Tool Test: 12-Inch Miter Saws

Comments
Basics: 4,300 rpm gear-drive motor with a little more motor jump than belt-drive models. 40-tooth blade.
Adjustments: Saw bevels only to the left with stops at 0° and 45°, but you can override both if you readjust the stop bolts. The bevel scale has a marking at 33.9° for crown cuts. Behind the saw, the adjustment lever for bevels is repositionable; just pull back and turn. Large cast-in miter and bevel scales. Miter adjustments are made with a twist knob. The detent override is an underside index-finger lever. Unique lever lock for left slide fence was a little stiff.
Features: Vernier-style miter scale allows for 1/4° accuracy. Left side of table has a short sliding cast extension. Switch has left and right safety lockoff button. Cast-in inch scale on fixed right fence for quick rough-cut reference. Lever-action, threaded, vertical work clamp has the second largest capacity. Did not come with a laser or work light. The feature-laden, double bevel model 4212L would have fared better but was not sent.

Street Price
$329

Contact
Bosch Power Tools
877-267-2499
www.boschtools.com

Comments
Basics: 4,000 rpm belt drive quieted the motor some, as well as easing motor jump at startup. 40-tooth blade.
Adjustments: Dual bevel adjustments to 45° with crown stops at 33.9°. The bevel scale was the hardest to read. Steel-plate miter scale and detents should give it a long work life. This saw uses a large, comfortable twist knob for the miter adjustment and has a thumb detent override. Dual sliding, removable fences with casting marks for easy placement.
Features: The arbor-mounted laser is nonadjustable but accurately set to left side of blade. The unique, adjustable, cam-style crown stop is a nice gadget, but having two would make it work better. Markings on the throat plate are used for 45° crown cuts. Quick-release, horizontal, threaded work clamp with large knob holds material well. Can mount a dual-rod table extension with roller and flip stop on either side of the saw for repetitive cuts, but it is too narrow. Includes a pair of laser/safety glasses.

Street Price
$330

Contact
Craftsman Professional
866-798-6657
www.craftsman.com

Comments
Basics: 3,600 rpm belt-driven motor for smooth starts and minimal motor jump. 60-tooth blade.
Adjustments: This saw has dual bevel adjustment with stops at 45° left and right. Pulling out sliding shims override the stops and allow for 48°. Swing-out stops set the bevel for left and right 33.9° crown angles. The saw has a snap-down miter locking lever and a nice detent override switch. With dual sliding fences.
Features: The miter lock has a vernier scale that allows for 1/4° accuracy. Tall left and right sliding fences are removable to access a rear fence shelf, which you can use to cut extra-wide flat boards. This saw did not come with a laser; instead, we used an accessory light that provides a shadow line of the blade’s path. (DeWalt DWS7085, $60) It mounts on the upper blade guard and illuminates the area well. I found that my pencil mark disappeared in the shadow and made it hard to see if I was on the correct side of the mark, though. Did not come with a work clamp.e.

Street Price
$399

Contact
DeWalt Industrial Tools
800-433-9258
www.dewalt.com

Comments
Basics: 4,000 rpm belt-driven motor for smooth starts and minimal motor jump. 32-tooth blade.
Adjustments: Dual bevel adjustment has stops at 45°, but a sliding shim override feature lets the blade go to 48°. A fine-adjust knob makes 1/2° bevel adjustments easy. This saw uses a twist knob for locking the miter adjustment and a thumb detent override. Both fences flip up.
Features: Cast-in body detents. A rear-mount laser is adjustable and puts the laser line where you want it: left, center, or right of blade. We noticed the rear blade guard blocks the laser line about halfway through the blade stroke. The most outstanding feature of this saw has to be the front and center dual-backlit digital display for both miter and bevel cuts, readable to 1/2° except when you want to make a crown cut; the displays will then read 33.9° for bevel and 31.6° for the miter angle. A vertical screw work clamp rounds out this fine tool.

Street Price
$369

Contact
Hitachi Power Tools
800-829-4752
hitachipowertools.com

Comments
Basics: 4,000 rpm gear-drive motor has a little more motor jump than belt-drive models. 32-tooth blade.
Adjustments: This saw bevels left only. Adjusts from 0° to 45°, and moving the stop will let it go to 48°. No bevel detents but has cast-in miter detents. Miter adjustment done with a twist-knob miter lock with a thumb detent override. The left fence flips open for bevel cuts, and the right is fixed.
Features: This saw comes with a removable lockout button to keep it from unauthorized use, and two spare buttons that store in the right rear foot. It has wide steel bar work-support extensions and a vertical screw-thread work clamp. Comes with a plastic triangle to check for 45° and 90° calibration. This saw was the lightest in the test. Does not come with a laser or work light.

Street Price
$319

Contact
Makita USA
800-462-5482
makitatools.com

Comments
Basics: With electronic soft-start speed control, the 3,200 rpm gear-drive motor runs smoothly and has minimal motor jump. 60-tooth blade.
Adjustments: This dual bevel design has a unique bevel-locking lever on top that is easy to use and locks solidly. Bevel detents for this saw are 0°, 22.5°, 33.9° and 45°, and it has a maximum setting of 48°. Has a twist-knob miter lock. The left fence slides out for left bevels, but you must remove the right fence for bevel clearance.
Features: This saw has a heavy, steel detent plate and an easy-to-read miter and bevel scale. A ring over the miter-adjusting lever is a microadjustable control when engaged. This feature lets a quarter-turn move the saw only 1°. This saw also comes with a back-lit digital miter display that reads to 0.1° increments. Also unique is the built-in work light that illuminates both sides of the blade, eliminating shadows at the marked line. Did not come with a work clamp or laser.

Street Price
$500

Contact
Milwaukee Electric Tool
800-729-3878
milwaukeetool.com

Comments
Basics: A unique inline motor runs parallel to the saw arm, and its 4,000 rpm belt-drive provides smooth power and curbs most of the motor jump. 60-tooth blade.
Adjustments: Dual bevel detents are at 0°, 22.5°, 33.9° and 45°, and it has a maximum setting of 48°. Nice, top-mounted bevel-locking lever is very accessible. Snap-down miter locking lever has a thumb-operated, rolling detent-override wheel. The two fences slide out for bevel cuts.
Features: The fences have writing surfaces to mark for repetitive cuts. Ridgid’s miter scale is the largest in this test and has 1/2° markings for easy reading. Sturdy detents are cast into the body of the saw. Arbor-mounted adjustable laser shines a line on the left side of the blade, but the adjustment process can be tedious. The threaded, vertical hold-down work clamp has a quick release feature and was the largest in this test.

Street Price
$349

Contact
Ridgid Power Tools
866-539-1710
ridgid.com

Comments
Basics: 3,600 rpm gear-drive motor that jumps more than the belt-drive models. 28-tooth blade.
Adjustments: This is a left-bevel-only design that offers no bevel detents but has stops at 0° and 45°. The miter lock is a twist knob with a thumb-activated detent override. This saw has a left sliding fence, but the right fence is fixed and has a sticker rule to help measure quick rough cuts.
Features: The miter detents are cast into the saw base. The arbor-mounted, adjustable laser shines a line on the left side of the blade and is a little easier to adjust than others. You can attach work support extensions to the saw’s base, but they are too narrow and of limited use. A flip-stop fits the extensions to measure out short repetitive cuts. With horizontal screw-style work clamp.

Street Price
$229

Contact
Ryobi Ltd.
800-525-2579
ryobi.com