Best Sliding CMS?

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blbradford

New User
Bruce
I have a 10yr old Bosch CMS that has been a work horse for me. But I am getting bored with it and having recently satisfied a tool itch it seems that another has popped up:rolleyes:. I find myself shopping for a new CMS. The high end CMS's are all sliding which seems like a great feature (not offered when I bought my oldie but goodie.

If money was not an object what would you buy AND if your wife put you on a budget :new_blowiwhat would you buy? :dontknow: Festool, Hitachi, DeWalt, Bosch, Jet

Why would someone buy a CMS that was less than 12" or not a slider- just cost? :eusa_thin

Any of your random or more serious thoughts are welcome.:notworthy:

Bruce:eek:ccasion1
 

manfre

New User
Manfre
If money was not an object what would you buy AND if your wife put you on a budget :new_blowiwhat would you buy? :dontknow: Festool, Hitachi, DeWalt, Bosch, Jet

I'd buy the Festool slider because it doesn't need as much clearance behind the saw. The rails are fixed to the base and the blade/motor slide, unlike the more common rails sliding through the base. There was another CMS that came out last year that doesn't use rails (has hinged arms) that also does not need as much rear clearance.

Why would someone buy a CMS that was less than 12" or not a slider- just cost? :eusa_thin

Space, cost, weight. Many people are probably content with using a quick square and circular saw for cutting down long, wide boards. Complex bevels and miters are usually done on smaller boards (trim, base board, crown molding). For the cost difference between a CMS and slider, you could get a rail/guide and use a circular saw.

Random thought: A TS is generally more accurate than a CMS and can handle short, wide boards.
 

Mt. Gomer

New User
Travis
If money were no object I'd look very hard at two saws before moving on to other models: 1) The Kapex and 2) The new Bosch glide saw.


That being said, for me money is a huge object and I'm VERY happy with my 10" Makita dual bevel slider. As I don't do much (err, to date, any) crown molding I don't need the extra depth of cut a 12" blade provides (or the higher blade cost) and the slide gives me plenty of crosscut capacity. If budget is a high concern there are plenty of reasonably priced 10" sliders on the market which are very accurate and will do most everything you need. I've had personal experience with the Hitachi and Makita sliders and they're both excellent.

Travis
 

lbtripp

New User
Lyell
The 12" Bosh glide saw is a great saw if you don't need to worry about a budget. I have a 12" Bosh that I take out on jobs for trim work ( crown, casing,etc.). I don't use a a cms for building furniture because the table saw is much more accurate. In the shop I have a 12" porter cable that I like. However it dosen't get much use. For fast cutoff to rough size I use a 12" radial arm.

If you are building mostly furniture my suggestion would be not to spend your money on a cms and use the table saw. If you have an itch buysome other tool instead and continue to use your old saw.
 

blbradford

New User
Bruce
If you are building mostly furniture my suggestion would be not to spend your money on a cms and use the table saw. If you have an itch buysome other tool instead and continue to use your old saw.

Thank you.... This is a good point. I must not be getting the most from my table saw (BT3100)
 

blbradford

New User
Bruce
Random thought: A TS is generally more accurate than a CMS and can handle short, wide boards.

I seem to be building a bunch of boxes and frames requiring 45 degree cuts and my miter on my BT3100 TS does not seem to have a consistent cut. Maybe I need to work on mt "set-up" more.

Thank:notworthy: you
 

Skymaster

New User
Jack
Bl: just 2 thoughts; first double check that nothing is loose or impeded by sawdust buildup, check your blade. As long as the setting on the TS doesnt change then it sounds like the blade is dull,out of square, ect and pushin off during the cut, also ur feed rate can can exasperate the situation
 

Splint Eastwood

New User
Matt
Bruce,

Thanks for your post.

I recently went thru the same machinations as you are now. I previously had the Makita DCSMS

I loved the saw, but knew that Bosch was introducing its Articulating Arm Saw. I saw it recently at the Klinspor Show last summer?

Great Saw, but at @ $800, not my cup....now if they offered same saw in a 10 in, maybe.

So... I ended up getting a newer/revised version of the Makita 10 in ver. This ver has 2 sets of slides, one uppper and one lower. This still gives the almost 13 in crosscut capacity, but shorter 'Throw, which means the saw sits a little closer to the wall than older version.

12 in , for me is way too much capacity, for what I do. The blades are more expensive, the saw, bigger, and heavier. Id rather use the savings and buy say FEIN MM or something to that effect.

The Makita Retails for @500 at HD. And with the sale of my old slider, cost me less $200 to Upgrade. Very, very, happy with saw.

I live in Cary, also, so, if Makita gets on your radar, PM me for a demo.

M
 

lbtripp

New User
Lyell
Bruce,

Sounds to me like you need to spend some time readjusting your ts. Also you must have a good miter guage and it needs to be set-up properly. If you do that and you have a sharp blade you will achieve acurate miter cuts. I use Forrest woodwoker II blades.:icon_thum
 

blbradford

New User
Bruce
Bruce,

Sounds to me like you need to spend some time readjusting your ts. Also you must have a good miter guage and it needs to be set-up properly. If you do that and you have a sharp blade you will achieve acurate miter cuts. I use Forrest woodwoker II blades.:icon_thum

Have you seen the set up for the miter on a BT3100? It is a different bird. Maybe I should re-fester the itch for the SawStop:widea:
 

Mt. Gomer

New User
Travis
Have you seen the set up for the miter on a BT3100? It is a different bird. Maybe I should re-fester the itch for the SawStop:widea:

If you're looking for perfect 45's you might want to ditch the gauge and build a miter sled to fit the saw. They're not hard to build.....
 

manfre

New User
Manfre
I seem to be building a bunch of boxes and frames requiring 45 degree cuts and my miter on my BT3100 TS does not seem to have a consistent cut. Maybe I need to work on mt "set-up" more.

Thank:notworthy: you

ev5ml3.jpg


Build a miter sled that looks something like the picture above. It's basically a standard cross cut sled with a 90 degree isosceles triangle centered directly over the sled's cut line. The only differences between this and a normal TS sled is that the back (closest to you) wall can only be as wide as the base of the triangle. I'd add a pair of 3/4" dowels at the bottom left and right corner of the triangle to serve as handles (making sure your hands are clear of the blade).
 

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
Most 10" CMS tend to be accurate and affordable (Hitachi, DeWalt, Makita, Bosch etc.). Plus, they have a small footprint, which is important if you build a compact saw bench. With a SCMS, there is a lot of possibilities for flexing. If you want accuracy, you're going to have to spend a little bit more money (Festool, Bosch Glider, Makita LS106 etc.). That's not to say other brands/ models aren't good, a lot also depends on how you align things, how much usage they've had etc.

Overall, it makes choosing the right tool a royal pain. I want 12" crosscut capacity for rough cutting boards to length, but I also want accuracy so I can cut miters and square up boards. And I want the footprint to be small enough I can put it on a 24" wide countertop. I've actually thought about buying the HF one for rough cutting and a Hitachi one for more detailed work, and solve the problem that way. The best solution of course is to buy a real sliding table saw for accuracy and the HF machine for rough cuts, then upgrade that later to the yet-to-be-developed 10" Boschfest Glidex (or Festosch Kaplider).
 

gator

George
Corporate Member
Not knocking the BT3100 because I've seen a lot of good work come off them, but, if you really do come up with an approved budget of $500+, you might consider following Craigslist or the classifieds here for a good used 'standard' table saw which will offer much more versatility than the BT3100. There are many jigs which can be made for the standard table saw with standard miter slots, etc.

George
 

Cato

New User
Bob
If budget was not an issue, I would probably go with the expensive Kapex slider. Hard to justify for the weekend hobbyist on a budget.

I got the Makita 10 inch slider last spring and love it. Most sliders do take up some room, but I have the space for it so it's not a real issue for me. So far I have gotten very tight cuts out of this saw.

However I probably should build a cross cut sled one of these days, but for now I don't do that many miters and the ones that I do come out fine.
 

Rob

New User
Rob
I have the Makita 12" slider, cost a little over $600. I love it. Pretty accurate, bearings on both arms so it's solid. I looked at the Kapex, but couldn't justify it and really didn't like the idea of having to buy my blades from them also. Like being able to run to the BORG for a blade if I need one.
 

Luckbox72

New User
Eric
I use to have the bt3100 and after some tweaking I could get pretty good cuts from the sliding miter table, but since it could be removed, which it was often I never felt I could rely on it. I built a crosscut sled and a miter sled. I sold both with the saw when I sold the saw, but they were not hard to build. Used 1/2" plywood a few toggle clamps and uhmw for the runners. Once it was completed I had dead on miters without ever have to think much. I have thought about building another one for my current saw, but my incra miter gauge is dead on.
 

blbradford

New User
Bruce
I have the Makita 12" slider, cost a little over $600. I love it. Pretty accurate, bearings on both arms so it's solid. I looked at the Kapex, but couldn't justify it and really didn't like the idea of having to buy my blades from them also. Like being able to run to the BORG for a blade if I need one.

Wow- The Kapex uses blades ONLY from Festool? I guess they do this throughout their product line. It seems too captive to me and a commitment that I may not be interested in. Hey, I just got married a few months ago- thats ENOUGH of committing for a while.:gar-La;

The Makita 12" LS1216L looks awesome- is this the gem you have?:icon_thum
 
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