Sliding Compound Mitre Saw By admin | No comments yet

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw

If you’re looking for a great value, high quality, all-purpose sliding compound mitre saw for all those jobs around the home, the PCM 8S from Bosch could be just what you are looking for.

It’s easy to use, well-made, and an ideal all-rounder, totally suitable for the beginner but also up to the demands of the more experienced DIY craftsman.

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw Bosch PCM 8S

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw Bosch PCM 8S

Bosch, along with a few other makes like Makita and Dewalt, appear regularly in forums and reviews as leaders in their class when it comes to design, performance and usability. It’s important to remember this when you are looking at different makes and models of sliding compound mitre saw. After all, this is not a throw-away purchase, it’s a piece of kit that will give you many years of great service if you choose well.

So, a bit like when you’re comparing pairs of shoes, the lowest prices are not necessarily the best buys, and I would say get the best that your wallet can stand.

Quick Facts

Hefty 1200 watt motor
Maximum cutting height 70mm and widths 282mm
Slide (as you would expect on a sliding saw!)
Combo clamp for vertical and horizontal holding
Laser beam guide for accurate cutting
Dust extraction port with dust bag included
Side extension supports for longer pieces of work
Saw blade included
Two year warranty

Technical Details

Saw blade nominal diameter 210 mm
Saw blade bore diameter 30 mm
Cutting capacity at 0°: 70 to 282 mm
Cutting capacity at 45°: mitre – 70 to 200 mm
Cutting capacity with 45° incline: 45 to 282 mm
Mitre adjustment: 47° left and right
Incline setting – 45° left

Notice that in this saw you get the ability to do the full combination cut as its name suggests – this means:

  • mitre cut – the saw blade turns
  • bevel cut – the saw blade twists
  • sliding cut – the saw blade slides backwards and forwards along rails.

It’s great to see a laser guide included with this saw. Not all saws have one, even today, and I think once you have one, you don’t want to be without one. You sort of get used to these little extras!

The all-round blade included with this saw, like many sliding mitre saws, is fine for most of those jobs you will want to do around the home, but I have to say that if you want to make drawers, cupboards or anything where you need very fine cutting to make accurate joins, my preference would be to buy an additional blade for this purpose – maybe an 80-tooth for a finer finish.

As I say, all in all this is a great value, good quality sliding compound mitre saw for the home DIY enthusiast, and I like it a lot.

I’ve found very competitive pricing here – you can click the link to check stock levels and buy this and other models online: Sliding Compound Mitre Saw.

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw By admin | No comments yet

Bosch GCM8S Sliding Compound Mitre Saw

Video – Bosch GCM8S Sliding Compound Mitre Saw

This is a great video if you want a world-class sliding compound mitre saw with an 8 inch blade. A sliding mitre saw of this capacity is just what you need for loft conversions, flooring, decking and all those projects around the house. If you’re trying to choose between table saws, circular saws and sliding compound mitre saws, you need to see this before you buy:

Price Check button

(click the red button to check the latest pricing and availability on the Bosch GCM 8 S Sliding Compound Mitre Saw)

The S in the model code stands for sliding and what a sliding mitre saw this is! As you will see in the video, everything about the Bosch GCM8S oozes quality, from the casing to the controls to the smoothness of the slider. And just listen to how it purrs in the video – sheer refined power from that quality 1400W motor.

Fast Facts Bosch Sliding Mitre Saw GCM 8 S

* 1400W
* Max. Cross Cut 60 x 270mm
* 48-Tooth TCT Blade INCLUDED
* Spindle Lock
* Laser Cutting Guide
* Quick-Release Clamp
* Die-Cast Aluminium Base

Something else shown in the video was interesting to me:

One of the really interesting things about this model is the operation of the laser guide. The red laser line shows where the left-hand-side of the blade will be when it cuts through the work piece, so you would have your waste wood on the right and your remaining work piece on the left. But, if you want to swap that over, so that your waste wood is on the left, you just adjust the laser so that the laser line shines down the right-hand-side of the blade instead. This is SO useful and something that other sliding compound mitre saw manufacturers could learn from! So many cheaper saws don’t allow the laser to be adjusted at all. Don’t underestimate the importance of this – it’s going to make a lot of difference to your experience with this sliding compound mitre saw.

There is also another adjuster for the laser, under a little dust cap on the blade guard – it’s a little screw that allows you to get the laser line precisely parallel to the saw blade.

These are the little things that make the difference between a down-market mitre saw and a world-class one, and over time you will be so glad you invested in a good model.

Another important point is that the laser is powered by the main just like the saw itself, unlike some cheaper models where the laser is battery-powered and so often is flat when you come to use the saw in the workshop and then have to go hunting for batteries.

A work light is another welcome feature on the Bosch GCM8S, great for making a really accurate cut.

I watched the video and to be honest I was thinking – yes, it’s a great saw, and yes, it costs more than other compound mitre saws out there, so is the extra expense justified? As a specialist in this, I would say it just depends how you intend to use the saw. If you just want a cheap saw to do the occasional project around the house, say once a year, then you can certainly get away with a cheaper saw. If you are likely to use it more than once or twice a year, do yourself a favour and make life a little easier. Benefit from all the little extras that the Bosch GCM 8 S has built-in as standard, like the amazingly adjustable laser.

One thing’s for sure, you’re getting brilliant value here and this is a popular model – you’ve only to read some of the sliding mitre saw reviews to see that. And remember, to check on the latest Bosch GCM 8 S sliding compound mitre saw prices and availability, you can click the big red button under the video .

Bench Saws By admin | No comments yet

Bench Saws – The Solid Dewalt DW745

As bench saws go, I love this one.  It gives very full value for the money, and I would expect it to cost more to be honest.

Bench Saws Dewalt DW745

Bench Saws Dewalt DW745

It’s high quality, has power under the bonnet, and is a lot more portable than some of the others out there. In fact, it’s hard to criticise the Dewalt DW745. Let’s look at the spec:

Quick Guide* Rack and pinion rail allows you to adjust the fence quickly and easily
* Saw, mitre gauge, carbide blade, push stick, and blade guard
* 15 amp motor
* 16 inch maximum rip capacity for fast, clean cuts, even hardwood
* metal roll-bar base means durability
* adjustable rear feet for stability
* 0-45 degree blade adjustment for bevel cuts
* Weight: 45 pounds, so you really can move it!
* Three-year limited warranty

One of the gripes about portable bench saws is that power is somewhat compromised because of the need to keep the weight and size down. This is not true of the Dewalt DW745, because it’s as powerful as many non-portable models, and yet somehow manages to remain truly portable.

Another regular complaint you will often see in reviews of lesser power tools – true of not just bench saws but also mitre saws – is that they are hard to adjust and not very accurate. Well, this is one area where this saw shines out amongst power tools, because it has a fence that just snaps into place and a fantastic, dead easy, rack and pinion mechanism to adjust it. You can easily set it just right and make nice accurate cuts. Great!

For extra height, you can use the holes in the base of the saw to screw through into a workbench or stand – I like those portable saw stands that allow you to wheel the saw around easily.

Dust collection is not a problem either – the entire motor is all housed so all the dust goes down the built in chute and not up your nose.

All in all, the Dewalt DW745 is one of those power tools that you are very likely to get a lot of use out of over the years – enjoyable use at that.

You can get a great price on this Dewalt by clicking the link: Bench Saws – Dewalt DW745.

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw By admin | No comments yet

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw – Blades

Your work is only going to be as good as the quality of your blade, and this applies to any sliding compound mitre saw, whatever the price, and whether it’s a Bosch or a Dewalt; a Ryobi or a Makita. Oh, and just because you can see where you’re cutting with that laser guide, if the blade isn’t up to it, you would have been better spending your money on a better blade first.

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw Blade

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw Blade

Blades for sliding mitre saws come in 8″, 10″, 12″ and even 14″ – but for most DIY work around the home, a 10 inch blade will be plenty big enough, and for many people an eight inch will be enough.

A sliding compound mitre saw requires a blade with a hook angle of –5 degrees to 0 degrees.

So what’s the hook angle? Well, it’s very simply the angle of the inner side of each tooth. Say you draw a straight line from the centre of the blade to the tip of a tooth, then the hook angle is the angle of the smaller side of the tooth. If there is a space (i.e. the tooth is like a hooked nose!), then the hook angle is positive – no space, then the hook angle is negative.

Sliding compound mitre saw models use blades with a hook angle of zero of below zero because although this reduces the aggressiveness of the cut, it also reduces the risk of “overfeed”, where the wood gets chewed up and danger happens.

To make cross-cuts (cuts against the grain of the wood, saws need to have blades with a larger number of teeth than for rip cuts along the grain. Often, a 10″ blade for a sliding compound mitre saw will have up to 80 teeth and a 12″ blade will have as many as 96.

Fortunately, all reputable sliding mitre saws in the DIY market come with a blade that will cope more than adequately with a great variety of tasks around the home. If you want to do very specialist work, then extra blades specific to the task are definitely worth the money as they will save you time and waste wood!

Please remember, if you are looking to buy a saw, it’s worth checking the current deals and availability here: Sliding Compound Mitre Saw deals.

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw By admin | No comments yet

Sliding Mitre Saw – Draper 250mm 2100w With Laser Cutting Guide

This great little sliding mitre saw from Draper is brilliant value for money and an ideal first saw that may well end up being the only mitre saw you will need.

Draper, established in 1919, is now one of the UK’s best-known tools supplier to DIY enthusiasts and the trade. This mitre saw is the top of their range of five models, and it is incredibly good value, coming in well under the price of similar models from Bosch and of course Dewalt with their DW718 and similar models.

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw Draper 250mm

Sliding Compound Mitre Saw Draper 250mm

When you consider that not only are you getting a 250mm, 2100 watt mitre saw, but it’s a compound mitre saw too, offering bevel cuts and mitre cuts – with, of course, the ability to combine both at once.

Added to that is the sliding facility, so you can of course effectively extend the reach of your sliding mitre saw to cut wider pieces of wood than if you had a fixed blade of this size.

As I say, you’re getting a lot for the money.  Seriously, this is a quality tool and if you compare the price with say a Makita mitre saw or especially something like a Bosch mitre saw, this Draper is impressive to say the least.

Quick Facts

* 250mm blade
* 2100w motor
* 230v
* Laser Cutting Guide
* Depth Stop
* Built-in dust extraction and bag
* Aluminium table and base
* Blade included

Specifications:

Blade diameter: 255mm
Bore: 30mm
Speed: 4500rpm
Weight: 18kg

Maximum cutting capacities (H x W):

Bevel cut at 90°, mitre 0°: 65 x 300mm
Bevel cut at 90°, mitre ±45°: 65 x 200mm
Bevel cut at 45°, mitre 0°: 38 x 300mm
Bevel cut at 45°, mitre ±45°: 36 x 200mm

We’re always looking for great deals for you on sliding compound mitre saws and this is one where we have succeeded!  To get keen prices on this Draper sliding mitre saw, and to buy online, take a look at this link: Sliding Mitre Saws

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