12 SCMS vs 10 SCMS

[arcticfox46]

I have two big jobs to do. 1 is to built an outside spiral staircase to an upper deck, including building the upper deck. 2 is to build a shed. The shed is going to be built with ship lap pine boards.

I need to purchase a SCMS.

Been looking at the Hitachi 10" and "thinking" about the dewalt 12"

I would be more than happy with the Hitachi 10" unless someone gives me really good reason to go dewalt 12

[rebelwork]

have you compared the depth of cut(width) between the two you are looking at?

for around the shop a 10" is fine but in construction bigger is usually better.

i like the price of 10" blades myself and the less flex of a 10".

i noticed general had a slider out. have you looked em up?....rebel

[DougB]

Leo,

I have the DW708 12" SCMS and really like it. It was a big improvement over the Craftsman 12" CMS that I had previously.

I don't have any experience with the other brands, but the June 2005 "WorkBench" magazine has a good review of seven different 10" SCMS in it. They liked the Bosch best, then Makita, then Milwaukee, then Hitachi. I checked their website a while back and they want $4.95 to download this review, so you may want to just see if you can get a copy of the mag somewhere.

Doug

[BigJamesProp]

Do you have a table saw? Does it take 10" blades?

That's what made my decision for me. I wanted to at least have the chance to save some money on blades. I don't want to start investing in an entirely new size of blades. I realize that some blades are fit for either the table saw or the SCMS, but at least some will be usable in both.

I decided on the new Bosch 10" 4410L.

There's a great review of 10" saws here:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/fe...rsaws.0804.pdf

[dcarter636]

My two cents Leo...

I have a 12" Bosch CMS that I use for framing, decking, trimwork and most other cut-off chores. When I was shopping several years ago the lack of rigidity left me cold toward SCMS sliders. I still stop and wiggle the sliders to see if they have improved but I s'pect you have a better appreciation for that than most folks.

The 12" saw will quickly chop through 4" lumber I don't think a 10" saw can do that. The cost of 12" blades is not a huge issue; I've also found that the blade applications for a chop saw and table saw don't overlap very much.

Good hunting,

[PastorPaul]

>I decided on the new Bosch 10" 4410L.
>

Ah, the very one I believe I have been coveting! :)

Pastor Paul
http://webpages.charter.net/chalosi/usaC.gif http://webpages.charter.net/chalosi/usaC.gif

"If they don't have woodworking in heaven, I ain't going!!!"

[Bryson B]

Leo,
I have a 12" Dewalt CMS in my collection that I'm happy with. It will cut a 1"x12" at 90 degrees with a little knowledge & care. The Dewalt cuts most any thing I throw at it, even a few small logs have been cut with it. The blade guard on the Dewalt is the first miter saw that I've had that actually works. The other saws that I have, the guards would hang up & they're hanging up in the shop some where.

One thing to consider if you do buy a slider. You will be traveling with the saw as apposed to it set up in the shop. Loading & unloading tools from job site to job site. Driving down the road & have to hit the brakes hard & watch the saw side forward. No matter how careful you are, when you start to move tools out on the road, they take more abuse than in the shop.

For your first 2 jobs on the road, what's wrong with using a skil saw & framing square? Let me guess: you want a SCMS because you don't have one. That's the excuse I always use when I want a new toy! :)

Bryson

[Danial]

>The 12" saw will quickly chop through 4" lumber I don't
>think a 10" saw can do that.

Dave hit it on the head. A 10" SCMS won't cut through a 4x4 in one pass. A 12" SCMS can do it in one pass and will still do it at limited angles. I frequently curse that fact. Why didn't they standardize on 9" instead of 8" on tablesaws and mitersaws many moons ago.

Dan

[Cody Colston]

I've got a Craftsman 10" CMS and although I have to hold the plastic blade guard up to start, it will cut through a nominal 4" x 4", just.

That being said, if I was using mine for primarily construction jobs, I would go with a 12" slider. What it might give up in accuracy I feel it will make up for in versatility. After all, working with construction lumber is not fine woodworking. Then again, I don't do it for a living so my opinion doesn't carry much weight. ;)

Cody

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

[arcticfox46]

Well,

Yes I do want, but I also feel that the miter saw will be a lot faster that a circular saw.

A CMS is a lot cheaper than a SCMS.

Are you telling me that I can cut a 2x12 (actual dim 1 1/2 x 11 1/4) in one shot with a 12" CMS??