I need a compound Miter, and a Planer

[Nate Surveyor]

This is for personal use, and home construction.

Any advice?

It looks like Dewalt has several, and I was at Sears the other day, and it appears that Sears is making a comeback with a bunch of red equipment.

I need it for basic home construction.

Lumber sizing, and trimming and all the basics.

Also, I will be needing a PLANER. Advice? I think It'd be nice to get one that does joining too.

Thank you,

Nate

[DanG]

Nate, I bought the 12" sliding compound miter saw from Harbor Freight for under $200.  12" slider in major brands will run about $600.   I've been pleased with it so far.  Only problem I've had was when a couple of screws loosened on the guard mechanism, and it stopped working.  I had to disassemble it to get it back on track, but it's fine now.  In my opinion, that other $400 is better spent on a bigger, stronger planer.

[brdmkr]

Nate,

Try toolseeker.com to compare brands and find the best prices.  I have been looking at sliding compound miters and there is one place with a pretty nice sale on the Milwaukee.  I think with percent off it is about 360.00.  It is a 10" saw.  It gets pretty good reviews in the WW magazines.

One thing to keep in mind is that sliding saws tend not to cut thick wood as well as standard CMS, and standard CMSs do not cut as wide is SCMS.  I have a Craftsman CMS and while it does fine for molding, it does not like to crosscut true 6" boards.

I have seen DanG's SCMS, and I was pretty impressed with the quality for the price.  I have heard others knock HF tools, but the few that I have purchased from them have (and still!) perform pretty well. 

I also remembered this site as well.  You can track Amazon pricing on tools here.

http://www.frozenwarrior.com/~pricewatch/browse.php?value=551236

[Brad_S.]

I have the DeWalt 10" compound miter and I love it, light but powerful, but if I were to do it again, I would get the Rigid 10" that includes the laser for less money.

Thanks for the lead on the HF saw, DanG. For that price, I think I'll get one for those times I wish I had that extra width capability and then have the best of both worlds.

[Stephen1]

I have the dewalt 735 planer, works great, very simple and easy to use, the blades are disposible but reversible, no sharpening . I think for a beginner like myself, thats ok as there is no setup involved in installing them. I will try in the futer to maybe hone them done and reinstall to see what happens. 

 I will be needing a PLANER. Advice? I think It'd be nice to get one that does joining too.

There is a difference between a jointer and a thickness planer, as I have found out. A thickness planer does not square up your wood, just uniform thickness. If it goes in with a warp it will come out with one, but hey I am a beginner and learning all the time.
My wife, who works for Black & Decker 8)bought me a  JT360 jointer for Christmas but I have not set it up or used it just yet, hopefully I can move around enought to start to set it up next week.

[Larry]

Bought a Bosch SCMS last fall.  I given it a hard work out so far…tape the trigger in the on position and cut basswood carving blocks as fast as possible.  Sometimes 2 or 3 hours at a time.  Than the next day, use it for cabinetwork.  No complaints so far.

I have couple of things going in the For Sale section next month that might interest you.  Late model Craftsman (Belsaw) 12” plainer/moulder with 5 hp and a made in USA Rockwell Delta 6” jointer.  Want to get both clean and adjusted before I put them up for sale.

[TexasTimbers]

I went with the makita 12" SCMS and have no regrets at all. I did a deatiled review of my research it's in the archives.

If you are going to use one very often I would not scrimp.
I
DeWalt 735 - for an occassional use benchtop planer it is fine  - just don't expect it be a shop planer.

[blaze83]

I had a dewalt 12" portable planer that I got still in the box at a yard sale, I ran a lot of wood through it until the thing finally died. I would get another one if a deal came along. I have both the ridged 12" sliding compound miter saw and a makita 10" SCMS. I like them both,  with the nod going to the Ridged.  I use all dewalt compound miter saws at work and they are nice too.  My first saw was the Makita, I got the 10" so the blades would fit my table saw also.... probably no help to you I'm just blabbing away

[DanG]

Hey Brad.  The HF saw has the laser, too.

[Norwiscutter]

I am on my third planer right now.  My first was a Makita Portable.  My second was a Powermatic 15 inch. My third is a Logosol ph260. None of them are big enough, although the Logosol is appropriate for what I do.  The next one I get will be alot bigger and heavier than the others.  My advice, don't buy a portable planer and expect it to plane boards off the mill.  Portable planers are for trim work on the job site.

[TexasTimbers]

Same with a miter saw or any other tool. you get what you pay for.

[DanG]

Or, you get what you CAN pay for.

[Joel Eisner]

When we were putting up our timberframe last Feb I picked up a Harbor Freight 12" sliding compound miter saw.  It was on sale for $99.  I got it as a temporary fix for cutting the roof decking.  Well after cutting all the siding, flooring, trim, decking and more, a year later it is still going.  The blade guard fell apart a while ago but other than that it is okay.  I may pick up another and use this as a cut off saw in the future.  I know it is great to pick up $600 tools that last forever but if one is able to get two for under $200 and have them set up for specific tasks like we did for the siding (one for cutting square and right next to it the other for cutting to length with a stop block) then it makes sense to go cheap for us cheap types  (sorry Scott).

Joel

[scsmith42]

Joel - 

What can I say??? A close friend once called me a "tool elitist"         

Seriously, you've hit a nerve about HF.  Last year I broke down and bought a Harbor Freight concrete vibrator.  Well, not exactly - the e-bay auction did not state that it was HF so it was not a conscious decision on my part, but I digress.... 

This thing was brand new and the motor burned up the first time that I used it - 75% of the way through the job with a concrete truck waiting...  HF wouldn't warranty it since it was right at 90 days from the time that I purchased it until the time that I first used it, and 91 days from date of purchase until I tried to make the warranty claim.  Now I've got a $250.00 piece of junk and it still burns me - I feel like my money was stolen by HF and they got away with it.

I view my tool purchases as a lifetime investment.  I still use on an almost daily basis hand tools that I purchased 30 years ago (Snap-on, Proto, SK, Challenger, and some Craftsman), and I really get a kick out of being able to use a quality tool for many years.  Other than the HF vibrator, I can't think of the last time that one of my tools failed me.

HF is better than nothing I guess, but if you're going to use the tool a lot, then my philosophy is to go ahead and make the investment and get a good one (or buy from northern tool Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company instead of HF).  If my experience is any indicator, be prepared to lose your investment if you buy HF.  If you need to save some $, consider buying used (but high quality brand) tools.

Scott

[metalspinner]

Or, you get what you CAN pay for.

Or, ultimately... You get what you DO pay for.

It seems to me that my tools are never big enough.  I am always at their maximium capacity.

My planer only planes 12 1/2"
My jointer only joints 6"
Miter saw only cuts an 8 x 3
Chain saw only cuts 20"

I want to do industrial sized stuff, but I'm on a homeowner's budget.  Creativity has gotten me by, but my smaller portable tools will not put up with it forever.

[Joel Eisner]

I hear you Scott.  Actually ... I have not been back to HF since the frame raising.  Remember my heavy duty drill that crapped out during the raising ... you guessed it HF.  Regarding the compound miter saw, I would not have gotten it unless it was $99 and I went into it with the expectations that I would use it for a couple of jobs.  Oh master .... you are training me well with the tool talks.....    

I guess I still have that mentality that I need to break that I will always have that Grad School budget.  I remeber setting up my first shop for $500 (which was a ton of money to us) and made some really nice furniture over the next few years.

[TexasTimbers]

........I remeber setting up my first shop for $500 (which was a ton of money to us) and made some really nice furniture over the next few years..........

Nice point. Expensive tools do not the artisan make. They are nice to be able to have that dependibility knowing, pretty much, they aren't going to crap out on you when you can least afford it. But no matter how much money someone spends for that extra ?% of accuracy and fluidity (to guys like me and Scott who are tool elitists ) as in the case of a miter saw, it's the man (or woman) behind the tool in most cases that gives the wood its personality.
If DanG and Joel are happy with their HF saws who are we to say it was a bad decision.
Still, if someone asks me what kind of miter saw or any other tool they should buy, I guess the first two questions ought to be "How often will you use it" and "How accurate does it need to be?"

More power to you HFers! 

[Norwiscutter]

My wife has learned that I will always buy the best tool for a given job rather than have to replace it down the road.  My brother in law bought a HF chop box to use building his house.  Well, he could never figure out why none of the joints on his trim work were tight.  He helped me out on a job and was amazed at how accurate my Makita was. He wished right there that he had spent the extra money.

Joel- you got it backwards, you are suppose to buy all your nice tools before you start Grad School, that way you can keep your sanity on the weekends. What do think all those deferred interest student loans and grants are for?

There is nothing nicer than going to the big box store tool department and not being able to find any tool that you feel like you need.   

Remember though that I am attempting to make a living with all my stuff, so I my requirements are different than someone doing it on the side.

[DanG]

There is nothing nicer than going to the big box store tool department and not being able to find any tool that you feel like you need.   

Remember though that I am attempting to make a living with all my stuff, so I my requirements are different than someone doing it on the side.

Two excellent points there!  My list of tool wants is getting shorter and shorter.  I got enough Lowe's gift cards for Christmas to get a biscuit joiner, and that otter keep me out of the tool dept. for a while.   I guess some people get a kick out of buying toys, but my thrill is in having them.

If I was trying to make a living with them, they would certainly be major brands.  I'm pretty picky about what I'll buy from HF.  Now that we have a store, I can go in and look them over, and a lot of them fall into the "I wouldn't have that thing" category.  I knew I was taking a chance on the SCMS, but have been pleasantly surprised.  I've also purchased some major brand stuff from them over the years.  I saved about $500 on my MileMarker winch by ordering it from them.  It was drop-shipped directly from MM.  Also got my Century AC/DC welder from them after shopping prices for a while.

I like those good ol' lifetime tools, too.  My heavy duty drill was purchased by my Grandfather in 1939!  You can't buy a new drill that strong at any price, today.  I still have my first "skilsaw", a Black and Decker that I got in 1972.  The plate got bent a few years back, so I bought a Hitachi, but I still use the old B&D for cutting sheet metal, since there ain't no plastic on it.

[Norwiscutter]

I have a couple of old beld sanders made by Black & Decker and by Skillsaw.  Can't find belts for them anymore so I had to pick up a new Milwaukee. Although the Milwaukee is good quality, It weighs about half of what the older solid metal ones do.   

[scsmith42]

Ahh Joel, I keep forgetting about your grad school background... 

Next time we have a tool discussion I'll start presenting my view in terms of ROI, NPV, and setting up an LLC to deduct the cost of those GREAT quality tools that you'll be buying!   

I gotta tell this group - even though we have a lot of different perspectives (and don't always agree), I really enjoy the feedback and knowledge that's shared, and I come here to learn from others as much to help others.  As I read each one of the posts after mine, I find myself nodding and thinking to myself "yup, Joel makes sense.... yup - Kevin's got a good point there...(and he's a tool elitist too - Yahoo!),  Yeah - Norwisscutter said it well, and of cours DanG always makes sense...

Sometimes I wish that FF members were all neighbors - geographically instead of just electronically - what a blast that would be!

As I've said before, FF is a great place.

Scott

[DanG]

If we all had the same perspective and always agreed, there wouldn't be much point in being here, would there?   Meeting face to face, and talking via phone with other members is really great!  Ya oughta do more of it.  I'm only 10 miles from the airport.

Gotta go retrieve a personal message.  I think its gonna be Kevjay giving me his phone number.

[scsmith42]

DanG - expect to see me at some point in the future on your doorstep!

I'm headed down to Bikeweek in Daytona Beach a week early, and have already been chatting with Tom about stopping by on the way down.  Any chance that you'll be in the neighborhood?

Scott

[DanG]

Hmmmm.  Whats da dates on dat?

[Norwiscutter]

I think that if we all lived next to each other, we would never get any work done.

[Joel Eisner]

Okay to set the record straight.  I like to support cheap tools when they do the trick.  I also buy the best money can afford when needed.  In fact the other day I was using my Bosch biscuit jointer that I have had for about 10 years and thought about how it is a quality tool in a nice metal case that will likely last me a lifetime.

Trying to do things too cheap will usually come back and bite you.  It is very hard to "save your way to success."  When we (i.e., me) were putting in the foundation for our timberframe I thought to myself that I am not going to waste $1.25/block to have someone lay those 1200 blocks when I can do it myself .... allbeit slowly.  Well after a long hot summer and both wrists sprained and about $3000 in additional carry costs on the two mortgages I realized that I could have saved about $1500 and a couple of months on the project having a crew lay the blocks.

Similar could be said about not wanting to spring for the chain mortiser and beam saw.  

Okay I am a reformed bottom feeder on the road to recovery.  

[scsmith42]

Norwisscutter- you have point there...

DanG, I'm meeting up with some friends in Key West on the evening of February 26th.  I figured that I'd ride down Tom's way on Saturday the 24th, and hang out on the 25th.

Joel, sounds like you're learning the same lessons that I have! <grin>

Scott

[Tom_Averwater]

Hitachi miter boxes are  some of the best out there .We have the 8.5'' slide compound that is 20 years old and still gets used alot . 15'' box for the big cuts. I use a 10'' slide compound in my shop. Yes, they are expensive, but they hold up to alot of use.