bed as well mate, what was the use of the drill press, I was planning to use normal handheld drill, will it not suffice, thanks in advance

• 

  onetwothreefour on 16/04/2017 - 06:22

  +1

  What's the difference between a sliding mitre saw and just a mitre saw? What would you use the sliding saw for that you couldn't use the normal mitre saw for?

  • 

    Switchblade88 on 16/04/2017 - 09:17

    +4

    Sliding saw gives a much larger depth of cut = much more useful.

    I picked up a cheapie SCA mitre saw, which works as expected, but I miss the extra depth of the sliding one from work. Used for crosscuts and set angles.

    Also picked up an Aldi circular saw, though haven't had a project to test it on. Used for long cuts that the sliding compound saw can't do (e.g. ripping a length of timber)

    For tools, buy cheap and use them until you kill them. If it breaks, it's paid for itself and you can justify spending more on a bigger/more expensive one; if the cheapie lasts and performs under your workload then you've saved $$.

    Sliding compound saw, $189: https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-250mm-10-2100w-compound-sl…

    Circular saw, $54: https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-1200w-185mm-corded-circula…

    Under budget - check.
    Exceeds your requirements - check.
    'Want it to last' - the 3yr warranty will guarantee this, so check.
    Value for money - check.

    • 

      Bargain4Days on 16/04/2017 - 10:00

      Yeah thanks i was looking into thoses and was wondering if anyone had personal experience with this drop saw

    • 

      onetwothreefour on 16/04/2017 - 15:26

      What about these two? They both seem to be the same except one is sliding and the other isn't.

      https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-1600w-210mm-8-compound-mit…

      https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-210mm-8-1800w-compound-sli…

      • 

        Switchblade88 on 16/04/2017 - 17:10

        +1

        First one isn't sliding, so less cut depth.

        Both are 210mm blade, not 250mm.

        The extra diameter will give a bigger cut, which means it's more useful; and $40 extra isn't a significant price jump for the benefit.

      • 

        onetwothreefour on 16/04/2017 - 17:24

        @Switchblade88: OK thanks for your help. Looks like I'm getting a sliding mitre saw!

        I also need a new circular saw as I cut through the power cable on the last one, oops!

      • 

        Switchblade88 on 16/04/2017 - 17:29

        @onetwothree:

        Good choice!

        You could also OzBargain your saw with electrical tape, but, well… $50 for a new saw is quite a cheap price for peace of mind.

      • 

        onetwothreefour on 16/04/2017 - 17:33

        @Switchblade88: I did that and the tape pulled apart when I was using it, that's twice that electrical sparks came out of the cable so I didn't want to push my luck/risk my life again!!

        It's a shame that it broke as it was a good one, I bought it from this deal https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/263804

      • 

        Switchblade88 on 16/04/2017 - 20:03

        @onetwothree:

        The techie in me is wanting to hack the saw and replace the entire cable.

        The father in me is reminding me of the time I cut through a floor cable that was supposed to be off, but was not…

        Instead of Scissors, Paper, Rock it's Pliers, Cable, Electrocution

• 

  Fergy1987 on 16/04/2017 - 11:14

  I think you would be better of using a router to make dado's - or at the very least just a chisel and router plane.

  dont think that a Mitre saw is the best tool for the job, possible but probably more work.