FWIW: I have a Craftsman 8 1/4" SCMS the wife gave me for our 20th anniversary (1992). The first 10 years it saw occasional use because I was on the road a lot. The last 5 it has seen considerable use. Still makes cuts exact enough for a fine fit on furniture projects, altho it has seen the abuse of building decks, sheds, etc and getting bounced around in the back of my truck.
I have looked at many of the display models in the stores and have noticed that the larger the slider, the more slop in them. Also noticed the larger the blade, the higher the $$, and if you are working rough or treated lumber, that occasional rock-hard knot can knock a tooth off a blade in a hurry.
What I like about mine:
Being a slider, I can crosscut a 2 x 12 even with the 8 1/4" blade.
The blades are inexpensive compared to 10 and moreso the 12 (altho getting hard to find)
Very good quality (the supplier for this model designed and made it well)
Don't like:
Single bevel
Depth of cut only about 2 3/4",
Because I still do a lot of work using 10" and 12" wide lumber, when this one dies I will either go with a 10" slider or a 12" double bevel non slider. (If the 12", I will have to flip the board for 12" lumber) If I was only doing fine miters/bevels for furniture or trim work, I would go with the 10" double-bevel non-slider.
I guess I'm in the minority, but I can get as accurate a miter and bevel on the SCMS as I can on the TS. It is also easier to shave that few thousandths off for the perfect fit. (Of course that may change if I ever get the Osborne miter guage for the TS).
Just some thoughts
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