I have a King 10" Compound Sliding Laser guided Mitre saw, and it's junk. The thing can't cut angles correctly and there's a ton of slop in the table. So I'm looking to upgrade. Currently I'm looking at either the Dealt DW718 or the Makita LS1013. I'm reading mixed reviews of both of these on the web. Does anyone here have any thoughts?

thanks

 

Both are excellent pieces of equipment. You probably need to rent one or visit with a current owner of each saw. Beyond that, cost is the determining factor.

 

Yes, try them out
Check the action
See what fits you best, that's the most important thing as they are both good quality
In addition to those I'd also recommend checking out the Bosch sliders
Spectacular saws for a little more money
An excess of features, some of which you might not need, but a regret-proof purchase
Beefy enough for decks, senstive enough for picture frames

 

I have the Dewalt 718, I'm very happy with it. With that said, if you can afford it and plan to cut larger lumber a slider or a 12" saw would be nice. A 10" non-sliding saw can't cut a miter in a 2x6.

 

Just my 2 cents. I use a Bosch 12", and couldn't be happier with it. I've been using it for over 7 year, now, and have had zero problems with it. I clean it after coming off every jobsite with a blow gun, keep the moving parts as well as the blade coated with slicky stuff, and double check the miter/bevel before tackling the next trim job. Of course with the 12" comes good and bad. You can cut so much more than a 10" can, but the blades cost more, too, so there. Make note of the handle position. I note on the Craftsman, they use a single handle in the straight back design. It is not a very good design, as you will get really tired of it quickly. On the other hand, the Dewalt, Bosch, etc have a "D" type handle, and is quite comfortable. Mine also has an ambidextrous safety, so wrong handed people can use it, too. Good luck with your choice.

 

thanks for all the feedback. Looks like I have to do a bit more testing before deciding on the saw to buy. Larry that's great that Bosch also thought of right-handed people during their design process

 

Regarding slop on the table. That slop is an excellent place to start learning how to adjust a saw to make accurate cuts. Depending on the type of problem you are experiencing, you may continue to have the same problem even with a top of the line saw. Even generic brand saws can be adjusted to produce satisfactory cuts if you fully understand what can go wrong with a cut.

A common problem I see is with the Delta saws, (hence any mid range brand) and they are a known good brand name saw. They're aluminum fences tends to be bowed at the middle, between the left and right side fence. (The older cast iron fences are true) This bow produces a good 45 cut when cutting a board in half, but when trimming an inch on either the left or the right, you will be off by 1 degree! This will prevent you from ever getting good 45 degree mitres for corners, unless you shim each cut. Hard to believe that bow is there. I recommend to everyone to lay a straight edge across the entire fence and then look for the bow. It's that simple. Do it at the store on the display model too and you can see what Im talking about. I've used the Delta (bowed fences) to trim out a complete home, but I always have to shim if I want the exact 45 degree angle. I can use them and I respect them, but I would not own one.

I also own DeWatt saws, and I can tell you that the bow is not there. The fence is true from end to end, and the 2 DeWatts I've owned are squared up and ready to cut right out of the box! This is not a recommendation for DeWatt, rather, just my experience so far.

 

From memory I think the DeWalt saws have the slide mounted vertically. By contrast the Makita is horizontal. This to me just makes more sense since with a mitre saw it is the horizontal rigidity that matters.

 

Lowe's was/is blowing out the DeWalt 708 predecessor to the 718 for $475. The 718 is price-fixed (in the olden days before toilets and the internet, the term was "fair-traded") at $645 or $675, can't remember which. As far as I can tell, the 718 is a 708 with a removeable fence to allow cutting up to 16" boards(?) and is "laser-ready". Couldn't find any more differences between the two so you might trot down to Lowes and check 'em out.

If and when you buy the DeWalt 723 table, check out Amazon - I bought mine for $145 (free shipping, no tax) and they sell for around $199 at the box stores. Plus tax.

 

I love my Makita LS1013. After borrowing 1 from a friend I knew I wanted one.