[Marine04]

I'm seriously considering buying the rigid miter saw to replace my ryobi. It's only 199 so it's in my budget and seems to be the better tool. Plus it comes with the laser which is a must for me. The reason for the upgrade is the failure to make accurate 45 degree cuts with my ryobi. I have been making some picture frames and when I put my pieces together I can notice the cuts are very accurate. The fence to me seems a little off but it could just be the saw. Also even when I make a straight cut through a 2x4 I can notice that the wood closest to the fence is straight and the side closest to me seems to curve or angle a little bit. Does anyone have a rigid or experience with a rigid 10in miter saw? I would like y'all's opinion on the saw before I purchase it. All I need from it is to make accurate cuts. Any pros and cons from you guys would be appreciated

 

[Burb]

Have you "set up" you current saw? Most miter saws are great out of the box for construction, but need to be "calibrated" if you are planning on using them for more detailed work". I purchased a new Kobalt 10" saw which I am very happy with, but even after setting it up, I would not trust it to perfect Miters for a picture frame. For that, I purchased the Incra V27 miter gauge. I think I paid $45 and just needed to add my own fence. After taking a few minutes to set it up, it works flawlessly.

Just a few things to think about.

Mark

 

[Marine04]

Have you "set up" you current saw? Most miter saws are great out of the box for construction, but need to be "calibrated" if you are planning on using them for more detailed work". I purchased a new Kobalt 10" saw which I am very happy with, but even after setting it up, I would not trust it to perfect Miters for a picture frame. For that, I purchased the Incra V27 miter gauge. I think I paid $45 and just needed to add my own fence. After taking a few minutes to set it up, it works flawlessly. Just a few things to think about. Mark

Man you're awesome! I didn't know they made a jig for that. I just found the incra miter slider on woodcrafts website for 24 bucks. I'll be going to woodcraft tomorrow. Thanks a ton! Will definitely save me a ton. What type of blade do you use for frames? Would my 60t I have in my miter saw work or should I buy something with more teeth. I don't mind buying a new blade if it will be better. Plus with saving money by buying the jig instead of miter saw I'll probably buy a couple extra blades anyway ;-)

 

[rbk123]

I believe he was suggesting using the mitre gauge with your table saw, not your mitre saw.

 

[Marine04]

I believe he was suggesting using the mitre gauge with your table saw, not your mitre saw.

Yeah I know. His suggestion actually led me to find some nice tracks for my miter gauge that are advertised on a 45 degree miter jig. I can make the jig for probably 30 bucks and have all that extra money to spend on blades. I never would have thought of making a miter sled. From what I saw its cheap to make pretty quick to make and works flawlessly. I might just make my own sliders and can keep the price under 20 bucks.

 

[rbk123]

Excellent. I read your question on your mitre blade and inferred that's the saw you were going to use the gauge with; my bad.
1) definitely make your own runners; pretty simple
2) your 60T, if it's a decent blade will make a good cut; if it's the stock blade it will probably have some splintering.

 

[Marine04]

Excellent. I read your question on your mitre blade and inferred that's the saw you were going to use the gauge with; my bad. 1) definitely make your own runners; pretty simple 2) your 60T, if it's a decent blade will make a good cut; if it's the stock blade it will probably have some splintering.

Yeah at first I was going to replace the miter saw. I was pretty upset about it because I'm in the process of trying to buy a full size drill press too. Now that I know miter saws just won't make those precision cuts I'm a little relieved. The sled seems tons more accurate and affordable. I'll probably pick up the stuff to make it today.

Right now the only 10" blades I have for my saws are the 40t my table saw came with and a 60t avanti I picked up at Home Depot about 2 months ago. I do think I'll upgrade both of those blades though. I was going to originally buy a diablo 60t but at the time was short on cash. Any suggestions on which brand of blades to upgrade to would be appreciated.

 

[rbk123]

KnotScott can chime in on any current deals out there for good blades as he monitors ebay and others on the lesser known brands.

For a box store the Diablo line at HD will be the least expensive. I would recommend the 50T (I have that and it makes a very clean cut and is a good combo blade).
Irwin Marples for Lowes is pretty equivalent and a great blade as well, however I believe they are priced a tad higher than the Diablo. Check your stores to confirm.

 

[Marine04]

Step one is complete. Cut my sliders out of 3:4 mdf. Made it easy cause I only had to cut the depth. Going to run to homedepot for another piece if mdf for the sled and get that cut and glued down

 

[Marine04]

Have my sled glueing now. HD only had ryobi countersink bits so I'm going to swing by woodcraft and pick one up to screw this down from the bottom once it dries a while. About to go to physical therapy so that should give it about 2 hours to dry then I'll work on the top

 

[sweensdv]

Accurately built, this jig would seem to satisfy most of the difficulties in achieving tight mitered corners.

Miter Jig.

 

[Marine04]

Here's the finished product. The second pic is a trial run with some syp the joint looks pretty good I think. Definitely a lot more accurate than the miter saw

 

[Marine04]

Also that's with a 40t blade so I'm guessing if I through a 60t on there it will look a lot cleaner

 

[pwalter5110]

I just made a miter sled myself. I am glad you went that route. I have the ridgid miter saw that you were looking into. Like others have said, it's good for construction, not so much for fine furniture and tight miters.

 

[Marine04]

I just made a miter sled myself. I am glad you went that route. I have the ridgid miter saw that you were looking into. Like others have said, it's good for construction, not so much for fine furniture and tight miters.

I'm really glad I have this app or I would have wasted 200 bucks. Do my miters look like the sled is working up to par? I can't decide how happy I am with it. I'm the type that is my own toughest critic. I do have a bunch of material left if I decide to make another one. Can you post pics of yours so I can get an idea for a second one?

 

[knotscott]

No need to change saws if your blade is the cause of the inaccurate cuts. It's not uncommon for cheap thin kerf blades to flex a little if pushed.

Saw Blade Bargains

 

[Marine04]

No need to change saws if your blade is the cause of the inaccurate cuts. It's not uncommon for cheap thin kerf blades to flex a little if pushed. Saw Blade Bargains

I definitely want to change blades. The blade on my miter saw makes pretty clean cuts but it's still the cheaper blade from Home Depot. I think I'll probably buy the diablo blades until I can afford to pay 100 bucks for a high end blade

 

[rbk123]

You'll be impressed with how good those Diablo blades really are.

 

[Marine04]

You'll be impressed with how good those Diablo blades really are.

Can't wait to pick one up. I have the low end avanti in my miter saw 40t. The table saw still has the 40t blade it came with and I can tell a massive difference in just those two. The next 40 bucks I get I'll pick up a 60t diablo for the cross cuts and miters etc then I'll probably pick up a 40t to replace the avanti. Having a tight budget sucks but it is what it is

 

[CT Proctor]

If your satisfied with the squareness, I would add a couple of hold down clamps to the sled and call it a day. Also a key to good miters on a picture frame is to make sure the opposite side pieces are exactly the same length.