sliding compound miter saw. . .

[wood1000rio]

Do I really need a sliding compound miter saw?

[Jack Plane]

Of course you don't need one! They're quite handy though.

I always used a handsaw for making cuts that count. I bought a SCMS as a tax write-off some years ago which I use as a docking saw and I continue to use a handsaw for actual cabinetmaking.

I suppose if you've got too much money, or a friend is giving away a SCMS, then why not?

[Mark Arnold]

I use mine mainly as a cut-off saw although it comes in handy for cuts on wider moldings. If you are asking about sliding vs standard chop box, the slide feature is definitely worth the added cost, in my opinion.

[Mickey Callahan]

I agree with Jack that having an SCMS is not necessary. I've been building furniture for over 25 yrs. and never found the need for one. However, there have been times where I wished I had one. The good ones are expensive and take up too much space for what they do. Even the better ones will always need some tweaking. If you are set on buying one, go with a 12 inch version. For quality, look at Bosch or Makita. Festool also but at $1300.00!!, I'll stick with my 10 inch table saw, hand saws & planes.

Mickey

[Tom M]

I don't know about the rest of SAPFM members, but I do a lot of things in my shop besides making period furniture.  You know, like sharpening lawn mower blades and fixing odds & ends on my honey-do list.  The SCMS comes in great for household projects like flooring and moldings.  I bought my Makita 10" SCMS when I was building our deck. I made most cuts on it instead of using a circular saw.

Let's face it, you don't really need most any power tools, but it is sure nice to have some, and I bet I use my SCMS as much or more than my table saw.

[Mark Bortner]

Only you can decide if you "need" one based on the work you want to do. If you decide to pick one up avoid the off brand cheapos like the plague! Same goes for cheap blades, either will make you regret the choice to buy one in the first place! We use 10" Hitachi saws for the more precise cuts at work simply because of less blade deflection than a 12".  Watch Craigslist, I've seen some sell quite reasonably lately.

[frangallo]

If you decide you need one the smaller the saw the better. They are made as small as 8". almost anything that can be accomplished on the scms can more accurately done on a crosscut sled fit to your table saw. They are cheap, too. I make mine out of scraps. I also make them large so I can easily fit an 18" panel into them.
F

[MattH]

my shop gets used for more than just furniture also. Miter saw mighty handy. Also good for roughing things to length.Sled on tablesaw for most stuff.

[frangallo]

Following Mike's of even date: There is absolutely no doubt that a compound miter saw is as useful as it is cumbersome. I do a bit of on site installations and am reliant on scm saws. I own two. The original question was "Do I really need a sliding compound miter saw?" The answer is "No". Nether do you need a router, a biscuit joiner (or Domino), or 3 variations on a jointer plane. But by God they are nice to have. It's a question of the application and the degree of use. Don't spend $500 on a tool that you already have. In the shop I can adapt my table saw to do far more accurate work than the chop saw, but in the field I need to have the miter saw. It's portable, it's very accurate, and a decent blade is affordable. In the shop it is something to trip over and swear at, but good for roughing material. You can't cut dovetails with it but it has it's place.
F

[F. James Ray]

I would suggest a radial arm saw.  I know, I just caused you all to suck the air out of your rooms, i.e. Big Gasp.  But, I've worked as a trim carpenter, and specifically as the saw man.  I cut wood eight hours a day, six days a week for years; no SCMS was ever able to retain the accuracy of a good set up and I was never able to achieve a really accurate setup.  I had to check and reset the stops every week.

When I worked in a furniture shop, we used the radial arm saw for cutting the ends of rough sawn boards, and extremely accurate cuts using jigs (the saw was always set to 90 degrees and woe unto him who moved it from there). The point being: it was rock solid but infinitely adjustable, getting it set dead accurate was easy but not easily repeatable, and using jigs for angled cuts gave us infinite adjustablity while maintaining accuracy. Plus, a radial arm saw has a bigger work surface, a deeper cut and a longer reach;  Meaning you can crosscut that 3" thick 20" wide mahogany slab you've been saving for years.

An early Rockwell or early Dewalt would be a good choice.  They can be found relatively cheap and generally all you'll have to do to get it in tip top shape is clean it up and, worst case, replace the bearings. If you use a lot of thick stock, look for a 14 or 16 inch saw.  The blade will be expensive, but it will last forever.  Also look for one with an electric brake: in a good saw with no electric brake, the blade can spin for 20 minutes after stopping the cut. 

As to safety, radial arm saws ARE safe if operated properly.  I certainly wouldn't use it to rip boards if I had a table saw, nor would I use it to mould edges if I have router or shaper.  Put a good blade (made for radial arm saws) on it and always be aware of your hands.  These same rules apply to the SCMS.

SCMSs are great for mobility, and if you choose to go that route, I'd suggest a 10" slider.  Recent magazine tests suggest Milwaukee and Bosch.  The ten incher is less expensive and will do anything but the tallest mouldings, if you learn to cut crown flat (which is much more accurate and easier than bedding it at 45 degrees to make a cut).   Ten inch blades are also cheaper and if you want accurate cuts you'd best plan on spending at least $50-100 to replace the stock blade.

In summary:

The radial arm saw is IMHO more accurate, more versatile, and as rock steady as it gets.

The SCMS is portable.

There you go, the dissenting arguement.

James Ray

[frangallo]

Now there's a man that knows a hock from a hand saw. Thanks for the info, James. I think many of us would consider the scms over the radial simply for it's mobility. When I worked in a real shop (VCA in Easthampton, MA) the radial arm saw was this sort of Grendel type object to which we brought a burnt offering to on occasion. Deadly accurate, screamingly loud and ugly as sin. It took up 24 feet of one wall. There's the rub. I think the small shop would use a portable scms better. Though I am sure cutting through 16/4 maple would be an entirely new experience for a little scms, for general use it is a good choice.
Fran

[F. James Ray]

Thanks Fran,

But... er... I don't have a clue what a hock is, unless you're referring to Ron Hock, which I'm sure your not. 

James Ray

[frangallo]

A hock or hod is a device used by plasterers and masons to carry whatever gunjy stuff they need to smear on some offending surface. He knows a hock from a handsaw. It's an arcane reference to something writ by an old playwright.
F

[F. James Ray]

I thought about a ham hock later, but yours is better.  I'll file that away for later use.

James

[pampine]

A CMS is not a tool I would have bought, but I won one (12", not sliding) in a Woodcraft drawing 4 or 5 years ago and I've come to love it. Out of my cold, dead hands and all that.

I've got mine calibrated so I can cut exactly 90° or 45° or whatever, repeatedly. It's marvelous.

Pam