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Thread: Need a mitre saw for skirting, architrave etc.

  1. #1
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    Need a mitre saw for skirting, architrave etc.

    G'day guys, I've just had a delivery of blackwood mouldings for skirts, dado, scotias etc and need some advice on what I should look for in a mitre saw that will help me do a good job of the installation. I have lots of metalworking gear but not much carpentry tooling so this is a good opportunity to justify buying a small mitre saw but I don't want to go in blind; there are plenty of examples on the web of course but i don't know what my specific requirements should be, e.g. what sort of blade should I be looking at to get a nice clean cut in blackwood? Any particular RPM? What other features should I look for? Any specific recommendations? I'm looking to spend a few hundred bucks max, my woodworking gear tends to get very occasional use so much as I like buying the best gear, I can't really justify it in this case.

    Edit: I went to ebay straight after posting and this Makita saw is just up the road from me;
    MAKITA 1650W 255MM COMPOUND MITRE SAW LS1040 | eBay
    would it be up to the task? Would I need a different blade, and how much would that cost? Thanks in anticipation.

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    A blade with about 40 teeth will give a nice smooth cut without ragged edges.
    Don.

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    Quote Originally Posted by POD View Post
    Edit: I went to ebay straight after posting and this Makita saw is just up the road from me;
    MAKITA 1650W 255MM COMPOUND MITRE SAW LS1040 | eBay
    would it be up to the task? Would I need a different blade, and how much would that cost? Thanks in anticipation.
    No, that's more of a cut-off saw. You want a compound mitre saw. Makita make a very good one at a reasonable price. Worth buying new as it will last for yonks and you'll be surprised how often you'll use it.
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    Don’t mitre both pieces - that only works with perfectly square corners in the room. There’s another method where one cuts one end square and does a scribed cut on the other.

    See How To Install Skirting Boards - DIY At Bunnings - YouTube
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    Yep, that’s the correct method - was taught that trick by a workmate many years ago. Just did some new skirting last weekend - quite a bit more complex than that - I cheated and after cutting the 45 degree across the end I stuck the piece in my mill with a 1/2” end mill in it and milled the profile just using some hand eye coordination.

    Pod - I know you have a mill, so if you’re not adverse to milling a bit of timber it does a good job. 👍

    If not, grab a coping saw out and do it as per the video.
    If you need to contact me please email homestarrunnerau@gmail.com - thanks - Gav.

  6. #6
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    I've got a 300mm Makita slide compound mitre saw that gets a lot of use. Will cut about a 300 mm wide board if laid flat @ 90 degrees, or maybe 125mm ish if on edge.

    That ebay job will only cut angles with the board on edge and probably only about 100mm high. Be aware of that,,,,,,,,,,,,,, how 'high' are the skirts?

    If you have blackwood everything already moulded I assume the finish will be clear so the joints will be visible.

    They'll look like total crap using the the method in the video, which is really only suited for a painted finish.

    You can measure the internal and external angles in a room with various types of devices and adjust a decent slide compound mitre saw to cut the exact calculated angles you need for absolutely perfect mitre joints.

    I always cut the work slightly long because you can make the thinnest of trimming cuts to get absolute precision with the joints with one of these saws, very quickly when you get the hang of it.

    BTW............ wear dust protection when working with blackwood. AFAIK it is carcinogenic.

    cheers, DL

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    Quote Originally Posted by Homestar View Post
    Yep, that’s the correct method - was taught that trick by a workmate many years ago. Just did some new skirting last weekend - quite a bit more complex than that - I cheated and after cutting the 45 degree across the end I stuck the piece in my mill with a 1/2” end mill in it and milled the profile just using some hand eye coordination.

    Pod - I know you have a mill, so if you’re not adverse to milling a bit of timber it does a good job. 👍

    If not, grab a coping saw out and do it as per the video.
    Thanks Gav, the mill got a bit of sawdust through it just a couple of weeks ago as it happens, this ipad stand was designed around some leftovers of redgum from my canoe trim and the brass knobs turned and milled from bar stock cast from plumbing scrap
    finished piece.jpg

    I post that really just to save some face as I am showing an area where I completely lack both knowledge and experience! To be honest I just learned heaps that I didn't even know I didn't know about installing skirting boards just from watching some sub-10min youtube clips that popped up alongside Ron's link.

    I realised the unsuitability of that ebay drop saw on a second look, more of a framing saw I guess and it looks like someone has already had the best years out of it, it caught my eye cos not often something I search for comes up just around the corner.
    Problem is, of course, the quality tools are all more $ than I want to spend and the cheap ones are just that. I read a couple of reviews of the Ozito sliding compounds that said the cuts were not accurate, not much point having it if that is the case.

    350RRC you are dead right, the finish will be clear so my work will be buck naked. Just watched a great youtube clip from a scouser who shows how to split angles to get perfect mitres on imperfect corners. That will be important on this job as we're in an owner-built kit home so the corners are anything but square. And thanks for the tip about the dust, I do have a tendency to be careless with that.

    I guess I might be looking at a small Makita sliding compound at around $450. Something like this? Makita 216mm (8-1/2inch) Sliding Compound Mitre Saw | Total Tools

    Please keep educating me fellas, I'm a complete ignoramus here.

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    As someone who has done a fair bit of the DIY over the years (and expert in none of it) when doing joinery equipment quality is key. A good joiner can probably get away with slightly dodgy equipment and finish accurately by hand, but it gets real expensive in time. For DIY it gets expensive in frustration and (often) poor outcomes. It can also add up quickly in $$ on wasted wood! 25yrs ago I was renovating and got really frustrated with the cheap mitre saw. There was not a lot around (quality wise) then, so I lashed out over $800 (equiv of over $1600 now) on a quality Delta (from a specialty shop) when I could least afford it (new mortgage, 3 small kids, one income). Never regretted it, still as accurate today as then.

    The Makita you linked seems OK but my only hesitation is size. It should be fine for moldings and general interior joinery but much less flexible than a 300mm unit (like 350RRC has). My Delta is 300 (or so) and the only frustrations I have had is that it is not a sliding model (that doubled the price so was out!)- so while I can cut 4x2 OK, when I need on the odd occasion to cut 6x2 (or sleepers) it struggles, and I occasionally have to go to circular saw, dual cut etc.

    Only you can figure what your likely future needs are, and having gone already from “a couple of hundred” to $450, the jump to over $1k may well unjustifiable (though the 300mm Makita with stand would be ideal). Although possibly difficult at the moment, it is also good to put your hands on the various models first. Things such as locking mechanisms, angle detents (not sure of proper name, but mine has detents at 22.5, 30 and 45 to assist with common angles), laser lines etc can make a difference to the usability (though not necessarily accuracy).

    Mike

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    More teeth is better - mostly...

    In general, 'the more teeth the better' for fine-work. Also, higher RPM.
    I suspect that fewer teeth are better for rip-saw/lengthways cuts.
    It's certainly better for crude/firewood cuts.
    One option is to make close-rough cuts with a coarse blade and then fine it up with a 60T blade. Or a tabletop planer.

    Lengthways cuts/shaves can have the blade 'bend away' - so you wind up with an 89 degree angle instead of 90. Flip it and cut/shave again is one solution. Faster RPM (slower, steadier cuts) also helps.

    I suspect a tabletop sander might be worth it for a substantial job or seven. I don't have one, but most the work done by my belt sander is with the sander clamped upside down.

    And - if you can stand the smoke, and have need or fondness for a burnished finish - a metal-cutting grinder drop-saw can do a very precise/smooth cut.

    In terms of mitreing corners/framing, there's a bewildering array of techniques/accessories/gewgaws. I'd suggest you grabbed a bit of scrap timber and practiced till you got results you're content with.

    Tungsten-tipped is worth the money. Years ago, I sharpened blades and saws, rotary and straight. I've probably forgotten how, by now! One tungsten-tipped blade actually met a nail - and is still usable.

  10. #10
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    I had to go out for essentials this afternoon so went into a couple of local tool shops- including the large green one- and it seems that the reasonable quality saws have been in high demand, I could get a cheapo that probably wouldn't last a room full of skirting or I could pay a grand and up, but not much available between. Bunnings had an AEG 255mm sliding compound for $549, seemed to have all the right attributes but not sure about the quality. The Makita 250mm sliding compounds were on back order at both places.
    Anybody know anything about AEG gear?

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