Quote:
Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951
Well- I've got a laser. And I LIKE it!!!! 
There- I said it.
I find the laser useful in general honing in on my intended cut. Really useful on rough cuts. I can mentally calibrate it from there. Perhaps the blade cuts slightly into the laser mark, maybe not. easy to adjust the wood. My only complaint with the laser is that it is centrifugally activated. Ideally, I'd like it to mark before starting the blade up.
If it's a real accurate cut, I'll pull the blade down onto the wood to see where the kerf hits to double check before hitting the spin button.
My saw is not sliding, but works for most stuff. For me- the next step would be to mount it to a solid base with guides on either side to keep longer stock level for the cut. With the longer ramps I could make definitive stops for repetitive cuts. I will put this on my to do list right behind my wife's timing belt, fixing my roof, cleaning the garage, etc.. etc... deep down inside, I really really want though.
Disclaimer- I like to measure once, cut twice, and end up going back to lowes for more wood |
You can't do a perfect cut every time looking in at an angle. Especially on irregular stock. And you have to pick the right tooth in the line up on any multi purpose blade.
At the moment I'm down to 2 miter saws from 5 and the wood cutting one is a middle-of-the-road Hitachi (if not a little towards the south side of 'middle'). No slide or double bevel. I do have a blade in it that cost half the cost of a new unit in that class. The laser is set to mark work left, waste right. That lets me hold the work rather than the waste. It's a prefered method for me but I can't always operate that way. Those that do crown know this.
It did come with a manual laser that I forget to turn off. Not a big deal if working in the field but if left plugged in at the shop it could run for days and has. What I don't like is that, and I guess different from some of your MS's, is that once I begin the
he plunge the laser is obscured.
I started with a Delta 10" non beveling job in the late 70's. I guess that's why I still cut my crown "upside down and backwards." That was a damn good saw for general finish work which has been the bulk of my 50 years at it.
Hell, I didn't even have a finish nail gun for a few years.
To tell the honest truth, I think 51 years in the trades is enough. I don't miss it and won't miss 90% of the customers and a good portion of my fellow tradesmen. Especially the 30 somethings.
Everything is
slam bam thank you ma'am and no shortage of new gizmo tools most of which are decent but not all that necessary. Some new tools are fantastic but the job would have gone the same either way.
PS- I would love a 6, 6 1/4, even 7 1/4 quality miter saw. The European's have them but last I looked their top shelf stuff was still 220v single phase. I wouldn't spring for one at this point.
Tip: if you want to cut very small work on a MS, install a 6" fine tooth blade and add a precision cutting block to table to raise the work. If I'm not using a dovetail saw for that I've got a panel blade installed over an elevated cutting surface.