good chop saw?

NickWheeler

NickWheeler

Joined
Dec 3, 1999
Messages
9,437
Hey folks, I tried a search and it wasn't responding.

My Milwaukie chop saw finally crapped out on me, and I'm wondering if anybody has some advice on a good one.

I always associate Milwaukie with quality, but it was until after I got that saw that I realized it was made in Taiwan to far lesser standards than most Milwaukie products.

Thanks!
-Nick-
 
Yes, Milwaukee started going downhill around 1990. I no longer buy Milwaukee tools ...ditto for Mikita.

These days it's DeWalt ...or my favorite for the last 10 years or so, Ryobi. Ryobi tools are inexpensive, and they can take a beating.

Yeah, yeah, yeah ...it's not American. But if you take a close look, almost no tool is anymore :)

(Oh, Porter-Cable make nice tools, ...but you generally pay thru the nose for them.)
 
My dad has a 14" dewalt, and I know a guy who has a craftsman.
At this point I think I'd pick the dewalt. Its a good machine, has quite a bit of power to it. The table is sheet metal, pretty thick, but nothing super sturdy. Its holding up real well though, no signs of wear.
The thing I really like about it is the adjustable clamp on it. Not only will it lock in at different angles, you can slide it forward and backward to get the peice centered under the wheel. I've found that it cuts a lot better, and blades/wheels last alot longer if you get the work centered under it as its coming down, instead of crammed all the way to the back so the wheel is grabbing and pulling down onto it.
The craftsman has a surprisingly nice table on it. I didn't pick it up to see how heavy it is, but its some sort of casting and seems real sturdy. Don't know about how much power it has. The thing I don't like is it looks like the clamp is fixed at the back, so you have the issue of the wheel binding and pulling itself down into the cut.
You probably know all about wheels already,but if you don't have the right kind they won't cut for **** and they fly apart really fast. I wasn't really impressed with my dad's until we found some bar cutting wheels for it, instead of the general purpose ferrous metal wheels that lowes carries. It cuts alot better, and the wheel has lasted alot longer.
 
I'm with nick, never again on a milwaukie chop saw or anything with milwaukie on it. I've used and seen mikita skilsaws used day in and day out for several years and they kept going and going, so the next chop saw for me will probably be a mikita.

Bill
 
I am looking at the dewalt or mikita. I bought one of those "wahtabargain" ebay deals. STAY AWAY!!! I realized cheap tools are cheap tools....

Nick, I finally saw your website. Nice. You make some nice looking knives.
 
Nick, most of the guys at work use the Dewalt chops saw's...more importantly,is the quality of the cutting discs...we use soley Sait abrasives,and they hold up great..be carefull of the "cheaper cutting discs"
they are known to self destruct and put you in harms way...
hope this helps some :)
 
I have used a "RIDGID" 14" for a few years and have hogged some thick stuff with it. Its a cast iron base, quick adjust clamp, easy to adjust angles. Good chop saw!
Img0294.jpg
 
if you look at the chopsaws available most of em are of the same design with a little different paint, or handle gimmicks. They all come from taiwain.
So I buy mine when they go on sale at hARBOR fREIGHT FOR $49.99

A chopsaw is nothing special really just a motor and a hinge. If the motor craps out on the Higher priced what's the chance of getting it fixed for $50.00 ??? I have my harbor freight for a couple years now. It's still going strong.

Save the money buy good disks!
my .02
 
depends on what you need to cut. Wide stuff so you would need a sliding saw? I'd get whatever was afordable and beat it to death. Delta aint bad but I prefer the Dewault. We have one thats used EVERYDAY at work and it keeps on cuttin :p
 
Sweany said:
if you look at the chopsaws available most of em are of the same design with a little different paint, or handle gimmicks. They all come from taiwain.
So I buy mine when they go on sale at hARBOR fREIGHT FOR $49.99

A chopsaw is nothing special really just a motor and a hinge. If the motor craps out on the Higher priced what's the chance of getting it fixed for $50.00 ??? I have my harbor freight for a couple years now. It's still going strong.

Save the money buy good disks!
my .02
Click to expand...

I'm with Mike on this one. I bought a DeWalt chopsaw before they were bought out by Black and Decker (did you know?) and the quailty went south. Unfortunately, it belonged to my former employer. I have an HF saw at home that is pretty good at less than 1/4 the price. It rocks. I abuse it so much, and it keeps working and as long as it does I'll keep abusing it. When it dies I'll give it a decent dumpster burial and get another. Its not like we are looking for precision here, anyway.
 
In my shop we have one of the $49 HF chop saws and have had no trouble with it. If it crashes it goes in the dumpster and for $49 I will buy another.
We also have not had any problem with the $3 or $4 14" HF crop saw blades either.
 
I picked up a Rigid from Home Depot a while back. Very happy with it so far but I have nothing to compare it to.
 
Mikita makes pretty good stuff. I started buy their stuff when the others were all made in ROC.

The Taiwanese stuff seems to be of a little better quality than the stuff made on mainland China.

Craig
 
Nick, I'm rough on chop saws and angle grinders. Burned up a couple of cheap chop saws pretty quick, bought a Dewalt and liked it but only got a little over a year out of it. Hank Knickmeyer burned up 3 or 4 Dewalts in about a 2 year period recently. I bought a Milwaukee a year and a half ago and it's still going strong, maybe this is the one. It has outlasted the others so far. It seems to me the better discs cut faster with less strain on the motor.

Don Hanson lll
 
Thanks guys!

Don, I'm glad to hear you chime in, as I know anybody that makes mosaic as much as you do, knows how rough we can be on a chop saw.

In a shop that produces mosaic steel, they don't get to live happy lives cutting thin bar-stock and light angle iron... you slap big, hot billets on there and whack 'em up!!! :D :p :D

I've heard a lot of reports that the DeWalt saw is not nearly as good as most people expect DeWalt to be.

You should see the one Tom Ferry built. He took the vice and spring off of his old saw and then built one around that. It's very Tim Allen-ish... I think it's got a smoke stack and a double barrel carb... :D

Thanks again guys, I appreciate the help! :)

-Nick-
 
Something I've been holding off getting is a chopsaw. Now I find myself needing one. Home Depot and Harbor Freight are within a mile from each other. I'll have something when I return.
 
I looked over several different models, and ended up buying the Rigid from Home Depot.

It's stout, and has a nice ergonomic design.


I'm happy so far :)

-Nick-
 
A little o.t. but I sold my chop saw and purchased two 41/2 inch right angle grinders. I run 6 inch matabo thin zip cut off blades on them. I find them to be quicker cleaner and more usefull than the chop saw was. I use one to cut, the other to grind, when making damascus. It works out well for me. Fred
 
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