Mitre saws (also known as chop saws) aren’t a common fixture in the majority of garage’s and sheds, but they are growing in popularity. You’ve probably seen one at some point, but you might not necessarily recognise the name, so what is a mitre saw?
Let’s Start With The Basics
First and foremost, the best way to know whether or not you recognise the appearance of a mitre saw is to see a picture. The best place to to that is on a mitre saw reviews site, as they tend to carry images of lots of different models.
One thing you’ll notice quickly is that certain brands are very popular for home use, whereas others are more suited to tradesmen. A good example of a home mitre saw that sells really well due to its flexibility in completing different jobs is the Evolution Rage 3. If you can’t quite stretch to the £150 price tag on that, they also offer a budget version called the Evolution Fury 3 (they’re both the 3rd edition as you might have guessed from the name). The Fury is a less powerful option than the Rage, but if you’re an occasional hobbyist in woodworking, then it will probably be good enough.
Turning to the professional tools, rather than brands like Evolution, you’re more likely to turn to the better known trade manufacturers like Dewalt, Makita and Bosch. To use the same logic as the home machines, the Bosch GCM 8 SJL is an ever popular choice with people using them for work every day, whereas the more occasional user will be likely to opt for a Makita LS1040 instead.
Where Are The Best Places To Buy A Mitre Saw?
One of the interesting things about mitre saws, and to be fair power tools in general, is that it doesn’t really matter where you buy. For home users, the instinct is to go to B&Q, or perhaps Wickes, and see what they’ve got to offer. The problem is, chop saws tend not to be the sort of thing that retailers sell a huge number of, unless of course you go to a specialist. B&Q and Wickes aren’t exactly the kind of experts we have in mind, so you’re probably not going to find the wide selection you’re going to need to give yourself the best choice. You might fall lucky and find exactly the tools you’re looking for, but the odds are stacked against you.
If you visit the kind of review sites we mentioned above, you’ll notice they tend to point you somewhere like Amazon or eBay. Generally speaking, people tend to use Amazon for new, boxed purchases, or eBay when they’re looking for a used, second hand bargain. These days, eBay carries unopened stock too – but generally it’s less competitive than Amazon due to their vast size and purchasing power. Those two companies are by no means the only sources of a decent mitre saw to buy, but they do offer an unparalleled convenience.
Amazon in particular manage to get ahead with their low prices and simple, efficient delivery. Prime members can often benefit from free next day delivery, and when you’re talking about something as bulky and heavy as a mitre saw, the postage and packing from a smaller retailer can add quite a premium onto the purchase price.
Are There Any Other Costs To Consider?
The biggest ongoing costs are likely to be blades. Again, you can order them online, but you need to be prepared for a cost of at least £15. Unlike smaller saw blades that might only set you back a couple of quid, these are heavy duty items as they spin at high speed and need to be very sturdy both for safety and to last rather than need replacing every week or two. If you’re an occasional home user, you won’t find yourself needing replacement blades very often, but it is a cost to be aware of.
All in all, mitre saws are a very popular choice for cutting wood, plastic and metal, and are a very useful addition to the available tools of professionals and hobbyists alike. You can benefit from much speedier cuts, not to mention more accurate angles and the double bevelled models will be very simple to use to progress on your projects quickly.