10" Sliding Mitersaws

Whether cutting trim boards, picture frames, crown molding, or just wide hardwood boards, a 10" sliding compound mitersaw can do it all. With crosscut capacities nearing 13", these saws have made radial-arm saws all but obsolete.

But with so many sliders on the market, how do you know which to buy? To find out, we tested 11 models head-to-head, including three powered by lithium-ion batteries. Here's how they fared.

Five key qualities of a good sliding mitersaw

1.  Power. All the saws we tested have sufficient power to cut through even the hardest wood, but some do it faster and with less bogging. The Bosch CM10GD, Delta Cruzer 26-2240, and Hitachi C10FSHPS showed the most muscle. Two cordless saws—Makita XSL06PT (powered by two 18-volt packs) and Milwaukee 2734-21HD (one 18-volt pack)—surprised us with their power output, besting or equaling a few corded machines.

2.  Accuracy. If you're framing a house, "close enough" is okay. But for precision woodworking, cutting angles must be spot-on. Eight of the 11 saws (see the chart) proved capable of making cuts so precise we could build picture frames with eight miters—where even a ¹⁄₁₀ ° inaccuracy can mean visible miter gaps.

We give extra credit to those saws that have lots of accurate miter detents and bevel stops, and miter scales that can be recalibrated should they lose their accuracy: Bosch, Delta, DeWalt DW717 (shown below), Makita LS1019L, Makita XSL06PT, Milwaukee, and Ridgid R4210. And all but two saws (Craftsman 21237 and Hitachi) have detent overrides, allowing you to lock in an angle just slightly off a detent.

The bevel-tilt stops, though fewer, prove accurate and easy to calibrate on all but the Craftsman, Hitachi, and Ryobi saws. We found the scales on the Bosch, Delta, Makita, Milwaukee, and Ridgid saws easiest to read when setting a non-stop angle. Four saws (Bosch, Delta, and both Makitas) feature easily accessible bevel locks located on the front of the machine (shown below), but only the Bosch has all bevel controls up front, eliminating the need to reach behind the saw.

Eight of the 11 saws have a cutline indicator to show where the blade will cut. The Makita saws have the best laser indicators because they're accurate and easy to see and adjust. But we like the LEDs on the Milwaukee (shown below) and Ridgid saws even better. (DeWalt has an optional LED accessory.)

3.  Smooth operation. A good sliding mitersaw must slide forward and backward, pivot, and tilt smoothly, lock solidly, and plunge without excessive resistance from its built-in spring. The Bosch and Delta saws stand out here with their articulated-arm mechanisms that glide without the slightest hiccup. The other saws slide on dual rails, located either behind, beneath, or beside the motor/blade. Of these, the Makita saws operated smoothest.

4.  Workpiece support. Because mitersaws have such small tables for workpieces to rest on, it's important to make the most of that space. That's why we like the textured tables and fences of the Bosch, Delta, DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, and Ridgid saws that provide a better grip than smooth ones. And credit to both Makita machines for having the largest table surface.

Most of the saws have tall fences (at least 3"), crucial for cutting a workpiece oriented other than lying flat on the table, such as cutting crown molding nested against the fence (shown below). All but the Craftsman, Hitachi, and both Ryobis have tall fences on both sides of the blade. The top portions of all the fences slide sideways to provide clearance when tilting the blade to 45°, except the single-bevel Craftsman and Ryobi TSS102L, where only the left fence slides to the side.

5.  Portability. Eventually, you'll want to take your slider to a location other than your shop to set up and work. The Craftsman and Ryobi saws weigh less than 40 pounds each, making them easy to carry. The test-heaviest Bosch weighs 64 pounds, and its many features make it cumbersome to lug around. Props to the cordless saws that work anywhere without having to string an extension cord.

Coordinate your slider with the right blade

Sliding mitersaws work best—and safest—with a high-tooth-count blade (40 teeth for an 8"-or-smaller blade, 60–80 teeth for 10", and 80–100 for 12"), and a tooth-hook angle of 0° to –5° to prevent overly aggressive cutting. For this review, we outfitted each saw with a new Freud LU91R010 60-tooth, –5° hook-angle blade.

Switch into glide

We think you'd be happy with more than half of the 11 sliders we tested, but two stand out as the best of the pack: the Bosch CM10GD and Delta Cruzer glide mitersaws. They share Top Tool honors. Yes, their price tags rank near the top of the group, but for that investment you get an accurate, smooth-handling, well-appointed machine with all the cut capacities and power you'll need.

If you need to save some bucks, opt instead for the Ridgid R4210, our Top Value. At $350, you get a feature-laden saw that weighs less than the Bosch or Delta. It also comes with a 3-year warranty that can become a lifetime service agreement.

GET TO KNOW THE 10" SLIDERS

Bosch CM10GD, $550

877-267-2499, boschtools.com
High Points
▲One of the most powerful saws in the test.
▲The articulated-arm mechanism works smoothly and solidly, and reduces the amount of space required behind the saw (14¹⁄₂ ", compared to traditional sliders at 19–24"), when mounted
against a wall.
▲It has an easy-to-calibrate miter scale.
▲The bevel lock and angle-range selector, located at the front of the saw, make it easiest in the group to tilt the blade.
▲A tall fence and textured table and fence surfaces make it easy to securely hold and cut stock.
▲This saw's depth stop and chop/crown lock work best among the test group. (See the photo above.)

Low Points
▼At 64 pounds, this saw weighs the most and is awkward to carry and lift.
▼Changing blades requires a six-step process—far more difficult than with other saws.

Delta 26-2240, $500

800-223-7278, deltamachinery.com
High Points
▲One of the most powerful saws in the test.
▲ The saw glides smoothly on dual articulated arms instead of sliding rails, and it requires the least amount of space behind the saw (12¹⁄₂ ").
▲The bevel lock is located at the front of the saw for easy changes, and the bevel scale is among the easiest to read.
▲Its clearly marked miter scale can be easily calibrated.
▲A tall fence and textured table and fence surfaces make it easy to securely hold and cut stock.
▲5-year warranty

Low Points
▼The dust bag mounts close to the top handle, making the saw clumsy to lift and carry.
▼Blade changes proved difficult because the guard does not stay retracted by itself.

More Points
■Removing the fence and screwing on a 2×12 as an auxiliary table adds 3" of crosscut capacity.
■A single-trigger power switch can more easily (and possibly accidentally) activate the blade.

Ridgid R4210, $350

866-539-1710, ridgidpowertools.com
High Points
▲The miter scale reads and calibrates easily, and both side support tables pivot to allow miter angles up to a test-best 71° left and right.
▲The chop/crown stop makes it easy to cut crown molding in the nested position.
▲A tall fence and textured table and fence surfaces make it easy to securely hold and cut stock.
▲We found the LED cutline indicator more accurate than the lasers on other saws.
▲Blade changes are easy.
▲Comes with a 3-year warranty, upgradable to a lifetime service agreement upon registering the tool online. This covers most parts and service.

Low Points

▼The top handle is awkward to use by itself when lifting and carrying the saw.

Craftsman 21237, $250

sears.com/craftsman
High Points
▲ Table extensions (with a stop on the right) provide up to 18³⁄₄ " of workpiece support on each side of the blade, longest in the test.
▲It's lightweight (39 pounds) and easy to carry.
▲The $250 price goes easy on your tool budget.

Low Points
▼It bogged down when cutting 2-by pressure-treated pine and dense or thick hardwoods.
▼Miter detents could not be calibrated to spot-on accuracy, and it lacks a detent override. The bevel stops proved easier to calibrate, but we had to do so several times during testing. It tilts only to the left.
▼Its short fences can't support crown molding cut in the nested position.
▼The blade guard catches on wide workpieces, and the saw head demonstrated the most side-to-side deflection during cuts.
▼Despite a large port, dust collection was only fair.

DeWalt DW717, $500

800-433-9258, dewalt.com
High Points
▲Setting miter angles proved foolproof thanks to solid-locking detents and an easily read and calibrated scale. Bevel angles adjust and set almost as easily.
▲A tall fence and textured table and fence surfaces make it easy to securely hold and cut stock.
▲Comes with a 3-year warranty.

Low Points
▼The chop/crown stop kept dropping from its upright "neutral" position, accidentally locking the saw forward of the fence.
▼The saw head slides stiffly on the rails, and we found the small knob that locks the saw's position on the rails difficult to operate.

More Points
■ Removing the fence and screwing on a 2×12 as an auxiliary table adds 2" of crosscut capacity.
■A single-trigger power switch can more easily (and possibly accidentally) activate the blade.

Hitachi C10FSHPS, $550

800-829-4752, hitachipowertools.com
High Points
▲One of the most powerful motors with a soft-start feature that eliminates the lurch common to some others.
▲At just 43 pounds, we found this saw easy to lift and carry.
▲5-year warranty

Low Points
▼The short right-side fence can't support crown molding cut in the nested position.
▼The miter and bevel scales are difficult to read, there's no way to calibrate the miter scale, there's no miter-detent override, and the threaded miter lock came loose a few times.
▼We found its vertically oriented D-handle and power switch awkward to use, and even more difficult to operate left-handed.
▼The blade wrench does not store on the saw.

More Points
■Its rear-mounted laser proves effective when clean, but got covered in sawdust after a few cuts.

Makita LS1019L, $550

800-462-5482, makitatools.com
High Points
▲A tall, textured fence and large, textured table make it easy to securely hold and cut stock.
▲Has the best cutline laser and factory blade among the test saws.
▲The compact frame reduces the amount of space required behind the saw (14"), when mounted against a wall.
▲ Slide-out extension wings provide up to 17" of workpiece support each side of the blade.
▲Its excellent miter scale can be easily recalibrated, with 60° maximum miter capacity left
and right.
▲It has the best workpiece clamp in the test.

Low Points
▼We found it clumsy to change bevel angles, especially when tilting to the right.

More Points
■Although this saw couldn't quite match the power of the top saws, its soft-start feature eliminates startup lurch.
■Dust collection was test-best when hooked to a shop vacuum, but among the worst when using the included collection bag.
■The side-mounted rails help the saw slide smoothly and make it compact, but the rails and bevel lock get in the way too often. And the slide lock works only in the fully retracted position.
■The chop/crown stop works fine, but is not easy to locate.

Makita XSL06PT, $650

High Points
▲This saw shares the high points of its corded sibling, but with an even smoother startup and faster blade braking.
▲Powered by two 18-volt, 5-amp-hour battery packs, this saw averaged 190 crosscuts per charge in 2×4 pine.
▲When paired with Makita's optional Bluetooth-compatible 2-gallon HEPA vacuum (no. XCV08Z, $460), starting the saw triggers the vacuum as well. We found this cord-free setup excellent at collecting dust.

Low Points
▼It shares the LS1019L's issues with the slide rails, beveling, and dust-bag collection.

More Points
■ Buy it without batteries (model LXSL04ZU) for $600.
■With batteries in place, this saw weighs 2 pounds more than the LS1019L.

Milwaukee 2734-21HD, $600

800-729-3878, milwaukeetool.com
High Points
▲Powered by a single 18-volt, 5-amp-hour battery pack, this saw averaged 126 crosscuts per charge in 2×4 pine.
▲Lightweight (45 pounds) and easy to carry with top or side handles. It's surprisingly compact for its many capabilities and solid build.
▲It has an easy-to-read and -calibrate miter scale, and the bevel lock is located on top of the saw for easy access.
▲Blade changes were easiest on this saw because the blade guard stays retracted without loosening any screws.
▲We found the LED cutline indicator more reliable than the lasers on other saws.
▲A tall fence and textured table and fence surfaces make it easy to securely hold and cut stock.
▲5-year warranty

Low Points
▼The small pin that locks the saw into chop/crown mode, located beneath the throat plate, was prone to getting jammed with sawdust.
▼Its stiff spring required the most effort to plunge the saw.
▼The dust port is located too far from the blade to effectively capture dust.

More Points
■Buy it without a battery pack (model 2734-20) for $500.

Ryobi TSS102L, $200

800-525-2579, ryobitools.com
High Points
▲At 36 pounds, this saw is easy to lift and carry.
▲Lowest price in the test group
▲Slide-out extension wings provide up to 15¹⁄₄ " of workpiece support each side of the blade.
▲3-year warranty

Low Points
▼This saw lacks the power of most saws in the test, but it works fine if you cut slower.
▼The miter detents were inaccurate with no way to adjust them. But the detent override lets you lock the saw just slightly off the detent angles to correct some inaccuracy. Changing angles was stiff and jerky, and tilting the saw was difficult as well. It tilts only to the left.
▼Short fences make it difficult to cut workpieces in positions other than lying flat on the table.
▼Adjusting the laser proves difficult because it's located underneath the blade guard.

More Points
■This saw has an adjustable depth stop (helpful for cutting dadoes), but no chop/crown stop.
■A single-trigger power switch can more easily (and possibly accidentally) activate the blade.

Ryobi P3650B, $300

High Points
▲Powered by two 18-volt battery 4-amp-hour packs (not included), this saw averaged 285 crosscuts per charge in 2×4 pine.
▲Unlike the corded Ryobi, this saw tilts both right and left.
▲At 34 pounds (with battery packs), this is the lightest saw in the test.
▲3-year warranty

Low Points
▼This saw does not have an adjustable depth stop or a chop/crown stop.

More Points
■This saw sells only as a bare tool. A two-pack of 4-amp-hour battery packs costs $99.

Click on link to view the PDF of the 10" Sliding Compound Mitersaw Chart.