7- 1/4" Miter Saw

[Rockytime]

I'm looking for a 7-1/4" miter saw. I do not want a 10 or 12" saw. I don't want a sliding saw. I want a small simple saw that will allow me to just cut wood for picture framing. Is anyone using one and how do you like it? There are several on the market. A HF for $99 less 20%. Kobalt and Ryobi ar $129. Anyone use any of these? I had a 10" Ryobi a few years ago and gave it away as I was not using it. Now I need a small one.

[kmmcrafts]

Well, I can't help with the 7-1/4 inch one.. I bought my Hitachi with laser beam about 15 years ago.. love that saw... thought I was going to have to buy a new one last summer as the power switch went out and it was a obsolete part.. happen to look up the part number and then somehow crossed it to a saw that is still using the same switch and ordered the switch.. back in business again LOL

I bought mine as a refurb.. and got it here on this site.. have ordered my cordless drill and  couple of palm sanders from them as well and all still going good.. Might want to take a look and see if they have anything you might be able to use.. didn't see that small of one.. but..

https://bigskytool.com/tools/saws/corded-tools-miter-saws.html

[Rockytime]

Thanks for the suggestion. I just took a look but nothing that small. Lots of Makita saws. Mostly professional grade equipment.

[kmmcrafts]

12 minutes ago, Rockytime said:

Thanks for the suggestion. I just took a look but nothing that small. Lots of Makita saws. Mostly professional grade equipment.

Always thought your work was professional grade.. and so you must be running professional grade equipment right, LOL

Yeah I didn't see a smaller one on there either.. I think the smaller saws are getting harder to find.. I think when I was looking for one i checked out the kobalt.. and I almost bought that one.. but I was looking at the larger ones with the slide.. I use it to chop lumber down to size mostly.. and I get tired of having to flip the board to get all the way through on stuff that is wider than 6".. so I was looking at the sliders.. Still want one but I couldn't find one that was cheaper than the $8 switch that mine needed, LOL 

[OCtoolguy]

The smallest I've ever seen is a 10". I bought one of the first Makitas back when they first came out. I loved it but then I needed something to do crown molding so I sold it and bought the 12" compound Dewalt. I still have it but I would trade it now for a good 10" saw that doesn't weigh a ton.

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

https://express.google.com/product/13447418423979582294_18306055655423207804_7472660?mall=WashingtonDC&directCheckout=1&utm_source=bing_shopping&utm_medium=product_ads&utm_campaign=1006091 | GSX | DR | ESS01 | NA | US | en | Hybrid | Bing SEM | PLA | ~ National (acq)&utm_term=4576854590719955&utm_content=National&gclid=CPrnwePu7OECFQuxswoduPkAuQ&gclsrc=ds

 

Never used one

https://www.walmart.com/ip/BLACK-DECKER-9-Amp-7-1-4-Inch-Compound-Miter-Saw-M1850Bd/49689288?sourceid=csebr03dbcf0987cf894358a1d77e2449a57a5f&wmlspartner=bizratecom&affcmpid=3531997210&tmode=0000&veh=cse&szredirectid=15562511531884998675510090302008005

Edited April 26, 2019 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[Foxfold]

Would a mitre box not be more convenient if you don't want a saw ?  We use ours a lot especially for smaller projects.

[jerrye]

I'm not doing production, and I love the feel of great hand tools, so I have been using this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L8SL43U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It leaves an edge that needs no cleanup, and never tears out. For me, it works very well. Might be worth considering...

Edited April 26, 2019 by jerrye

[Bill WIlson]

I know it's blasphemous to try and talk someone out of buying a new tool, but I think it's likely that you would not be satisfied with the brands you mentioned.  One of the things about picture framing is that the miters have to be very accurate.  I have my doubts that any of those saw brands will produce the consistent accuracy required for picture framing.  My son-in-law had a Kobalt.  It was OK for rough cutting 2x4's, but I wouldn't want to use it for any precision work.  I have a 10" DeWalt CMS.  It does pretty well, but that's not what you want.  If you have a table saw, I would suggest building a miter sled for it, instead.  

[OCtoolguy]

13 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

https://express.google.com/product/13447418423979582294_18306055655423207804_7472660?mall=WashingtonDC&directCheckout=1&utm_source=bing_shopping&utm_medium=product_ads&utm_campaign=1006091 | GSX | DR | ESS01 | NA | US | en | Hybrid | Bing SEM | PLA | ~ National (acq)&utm_term=4576854590719955&utm_content=National&gclid=CPrnwePu7OECFQuxswoduPkAuQ&gclsrc=ds

 

Never used one

https://www.walmart.com/ip/BLACK-DECKER-9-Amp-7-1-4-Inch-Compound-Miter-Saw-M1850Bd/49689288?sourceid=csebr03dbcf0987cf894358a1d77e2449a57a5f&wmlspartner=bizratecom&affcmpid=3531997210&tmode=0000&veh=cse&szredirectid=15562511531884998675510090302008005

Thanks, JT, I was not aware of a miter saw of that size. I will have to give it some serious thought. I have been toying with selling my Dewalt monster. It is just too heavy and awkward to drag out anymore. I want something quick and easy. That B&D looks like the right size for my needs.

 

[spirithorse]

Hi, Ray,

I have the Chicago Electric 10" Compound Mitre saw from Harbor Freight and it is very accurate. I used it for a flag display case.
It weighs in at about 32.56 pounds.
I found this ad for a Ryobi 7 1/4" Compound saw for about $99 and it only weighs about 18.93 pounds per their specs.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-9-Amp-7-1-4-in-Compound-Miter-Saw-with-Laser-TS1143L/205448390?cm_mmc=Shopping|B|Base|D25T|25-9_PORTABLE+POWER|NA|PLA|71700000034362724|58700003947733499|92700031998221369&msclkid=01654e8a273211f69fe71249766ed5b8&gclid=CMeH-oG17uECFeSCxQId8iAIzw&gclsrc=ds

Good luck with your search and God Bless! Spirithorse

[OCtoolguy]

17 minutes ago, spirithorse said:

Hi, Ray,

I have the Chicago Electric 10" Compound Mitre saw from Harbor Freight and it is very accurate. I used it for a flag display case.
It weighs in at about 32.56 pounds.
I found this ad for a Ryobi 7 1/4" Compound saw for about $99 and it only weighs about 18.93 pounds per their specs.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-9-Amp-7-1-4-in-Compound-Miter-Saw-with-Laser-TS1143L/205448390?cm_mmc=Shopping|B|Base|D25T|25-9_PORTABLE+POWER|NA|PLA|71700000034362724|58700003947733499|92700031998221369&msclkid=01654e8a273211f69fe71249766ed5b8&gclid=CMeH-oG17uECFeSCxQId8iAIzw&gclsrc=ds

Good luck with your search and God Bless! Spirithorse

Thanks, SpiritHorse. I have looked at the H/F saw too. I'm too old now to invest in the better brands and from my experience so far, the tools that I have purchased there have done well. When I buy a power tool there, I bring it home and go completely through it and make sure it doesn't have any looseness where there shouldn't be any. I bought a biscuit joiner and took it back for an exchange and the second one is great. I pretty much did a complete disassembly of the 1"x30" belt/disc sander too. Once they are assembled correctly, and adjusted correctly, they are not bad tools for the money. So far the only tool that I regret buying from them is the bench top router table. It, to me, is just not any good. I'm going to give it to someone one of these days. I'll just make my own and incorporate my B&D Workmate. I have one of the originals and it's beefy. I have used the heck out of it.

[oldhudson]

You can laugh but I use the Stanley unit John put a link to for a variety of miter jobs. I just cut miters for bead molding on a mirror project. (I hope to post some pics soon. Put the first coat of finish on this afternoon.) In particular when I'm working with small pieces of molding and baseboards and shoe molding. I use my Shopsmith for picture frames. That Japanese saw Jerry linked to looks very interesting. I don't think a 7 1/4" will save much space compared to a 10".  If you have a table saw make a sled to cut your picture frame miters.

[Rockytime]

Checked HD, Lowes and HF for miter saws. I'm hesitant right now.  Making a sled may make the most sense and take the least space. Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't see myself making very many frames. For 8X10 I have several WallyWorld frames. I don't sell anything so most things are give away.

[John B]

Les, have you thought of something like this mate.
I have one and used it a lot. They are very accurate and blades are pretty easy to come by.
 

[NC Scroller]

I know some here will scoff but the most important and most over look key to getting good miter joints is the blade.  What ever miter saw you get get a blade designed specifically for cutting miters.  No not the one most saws come with.

https://mitersawhub.com/how-to-choose-the-best-miter-saw-blade/

[Rolf]

If I ever reach a point in my life where I have to compromise the quality of the tools that I buy It will be time to pack it in. 

How much space are you saving going that small? Do you have another saw to do larger boards?

That said, I agree about precision , I bought the Makita LS1016 dual slide compound cut saw when it first was release. It did not need as much space behind it, perfect for my shop. 

I was never 100% satisfied with it's miter accuracy, and yes I have spent a great deal of time tweaking it.  It will do a 12" cross cut at 90 deg. I need this capacity as many of the boards I re-saw  are at least that wide.  But when it comes to precise miters I am not totally satisfied.  I picked up one of these at a yard sale $20. It is a very scary tool but amazing precision for tweaking joints.

[John B]

1 hour ago, Rolf said:

If I ever reach a point in my life where I have to compromise the quality of the tools that I buy It will be time to pack it in. 

How much space are you saving going that small? Do you have another saw to do larger boards?

That said, I agree about precision , I bought the Makita LS1016 dual slide compound cut saw when it first was release. It did not need as much space behind it, perfect for my shop. 

I was never 100% satisfied with it's miter accuracy, and yes I have spent a great deal of time tweaking it.  It will do a 12" cross cut at 90 deg. I need this capacity as many of the boards I re-saw  are at least that wide.  But when it comes to precise miters I am not totally satisfied.  I picked up one of these at a yard sale $20. It is a very scary tool but amazing precision for tweaking joints.

We had one of those at Tech school when I did my apprenticeship. 100% perfect mitres and  if they weren't, you couldn't blame the tools.

 

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by John B

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

I too have that Lion trimmer that Rolf shows,  and it is a great tool to tweak miters. The biggest problem with cutting accurate miters is accuracy itself. There are many homemade jigs out there to do this on a tablesaw, bandsaw or even miter saws. The blade needs to travel in a perfect straight line when cutting and many saws have runout which causes the blade to wander and that causes open miters. You get what you pay for. 

[Scrappile]

I paid nothing for my jig, but it does very nice 45° angles and with some wedges I can do other angles. 

[OCtoolguy]

1 minute ago, Scrappile said:

I paid nothing for my jig, but it does very nice 45° angles and with some wedges I can do other angles. 

My trouble comes from the fact that I have a cheap saw. I don't have room for a full-blown table saw so I have a Dewalt portable in a roller stand. I have tuned it to the max but it is still just a cheap saw and always will be. I have made a crosscut sled and have been going to make a miter sled for when the need arises. Yours looks nice and easy. I don't have a lot of room for jigs either. 

[Rockytime]

2 hours ago, Scrappile said:

I paid nothing for my jig, but it does very nice 45° angles and with some wedges I can do other angles. 

That is what I'll make. I will buy the table rails on line or from Woodcraft. I can't make them accurate enough. I will make so few frames that I can't justify a miter saw. Doesn't mean I don't want one though. If I knew what the rails were called I'd look on flea bay. Your jig looks great.

[Rockytime]

Just ordered the saw rails. UHMW (like nylon I guess)  $15.99 w/delivery May 5. Looks like I'll be in business soon!

[OCtoolguy]

I was just at Lowe's and I was looking at the 7 1/4" compound miter saws there. I really like the sliding one at $133. It would take up less space than the 12" I have now and is a whole bunch lighter in weight. I'm going to put my saw up on C/L and if it sells, I'll bring one home. Nice little saw and really smooth operation.

 

[Roberta Moreton]

5 hours ago, octoolguy said:

My trouble comes from the fact that I have a cheap saw. I don't have room for a full-blown table saw so I have a Dewalt portable in a roller stand. I have tuned it to the max but it is still just a cheap saw and always will be. I have made a crosscut sled and have been going to make a miter sled for when the need arises. Yours looks nice and easy. I don't have a lot of room for jigs either. 

Buy a fine crosscut blade for the Saw. That’s it, easy peasy. I buy a new blade for my table saw and mitersaw once a year. I can make my own frames, and I do.