epsilonGreedy Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) I am having difficulty justifying spending a £ few hundred on a mitre saw early in my build. A list of applicable tasks during a build (not a timber frame) would help me decide, so far I have: Internal stud wall framing. Skirting board trimming plus 45 degree cuts. Door frame and architrave (or will I buy ready-made kits). Garden decking. From @Mr Punter Ali flashings. Guttering Joists Flooring (laminate?). Those tasks alone should result in a payback compared to buying in carpentry labour at £150 per day. The more immediate task I face is cutting about 35 45mm square timber pieces for my static caravan skirt framing though a mitre saw feels like overkill for such a low accuracy task. Edited January 24, 2019 by epsilonGreedy Extend task list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 I could not exist without a compound mitre saw, even after my build (lots of diy projects). Frankly the cost compared to the build is minimal and anything that makes work easier and more accurate makes life (work) more enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Some reading here: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Go and buy this with change from £100 Titan Sliding Mitre Saw You will use it for a lot more than you think, and when it breaks, take it back and get a new one under warranty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 I have got one of these https://www.screwfix.com/p/evolution-r255sms-255mm-single-bevel-sliding-mitre-saw-220-240v/1062x Cheap enough and cuts most things. Use the laser as a rough guide only, especially if you are doing a bevel cut. I use for steel, ali flashings & gutter, joists, plastic, flooring. You won't impress proper trades on site but it gets the job done and nobody will steal it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 3 minutes ago, PeterW said: Go and buy this with change from £100 Titan Sliding Mitre Saw Good to see you back online advising. Is the Titan a step up the quality ladder from an Evolution Rage which was criticized in the other linked thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) I have been reading up on stud walls and concluded the most chunky timber cut I face is a 100mm x 50mm. The 210MM Titan has a stated cut range of 62mm deep and 310mm across so man enough for a stud wall frame section on its side. As to skirting board I cannot imagine anything higher than 225mm even if I pursue the heritage theme though that could look odd with modern 2.4m regulation height ceilings. Edited January 24, 2019 by epsilonGreedy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 I treated Titan stuff as disposable at first, but have changed my mind having bought a cheap drill that seems damned near unbreakable. It's been thoroughly abused, but refuses to give up. No idea how Titan compares to Evolution, other than I suspect both are really no-name Chinese stuff that gets badged with these names by UK sellers. Might even be that both come out of the same factories in China! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 14 minutes ago, JSHarris said: I treated Titan stuff as disposable at first, but have changed my mind having bought a cheap drill that seems damned near unbreakable. It's been thoroughly abused, but refuses to give up. No idea how Titan compares to Evolution, other than I suspect both are really no-name Chinese stuff that gets badged with these names by UK sellers. Might even be that both come out of the same factories in China! The Evolution behaves like no other saw I've used. Slow start as in very slow start. Runs at about half the speed of a similar diameter blade in an "ordinary" saw. Blade / tooth set arrangement is unusual too. GREAT for chopping up box section, angle iron, scaffold and conduit. Sounds more like a 9" grinder than a chop saw. Just about OK for architrave. Utter shite for through housings & skirting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Buy the titan one and use it. If you like it great if not bring it back and say it is making a weird noise from the motor and get your money back and buy the next one up in the catalogue. Repeat until you find one you like. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishjohn Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) 50 minutes ago, JSHarris said: I treated Titan stuff as disposable at first, but have changed my mind having bought a cheap drill that seems damned near unbreakable. It's been thoroughly abused, but refuses to give up. No idea how Titan compares to Evolution, other than I suspect both are really no-name Chinese stuff that gets badged with these names by UK sellers. Might even be that both come out of the same factories in China! Ihave a titan 9" angle grinder which ifitted with blade for block cutting some 10 years ago worn out 2 blades doing block paving as well as a few metal grinding blades gearbox has been noisy for 5 years fitted the spare set of brushes supplied with it still going strong. I did repack gearbox .but still makes noise think it was £30 all those years ago --now £69 --but looks the same and it will still bite if your not careful !! very handy the way the handle swops round for left +right handed good cheap tool# I bought titan aligator saw at same time --thats still going strong and has been well abused Edited January 24, 2019 by scottishjohn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 For disposable tools I use Titan - bought the alligator saw as a demolition tool and it jammed a blade and they swapped it out without an issue at Screwfix. As @Declan52 said, if you don’t like it then take it back and get a new better one. Worth checking though when you do get it that the fence and blade are square to each other, and that the blade is square to the deck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassanclan Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 You could buy a good second hand saw such as an 18v Dewalt and you'll get most of your money back at the end of the job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexphd1 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) I have not used the Titan mentioned above but there are reasons trades spent more money on higher spec branded tools..... they are usually better and usually make the job easier! If you have time, keep a eye on the used market (fleebay, gumtree etc) for a nice clean machine like the dewalt mentioned in the link above. When you are finished with it you will prob brake even (as long as you don't trash it) on your purchase cost. Edited January 24, 2019 by Alexphd1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 20 hours ago, epsilonGreedy said: I am having difficulty justifying spending a £ few hundred on a mitre saw early in my build. [...] Relax. Almost all of the trades who have visited us (not the sparky) have been grateful that I have a cross cut mitre saw on site. I have it mounted on wheels so we can move it to the job, rather than the other way round. I don't let people borrow it - I found one eejit merrily cutting through embedded nails. I use it every week - for example dug me out of the joists debacle, producing 20 or 30 noggins correct to the mm. I'm busy making a 5 meter window cill : a beefy crosscut saw is a huge help. You need, when cutting long lengths, to think about the feed-in and feed-out system. And, if you can, buy one which projects a laser line to the cut - huge help. There's one saw which projects two lines; one either side of the cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyP Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 I've got a bosch blue sliding mitre saw. From memory about 350 quid new. It's great and as others have said, you find all sorts of uses. For stud work I used a cordless skill saw in the main for reasons of speed but for anything requiring a precision cut, or lots of angle cuts, then mitre saw really comes into its own. I used mine yesterday to create a precision perfect mitre joint in 2.6m long window board which was made from two pieces of MDF, it's painted and you have to look really, really hard to see the joint, would have been impossible without the mitre. Architrave and skirting is made so much easier with a mitre saw, as well. I bought a quality saw expecting that I'd sell it on after the build but actually we're now planning a DIY built timber framed outbuilding, and even after than I just expect I'll keep it because it's so handy and makes such good cuts. I'd say get yourself one, there's nothing like a shiny new tool to lift your spirits on a cold winter's morning. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 Ok I am convinced, I need a sliding mitre saw and now I have a few pre purchase questions. I assume a 12" model would be OTT, so where would I find an 8" blade limiting compared to my current notion that a 10" blade is about right. Please note I am not doing a TF build. The other feature I am not knowledgeable enough to assess is single or double bevel. Am I correct in thinking the only downside of a single bevel is the time wasted swapping long timbers around plus some extra mental maths to account for things being reversed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 On 14/02/2019 at 10:57, epsilonGreedy said: [...] so where would I find an 8" blade limiting compared to my current notion that a 10" blade is about right. [...] All of the main names do an 8 inch blade. Set up correctly means you can easily cut a 12 inch piece of wood. Double bevel? Ask Ed ( @Construction Channel ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 On 25/01/2019 at 09:54, MarkyP said: I've got a bosch blue sliding mitre saw. From memory about 350 quid new. [...] I decide to harness mine to one of their trolley stands - (because I am always moving my workshop) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Construction Channel Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 7 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: All of the main names do an 8 inch blade. Set up correctly means you can easily cut a 12 inch piece of wood. Double bevel? Ask Ed ( @Construction Channel ) You would only be limiting yourself without it. Tbh the only times you'll really use it is cutting cripples (Jack rafters) but I doubt it will be that much more to get one in the grand scheme of things 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted February 15, 2019 Author Share Posted February 15, 2019 26 minutes ago, Construction Channel said: Tbh the only times you'll really use it is cutting cripples (Jack rafters) but I doubt it will be that much more to get one in the grand scheme of things Ah. Since I am thinking about about a cut hipped roof for the garage this warning sounds relevant. Your post prompted me to visit YouTube and see how a jack rafter is cut and my conclusion is that a single jack rafter is not a problem with a single bevel mitre saw. The hassle will be when cutting the matching buddy on the other side of the hip rafter but solvable by flipping the mitre to roof pitch on the other side. The top of a hip rafter seems more interesting with a 45 degree bevel each side compounded with the mitre cut set at the roof pitch. I am trying to picture doing that with a single bevel saw and each time my brain starts hurting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted February 15, 2019 Author Share Posted February 15, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, recoveringacademic said: All of the main names do an 8 inch blade. Set up correctly means you can easily cut a 12 inch piece of wood. Double bevel? Ask Ed ( @Construction Channel ) A 10" mitre blade feels right for a big boys diy project like building a whole house but when I look for the largest timber I am likely to cut on my non timber frame project I cannot identify anything thicker than 50mm which is within the capabilities of a 8 inch blade.. The ridge of a cut hipped roof on the garage will be 125mm x 50 or 150mm x 50mm according to info I can reach via Google. Budget wise it comes down to an 8" top name brand or a 10" Erbauer/Evolution. The guy on the local Screwfix desk almost pleaded with me not to buy a Titan as he did not want to process the return. The Erbauers are made in the Makita plant he claimed. Edited February 15, 2019 by epsilonGreedy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simplysimon Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 1 hour ago, epsilonGreedy said: The top of a hip rafter seems more interesting with a 45 degree bevel each side compounded with the mitre cut set at the roof pitch. I am trying to picture doing that with a single bevel saw and each time my brain starts hurting. it's only 45 deg on plan, let me know if you need help to mark out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 15 hours ago, recoveringacademic said: All of the main names do an 8 inch blade. Set up correctly means you can easily cut a 12 inch piece of wood. Did you select an 8" model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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